Cade Tyson scored 23 points and Jesse Owens notched 18 as Billings West won the third-place trophy of the state Class AA boys’ basketball tournament with a 53-40 victory over Great Falls High Saturday in the Butte Civic Center.

The Golden Bears closed the game with a 12-0 run to put the trophy on ice. Great Falls High had wiped out most of a 41-33 deficit from the end the third quarter with a 7-0 spree of its own. Keegan Bistodeau ignited it with a 3-point basket, then stole the ball in the backcourt and drove for a hoop. Drew Wyman’s basket on a rebound 27 seconds later pulled the Bison to within 41-40 of the lead with 6 minutes, 31 seconds still to play.

Tyson righted the Golden Bears with a spin-move drive for a basket and Owens took over with a 6-0 surge of his own. He nailed two free throws, then tallied on successive acrobatic drives to the hoop and West owned a 49-40 advantage with 1:56 on the clock.

Tyson finished off the scoring with four foul shots, interrupted to two on each side of a delay caused by technical fouls called against Bistodeau and Golden Bear Josh Erbacher after an anger flare-up. It wasn’t physical.

The third-place finish completed a 17-9 season for Billings West.

Great Falls wound up 19-6 and was led by Blake Thelen and Bistodeau with 12 points each. Riley Callery scored 10.

— Bruce Sayler, buttesports.com