Montana Tech men’s basketball coach Adam Hiatt has two words to describe Thursday night.
Championship game.
Hiatt’s Orediggers can secure a regular-season Frontier Conference championship for the first time since 1993 Thursday as the MSU-Northern Lights come to town.
The game is part of a men’s-women’s doubleheader at the HPER Complex. The women play at 5 p.m., and the men follow at 7. Both games will be broadcast live on KBOW (550 AM, 101.5 FM, kbow550.net or on the KBOW app).
Tech will celebrate Senior Night, honoring seniors Drew Huse, Christian Jones, Cody Baumstarck, Derrius Collins, Taylor England and Sindou Diallo.
The No. 14 Orediggers enter the game at 23-6 overall. That is believed to be the most wins in a single season for the Orediggers. At 12-2 in the Frontier, Tech is tied with No. 11 Carroll College, which plays at the University of Providence in Great Falls.
If Tech and Carroll both win — or both lose — Thursday, they will share the regular-season crown. Carroll, though, will receive the No. 1 seed for the Frontier Conference tournament because the Saints won two out of three games against Tech.
Tech won the first two games with Northern. The Orediggers edged the Lights 75-66 Jan. 13 in Havre before rolling to a 73-54 victory Jan. 29 in Butte.
Caleb Bellach scored 22 points to lead Tech in the last meeting. Diallo scored 12, while Huse and England followed with nine and eight.
Tanner McCliment-Call scored 15 to lead the Lights (18-11, 6-8). Mascio McCadney tossed in 12.
The women’s game will be a rubber match between the Orediggers and Skylights. Tech won 71-61 Jan. 13 in Havre, and Northern battled back to beat Tech 70-63 Jan. 29 in Butte.
Peyton Kehr scored 20 points to lead four Skylights in double figures in that win. L’Tia Lawrence and Shyan Krass each scored 15, and Ryley Kehr netted 11.
Tavia Rooney’s 14 points and seven boards led Tech. Mollie Peoples scored 12, and Brooke Heggie tossed in 11.
Northern comes to town at 8-20 overall and 1-13 in conference. Tech is 12-17 and 3-11.
The game will be the last home game for Tech’s three seniors, Peoples, Heggie and Celestina Faletoi. Tech celebrated Senior Night on Saturday.
