A Look Back at the End of Plenty Coups' Season

Click above to view a slideshow from the Plenty Coups-Rocky Boy State Class C semifinal game in Butte.

By Brandon Gonski
CrowNews.Net

All season, the Plenty Coups Warriors had visions of a state Class C title game. And with only one loss going into the state tournament in Butte last month, it seemed a possibility.

Until the Warriors met the Rocky Boy Stars.

In the Friday night semifinal game featured in the slideshow above, the Warriors fell to the Stars 101-74, losing the chance to advance to Saturday night's championship game.

Despite a disappointing end to the Warriors season head coach Lawrence DeCrane said he was very proud of the boys getting this far and viewed their successes this season as a blessing that they should all appreciate.

The Stars were favored to win the semifinal, but the Warriors and their fans were hoping for the first state title since 1987 when they beat Absarokee 72-66. Plenty Coups made it to the championship game five years ago when they faced Roberts but lost 72-65.

The Warriors trailed the whole game but the fans never gave up hope, cheering the Warriors on until the very end.

The Warriors tried to match the Stars fast break style and made their own run in the third quarter but  simply couldn't keep up.

“Defense wins games,” said Warrior senior Altan Smart Enemy, “We just didn't have it.”

Smart Enemy who led the team in rebounds, points and turnovers (11-22-10) said he was very disappointed with the loss but that the team couldn't blame anyone but themselves. He and many of his teammates had dreamed of winning a state championship since fifth grade, he said, but that the team just couldn't get back on defense and acknowledged that they were overconfident after  after an otherwise great season.

The Warriors finished the regular season 21-3.

The Warriors indeed could not get back on defense allowing four Stars to score in double digits. Rodney Turn Toes led the Stars with 24 points, followed by Jerod Parker with 20. Mike Sangrey Jr. scored 18 while Eric Schildt had 17 points.

The Warriors had two players in double digits. Smart Enemy had 22 points and Rumeal DeCrane had 20 points.

The Warriors were beat to the boards constantly. The Warriors only pulled down 32 rebounds compared to the Stars 49. But neither team was able to hold on to the ball. Rocky Boy had 40 turnovers and Plenty Coups had 35.

With Rocky Boys' fast break and both teams amazing number of turnovers the game was frantic and came down to who could move the ball the fastest but also hold on to it. That team turned out to be Rocky Boy.

Jerod Parker finished the game with an 18-foot jumper in the last 26 seconds putting triple digits onto the Stars side of the scoreboard.

Smart Enemy remained optimistic for Saturday night's game.

“The team hurts bad but we'll just pick our heads up for tomorrow. We're definitely not out yet,” said Smart Enemy.

Big Sandy beat the Warriors 72-64 the following day.

2007-2008 Basketball Season Round Up

Here's a quick look at how the season went for some of the other teams on or near the reservation:

While the Plenty Coups boys finished their season at the state tournament in Butte, the girls team's last game was against Roberts on Feb. 16, when they lost 43-33, according to the Billings Gazette's GazPrepSports.com website. They finished 2-7 in their conference and 4-10 overall.

The Hardin High School boys went 11-7 and finished third in the Eastern A conference.
Their season ended during divisional tournaments. Clint Not Afraid was the Bulldogs' top scorer this year,
averaging 15.5 points per game.

The Lady Bulldogs' ended the season with only one conference win that came in a December home game against the Laurel Locomotives. Their overall record was 5-13, according to Montana High School Statistics website. Charla Takes Enemy and Leisha Shawl were the Bulldog's
top scorers this season, and each averaged roughly 11.5 points per game. For a
closer look at individual statistics on the women's team, click here.

Between St. Labre and Lodge Grass, our two Class B schools, the
Lodge Grass Indians finished with the better standings in their
district. They ended the season ranked second behind Columbus among
District 4 teams and went 8-10 overall while the St. Labre boys went
6-16 and finished fifth in District 3.

The Lodge Grass girls had a tough year, too, with six wins in a
10-game season. And the girls from St. Labre went for 2-15 to finish up
with a very rough season. Looks like it was a rebuilding year in Class
B.