The Helena High boys basketball team did what coach Willie Schlepp asked of them, that being to put themselves in a position to win late in the game against a good team.

"It was a great game against a great team. We gave ourselves an opportunity to win in the last 25 seconds, and that's what I expect the guys to do if we're going to be competitive," said coach Schlepp after his charges dropped a close 65-61 non-conference contest to visiting Bozeman High Friday in The Jungle. "Bozeman is one of the top-five teams in the state, and we competed hard against them all four quarters. I challenged the guys before the game to play with a lot of energy and enthusiasm, and they did."

The Bengal skipper also noted the huge improvement over their last outing versus the undefeated Hawks (4-0), when HHS

(2-2) was drubbed 58-32.

The chance to win occurred in the waning minutes, as the Bengals took their first lead of the game. With 3:44 on the clock, Justin Teegarden drained a 3-point field goal to put the hosts in front, 57-56. Bozeman quickly went back ahead 62-59. But again the Bengals scratched and clawed their way back into the fray, getting to within one on a pair of Adam Johnson free throws with 1:28 remaining.

The next minute of action was furious back-and-forth play, and then with 8.7 seconds left, Bozeman's P.J. Burns put the game on ice with an old-fashioned 3-point play.

"We made a few minor mistakes at the end - Bozeman is a good team and capitalized on them," said junior post Adam Johnson, who canned a game-high 18 points, including 10-of-11 free throws. "Otherwise we played really hard, a lot of guys were working their butts off out there. And the defense did a good job."

The home team basically had a decent all-around game, as coach Schlepp felt their three-quarters court offense was executing well. "Our game plan was to score over 50 points. We hit a lot of our shots, and scored some easy baskets on transition," said Schlepp, pointing out his club's 50-percent accuracy from the floor (22-for-44).

Bozeman jumped out to a 17-10 first period lead, and a 37-29 advantage at halftime. A bomb from beyond the 3-point arc by Tyler Weideman right before the third-quarter buzzer brought HHS to within four, 52-48.

The locals tallied four quick points - two each by freshman Dylan Simac and senior Nick Trapp - to start the final frame, knotting the score at 54-all.

Helena's Tyler Hulse finished with 15 points, while Teegarden chipped in 11 counters and four steals. Trapp, a 5-foot-9 guard, pilfered four swipes and led the squad with six rebounds. Young Simac showed HHS fans a glimpse of the future, pacing the team with four assists and netting four points. His mother, Chris (Mansfield) Simac, played for the Bengals in the '70s.

Bozeman was led by Tanner Roderick, with 15 points, and Jacob Owsley, with nine rebounds. Gabe Rucker - whose dad (Randy Rucker) helped Helena High to the 1971 state hoops championship - scored 14 points and topped the Hawks with six steals.

Bozeman 17 20 15 13 - 65

Helena 10 19 19 13 - 61

Boz - T.J. Leep 3-5 0-0 6, Tanner Roderick 6-10 1-2 15, Will Waylander 2-5 1-2 6, P.J. Burns 3-4 2-3 8, Gabe Rucker 6-10 2-2 14, Jacob Owsley 5-12 0-0 10, Andy Ballinger 1-4 0-2 2, Matt Mullins 1-4 0-2 4; Totals 28-55 6-11 65.

Helena - Nick Trapp 3-6 0-0 6, Adam Johnson 4-9 10-11 18, Justin Teegarden 4-6 0-0 11, Zach Carpenter 1-7 0-3 2, Tyler Weideman 1-2 0-0 3, Tyler Hulse 6-11 3-3 15, Dylan Simac 2-2 0-0 4, Curtis Anderson 1-1 0-0 2; Totals 22-44 13-17 61.

3-pointers - Boz 3-11 (Roderick 2-3), HHS 4-8 (Teegarden 3-3); Rebounds - Boz 29 (Owsley 9, Waylander 5), HHS 25 (Trapp 6, Johnson 3, Teegarden 3); Assists - Boz 14 (Roderick 5), HHS 14 (Simac 4, Trapp 3, Teegarden 3); Steals - Boz 15 (Rucker 6), HHS 15 (Trapp 4, Teegarden 4); Turnovers - Boz 21, HHS 22; Fouls - Boz 18, HHS 13.