Harlem boys capture Northern B crown in dominant fashion

As the high school basketball postseason rolls on, things are supposed to get tougher. That doesn't seem to be the case for the Harlem boys basketball team, however.

After battling to a District 2B title two weeks ago, the Wildcats had their eyes on the top prize at the Northern B Divisional Tournament last weekend in Shelby.

Only the Wildcats didn't likely expect to win the tournament in the fashion they did.

The Northern B is always one of the premier tournaments in the postseason, but Harlem made it look easy as the Wildcats cruised to three wins in the three nights, including an 80-75 win over Faifield in Saturday night's championship game. The win pushed Harlem to this weekend's Class B Boys State Tournament, a place Harlem has now gone three straight times. It was also Harlem's first Northern B championship since 2002, when current head coach Ben Carrywater was a star player for the Wildcats.

And while there's no doubt the Wildcat's road to a state championship won't be easy, they're making it look that way at the moment.

In the Northern B, Harlem opened with a 106-51 win over rival Rocky Boy. The Wildcats went on a 36-5 run to start the game and the Stars never had a chance. Cody McCabe scored 23 points and Matt Billmayer added 21 in the win that vaulted the Wildcats into the semifinals. There, Harlem took care of 2B rival Poplar, 85-54. Poplar fought hard, but Harlem finished the game on a 17-1 run. McCabe scored 22 points and Tayden Colliflower added 14 as the Wildcats moved on to the championship game,

In the title tilt against 1B champion Fairfield, Harlem again had a huge first quarter, and while the Eagles closed the gap several times, Harlem was in full control on its way to the Northern B crown. Behind McCabe's 30 points, as well as 15 from Billmayer and 13 by Xavier Young, Harlem not only captured the divisional title, but, the Wildcats punched their ticket to this weekend's state tourney.

The 2026 Class B boys state tournament will run Thursday-Saturday at the Brick Breeden Fieldhouse in Bozeman. Harlem (23-2) will open the tournament today against St. Labre, the No. 2 Seed from the Southern B.

Also at the Northern B last weekend, Malta beat Glasgow in the girls championship game.