We've Got The County Covered
We've Got The County Covered
For the past decade, Hoops for A Cause has been about more than basketball. It has been about communities coming together to support families facing some of life's toughest challenges.
This year, the annual fundraiser will help two young girls with strong ties to the Frontier Conference community, 14-year-old Isla Doney of Havre and 9-year-old Callie Finnicum of Great Falls. Both are currently fighting cancer. Isla is battling leukemia, while Callie is fighting osteosarcoma, a rare and aggressive bone cancer that has already cost her a leg.
The 2026 event marks the 10th year of Hoops for A Cause, an effort involving all Frontier Conference schools and led by MSU-Northern women's basketball coach Chris Mouat. Over the years, the program has raised more than $200,000 for families in need while reminding them they are not facing their battles alone.
The goal has always been simple, to provide financial support, encouragement and hope while showing families that the Frontier Conference family stands together during difficult times.
The 3-on-3 tournament will be held Saturday, August 8, in Havre, with games beginning at 9 a.m. The tournament includes divisions for boys and girls in grades 3-4, 5-6, 7-8 and 9-10. Be sure to follow the Hoops for A Cause Facebook page for schedules, updates, and fundraising information.
As always, this fundraiser features several ways for people to help. Community members and businesses can become basket, bracket, or corporate sponsors, donate directly through GoFundMe accounts established for each fighter, participate in online auctions, or take part in the annual 3-on-3 basketball tournament.
Since late June, auction items have been featured through the Hoops for A Cause Facebook page. Donations have come from Frontier Conference schools and athletic programs across Montana, including football helmets, shoes, and team gear. Schools throughout the conference help with the fundraiser in many ways, including donations, helping with registration, and refereeing games.
Support has also traveled from well beyond Montana. The University of Utah women's basketball program donated backpacks, shirts, hats, shoes, and travel bags, while the University of South Carolina women's basketball team donated team gear that players will have opportunities to win.
The Havre Lions Club will also provide a free lunch and gathering for players and families attending the event.
For Isla Doney, the road has been long and challenging. According to her family, "In March 2025, Isla was diagnosed with leukemia, beginning a journey that has tested her strength, resilience, and determination in ways most people can only imagine."
An active student-athlete, Isla loved volleyball and basketball and was preparing to begin club volleyball when her diagnosis changed everything. Treatment forced her to miss much of her eighth-grade year and spend extended periods away from home. During the first year of treatment alone, Isla and her family spent a total of six months near her hospital in Kalispell.
Today, she is making progress. A year and a half into her three-year treatment plan, Isla has completed some of the toughest chemotherapy treatments and is now in the maintenance stage. She has returned to in-person classes and is working toward getting back on the volleyball court.
Her family says, "Although she still has a year and a half of treatment ahead before she can ring the bell in August 2027, her optimism remains unwavering. Isla continues to face each challenge with courage and determination, and she looks forward to all that the future holds."
Callie Finnicum's battle has been equally difficult. Her ties to the Frontier Conference run deep, as her mother, Katie Finnicum, played basketball for the University of Great Falls.
"At the end of November 2025, 9 year old Callie began a fight no child should ever have to face," her family wrote. "She was diagnosed with osteosarcoma, a rare and aggressive bone cancer."
The family initially traveled between Great Falls and Salt Lake City for chemotherapy treatments and specialist appointments. Eventually, the trips became too hard on Callie, and the family made the decision to temporarily relocate to Salt Lake City so she could remain close to her care team.
"Callie has already endured months of chemotherapy, countless hospital stays, and a major rotationplasty surgery in February. She continues to amaze everyone with her bravery, empathy, and resilience," her family wrote.
Her treatment is expected to continue through the summer, and she will also require lung surgery to remove several small nodules that developed during treatment.
The fundraiser is especially personal for University of Providence women's basketball coach Bill Himmelberg, who has a connection to the Finnicum family.
"Katie Finnicum is one of my former players and also one of our host families for many years, so this means a lot to us personally," Himmelberg said. "We are doing everything we can to help her daughter, Callie, and any support you can give would be deeply appreciated."
He added, "If you're able to donate, thank you from the bottom of our hearts. And if donating isn't possible, please consider sharing her GoFundMe page, even that can make a big difference."
Anyone wishing to contribute can donate through the girls' GoFundMe pages or mail a check payable to Hoops for A Cause to 1695 11th Street West, Havre, MT 59501.
As Hoops for A Cause celebrates its 10th year, the focus is still the same as it was from the beginning: helping families through challenges they should never have to face alone.
