The Dark Horse: Turner Tornadoes Playing Well Down the Stretch

Like a true storm, the Turner Tornadoes have blown through the post-season, stirring up brackets and grabbing the hearts of fans around Montana. Heading into the post season, the Turner Tornadoes weren’t really picked to win. However, they quickly garnered the “underdog” role after battling their way through the 9C district tournament, leaving as the Consolation champions. They were slated against 10-C’s first seed Simms, and probably weren’t anyone’s pick to take down the Tigers. But, they did. Then, they battled for four straight quarters, leading the defending State Champs Box Elder for the entire game, until that buzzer beater crushed their chance of moving to the finals “I was really praying that it wasn’t gonna go in, and I look up and it goes in, and I was like ‘dang.’ We had such a good run on them, but yeah it was upsetting,” Tornadoes Jr. Guard Sarah Billmayer said. But, even a loss to one of the best teams in the state can’t hold the Tornadoes back from wreaking havoc in the class c post season. They woke up the next morning, and took down yet another powerhouse in Fort Benton. “It was a tough night, we were pretty sad, but all we could think was ‘We just played the State-Winning team, we can do this.’ We can do this. We can move forward and we can get into the championship and go to State.” Tornadoes Sr. Guard Melanie Watkins said. So what is it about the Turner Tornadoes that makes them so dangerous? “What is it about these group of girls? A - they love each other,” head coach Julie Welsh said. “I mean, they are the kinda girls that there’s no nit-picking. They love each other, they play for each other, the play as a team from start to finish and they just have so much heart, and so much try, and they just know it’s they’re turn.” And with a chance at state on the line, they’ll do what they do best: Bring on the upsets. “Everyone was like cheering us on, and everyone has been so supportive of us, and I think that we knew that we needed to do it just so that we could show all of our supporters that we know that we can do it and its because of them that we’re doing it.” senior guard Reagan Conlan said. “I think it’s because a lot of people underestimate us, and we really want them to know that we can do it, even though we’re number 3 from 9C we can still make it,” added her sister Rylee Conlan.