Fast forward to today. Christian Jones, Layne Willis and Shay Osborne, now seniors, lead a 5-2 Laurel team that features nine seniors. Seven of them, including Jones, Willis and Osborne, began playing travel basketball together around fifth and sixth grade.

The paths these three took to making varsity as sophomores were different, but the end goal as seniors is same: win state again.

"It's pretty crazy how long we've played together," Jones said. "We have great chemistry and we know how to play together."

Jones moved to Laurel from Birmingham, Ala., in the fifth grade, when he met Willis and his dad, Steve, an assistant coach for Laurel.

At an open gym, Willis saw the young Jones already knew how to run drills and was a step above the rest.

He convinced Jones to play for their travel team, the Locomotive Express, and away they went.

"When he came to town, he started on a different team and he lived here in Laurel and we got to know him," Willis explained. "Every morning me and my dad would go pick him up and there were some mornings where he'd be sleeping in and we'd be banging on the door wanting him to come out. He had long hair back then and he'd come outside with it all messed up like Dora (the Explorer).

"He was very skilled right off the bat and knew a lot of skills. We wanted to bring him in and have him working with a team. He's still very gifted and athletic."

Those years, Jones said, though a transition, were some of the best.

"It took time to get used to it — Montana and the people," Jones said. "It took a while. I first went to Elder Grove in fifth grade, then Laurel in sixth. They invited me warmly, got me on the team right away. I just fit in."

But the toughest transition from Alabama to Montana?

"The weather," he said, laughing.

Laurel coach Pat Hansen said of all the players he's coached, Jones has been the hardest offseason worker he's ever been around.

"If you're going to outwork him, you're going to have to be something special," Hansen said. 

Osborne was born in South Dakota but has done all of his schooling in Laurel. Willis also is from Laurel.

Osborne said this entire experience of three years on varsity has been surreal, and that it still hasn't sunk in yet.

"It's been really fun. I've played with a lot of great guys," Osborne said. "Seeing each other grow up and being a part of each other's life for so long. It's kind of sad at the same time to see it coming to an end, with each of us going our separate ways after this year. Not sure what we're going to do or if we're going to see them again. It's just kind of emotional there."

As young kids, though, did he envision they'd have won a state championship and played together so long?

In a way, yes.

"You always think about that stuff and every kid thinks, 'Oh, I'm going to be a state champion this year,' " Osborne said. "To actually live it is quite overwhelming."

Hansen describes Osborne as a "wannabe rancher" because he didn't grow up on a ranch but wants to live on one.

Osborne laughed, "Of course he would say that."

After school is said and done, Osborne wants to study agricultural business at Montana State. He also grew up racing quarter midget racing cars at the Billings Motorsports Park until he was about 12. 

Once he grew too big to race, Osborne turned his focus toward basketball. An outdoor junkie, he likes to hunt, ride four-wheelers and hang out with his family. 

When it came to basketball, all three players agreed that the transition to varsity at a younger age was an eye-opening experience. 

"At first I was kind of like, 'Why did I make the varsity team? What did I do?' " Osborne said. "Those seniors taking me under their wing just made it a lot better.

"(Us three sophomores) would talk to each other on the sidelines about how to do this or that among ourselves and figure it out."

Added Jones: "It's been great. We had to come together and support each other and keep pushing through."

Hansen said when he brought up the three players, he said they stood out because he knew they were ready.

"We had such great senior leadership that year, and we had these kids just go out there and be themselves," Hansen said. "Those three have been a nucleus for what you need for a team. They're just incredible."

Willis might join his teammate in Bozeman for college or head to Montana Tech for civil or environmental engineering. 

"Environmental stands out mostly, so I could fly fish, and preserving the environment is something that I think is important," he said. 

Willis does a lot of fly fishing, and he made a deal with his grandparents that in his first summer removed from basketball workouts, he would get to live at their cabin on the Stillwater River four days a week if he kept up the maintenance work. They, in turn, would pay for his food.

He also added that the team will get together and hang out off the court, watching TV shows on Netflix like New Girl or Prison Break. He's also invited his team to his cabin to float the river.

Three teammates. Three different paths.

"We'll probably all still be close after college even if we go separate ways," Willis said. 

And as their first match up with Billings Central (6-2, 3-1) approaches Thursday, Willis said he expects an incredible atmosphere for his last time suiting up at home against the Rams. 

"Even when you get to state or divisionals, I don't think there's as many people there as there is here in this gym," Willis said. "The atmosphere is kind of like Hardin. A lot of people come out and are dedicated to the program and we like to give them a good show."