Montana products such as Columbia Falls High alum Nick Emerson have littered basketball rosters in the Frontier Conference since its inception.

But Emerson, a 6-foot-5 senior guard who spent three seasons at the University of Montana before going the NAIA route, is an atypical case.

Not because he opted to transfer after having a limited role on a pair of NCAA tournament teams, but because he left the state of Montana to play in what's primarily a Treasure State-based conference.

Emerson is now at third-ranked Lewis-Clark State (18-1, 6-1), which plays host to No. 14 Carroll (13-4, 6-1) Saturday night in a battle of conference co-leaders. He averages 12.5 points a game for the Warriors -- the lone team from the seven-school Frontier that isn't in Montana -- and is shooting 42 percent from 3-point range.

The Lewiston, Idaho, program has seldom drawn from the Montana recruiting pool, but picked up a coup in Emerson, who was recruited by just about every Frontier team before his time with the Griz and after.

"The Frontier offers a lot of Montana kids opportunities to play. It's pretty tough to get exposure in Montana, for the most part," said Emerson, who went on a recruiting visit to Carroll in 2014 before signing with LCSC. "There's a lot of of local talent. It seems like every team we play has someone I know."

Emerson saw the floor in just 23 games in two seasons at Montana. Last season, however, he carved out a substantial role in helping LCSC win the Frontier Conference and reach the national tournament.

"I wanted more of a steady basketball experience, I guess. I was sold on (LCSC) and coach (Brandon) Rinta immediately," Emerson said. "But my time at Montana I don't regret at all."

Before walking on at UM -- he earned a scholarship from then-coach Wayne Tinkle after redshirting the 2011-12 season -- Emerson helped Columbia Falls win a state title in 2011, and was named both the Northwestern A Conference and Class A state tournament MVP.

Lewis-Clark State wasn't bidding for his services in high school like Western, Rocky Mountain, Carroll and MSU-Northern were.

"I was pretty set on walking on at Montana, and it worked out," he said.

This season, LCSC's lone blemish has come at the hands of Carroll, which upset the Warriors 96-70 in Helena on Dec. 4. The Saints, which trailed 40-37 at halftime, shot a blistering 20 for 22 in the second half, a performance seared into Emerson's memory.

Coming off the bench that night, he scored 11 points on 4 of 12 shooting.

"They took the momentum from us right from the get-go. There wasn't a whole lot we could do about it when a team shoots like that," Emerson recalled. "Eventually, we lost some confidence as the game led on. But since then I think we've gotten the ball back on track.

"We're really excited to get another shot at them at home."

LCSC has won its last three conference home games by an average of 28 points, including a 100-59 laugher over Rocky two weeks ago.

Carroll, which ended an eight-game skid against the Warriors in the last meeting, has also played well since, winning six of its first seven conference games. The Saints, the only team in the Frontier that's beaten every team at least once, fell at Montana Western 90-98 in double overtime in its lone conference loss.

Junior guard Zach Taylor paces Carroll, averaging 18 points and five assists.

TECH THURSDAY, LCSC NEXT: Before Carroll can look to its Saturday bout with Lewis-Clark State, it travels to I-15 rival Montana Tech (6-13, 1-6) in a rivalry game that tips at 7:30 p.m Thursday.

The last-place Orediggers gave Carroll some fits before the Saints won 72-63 in Helena on Dec. 3, Tech's sixth straight loss.

Things haven't been much better for the Butte bunch, which saw its losing streak reach 14 games before downing the University of Great Falls 74-66 on the road Saturday, Tech's first Frontier win.

Diminutive point guard Jalen Coates leads Tech with 18 points and three assists per game. Inside, Paul Engstrom averages 14 points and seven rebounds a contest.

At halftime of the men's game, Montana Tech will hang its Frontier Conference championship football banner.