Big Sandy girls beat Box Elder in consolation game

Behind the Chinook Sugarbeeters, and maybe even the North Star Knights, the rest of the girls 9C field was chasing second place at the district tournament.

Both Big Sandy and Box Elder had high hopes of knocking somebody off and moving into one of those top two spots. Unfortunately neither team accomplished that task in 2014 as the Pioneers and Bears found themselves battling it out in the consolation finals Saturday afternoon.

Saturday at the Havre High gymnasium, the Pioneers defeated the Bears 58-34, claiming third place as both teams saw their seasons come to an end. And in that third-place matchup, the Pioneers found a way to click on all cylinders and get back to playing the way they know how.

“The way we played today is the way I wish we could have played every single game,” Big Sandy head coach Serena Cator said. “They had it all put together, they played as a team, they outrebounded Box Elder, and we just did what we needed to do to win.”

Big Sandy took control of the game early on and cruised past the Bears. Turnovers were the storyline early on as the Pioneers Brooke Leader took full advantage with easy bucket after easy bucket. Leader got the scoring started with a 2-for-2 showing at the free throw line, but expanding that 2-0 lead to 12-4, and then 16-4 to end the quarter, Leader came out on fire. Leader scored the first eight points of the game for the Pioneers, two buckets on back-to-back steals and layups near the three minute mark.

Leader also finished with a game-high 20 points, going 6-for-9 from the field and 7-of-9 from the free throw line. She also had six assists and four steals for the Pioneers.

“We knew we had to come out and play well from the start,” Leader said. “We knew there is always a possibility for a challenge game. But we also played relaxed because we knew this could be our last game, and we just wanted to go out on a positive note. And this isn’t where I wanted my season to end, but it is a good way to go out because we all played well together as a team.”

The early success of the Pioneers also caused early problems for the Bears as they struggled to score against the changing Big Sandy defensive looks. Box Elder was held to four points in the first quarter, and just 15 more through the third. A 13-point fourth was their best frame of the afternoon, but the deficit was too big to overcome. Krista Chief Stick paced the Bears with 13 points, followed by another seven by Stephanie Sutherland. The Bears also had 19 turnovers, with Big Sandy scoring 16 points off the miscues. Box Elder also shot just 19 percent from the field and 3-of-18 from behind the 3-point arc.

“We alternated defense every other possession,” Cator said. “We tried to keep them from getting into their offensive set. And they killed us last time with their driving down the middle, so we wanted to limit that and prove they can shoot. We know they can shoot, too, but we knew we had to stop their drive down the middle and risk them shooting from outside.”

But the Pioneers also executed very well against the pressure by the Bears, something that hurt the Pioneers the last time these two teams met. Box Elder did force 19 turnovers by the Pioneers, couldn’t turn those mishaps into points like the Pioneers did. Big Sandy showed they were up to the challenge by shooting over 43 percent from the field in the game and also knocking down 10 free throws on 19 attempts. Big Sandy also outrebounded the Bears 43-35

“The last time we played Box Elder we only won by one,” Cator said. “They are a good team and their press just killed us the whole game. After that, that is all we worked on, we knew they would press us again, so we worked hard on getting the ball pat their press and slowing the game down.”

Big Sandy’s offense thrived with a great percentage from the field. Behind Leader, Molly Herron also finished with a triple-double, scoring 15 points, snatching 13 total rebounds, and finishing with 10 assists. Kylie Cline finished with seven points, followed by Michelle Maxwell’s six.

On the road to the consolation win, the Pioneers had to overcome their loss to North Star Thursday night in the semifinals. Big Sandy stepped up and defeated Turner 62-35 on Friday evening. In the lopsided win, Leader led the Pioneers with 18 points, followed by another 16 from Herron. Both had two 3-pointers each. Maddy Reichelt also had nine, Cline had seven, and Maxwell six. Turner was led by Ella Billmayer who finished with 18, followed by Kristina Conlan with seven.

Box Elder also had an easy victory following their semifinal loss to Chinook Thursday afternoon. The Bears defeated Hays-Lodge Pole 68-7 Friday night. The Thunderbirds, who went winless in 2013-14, got three points from Shania Doney to lead the way. But the Bears got 12 girls in on the scoring. Chief Stick led with 12, while Tyrah Gopher added 10. Tia Russell, Sayra LongFox, Alicia Wolf Chief and Jayne Parisian all finished with seven points each.

Big Sandy 58, Box Elder 34 (3rd)

Box Elder 4 9 6 13 - 34

Big Sandy 16 14 14 14 - 58

Box Elder - Alyssa LaMere 2, Kiona Gardipee 2, Leilani Gardipee 5, Alicia Wolf Chief 4, Krista Chief Stick 10, Stephanie Sutherland 7, Tyrah Gopher 4. Totals: 13 5-6.

Big Sandy - Brooke Leader 20, Molly Herron 15, Abby Gregory 5, Shelby Gasvoda 5, Kylie cline 7, Michelle Maxwell 6. Totals: 23 10-19.

Technical foul - BE bench. Total fouls -- BE 16, BS 11. 3-pointers -- Wolf Chief, Chief Stick, Sutherland, Leader, Gasvoda.

Box Elder 68, Hays-Lodge Pole 7 (LO)

Box Elder 32 13 14 9 - 68

HLP 0 4 3 0 - 7

Box Elder - Alyssa MaMere 3, Kiona Gardipee 2, Leilani Gardipee 4, Tia Russell 7, Misty Baker 3, Sayra LongFox 7, Alicia WolfChief 7, Krista Chief Stick 12, Stephanie Sutherland 2, Tyrah Gopher 10, Jaynee Parisian 7, Dominique Nault 4. Totals: 26 12-20.

HLP - Shania Doney 3, Tresunna Stiffarm 2, Tia Zander 2. Totals: 3 0-0.

Total fouls: Box Elder 7, HLP 18. Fouled out: Cory CarryWater. 3-pointers: LaMere, LongFox, WolfChief, Parisian.

Big Sandy 62, Turner 35 (LO)

Turner 2 10 9 14 – 35

Big Sandy 16 16 14 16 - 62

Turner -- Ella Billmayer 18, Rennay Watkins 2, Kristina Conlan 7, Lyndsay Hutton 2. Totals: 14 4-14.

Big Sandy -- Brooke leader 18, Molly Herron 16, Kiah Wilson 2, Abby Gregory 4, Maddy Reichelt 9, Kylie Cline 7, Michelle Maxwell 6. Totals: 28 5-11.

Total fouls -- Turner 13, BS 14. 3-pointers -- Billmayer 2, Conlan, Leader 2, Herron 2, Cline.