High school hoop stars HIT Havre

Fans across the Hi-Line were treated to good basketball all season long. And now even after the season has ended, fans can catch one last tournament. The Armory Gymnasium at Montana State University-Northern will host the 24th Annual Hi-Line Invitational Tournament today through Saturday. The Lights head basketball coach Shawn Huse and Skylights head basketball coach Chris Mouat will host the tournament where eight teams made up of 67 of Montana's top boys and girls basketball players will participate. The tournament will open today at 4 p.m. when the Class A takes on the Class AA in girls action. Boys action will follow with the Class A also taking on the Class AA at 5:30 p.m. At 7 p.m. the girls will return to the floor when the Class C takes on the Class B. And the boys will close out day one when the Class C takes on the Class B at 8 :30 p.m. Friday's action gets underway at 12 p.m. when the Class C and Class A girls tip off. To follow, the boys Class C will face the Class A at 1:30 p.m., the girls Class B will face the Class AA at 3 p.m. and the boys Class B will face the Class AA at 4:30 p.m. At 6 p.m. there will be a break in play for the 3-point contest. And closing out Friday will be the girls Class B facing the Class A at 7 p.m. and the boys Class B facing the Class A. On Saturday things get going a little earlier. In girls action the Class C squad will face the Class AA at 9 a.m. while at 10:30 a.m. the Class C boys will face the Class AA. At 3 p.m. the girls consolation game will take place, while at 4:30 p.m. the boys consolation game will get started. At 6 p.m. the Slam Dunk Contest will take place before the girls championship at 7 p.m. and the boys championship at 8:30 p.m. The girls Class AA team is made up of Great Falls High, CMR, Helena Capital and Helena High athletes. They are stacked with talent, including the Bison's senior Brittany Kumm and four individuals from the No. 2 in the state CMR Rustlers. And with only six players, the girls Class A team lacks depth compared to the other squads. But what they lack in depth, they make up for in talent. Havre High senior Cassi Darrah led the Blue Ponies to the state tournament as well as a No. 4 finish this season, and will help lead the Class A this weekend. Junior Jackie Elliot from the state champion Billings Central Rams also headlines the roster alongside McKenzie Scofield of Lewistown, Jackie Mee of Libby, Kallie Durham of Custer County and senior Quinn Peoples from Butte Central. Led by six seniors, the Class B squad also looks impressive with their 12-man roster. And with seven of the 12 girls making an appearance in this years State B tournament, they have to be favorite this weekend. Senior Bobbi Knudsen leads the roster of talent coming off of a No. 1 state finish with the Malta Mustangs. Senior Jasmin Dumas from Harlem is also on the roster, as well is Courtney Kinna from Fairfield, the No. 2 team behind Malta. Also a little light in the numbers is the girls Class C team. But they have some big names headlining the roster, including Taylor Cummings from Twin Bridges, Baily Snelling of Harlowton and Megan McCafferty of Belt. But standing out even more is senior Jessica VanDyke from Chester/J-I. Van- Dyke grabbed statewide attention when she was a freshman earning All State honors. She missed her sophomore and junior seasons after being plagued with injury, but stormed back to lead the state in scoring, capture a District 10C championship and take the no. 4 spot at the Northern C Divisional tournament. On the boys side of things, the Class AA boys have once again put together an outstanding team. They have three players from Billings West, the No. 2 team in the state, as well as two from the No. 1 CMR Rustlers. Jake Bleskin will make the trip to represent the Rustlers as well as 6-4 Kurt Parsons. The Class A boys don't have the size to quite match up, but they are also stacked with local talent. Center (6-4) Thane Gray of Havre and 6-4 Cody Edwards of Browning make up the Class A big men, But leading a good group of guards, Lyle St. Goddard from Browning and CJ Evans from Havre should add a tough to handle outside threat. Nick Kozub of Lewistown and Johathon Richards of Butte Central will also join Jake McKinney and David Swecker from the state champion Laurel Locomotives in an outstanding cast this weekend. For the Class B, 6-6 Alex Mitchell from Florence and 6-7 Pat Jensen from Loyola Sacred Heart will give them the ability to matchup with the size of the AA and C squads. And the overall ability of Leisin Oats and Jerod Parker from Rocky Boy and Grubbz Goes Ahead from Harlem makes the Class B team a major contender. Corbin Pearson from the state champion Big Sandy Pioneers would make any team a contender. But with the supporting cast the Class C team has lined up for this weekend, they have moves past contenders and look to be a favorite. Seniors Tel Foran and Joe Stulc are two outstanding players from Winifred High, and combine them with the likes of Travis Somerfeld from Power and the outside shooting of Dylan MacLean of Chinook, the Class C has it all. 6-7 junior Paul Engstrom from Medicine Lake also gives the Class C a big man inside. As far as depth goes, some teams may be deeper than others. But looking at the field, each team has their strengths and each matchup should be a good one. This year's Hi-Line Invitational Tournament, put on by longtime Malta native Babsie Bishop, will run today through Saturday in Havre.

Thursday

4:00 p.m. Class A Girls vs. Class AA Girls

5:30 p.m. Class A Boys vs. Class AA Boys

7:00 p.m. Class C Girls vs. Class B Girls

8:30 p.m. Class C Boys vs. Class B Boys

Friday

Noon Class C Girls vs. Class A Girls

1:30 p.m. Class C Boys vs. Class A Boys

3:00 p.m. Class B Girls vs. Class AA Girls

4:30 p.m. Class B Boys vs. Class AA Boys

6:00 p.m. 3-Point Contest

7:00 p.m. Class B Girls vs. Class A Girls

8:30 p.m. Class B Boys vs. Class A Boys

Saturday

9:00 a.m. Class C Girls vs. Class AA Girls

10:30 a.m. Class C Boys vs. Class AA Boys

3:00 p.m. Consolation Girls Game

4:30 p.m. Consolation Boys Game

6:00 p.m. Slam Dunk Contest

7:00 p.m. Championship Girls Game

Become MSU-N teammates High school hoop stars HIT Havre Daniel Horton Havre Daily News gferguson@havredailynews.com You can now add CJ Evans and Spencer Smith to the list of Havre High athletes making the transition to college athletics. But even more exciting for Havre fans, both Evans and Smith have signed to play football for veteran head coach Mark Samson and the Montana State University-Northern Lights. "I am so pumped," Smith said. "Football is my number one sport and I love playing it. I have always wanted to play with the bigger boys. In high school every once and a while I could find somebody to go up against, but in college it looks like it will be a constant challenge and that's what I want. I am pumped." Smith was a four-year starter for the Blue Ponies on the offensive and defensive line. He played basketball his freshman year, but soon discovered the weight room and narrowed his focus solely on football. All of Smith's hard work paid off. He earned All Conference honorable mention as a defensive tackle his senior year and found a home as a Northern Light. Northern's diesel mechanic program was also a big sensitive for Smith. He averaged A's and B's thorough high school and liked the fact he didn't have to go to a specialty school to earn his degree. After likely red-shirting his next year, Smith is hoping to make his mark at Northern. He will most likely play on the offensive side of the ball, and already has good size and strength. "Linemen may not have to do much lifting to get them to a strong college player," Samson said. "But the offensive line is difficult to learn because we have a lot of blocking schemes and line calls. It takes quite a bit of work to become a good offensive lineman because you have to do a lot more than line up and block. "He's just a big kid," Samson added. "That helps and he has good feet. He's a good athlete, but there are some technical things he is going to have to learn that I coach a little bit differently than at the high school level. But he is a strong kid." Smith has been interested in playing college football since he started playing as a freshmen. And as a 6-1, 275-pound lineman with 4.98 40-yard speed, he is a great college prospect. And coming out of the Havre system, he feels good about his chances and cant thank the coaches enough. "Ryan Joy (HHS assistant coach) has been my hero when it comes to sports," Smith said. "He has been my idol since my eighth grade year and he will be a good friend of mine forever for getting me ready to play football." Evans has also signed to play football for the Lights, but also considered Minot State University in North Dakota. Currently Mike Hickman and Nate Christianson are part of the Minot football program, but Evans saw a better fit right here in Havre. Not only did playing locally entice Evans, but so did the size of the school. Evans felt he could have a chance to earn his time on the field faster at the Frontier Conference level. "It came down to both of those schools," Evans said. "But after talking to my family and the coaches I wanted to play here. I wanted to stay in Havre and play in front of family. "I would rather play at the Frontier level here in Havre," Evans added. "I know in the future I have a good shot at playing." Besides which school to choose, Evans was also faced with the decision of which sport he should play. Evans' senior year was really his breakout season on the football field, leading the Ponies as the starting quarterback, as well as a defensive back. But for the last few years Evans has really shined on the basketball court. As a junior Evans earned All Conference Honorable Mention. And as a senior, he earned First Team All Conference honors after averaging just under 20 points per game with his ability to drive to the hole and spot up form 3-point range. His accomplishments on the court are still being recognized, as Evans will play in this weekend's Hi-Line Invitational Tournament as well. "It was tough," Evans said. "I knew that if I wanted I had the opportunity to pursue basketball as well, but I had to make the decision because a football scholarship isn't going to sit around forever. I made up my mind, I want to play football and that was that. "CJ (Evans) had a good year in all of his athletics," Samson said. "He is a good competitor and a good athlete. As far as I am concerned he progressed a lot from his junior to senior year in football and I like his attitude and how he competes. He will be a good addition for us, there is no doubt about that." Evans is excited to play for Northern next year, but will also likely redshirt. He has been recruited to play quarterback for the Lights, but his athleticism will also allow Samson to move him around if needed. Evans has the ability to play both sides of the ball, and if the talk of him ever taking the field as a wide receiver comes true, Evans is confident he can make the transition. "As a quarterback you have to know all the positions anyway," Evans said. "Making the transition shouldn't be too hard. "He's a good athlete," Samson added. "If there is ever situation where we needed to, we could move him to several other places on the field. That's worse case scenario, but he provides us with a little more depth." While in the HHS classrooms Evans averaged a 2.5 GPA. And while attending MSU-N he plans to earn a degree in Physical Education. And while Evans finishes up his senior year, he feels that the Blue Pony football program has really prepared him for the next level. "It's because of the program at Havre High," Evans said. "The coaches do a great job of getting your name out to colleges and I have to give them a lot of credit. I didn't do much; coach (Kevin) Sukut did almost everything. The coaches did a great job, and it was awesome what Sukut did." Daniel Horton Havre Daily News gferguson@havredailynews.com Fans across the Hi-Line were treated to good basketball all season long. And now even after the season has ended, fans can catch one last tournament. The Armory Gymnasium at Montana State University-Northern will host the 24th Annual Hi-Line Invitational Tournament today through Saturday. The Lights head basketball coach Shawn Huse and Skylights head basketball coach Chris Mouat will host the tournament where eight teams made up of 67 of Montana's top boys and girls basketball players will participate. The tournament will open today at 4 p.m. when the Class A takes on the Class AA in girls action. Boys action will follow with the Class A also taking on the Class AA at 5:30 p.m. At 7 p.m. the girls will return to the floor when the Class C takes on the Class B. And the boys will close out day one when the Class C takes on the Class B at 8 :30 p.m. Friday's action gets underway at 12 p.m. when the Class C and Class A girls tip off. To follow, the boys Class C will face the Class A at 1:30 p.m., the girls Class B will face the Class AA at 3 p.m. and the boys Class B will face the Class AA at 4:30 p.m. At 6 p.m. there will be a break in play for the 3-point contest. And closing out Friday will be the girls Class B facing the Class A at 7 p.m. and the boys Class B facing the Class A. On Saturday things get going a little earlier. In girls action the Class C squad will face the Class AA at 9 a.m. while at 10:30 a.m. the Class C boys will face the Class AA. At 3 p.m. the girls consolation game will take place, while at 4:30 p.m. the boys consolation game will get started. At 6 p.m. the Slam Dunk Contest will take place before the girls championship at 7 p.m. and the boys championship at 8:30 p.m. The girls Class AA team is made up of Great Falls High, CMR, Helena Capital and Helena High athletes. They are stacked with talent, including the Bison's senior Brittany Kumm and four individuals from the No. 2 in the state CMR Rustlers. And with only six players, the girls Class A team lacks depth compared to the other squads. But what they lack in depth, they make up for in talent. Havre High senior Cassi Darrah led the Blue Ponies to the state tournament as well as a No. 4 finish this season, and will help lead the Class A this weekend. Junior Jackie Elliot from the state champion Billings Central Rams also headlines the roster alongside McKenzie Scofield of Lewistown, Jackie Mee of Libby, Kallie Durham of Custer County and senior Quinn Peoples from Butte Central. Led by six seniors, the Class B squad also looks impressive with their 12-man roster. And with seven of the 12 girls making an appearance in this years State B tournament, they have to be favorite this weekend. Senior Bobbi Knudsen leads the roster of talent coming off of a No. 1 state finish with the Malta Mustangs. Senior Jasmin Dumas from Harlem is also on the roster, as well is Courtney Kinna from Fairfield, the No. 2 team behind Malta. Also a little light in the numbers is the girls Class C team. But they have some big names headlining the roster, including Taylor Cummings from Twin Bridges, Baily Snelling of Harlowton and Megan McCafferty of Belt. But standing out even more is senior Jessica VanDyke from Chester/J-I. Van- Dyke grabbed statewide attention when she was a freshman earning All State honors. She missed her sophomore and junior seasons after being plagued with injury, but stormed back to lead the state in scoring, capture a District 10C championship and take the no. 4 spot at the Northern C Divisional tournament. On the boys side of things, the Class AA boys have once again put together an outstanding team. They have three players from Billings West, the No. 2 team in the state, as well as two from the No. 1 CMR Rustlers. Jake Bleskin will make the trip to represent the Rustlers as well as 6-4 Kurt Parsons. The Class A boys don't have the size to quite match up, but they are also stacked with local talent. Center (6-4) Thane Gray of Havre and 6-4 Cody Edwards of Browning make up the Class A big men, But leading a good group of guards, Lyle St. Goddard from Browning and CJ Evans from Havre should add a tough to handle outside threat. Nick Kozub of Lewistown and Johathon Richards of Butte Central will also join Jake McKinney and David Swecker from the state champion Laurel Locomotives in an outstanding cast this weekend. For the Class B, 6-6 Alex Mitchell from Florence and 6-7 Pat Jensen from Loyola Sacred Heart will give them the ability to matchup with the size of the AA and C squads. And the overall ability of Leisin Oats and Jerod Parker from Rocky Boy and Grubbz Goes Ahead from Harlem makes the Class B team a major contender. Corbin Pearson from the state champion Big Sandy Pioneers would make any team a contender. But with the supporting cast the Class C team has lined up for this weekend, they have moves past contenders and look to be a favorite. Seniors Tel Foran and Joe Stulc are two outstanding players from Winifred High, and combine them with the likes of Travis Somerfeld from Power and the outside shooting of Dylan MacLean of Chinook, the Class C has it all. 6-7 junior Paul Engstrom from Medicine Lake also gives the Class C a big man inside. As far as depth goes, some teams may be deeper than others. But looking at the field, each team has their strengths and each matchup should be a good one. This year's Hi-Line Invitational Tournament, put on by longtime Malta native Babsie Bishop, will run today through Saturday in Havre. Thursday 4:00 p.m. Class A Girls vs. Class AA Girls 5:30 p.m. Class A Boys vs. Class AA Boys 7:00 p.m. Class C Girls vs. Class B Girls 8:30 p.m. Class C Boys vs. Class B Boys Friday Noon Class C Girls vs. Class A Girls 1:30 p.m. Class C Boys vs. Class A Boys 3:00 p.m. Class B Girls vs. Class AA Girls 4:30 p.m. Class B Boys vs. Class AA Boys 6:00 p.m. 3-Point Contest 7:00 p.m. Class B Girls vs. Class A Girls 8:30 p.m. Class B Boys vs. Class A Boys Saturday 9:00 a.m. Class C Girls vs. Class AA Girls 10:30 a.m. Class C Boys vs. Class AA Boys 3:00 p.m. Consolation Girls Game 4:30 p.m. Consolation Boys Game