Hi-Line Boys Basketball Roundup

There were some big wins and surprising upsets in boys basketball across the Hi-Line this weekend.

On Thursday, in Class 9C action, the Box Elder Bears defeated the Chinook Sugarbeeters 72-56. The Beeters were preseason favorites to take the 9C, but the Bears proved to be contenders as well. Overall, the Bears put together four solid quarters. They took a 15-8 lead after the first quarter, and managed to add 22 in the second, 15 in the third and 20 more in the fourth and final frame.

And the Chinook offense had a decent night as well, but just couldn't keep up after their eight point first quarter. The Beeters totaled 17 in the second, 13 in the third and had their best quarter of the night in the fourth, adding 18 points.

There were not individual scorers available for the Bears, but the Beeters were led by Lane Schmitt with 19 and Tyler Molyneaux with 17 points. Taylor Erskine and Chris haider also added nine apiece.

Also on Thursday, the 1B Rocky Boy Stars defeated the 2B Harlem Wildcats 91-58.

To start, the Wildcats trailed by only 10 points after the first eight minutes. And after a 23 point second quarter, the Wildcats trailed by 14 at the half. But after another big half by the Stars and the Wildcats being held to just 23 second-half points, the Stars ran away with the win.

Rocky Boy put up 22 in the first, 27 in the second, 17 in the third and 25 in the fourth quarter, led by Leisin Oats with 28 points. Kirby LaFromboise and Skyla LaForge both added 13 apiece, and Shane Bacon added 11 while Nick Henyry put up a nine point effort.

For the Wildcats, they were led by Skylar Speak Thunder with 22 points, Cole McCann with 11, Travis First Raised with nine and Bud Buck and Jimmy Werk both adding seven apiece. Speak Thunder had six 3-pointers.

Friday was packed with Class C action, with several local teams finding the win column.

The 10C Chester/J-I Hawks were one of the fortunate ones, earning a 60-41 win over the Sunburst Refiners.

The Hawks took the lead early and steadily built on it throughout the night. They held a 31-23 lead at the half, and used a 19 point fourth quarter to really seal the deal.

Lane Harmon led the Hawks with 15 points, but got help from a solid supporting cast. Brandon Graff scored 11 points, while Grant Lakey, Ryne Tyler and Jeff Wankey all added nine points each. The Hawks' defense held the Refines to just one double digit scorer.

The 9C Turner Tornadoes also found a way to win on Friday.

But in a nonconference game, the Tornadoes defeated the Havre High freshman 51-28.

The Tornadoes didn't let the freshman stick around for long. Turner jumped out to an 18-7 lead before taking a 41-17 lead heading into the fourth quarter. And a 10 point fourth was enough to keep the confortable lead, and win for the Tornadoes.

Travis Daniels continued his offensive production and led the Tornadoes with 17 points. Alton Mathews also had eight, while Rylan Edwards, Levi Humphreys and Dylan Welch all had seven each. For Havre, Marcus Jones led the way with nine points, and Brian Smith added seven.

The 9C Hays-Lodge Pole Thunderbirds were also amongst the Friday winners. The Thunderbirds defeated the 7C Winnett-Grass Range Rangers 47-36.

The contest started close, but the Thunderbirds were able to gain some ground on the Rangers in the second half. After going into the break leading 17-16, the Thunderbirds outscored the Rangers 18-9 in the third and 12-11 in the fourth on their way to a win.

Scott Bradley put up 12 points to lead the Thunderbirds, followed by Tyler Roberts with 11 and Bruce Denny with five.

The Big Sandy Pioneers and North Star Knights also met in 9C action on Friday. And it was the Pioneers who were able to come away with the win, defeating the Knights 68-50 in league play.

The even production by the Pioneers led Big Sandy to the win. Zach Leader led the way with 12 points, but CJ Hanson added 10 and Trevor Lackner added 11. Colter Darlington also added nine, while Kaden Beck put up eight, in a very even offensive night for the Pioneers.

Dylan Crittenden led the Knights with 18 points and Connor Kline added 11.

A big first quarter also helped the Pioneers, as they took a 21-10 lead in the firs eight minutes. A 18 point second quarter also matched the Knights 18, but a 29-22 second half put the game away for Big Sandy.

There were a few wrinkles on Saturday as well for some teams across the Hi-Line.

Big Sandy returned to action, but found themselves facing a much tougher opponent.

The 7C Denton Trojans defeated the Pioneers 56-40.

After a night of very good offense, the Pioneers were held to just one double-digit scorer. Darlington led with 12 points, while Beck followed with seven. And after getting off to a good the start the night before, the Pioneers trailed 19-2 after the first quarter on Saturday.

The Pioneers had a big third quarter with 22 points, but the Trojans were just too much to handle as they walked away with the 16-point deficit.

The top-ranked Rocky Boy Stars were also one of the unfortunate ones Saturday, as they suffered a rare loss.

The 1B Cut Bank Wolves defeated the Stars 64-34 in league play. The loss was only the second on the season for the Stars, and their first in league play.

A high powered offense is always a weapon of the Stars, and putting up just 34 points is a rarity. Kirby LaFromboise put up 15 points, but Oats was held to five and Bacon was held to just four.

The Wolves had double-digit scoring from three players in their upset win.

Rocky Boy will travel to Malta on Thursday and will host Cascade on Saturday.

But not every Hi-Line team suffered a loss on Saturday.

The Harlem Wildcats bounced back from their loss to Rocky Boy and defeated the Poplar Indians 75-72 in a tight 2B matchup.

The Wildcats went up 23-9 and looked to have an easy road ahead of them. But the Indians had three straight big quarters to keep things close down to the wire. The Indians put up 23 in the second, 21 in the third and 19 in the fourth, giving the Wildcats a scare as they put up 15 in the fourth to ensure the win.

Harlem was led by Speak Thunder with 28 points and three treys. Brandon Hammond added 15 and First Raised added 11 in the win.

Chinook also grabbed a win on Saturday, at the hands of Turner. The Beeters defeated the Tornadoes handily, grabbing the 75-34 9C win.

Daniels continued to lead the Tornadoes offense, but his 13 points just weren't enough. Humphreys added nine, but the Beeters were just too much to handle. For Chinook, Schmitt led things with 19 points. Molyneaux had another big game with 13, and Erskine added 12. Grant Tilleman also had an excelletnt game, grabbing 18 points.

Chinook's 19-9 first quarter set the scoring pace for the Beeters and it continued for four quarters, with 22 in the second, 22 in the third and 12 in the fourth. The Tornadoes put up double digits in just one quarter, putting up 12 in the second.

Chinook will travel to North Star on Friday and will host Nashua on Saturday. Turner will also return to action this weekend.

Box Elder also grabbed a win at the hands of a conference opponent on Saturday. The Bears defeated the North Star Knights 73-51.

The Bears have really come alive as of late and did so again on Saturday. Warren Parisian led the thriving squad with 22 points while Jacob Parker wasn't far behind with 21. The Bears put up at least 16 points in each of the four quarters with a high of 23 in the third, as they trampled the Knights.

Crittendon led the Knights with 15 and Donovan followed with 13. But the slow start was the demise of the Knights as the put up just 11 in the first, nine in the second and eight in the third. North Star's biggest scoring drive came in the fourth with 23 points, but it was too little too late.

Box Elder will return to action on Friday when they face Hays-Lodge Pole. And North Star will return to action on Friday when they face Chinook.

Thursday

Box Elder 72, Chinook 56

Box Elder 15 22 15 20 — 72

Chinook 8 17 13 18 — 56

Box Elder — no scoring available

Chinook — Lane Schmitt 19, Tyler Molyneaux 17, Taylor Erskine 9, Zach Molyneaux 2, Chris Haider 9. Totals: 18 16-22.

Rocky Boy 91, Harlem 58

Harlem 12 23 11 12 — 58

Rocky Boy 22 27 17 25 — 91

Harlem — Sklyar Speaks Thunder 22, Bud Buck 7, Travis First Raised 9, Cole McCann 11, Brandon Hammond 2, Jimmy Werk 7. Totals: 22 5-8.

Rocky Boy — Leisin Oats 28, Skylar LaForge 13, Justin Raining Bird 3, Shane Bacon 11, Colby Abbott 12, Nick Henry 9, Kirby LaFromboise 13. Totals: 36 15-26.

Friday

Chester/J-I 60, Sunburst 41

Sunburst 12 11 5 13 — 41

C/J-I 13 18 10 19 — 60

Sunburst — Z. Johannsen 9, S. Bye 19, J. Hauschulz 9, C. Ratzburg 4. Totals: 17 2-10.

C/J-I — Grant Lakey 9, Ryne Tyler 9, Ceddy Pogue 2, Dustin Romain 2, Bryant Ceynar 2, Brandon Graff 11, Dell Harmon 1, Lane Harmon 15, Jeff Wankey 9. Totals: 24 6-10.

Turner 51, Havre Freshman 28

Havre Frosh 7 9 1 11 — 28

Turner 18 14 9 10 — 51

Havre Freshmen — Johnathan Faber 5, Ryne Antley 2, James Eastlick 1, Brian Smith 7, Marvin Spotted Bird 2, Tristan Manuel 2, Marcus Jones 9. Totals: 12 2-5.

Turner — Travis Daniels 17, Rylan Edwards 7, Alton Matthews 8, Levi Humphreys 7, Dylan Welch 7, Aaron VanValkenberg 1, Dusty Mohar 4. Totals: 22 7-21.

Hays-Lodge Pole 47, Winnett-Grass Range 36

WGR 8 8 9 11 — 36

H-LP 8 9 18 12 — 47

Winnett-Grass Range — Gardner 6, Hoge 9, Gies 5, Kiehl 2, Iverson 14. Totals: 14 5-17.

Hays-Lodge Pole — Ty Racine 3, Scott Bradley 12, Derek Doney 6, Bruce Denny 5, Nolan Werk 4, Tyler Roberts 11. Totals: 13 12-23.

Big Sandy 68, North Star 50

Big Sandy 21 18 14 15 — 68

North Star 10 18 15 7 — 50

Big Sandy — CJ Hanson 10, Dallas Briese 4, Colter Darlington 9, Trevor Lackner 11, Kaden Beck 8, Jessey Bailey 6, Zach Leader 12, Justin Stevens 7. Totals: 28 6-16.

North Star — Jordy Donoven 9, Quinn Spinler 2, Connor Kline 11, Zach Anderson 5, Paul McClendon 2, Dylan Crittenden 18, Karston Donoven 3. Totals: 17 15-30.

Saturday

Denton 56, Big Sandy 40

Denton 19 4 21 10 — 56

Big Sandy 2 9 22 7 — 40

Denton — Mitch Ward 15, Cole Jelinek 14, Brandon Bury 3, Julius Freshe 4, Garrett Bronek 10, Jarryd Lahr 6. Totals: 23 7-17.

Big Sandy — CJ Hanson 4, Dallas Briese 5, Colter Darlington 12, Trevor Lackner 2, Kaden Beck 7, Jessey Bailey 3, Zach Leader 4, Justin Stevens 3. Totals: 16 6-13.

Cut Bank 64, Rocky Boy 34

Rocky Boy 12 7 6 9 — 34

Cut Bank 14 18 10 22 — 64

Rock Boy — Leasin Oates 5, Skyler LaFrosse 2, Shane Bacon 4, Colby Abott 3, Nick Henry 2, Mitch Lamm 2, Kirby Lafromboish 15, Darian Lafromboish 1. Totals: 15 3-9.

Cut Bank — Zach Altenburg 8, Kule Berkram 10, Shawn Bird 1, Zach Evans 6, Tyler Ollinger 1, Dylan Smith 14, Scott Broere 8, J. J. Lighthizer 11, Anthony Sheble 5. Totals: 20 18-24

Harlem 75, Poplar 72

Harlem 23 23 14 15 —75

Poplar 9 23 21 19 —72

Harlem — Skylar Speaks Thunder 28, Jesse Werk 3, Bud Buck 9, Cole McCann 8, Brandon Hammond 15, Taylor First Raised 11. Totals 25 19-35.

Poplar — Avery Young 18, Jace Daniels 13, Loren Allen 14, Taylor Buckles 14, Grant Ferguson 6, Bill Young 4, Dan Franklin 1, Kyle Olson 2. Totals 27 13-31.

Chinook 75, Turner 34

Chinook 19 22 22 12 — 75

Turner 9 12 9 4 — 34

Chinook — Lane Schmitt 19, Tyler Molyneaux 13, Taylor Erskine 12, Zach Molyneaux 4, Jacob MacLean 2, Chris Haider 5, Grant Tilleman 18. Totals: 30 14-19.

Turner — Travis Daniels 13, Rylan Edwards 2, Arron Mathews 2, Levi Humphreys 9, Dylan Welsh 3, Aaron Van Valkenburg 2, Dusty Mohar 3. Totals: 11 4-11.

Box Elder 73, North Star 51

North Star 11 9 8 23 — 51

Box Elder 18 16 23 16 — 73

North Star — Cooper Spicher 3, Jordy Donoven 13, Quinn Spinnler 2, Conner Kline 8, Paul McClendon 4, Dillon Crittenden 15, Karston Donoven 2. Totals: 20 9-20.

Box Elder — Jacob Parker 21, Warren Parisian 22, Dakota Standing Rock 7, Jacob Burns 6, Jessie Ramos 5, Chris Lamere 5, Randall Gardipee 4. Totals: 29 10-20.