Hi-Line Boys Basketball Roundup

With a new basketball season now underway, there were plenty of local wins and losses to go around in the opening weekend.

Thursday at the annual Native American Classic in Havre, the 9C Box Elder Bears started their season off with a win over the Class B Harlem Wildcats 73-64.

The Bears are heavily favored in the 9C ranks and showed off their explosive play with a strong second half. Box Elder held a slim 35-33 lead at the half but gained some ground in the final two frames. 19 points in the third quarter and 19 more in the fourth gave the Bears the advantage they needed to get past a Wildcats team that also looked impressive through four quarters.

Anthony Grey led all scorers with 24 for the Wildcats, but got help from Tristen Gone’s 18. Isiah Laurence also scored nine, while Dutch Helgenson finished with seven. For the Bears it was Randall Gardipee leading the way with 18 points, while Clayton Morsette Jr. followed with 15, and Chris LaMere finished with 14. Evening out the scoring, Brandon The Boy and Jerrod Four Colors finished with eight points each.

And in a major rivalry matchup, Box Elder and Rocky Boy finished off the weekend with a battle at the NAC Saturday night. In front of a packed house at Montana State University-Northern’s Armory Gymnasium, the Bears defeated the Stars 67-63.

The Bears were in total control the first half, and looked poised to cruise to an easy win. Box Elder scored 19 points in the first quarter and 21 in the second giving the Bears a 40-26 lead at the break, but the Stars didn’t go away easy. Instead, the Stars came out in the second half and nearly stole the game. Rocky Boy outscored the Bears 17-11 in the third and 20-18 in the fourth, but ran into foul trouble late and eventually ran out of time in the comeback attempts.

“I am pleased,” Box Elder head coach Jeremy MacDonald said after the win. “It is better to start the season 2-0 than it is to start it 0-2 like we did last year. We still have a lot of things to work on, but we also have a lot of potential. This game showed us that we have to stay active and aggressive with our pressure defense, and we can’t start settling for threes. We have to stay aggressive.”

Box Elder was paced by Gardipee’s 28 points and Morsette Jr.’s 21. Rocky Boy also got 26 from Desmond Parker and 13 from Cecil Lafromboise in the up tempo battle for bragging rights.

Rocky Boy will face Harlem Thursday. Box Elder will host Chinook Friday and Big Sandy Saturday.

Friday, the Class B Stars and Class C Hays-Lodge Pole Thunderbirds also earned their first wins of the season at the NAC in Havre. The Stars dominated their matchup with Poplar, cruising to an easy 66-28 win. Desmond Parker and Cecil Lafromboise both grabbed 16 points for the Stars, while Bubby Gopher also finished in double digits with 11 points. The Stars’ defense also didn’t allow more than nine total points in a single frame as they ran Poplar out of the gym.

Facing Kainai out of Canada, the Thunderbirds also earned a dominating 67-29 win, running away with a 23-point third quarter. Sterling White Cow had a 20-point outing, followed by Tyson Shambo’s 16.

Big Sandy was also the host to the Big Sandy Preseason Tournament over the weekend, where North Star, Big Sandy and Chinook all got started.

Unfortunately the Class C North Star Knights were not able to grab a win in their season debut. Roy-Winifred defeated the Knights 59-46 as North Star faced some early season ups and downs. The Knights trailed 12-9 after one frame, but a seven point third let Roy-Winifred widen the gap. The Knights also gave up 26 points in the third quarter as the deficit was too big to overcome, even with 17 points in the fourth.

Sam Ulmen led the Knights with 13 points, but Gavin Spinler added 10.

Chinook also dropped a game Friday as Power defeated the Beeters 55-33. The Beeters’ offense struggled to put up points, scoring just 17 in the first half and 18 more in the second. Zach Molyneaux had a huge outing with a game high 23 points, but got little help. Lane Seymour finished with four points, while Ian McIntosh, Jacob Mclean, and Jake Diemert scored two points each.

The 10C Chester/J-I Hawks hosted the C/J-I Preseason Tournament in Chester. And unfortunately, they too dropped their first game of the tournament, and season. Centerville defeated the Hawks 62-45.

The Hawks surged at the end of the game, but couldn’t come up with the comeback win. C/J-I rallied for 18 points in the final frame, but the task proved to be too difficult after six points in the first quarter and five in the third. Troy Harmon led the team with 17 points followed by Justin May’s 14. Harmon also led the Hawks with his two 3-pointers.

Saturday, the Hawks rebounded nicely with a 61-26 throttling of the Geraldine Tigers. In the second outing of the year, the offense cruised, including a 23-point second quarter to help seal a 31-14 lead at the break. And the Hawk’s 30 points in the second half ensured the win for a 1-1 record to start the season. C/J-I’s 3-point shooting was big. Klayton Lhor led the way with 14 points, but also knocked down four treys. Cody Ramberg finished with 10 points and three treys, and Tim Stokes finished with 10 points and two treys. Justin May also had a solid outing with his 12 points.

Thursday the Hawks will return to action when they face Simms on the road. The Hawks return to Chester Friday to host Sunburst.

The Sugarbeeters dropped to 0-2 on the season Saturday with another loss in Big Sandy. This time Denton-Geyser-Stanford defeated the Beeters 59-42. Chinook played better, getting more production across the board, but just couldn’t limit a DGS offense that scored at least 15 points in three quarters. Chinook struggled to keep pace outside the 18-10 second quarter as Seymour led the scoring efforts this time with 12. Molyneaux and Diemert both followed with 11 points each.

The Beeters will face Box Elder on the road Friday and will return home to host Roy-Winifred Saturday.

The North Knights also dropped to 0-2 on the season when Power handed them a tough 75-33 loss Saturday. The offensive struggles continued as Spicher grabbed 15 points to lead the way, while Ulman followed with nine.

Thursday the Knights will face Big Sandy in Big Sandy, and Friday the Knights will host Turner in Rudyard.

Playing host to the preseason tournament, the very young Big Sandy squad suffered an 0-1 start to the new year. Hosting Roy-Winifred Saturday, the Pioneers suffered a 51-22 loss. Behind Jerry Hanson’s 11 points, the Pioneers did hold a 12-11 lead after the first quarter, but it didn’t last long. The Pioneers scored just three points in the second quarter and a combined seven points in the entire second half. Hanson finished with a game-high 16 points, including two 3-pointers, but got a combined six points from three teammates.

Thursday the Pioneers will host North Star in Big Sandy, and Saturday the Pioneers will face the Bears in Box Elder.

The Thunderbirds and Wildcats also played their second game of the NAC Saturday in Havre. With the 61-50 win over Harlem, the Thunderbirds improved to 2-0, while with the loss, the Wildcats dropped to 0-2. Harlem led 25-23 at intermission, but couldn’t hold on for the win. The Thunderbirds found a way to outscore the Wildcats 21-6 in the third quarter and ran away with the win. White Cow scored a game-high 22 points for the Thunderbirds, and Shambo and Runs Above finished with 11 each. The Wildcats were paced by Gray’s 14 points and Clay Doney’s 11.

Harlem will host Rocky Boy Thursday and will host Poplar Saturday.

THURSDAY

Box Elder 73, Harlem 64

Harlem 19 14 14 17 – 64

Box Elder 18 17 19 19 – 73

Harlem – Dutch Helgeron 2, Stanley Irvine 7, Isaiah Laurence 9, Anthony Grey 24, Tristen Gone 18, Tyler Doney 2, K. Little 1, J. Chandler 1. Totals: 23 13-21.

Box Elder – Brandon The Boy 8, Clayton Morsette Jr. 15, Will Ketchum 3, Randall Gardipee 18, Jacob Jones 4, Jerrod Four Souls 8, Quinn Baker 3, Chris LaMere 14. Totals: 29 8-15.

Total fouls – Harlem 19, Box Elder 19. Fouled out – none. 3-pointers: Laurence, Grey 4, Morsette 2, Gardipee 2, LaMere 3.

FRIDAY

Rocky Boy 66, Poplar 28

Poplar 9 5 9 5 - 28

Rocky Boy 20 19 23 4 - 66

Poplar – Devin Sadler 4, Brent Lester 2, Shariden Strangerhorse 1, Myltin Bighorn 8, Brock Day 7, Waylon Youpee 4, Orlando Young 2. Totals: 11 5-20.

Rocky Boy – Bubby Gopher 11, Isiah Murie 5, Isiah Turntoes 2, Shadow Laforge 8, Desmond Parker 16, Tristan Belgrade 2, Martin Zarco 6, Cecil Lafromboise 16. Totals: 30 2-9.

Total fouls – Poplar 7, Rocky Boy 16. Fouled out – None. Three pointers – Day 1, Gopher 3, Parker 1. Technical fouls – Lafromboise.

Hays-Lodge Pole 67, Kainai 29

Kainai 10 8 5 6 – 29

H-LP 17 19 23 5 – 67

Kainai – Billy Twigg 2, Tyson Goodstrikeer 2, Colton Delver 22, Jamelyn Weaselhead 2. Totals 9 8-23.

HLP – Bruce Denny 7, Nate Doney 1, Thomas Moliva 6, Sterling White Cow 20, Kennan Stiffarm 2, Damon Castillo 3, Tyson Shambo 16, Frank Runs Above 7. Totals: 23 10-18.

Roy-Winifred 59, North Star 46

North Star 9 13 7 17 – 46

Roy-Winifred 12 10 26 11 – 59

North Star – Cooper Spicher 8, Quinn Spinler 7, Gavin Spinler 10, Sam Ulmen 13, Payton Patterson 1, Mathew Helmbrecht 7. Totals: 14 14-23.

Roy-Winifred – Tucker Matourch 9, Cole Sluggett 7, Clay Sluggett 4, Logan Dettaven 11, Buster Styer 1, Jordan Harrell 10, Brett Wichman 4, Lee Thompson 13. Totals: 19 9-18.

Total Fouls – North Star 23, Roy-Winifred 23. Fouled out – Q. Spinler, Spicher. 3-pointers – Spicher 1, Spinler 1, G. Spinler 2, Matourch 1, Dettaven 2, Harrell 3, Thompson 3.

Power 55, Chinook 33

Chinook 9 8 11 7 - 33

Power 15 16 17 7 - 55

Chinook - Lane Seymour 4, Ian McIntosh 2, Zach Molyneaux 23, Jacob Mclean 2, Jake Diemert 2. Totals: 10 9-18.

Power - Kyler Holbrook 1, Drew Carlsson 13, Tarren Lee 14, Kyke Schmidt 4, Isaiah Dunk 13, Lucas Lalanick 1, Martin Antos 9. Totals: 24 4-13.

Centerville 62, Chester/J-I 45

C/J-I 6 16 5 18 – 45

Centerville 9 22 18 13 – 62

C/J-I – Dell Harmon 3, Tim Stokes 3, Sion Norick 2, Steven May 4, Matt Woods 2, Justin May 14, Troy Harmon 17. Totals: 14 14-25.

Centerville – Tyler Ramstead 6, Dylan Lencioni 14, Bryer Davis 4, Kole Chartier 19, Logan Vining 7, Jesse Mayernik 6, Braidy Hofland 1, Bryce Burns 3, Chad Mayernik 2. Totals: 22 12-28.

Total fouls – C/J-I 20, Centerville 18. Fouled out – none. 3-pointers – J.May, T. Harmon 2, Lencioni, Chartier 3, Vining, Burns.

SATURDAY

Chester/J-I 61, Geraldine 26

Geraldine 8 6 2 10 - 26

C/J-I 8 23 16 14 - 61

Geraldine – Sam Bronec 12, Wyatt McKinlay 7, Dawson Baroh 5, Tyler Hooper 2. Totals: 8 9-13.

C/J-I – Klayton Lhor 14, Cody Ramberg 10, Tim Stokes 10, Sion Norick 2, Steven May 6, Justin May 12, Troy Harmon 6, Brandon Richter 1. Totals: 23 6-13.

Total fouls – Geraldine 16, C/J-I 18. Fouled out – Bronec. Three pointers – Baroh 1, Lhor 4, Ramberg 3, Stokes 2. Technical fouls – Casey Kinyon.

DGS 59, Chinook 42

Chinook 8 18 6 10 – 42

D-G-S 19 10 15 15 – 59

Chinook – Lane Seymour 12, Ian McIntosh 2, Zach Molyneaux 11, Jacob MacLean 4, Cody McCracken 2, Jake Diemert 11. Totals: 16 9-12.

Denton-Geyser-Stanford – Chase Hill 2, Ty Martin 16, Bart Vaskey 3, Conner Bokma 10, Austin Morris 1, Adam Metcalf 8, Kade Woodhall 10, Jessy Amala 2, Kash Perry 7. Totals: 24 10-18.

Total fouls – Chinook 16, DGS 18. Fouled out – Seymour. 3-pointers – Molyneaux, Vaskey.

Power 75, North Star 33

North Star 9 3 14 7 – 33

Power 14 17 21 23 – 75

North Star – Cooper Spicher 15, Quinn Spinler 4, Thatcher Smith 2, Sam Ulmen 9, Mathew Helmbrecht 3.

Power – Kyler Holbrook 4, Drew Carlsson 4, Tarren Lee 8, Kyle Schmidt 3, Quinn Schrodel 14, Isiah Dunk 12, Lucas Kalanick 5, Martin Antos 18, Hunter Smoot 2, Seth Kitchin 5.

Roy-Winifred 51, Big Sandy 22

Big Sandy 12 3 3 4 – 22

Roy-Winifred 11 14 12 14 – 51

Big Sandy – Jerry Hanson 16, Cody Bailey 2, TJ Shipp 3, Laurence Alderdice 1.

Roy-Winfired – Tucker Matovich 14, Cole Sluggett 2, Clay Sluggett 11, Logan Deltover 4, Buster Styer 2, Jorden Harrell 3, Brett Wichman 6, Lee Thompson 9.

Hays-Lodge Pole 61 Harlem 50

Harlem 14 11 6 19 – 50

HLP 12 11 21 17 – 61

Harlem – Stanley Irvin 5, Isaiah Laurence 6, Anthony Gray 14, Tristen Gone 8, Tyler Doney 5, Clay Doney 11, Isaiah Doney 1.

HLP – Nate Doney 4, Dane Snow 2, Stirling White Cow 22, Kenna Stiff Arm 5, Damon Castillo 4, Tyson Shambo 11, Frank Runs Above 11, Darnell Parisian 2.

Box Elder 67, Rocky Boy 63

Box Elder 19 21 11 18 – 67

Rocky Boy 11 15 17 20 – 63

Box Elder - Brandon The Boy 2, Clayton Morsette Jr. 21, Randall Gardipee 28, Jerrod Four Colors 7, Thomas Parisian 2, Chris LaMere 7.

Rocky Boy - Bubby Gopher 4, Isiah Murie 5, Isiah Turn Toes 3, Shadow La Forge 9, Desmond Parker 26, Martin Zarco 4, Cecel Lafromboise 13.