Hi-Line Boys Basketball Roundup

With the battle for top seeding heading into the postseason still going strong, many local boys basketball teams happened to cross paths this weekend in league and nonleague play.

Last Tuesday the District 1B Rocky Boy Stars defeated the 2B Harlem Wildcats 98-69 in Rocky Boy. It was a big nonleague win for the Stars to start a busy week of hoops.

Thursday night, the 9C North Star Knights faced off against the 9C Big Sandy Pioneers in Rudyard. The fourth-place Knights defeated the last-place Pioneers 50-38, taking advantage of the 12-2 first quarter lead. The Pioneers did score 17 points in the fourth, but it was not enough to complete a comeback on the road.

Cody Bailey paced the Pioneers with 14 points, followed by T.J. Shipp with 12. Sam Ulmen led the Knights with 15, followed by Quinn Spinler with eight and Gavin Spinler with seven.

The Stars were back on the hardwood Friday, this time on the road to take on the league rival Cut Bank Wolves. The Wolves defeated the Stars 60-52. Rocky Boy put together four consistent offensive quarters by scoring at least 11 in each frame, but the defense couldn’t slow down the Wolves. Cut Bank opened the game with 20 points and put the finishing touches on the Stars with 22 in the final eight minutes. Isiah Murie and Skyler Parisian both scored 13 points to lead the Stars.

In more 9C action, the first place Box Elder Bears hosted the third place Chinook Sugarbeeters Friday. The Bears defeated the Beeters 89-64 to stay undefeated on the season. The Beeters looked poised to complete the upset by outscoring the Bears 18-15 through the first frame, but just couldn’t keep up with the Bears once they got rolling. Box Elder turned things around with a 33-6 second quarter, capped off by a 41-40 second half to maintain the gap.

Top-ranked Box Elder received a game-high 18 from Randall Gardipee, followed by Brandon The Boy with 12, Jerrod Four Colors with 11, Lonnie Plain Bull with 11 and Tristan Parisian with 10. Chinook got 16 points from Lane Seymour and 15 points from Jacob Maclean. Maclean hit three 3-pointers.

Turner also had a solid Friday as the Tornadoes continue to improve this season. The 9C Tornadoes defeated Dodson 65-39 in nonleague play in Dodson. The Tornadoes limited Dodson to just 14 points in the first half and ran away with the game with an impressive offensive showing in the second half. Lucas Reed finished with 18 points, followed by Bret VanValkenburg’s 15 and Tyler Humphreys’ 10.

The Hays-Lodge Pole Thunderbirds played host to Tri Cities Friday. The second-place Thunderbirds earned an impressive 74-54 win in nonleague play at home. Tri Cities came out hot, but the Thunderbirds were able to match the scoring efforts before pulling away. HLP trailed 20-19 after the first quarter, but outscored the opposition 44-14 through the second and third frame to build a comfortable lead on route to the victory.

Tyson Shambo had an impressive outing, finishing the contest with five 3-pointers and 18 points. Sterling White Cow also finished with 18 and two 3-pointers to help lead the way.

Friday also put the 10C Chester/J-I Hawks up against struggling Sunburst in district play. The Hawks captured the 63-29 win and got nine individuals in on the scoring efforts. Klayton Lohr scored 11, but it was Justin May who led things with his game-high 16. Casey Kinyon finished with nine, followed by Dell Harmon with eight and Tim Stokes with seven.

The Hawks were also in action Saturday, this time they defeating the Simms Tigers 62-47 in more 10C action in Chester. Simms led the Hawks 28-27 at the break, but a big third quarter gave the Hawks the advantage. Chester/J-I outscored the Tigers 16-6 in the third frame to take over the lead, finishing with 19 points in the fourth for good measure. Harmon finished with 22 points for the Hawks, followed by 13 by Stokes.

Chinook rebounded nicely after an early loss to defeat Roy-Winifred 63-39 Saturday on the road. The Beeters remained 3-3 in the 9C and improved to 6-5 with the win. The healthy win by the Beeters began with a 19-point first quarter. The defense also stepped up and limited the opposition to just five points in the final frame. Zach Molyneaux had a huge outing with 30 points, but got solid help by Ian McIntosh’s 12.

Harlem got a win Saturday, defeating Poplar 68-51 in 2B play. The Wildcats’ 18-6 first-quarter run helped Harlem cruise through the first three quarters. But getting outscored 22-20 in the fourth, the Wildcats had to fend off a hungry Poplar squad. Dutch Helgeson finished with 12 points, while Stan Irvine added 11, and Jordan Snow finished with 10.

Improving to 8-3 overall, the 9C Thunderbirds escaped with a 74-65 overtime win over 7C Winnett-Grass Range Saturday. The Thunderbirds went on a 13-4 run in extra time to earn the win. The extra time was needed at WGR outscored the Thunderbirds 22-13 in the final eight minutes. Shambo paced the Thunderbirds with 20 points. Frank Runs Above also totaled 18, followed by White Cow’s 16.

Box Elder and Big Sandy also faced off in another 9C rivalry matc Saturday night. But the first-place Bears (7-0, 11-0) made light work of the last Pioneers (0-7, 0-11) with a lopsided, 81-22 win in Big Sandy.

The Bears scored at least 22 points in all but the fourth frame, while the Pioneers didn’t score more than eight in a frame. Cody Bailey led the Pioneers with 10 points and was the only double digit scorer. Box Elder was led by Gardipee’s 15. But the Bears also got nine points from Ryan Gardipee, Chris LaMere and Pernell Morsette.

In the weekend’s final matchup, North Star (4-3, 5-7) defeated Turner (1-5, 4-8) 60-50 in Turner. Gavin Spinler sparked the Knights with his 25 points and barrage of shots from beyond the arc. He finished with seven treys on the night. Quinn Spinler also finished with 10 pointsh, while Ulmen finished with nine. Turner was led by VanValkenburg’s 19 on his 8-for-11 shooting from the field. Reed also scored 12 for the Tornadoes.

Meanwhile, it was one more win for top-ranked and still unbeaten Box Elder. Playing at home Monday night, the Bears routed visiting Heart Butte 97-46. Box Elder scored 53 points in the first half and was never threatened. Randall Gardipee scored 24 points as the Bears made nine 3-pointers. Jared Four Colors, Clayton Morsette Jr. and Chris Lamere each added 10 points.

THURSDAY

North Star 50, Big Sandy 38

Big Sandy 2 7 5 17 - 38

North Star 12 11 11 16 - 50

Big Sandy – Zachary Works 5, Cody Bailey 14, TJ Shipp 12, Levi Edwards 7. Totals: 15 7-9.

North Star – Quinn Spinler 8, Gavin Spinler 7, Payton Petesen 4, Sam Ulmen 15, Matt Helmbrecht 3, Thatcher Smith 3, Chris Lavery 3, Jaxson Simonson 4, Willy Gilead 3. Totals: 20 6-8.

FRIDAY

Cut Bank 60, Rocky Boy 52

Rocky Boy 14 11 14 13 – 52

Cut Bank 20 11 7 22 – 60

Rocky Boy – Isiah Murie 13, Skyler Parisian 13, Junior Day Child 7, Lance Parker 2, Desmond Parker 9, Cecil LaFromboise 4. Totals: 19 11-25.

Cut Bank – Kaz Harwood 23, Rocky Racine 5, Wyatt Harwood 5, Jeff Ray 2, Dylan Vasboe 18, Joey Karcher 7. Totals: 15 27-44.

3-pointers: Day Child, D. Parker 2, K. Harwood, Racine, Vasboe. Total fouls: Rocky Boy 26, Cut Bank 21. Fouled out: Levi Olson, Parisian, Day Child, LaFromboise, Vasboe. Technicals: Parisian, LaFromboise 2.

Box Elder 89, Chinook 64

Chinook 18 6 22 18 - 64

Box Elder 15 33 18 23 – 89

Chinook – Ty Simenson 2, Lane Seymour 16, Ian McIntosh 6, Zach Molyneaux 9, Jacob Maclean 15, Cody McCracken 5, Jake Deimert 9. Totals: 19 21-32

Box Elder – Brandon The Boy 12, Clayton Morsette Jr. 9, Will Ketchum 2, Randall Gardipee 18, Jacob Jones 2, Ryan Gardipee 3, Jerrod Four Colors 11, Thomas Parisian 10, Lonnie Plain Bull 11, Chris LaMere 9, Slayte Duran 2. Totals: 37 6-8.

Total fouls – Chinook 11, Box Elder 18. Fouled out – Plain Bull. 3-pointers – Seymour, Molyneaux, Maclean 3, The Boy 2, Morsette Jr., Ra. Gardipee, Ry. Gardipee, Plain Bull 2, LaMere.

Turner 65, Dodson 39

Turner 14 13 22 16 – 65

Dodson 9 5 8 17 – 39

Turner – Dylan Welsh 9, Eddie Harmon 3, Tyler Humphreys 10, Tristan Billmayer 5, Bret Van Valkenburg 15, Lucas Reed 18, Reece Hutton 5. Totals: 28 8-14.

Dodson – Scheffelmaer 2, Ereaux 3, Strilse 10, Stephens 16, Bear 8. Totals; 16 2-3.

3-pointers: Harmon, Ereaux, Strilse 2, Stephens, Bear. Total fouls: Turner 6, Dodson 12. Fouled out: none.

Hays-Lodge Pole 74, Tri Cities 54

TC 20 10 4 20 - 54

HLP 19 22 22 11 - 74

Tri-Cities – Luke Westbrook 4, Haden Wichman 7, CJ Stevenson 5, Mark Dupree 4, Jace Aune 8, Max Hertel 17, Wayne Stevenson 2, Kevin Bingham 4.

Hays-Lodge Pole – Andrew Cole 3, Darnell Parisian 2, Tyson Shambo 18, Damon Castillo 2, Nate Doney 8, Thomas Molina 2, Sterling White Cow 18, Frank Runs Above 6, Bruce Denny Jr. 5, Tough Snow 4, Keenan Stiffarm 2.

Chester/J-I 63, Sunburst 29

C/J-I 19 14 13 17 – 63

Sunburst 5 10 6 8 – 29

C/J-I – Dell Harmon 8, Tim Stokes 7, Steven May 2, Cody Ramberg 2, Troy Harmon 4, Casey Kingon 9, Klayton Lohr 11, Brandon Richter 4, Justin May 16. Totals: 27 4-11.

Sunburst – Logan Simmes 6, Zack Ditchel 4, Jackson Nagy 5, Mason Kearns 2, Andy Ryan 8, Chance Morgan 2, Ulan Omdahl 2. Totals: 10 7-10.

Total fouls – CJI 13, Sunburst 13. Fouled out – none. 3-pointers – Ditchel 1, Nagy 1, Stokes 1, Lohr 3, May 1.

SATURDAY

Chester-J/I 62, Simms 47

Simms 13 15 6 13 – 47

C/J-I 13 14 16 19 – 62

Simms - Codee Crumley 2, Logan Rushton 1, Erik Pschernig 15, Zeb Bloom 17, Jake Bloom 12.

Chester/J-I - Dell Harmon 22, Tim Stokes 13, Cody Ramberg 2, Sion Norick 4, Casey Kinyon 4, Klayton Lohr 7, Justin May 10.

Chinook 63, Roy-Winifred 39

Roy-Winifred 9 15 10 5 – 39

Chinook 19 15 15 14 – 63

Roy-Winifred - Tucker Matovich 14, Clay Sluggett 4, Logan DeHaven 10, Buster Styer 5, Lee Thompson 6.

Chinook - Lane Seymour 9, Ian McIntosh 12, Zach Molyneaux 30, Jacob MacLean 5, Cody McCracken 1, Zack Schellin 1, Jake Diemert 2.

Harlem 68, Poplar 51

Harlem 18 11 19 20 – 68

Poplar 6 9 14 22 – 51

Harlem - Dutch Helgeson 12, Stan Ervine 11, Jordan Snow 10, Isaiah Doney 7, Anthony Gray 4, Tristen Gone 7, Clay Doney 10, Cory Stiffarm 5, Keanna Little 2.

Poplar - TL Tuttle 11, Brock Day 9, Devin Sadler 7, Myltin Bighorn 3, Justin Greyhawk 2, Alex Lonebear 15.

Hays-Lodge Pole 74, Winnett-Grass Range 65 (OT)

Hays-Lodge Pole 16 22 10 13 13 – 74

Winnett-Grass Range 11 13 15 22 4 – 65

Hays-Lodge Pole – Andrew Cole 7, Darnell Parison 4, Tyson Shambo 20, Damon Castillo 2, Nate Doney 1, Sterline White Cow 16, Frank Runs Above 18, Bruce Denny Jr. 3, Keenan Stiffarm 3.

Winnett-Grass Range – Clay Burnett 2, Joe Stahl 14, Logan Sluggett 7, Jake Iverson 14, Tucker Bevis 1, Derek Gee 7, Roman Wollman 20

Box Elder 81, Big Sandy 22

Box Elder 24 23 22 12 – 81

Big Sandy 3 8 5 6 – 22

Box Elder - Brandon The Boy 7, Clayton Morsette Jr. 7, Will Ketchum 7, Bernard 6, Randall Gardipee 15, Ryan Gardipee 9, Thomas Parisian 4, Lonnie Plain Bull 4, Chris LaMere 9, Pernell Morsette 9, Slayte Duran 2.

Big Sandy - Zachery Works 5, Cody Bailey 10, T.J. Ship 4, Levi Edwards 3..

North Star 60, Turner 50

North Star – Quinn Spinler 10, Gavin Spinler 25, Payton Peterson 8, Sam Ulmen 9, Mat Helmbrecht 8.

Turner – Dylan Welsh 6, Tyler Humphreys 5, Tristan Billmayer 2, Bret VanValkenburg 19, Lucas Reed 12, Reece Hutton 6.

MONDAY

Box Elder 97, Heart Butte 46

Box Elder 22 31 21 23 - 97

Heart Butte13 13 12 8 - 46

Box Elder - B. The Boy 6, C. Morsette Jr. 10, T. Bernard 5, R. Gardipee 24, J. Jones 9, R. Gardipee 7, J. Four Colors 10, T. Parisian 3, L. Plainbull Jr. 9, C. Lamere 10. Totals: 37 8-13.

Heart Butte - Tyler Still Smoking 6, Malique Aimsback 6, Chasen Kipp 11, Eric Denney 9, Wil Horn 5, Austin Running Crane 5. Totals: 18 5-10.

Total fouls: Box Elder 28, Heart Butte 14. 3-pointers: Bernard, Morsette 2, Gardipee 2, Jones, R. Gardipee, Four Colors, Lamere, Horn.