Hi-Line Boys Roundup: Harlem, Box Elder sweep big games

It might have been just another weekend of high school boys basketball along the Hi-Line for most teams, but for the Box Elder Bears, their game against the Highwood Mountaineers last Friday was anything but just another game.

The Bears, who are the defending class C state champions, saw their 30-game win streak snapped earlier this season on the road against Highwoo,d and on Friday, they welcomed the Mountaineers into their den with payback on their minds. And via a 75-37 trouncing of the Mountaineers, payback is exactly what they got.

Highwood scored an opening 3-pointer to go up 3-0. But from there, the Bears took over. They went on a 15-0 run to grab a commanding 12-point lead and never looked back. Brandon The Boy was a huge catalyst in the win for the Bears, totaling 17 points and connecting on five 3-pointers. Jake Jones also had a solid game with a game-high 18 points, while Clayton Morsette Jr. pitched in with 14 and Jerrod Four Colors had 12.

“They whooped our butts when we went down there and I don’t like losing,” The Boy said. “So we really wanted to get them back for beating us. But it doesn’t mean that much. It was a non-conference game. We still have a lot of work to do and a long way to go.”

The Bears may have gotten the signature win of the weekend, at least out of the teams from the District 9C, but the action on the hardwood actually got underway last Thursday as North Star played host to Highwood before the Mountaineers traveled to Box Elder Friday.

The Knights, who have been playing better of late, simply didn’t have enough firepower to hang with Highwood and dropped the non-conference home game by the score of 60-35. Matthew Helmbrecht scored nine points to lead North Star as no Knights’ player reached double figures.

Big Sandy also took part in non-conference action on Thursday as the Pioneers welcomed Denton-Geyser-Stanford into their gym. Unfortunately, the Pioneers were no match for DGS and were outscored 28-4 in the opening quarter en route to a 73-14 defeat. Geno Menard was the lone bright spot for Big Sandy as he scored 10 of the team’s 14 points.

Turner also played a non-district game on Thursday as the Tornadoes hit the road to take on Dodson. And unlike North Star and Big Sandy, Turner was able to secure a 64-47 win thanks to 17 points from Tyler Humphreys as well as 12 from Lucas Reed.

In other action from along the Hi-Line Thursday, the Rocky Boy Northern Stars of the District 1B paid a visit to Harlem of the 2B. And in a game that was closely contested throughout, the Wildcats sprung the upset on Rocky Boy by the score of 79-73.

The Wildcats had five players reach double figures led by Tristian Gone, who scored a team-high 19 points. Dutch Helgeson pitched in with 16, while Marcus Henry had 15, Keahna Little had 14 and Michael Butterfly had 10. Cecil LaFromboise had an eye-opening performance in the loss with a game-high 27 points. Skyler Parisian also contributed with 18 points for the Stars and Junior Day Child was also solid with 11.

While Box Elder played a non-district game Friday, there were three 9C games that took place the same night and none were more exciting than North Star’s 51-47 road win in overtime over Fort Benton-Geraldine.

The Knights jumped out to a good lead early in the game and by halftime North Star held a 21-10 advantage. At the end of the third, North Star was still in control and had a 37-25 edge going into the final stanza, when the Longhorns outscored the Knights 14-2 in the final eight minutes to force the extra session. However, the Knights regained their composure and outscored the Longhorns 12-8 in overtime to come away with the win.

Gavin Spinler led the way for the Knights with 15 points. Devon Miller added 13. Toren Andreason led the way for Fort Benton-Geraldine with a spectacular 26-point showing. Ben Hulme also put forth a solid effort with 13 points.

Another 9C game that featured two teams in the top half of the district standings saw the Chinook Sugarbeeters travel to Chester to take on Chester/J-I on Friday and thanks to an incredible 32 point performance from Lane Seymour, Chinook notched a big win over the Hawks by the score of 62-44.

Chinook jumped ahead by three points after the first quarter and increased the lead to seven at 28-21 by halftime. The Beeters extended the lead even further by outscoring the Hawks by two in the third. Yet, Chinook saved its best for last with a 22-point fourth that sealed the 18-point victory.

Cody McCracken pitched in with 12 points in the win for the Beeters, while Ian McIntosh had seven. Justin May was outstanding in a losing effort for C/J-I, scoring 24 points. Tory Harmon and Corey Richter each added seven apiece for the Hawks.

The other 9C game on Friday night pitted the Hays-Lodge Pole Thunderbirds against Big Sandy. The T-Birds, who were playing at home, dominated the 9C affair and led the game by a score of 42-13 at the half on their way to a 79-23 rout. Tyson Shambo was the leading scorer for HLP with a game-high 20 points. Sterling White Cow had 15 points and Lance Strike had 13. Kyle Strutz was the only Pioneer to score in double figures with 11. Menard also added eight.

On Saturday, the 9C action continued as Box Elder put its undefeated record in district play on the line when the Bears paid a visit to Chinook. The game was close early as the Bears led 17-12 after the first quarter. Yet, Box Elder blew the game wide open with a 25-point second quarter that put the Bears up 42-22 at the half. They would go on to win by a final margin of 75-63.

Jones had another solid effort and along with Four Colors who scored a game-high 22 points. Morsette Jr. also added 12 for the Bears in the win. Seymour led the way for Chinook with 21 points. McCracken scored 17 and McIntosh had 10.

Fresh off a non-conference win, Turner was looking for its first 9C win of the year on Saturday, when the Tornadoes hosted C/J-I, but in the end it wasn’t meant to be. Behind 31 points from May and 22 from Brandon Richter, the Hawks cruised to an 88-64 victory. Brett Van Valkenburg scored 23 points to pace Turner in the loss. Reed also had 21.

The T-Birds got back on the winning track Friday after losing consecutive district games a week ago and continued their winning ways on Saturday with a 65-49 road triumph over North Star. White Cow led the way for HLP with 19 points. Frank Runs Above added 17 and Shambo contributed with 11. Payton Peterson scored a team-high 16 in defeat for the Knights. Devon Miller also had 12.

Fort Benton-Geraldine stepped out of district play to close out its weekend on Saturday with a visit to Conrad. And despite a solid effort and playing a competitive game, the Longhorns fell to the Cowboys by the score of 44-28. Andreason was a bright spot for FB-G with 16 points. Hulme also had six in defeat.

In Class B action, Harlem earned its second non-conference victory of the weekend with a 65-59 road win in overtime over Cut Bank. Henry paced the Wildcats with 16 points, while Helgeson and Gone each added 15.

And finally, in 1B district play, Rocky Boy bounced back from Thursday’s loss to Harlem with an impressive 82-48 domination over Fairfield in front of the home fans Saturday night. Parisian and Day Child each had 16 points to lead the way for the Stars. Bubby Gopher also contributed with 12 and LaFromboise added 10.

Thursday

Denton-Geyser-Stanford 73, Big Sandy 14

DGS 28 16 14 9 -- 73

Big Sandy 4 6 4 0 -- 14

DGS – Bart Vaskey 7, Conner Bokma 10, Rhet Woodhall 8, Kade Woodhall 11, Kordell Carpenter 3, Austin Morris 6, Tyler Lee 5, Kendall Carpenter 8, Kash Perry 10, Tom Grubb 5. Totals: 32 5-11.

Big Sandy S. Wing 2, Geno Menard 10, Kyle Strutz 2. Totals: 6 2-15.

3-point goals – Vaskey 1, K. Woodhall 1, Kordell Carpenter 1, Lee 1. Total fouls – DGS 17, Big Sandy 7. Fouled out – None.

Turner 64, Dodson 47

Turner 16 15 14 19 -- 64

Dodson 2 11 15 19 -- 47

Turner – Cody Welsh 9, Clayton Kruss 2, Kurt Balvert 2, Eddie Harmon 8, Tyler Humphreys 17, Damian Schuhmacher 6, Bret Van Valkenburg 4, Lucas Reed 12, Tracer Helig 4. Totals: 17 22-36.

Dodson – Tryese Messerly 6, Gavin Fox 9, David Jaynes 21, Cain Wing 8, Trevor Banyer 2, Jasper Doney 1. Totals: 18 11-16.

3-point goals – Humphreys 1. Total fouls – Turner 18, Dodson 27. Fouled out – Kruss, Harmon, Schuhmacher, Wing, Banyer. Technial fouls – Steven Ereaux.

Highwood 60, North Star 35

Highwood 14 18 22 6 - 60

North Star 9 6 6 14 - 35

Highwood - Trayce Hartman 4, Luke Davison 12, Zeke Davison 2, Jake Malek 10, Darren Malek 8, Jordan LaFontaine 3, Logan Ferda 10, Louis Aron 11. Totals: 27 2-10.

North Star - Dylan Miller 2, Willie Gilead 6, Payton Peterson 5, Devon Miller 5, Keevan Borlaug 2, Matthew Helmbrecht 9, Thatcher Smith 4, Rian Gulick 2. Totals: 15 1-10

3-pointers - L. Davison, LaFontaine, Gilead. Total fouls - HW 11, NS 7.

Harlem 79, Rocky Boy 73

Rocky Boy 20 14 23 16 -73

Harlem 16 21 21 21 - 79

Rocky Boy - Bubby Gopher 5, Isiah Murie 5, Levi Olsen 2, Skylar Parisian 18, Jr. Day Child 11, Lonnie Plainbull 5, Cecil LaFromboise 27. Totals: 29 8-11.

Harlem - Corbin Brockie 5, Dutch Helgeson 16, Marcus Henry 15, Michael Butterfly 10, Keahna Little 14, Tristan Gone 19. Totals: 29 16-25.

3-pointers - Gopher, Parisian 4, Plainbull, LaFromboise, Henry, Little 4. Total fouls - Rocky Boy 23, Harlem 15. Fouled out - Gone.

Friday

Box Elder 75, Highwood 37

Highwood 7 11 10 9 - 37

Box Elder 18 15 17 23 - 75

Highwood: T. Hartman 2, L. Davison 14, J. Malek 8, D. Malek 6, J. LaFontaine 7. Totals: 15 4-8.

Box Elder: Brandon The Boy 17, Bodis Duran 2, Clayton Morsette Jr. 14. Jake Jones 18, Jerrod Four Colors 12, Trey Henderson 3, Pernell Morsette 4, Shane Ketchum 3, Jacob Brandley 2. Totals 28 9-13.

3-point goals: Davison 2, LaFontaine, The Boy 5, Morsette 2, Jones, Henderson, Ketchum. Total Fouls: Highwood 9, Box Elder 12. Fouled out – none.

Hays-Lodge Pole 79, Big Sandy 23

Big Sandy 4 9 3 7 - 23

Hays-Lodge Pole 17 25 24 13 - 79

Big Sandy – Edwards 4, Kyle Strutz 11, Geno Menard 8. Totals 8 4-7.

Hays-Lodge Pole – Jasper Lewis 4, Jace Shambo 7, Tyson Shambo 20, Brian Wing 6, Lance Strike 13, Sterling White Cow 15, Frank Runs Above 8, Darnell Parisian 5, Colton Werk 2. Totals 37 0-1.

3-point goals: Grutz 3, Jace Shambo, Tyson Shambo 4, Strke, White Cow 3. Total fouls Big Sandy 4, Hays-Lodgepole 12. Fouled out – none.

North Star 51, Fort Benton-Geraldine 47, OT

North Star 6 15 16 2 12-51

FB-Geraldine 4 6 15 14 8-47

North Star- Willy Gilead 11, Gavin Spinler 15, Payton Peterson 5, Devon Miller 13, Matthew Helmbrecht 7. Totals 17 12-23.

Fort Benton-Geraldine - Ben Hulme 13, Toren Andreason 26, R. Briese 3, R. Kurtz 2, E. Toon 2, S. Broneg 1. Totals 17 13-24.

3-point goals-NS 5 (Gilead 3, Spinler 2). Total fouls-NS 16, FB-G 15. Fouled out-Gilead, Toon. Technical fouls-none.

Chinook 62, Chester/J-I 44

Chinook 14 14 12 22 - 62

C/J-I 11 10 10 13 - 44

Chinook: Lane Seymour 32, Ian McIntosh 7, Cody McCracken 12, Travis Hamilton 5, Wade Schneider 6. Totals 20 21-28.

C/J-I: Brandon Richter 1, Brandon Theel 5, Troy Harmon 7, Corey Richter 7, Justin May 24. Totals 18 5-9.

3-point goals: Hamilton, C. Richter, Harmon, May. Total fouls: Chinook 9, CJI 16. Fouled out – None.

Saturday

Harlem 65, Cut Bank 59, OT

Harlem 18 14 14 10 9 - 65

Cut Bank 14 9 17 16 3 - 59

Harlem - C. Brockie 5, Dutch Helgeson 15, Marcus Henry 16, T. Sandcrane 2, Michael Butterfly 2, K. Little 8, Tristian Gone 15, J. Chandler 2. Totals: 24 9-14.

Cut Bank - E. Harrell 2, N. Wynn 3, S. Omsberg 17, J. Peveler 7, G. Barrett 4, W. Harwood 17, J. Ray 4, James Growning Thunder 2, T. Lighthizer 3. Totals: 20 18-28

3-pointers - Brockie, Helgeson 3, Henry 2, Little 2, Harwood. Total fouls - Harlem 21, CB 16.

Rocky Boy 82, Fairfield 48

Fairfield 12 18 6 12 - 48

Rocky Boy 26 18 17 21 - 82

Fairfield - C.J. McWilliams 3, D. Oveson 9, T. Mayer 10, D. Palmer 4, C. Allen 8, C. Coverdell 1, T. Schenk 13. Totals: 12 23-38.

Rocky Boy - Bubby Gopher 12, Isiah Murie 2, Levi Olsen 3, Skylar Parisian 16, Junior Day Child 16, Shadow Laforge 7, Lance Parker 2, Lonnie Plain Bull 9, Cordell Small 5, Cecil LaFromboise 10. Totals: 32 7-13.

3-pointers - Oveson, Gopher 4, Parisian, Day Child 2, Laforge, Plain Bull 2, Small. Total fouls - FF 18, RB 26. Fouled out - Plain Bull.

Hays-Lodge Pole 65, North Star 49

HLP 14 19 13 19 - 65

NS 20 5 9 15 - 49

Hays-Lodge Pole - Jasper Lewis 2, Jace Shambo 1, Elijah Blackcrow 3, Tyson Shambo 11, Lance Strike 10, Sterling White Cow 19, Frank Runs Above 17, Colton Werk 2. Totals: 28 5-12.

North Star - Willie Gilead 9, Gavin Spinler 3, Payton Peterson 16, Devon Miller 12, Matthew Helmbrecht 9. Totals: 17 12-29.

3-pointers - Blackcrow, T. Shambo 2, WhiteCow, Gilead, Helmbrecht 2. Total fouls - HLP 24, NS 15.

Conrad 44, Fort Benton-Geraldine 28

FB-G 4 10 5 9 – 28

Conrad 17 12 1 14 – 44

Fort Benton-Geraldine – T.Albright 2, E. Toon 2, Sean Bronec 2, R. Briese 2, Ben Hulme 6, Toren Andreasen 14. Totals: 11 6-15.

Conrad – Jack Grubb 5, Shane Larson 14, Blake Underdahl 6, Logan Garman 2, Tristen Diedrich 9, Kyle Murack 8. Totals: 18 5-9.

3-pointers – Diedrich, Murack 2. Total fouls – FBG 13, Conrad 16. Fouled out – Larson.

Chester/J-I 88, Turner 64

C/J-I 27 20 24 17 -- 88

Turner 12 23 7 22 -- 64

C/J-I – Brandon Richter 22, B. Hawks 2, Brandon Theel 2, J. Milos 3, Troy Harmon 14, Corey Richter 14, Justin May 31. Totals: 36 15-30.

Turner – C. Welsh 7, E. Harmon 9, T. Humphreys 3, D. Schumacher 1, Brett Van Valkenburg 23, Lucas Reed 21. Totals: 28 3-16.

3-point goals – C. Richter 1, Welsh 1, Harmon 3, VanValkenburg 1. Total fouls – CJI 23, Turner 24. Fouled out – Theel, C. Richter, Harmon.

Box Elder 75, Chinook 63

BE 17 25 14 19 - 75

Chinook 12 10 16 25 - 63

Box Elder - Brandon The Boy 6, Tanner Parisian 2, Clayton Morsette Jr. 12, Jake Jones 22, Jerrod four Colors 22, Elias Robertson 2, Trey Henderson 1, Pernell Morsette 2. Totals: 24 11-18.

Chinook - Lane Seymour 21, Ian McIntosh 10, Cody McCracken 17, Zack Schellin 7, Travis Hamilton 2, Wade Schneider 6. Totals: 25 12-19.