Beeters rock the Pioneers

The Chinook Sugarbeeters were heavy favorites going into their first-round game against Big Sandy in the District 9C boys basketball tournament. And right from the get-go, it was easy to see why as the Beeters were the superior team from start to finish.

The Beeters were so dominant in their 61-36 victory over the Pioneers Thursday night in the HHS gymnasium that it took Big Sandy nearly 10 minutes of game time to finally score. By that time, Chinook had scored 23 unanswered points to start the game on its way to the easy win.

With their defeat of Big Sandy, the Beeters advance to the semifinals of the 9C tournament where they will face Hays-Lodge Pole tonight at 5:30.

From the opening tip, it didn’t take long for Chinook to assert its dominance over Big Sandy and after a Travis Hamilton 3-pointer just minutes into the game, the Beeters lead 7-0. Then, after a slew of baskets by Lane Seymour, including a potential three-point play that he was unable to convert, the Beeters were up 19-0 at the end of the first quarter.

“We wanted to get the ball and get it inside early,” Seymour said. “And we were able to get some rebounds, push the ball up the floor and get some good ball movement.

“I would say rebounding was a big thing for us,” Chinook head coach Mike Seymour said. “We were able to control the boards and if you do that you can control tempo and that was key for us.”

In the second quarter, it was more of the same as the Beeters began the stanza with hoops by Wade Schneider and Seymour before Levi Edwards finally got the Pioneers on the board. Edwards would score again a few minutes later, but thanks to a Cody McCracken layup late in the half, Chinook led 33-8 at intermission.

The domination continued in third for the second-seeded Beeters and entering the fourth quarter, the Beeters led 50-21 and Chinook cruised the rest of the way to the easy victory.

Lane Seymour was key in the win for Chinook, scoring a game-high 18 points, while also grabbing 10 rebounds to finish with a double-double. Schneider also had a solid game for the Beeters, finishing with 12 points, eight rebounds and two blocks.

“Wade has grown tremendously in just this one season,” coach Seymour said. “He’s our sixth man and he rebounds and protects the middle. He has really developed for us, and I was very pleased with Wade’s effort tonight.”

Kyle Strutz led the way for the Pioneers against Chinook with a total of 15 points. Edwards added seven and Laurence Alderdice had six. With the loss, Big Sandy (2-17) will need to win against North Star this morning in loser-out action to keep its season alive.

Chinook (14-5), on the other hand, will play an even more important game tonight, when the Beeters will take on HLP. The two teams split during the regular season, so it should be a compelling matchup, especially with the winner clinching a berth in the 9C championship game as well as the Northern C divisional tournament. Tip-off it set for 5:30.

“The big thing for us is going to be controlling the tempo,” Mike Seymour said. “When we control the tempo and control the boards, we have a much better chance to win and that’s what we will need to do against Hays-Lodge Pole.”

Chinook 61, Big Sandy 36

Big Sandy 0 8 7 21 – 36

Chinook 19 14 17 11 – 61

Big Sandy – Levi Edwards 3-5 1-2 6, Eric Schwarzbach 1-3 0-0 2, Stephon Wing 1-3 0-0 2, Geno Menard 2-11 0-0 4, Kyle Strutz 7-16 0-0 15, Laurence Alderdice 2-10 1-5 6. Totals: 14-42 2-7.

Chinook – Lane Seymour 8-14 2-3 18, Ian McIntosh 5-9 0-0 11, Cody McCracken 6-16 0-0 12, Zack Scheilin 0-5 2-2 2, Travis Hamilton 2-3 1-2 6, Wade Schneider 6-12 0-0 12. 25-55 5-8.

Halftime: Chinook 33, Big Sandy 8. 3-pointers Chinook 2-9 (McIntosh, Hamilton), Big Sandy 2-9 (Strutz, Alderdice). Fouled out – none.