Box Elder boys run over Turner

The Box Elder Bears are the two-time defending District 9C boys champions. They're also on a mission to win a second straight Class C state championship. And for much of the season, no one has been able to hang with them.

But, the mighty Bears showed no signs of getting complacent or of overlooking the competition Thursday afternoon as they dismantled the Turner Tornadoes 97-37 in the opening game of the 2015 9C boys tournament inside the HHS gymnasium.

"We're always focused, we're always ready," said Box Elder senior Clayton Morsette Jr. "It doesn't matter who we're playing, we come out and want to be sharp. We don't overlook anyone."

The Bears certainly didn't overlook the eighth-seeded Tornadoes. Turner got early makes from Tyler Humphreys and Tristan Billmayer to make the score 6-5 two minutes into the game - but from there it was all Bears and then some.

Brandon The Boy started a 14-0 Bears run with a 3-pointer. Box Elder's trademark pressure defense also started turning the Tornadoes over, and by the time Shane Ketchum hit a three at the buzzer, the Bears led 35-13 after just eight minutes.

Box Elder head coach Jeremy MacDonald played his second unit for much of the second quarter, but it mattered none as the Bears' depth proved too much for the up-start Tornadoes to handle. Behind Pernell Morsette and Tristan Bernard, the Bears started the second quarter on an 11-0 run, before Lucas Reed made back-to-back baskets for Turner, leaving the score at 46-17 with four minutes left in the first half.

"I was really proud of the way our second unit stepped up today," MacDonald said. "Depth is going to become more and more important as we go along in this tournament. We need those guys to come in and play well, and they did that today. I was pleased with them."

The Bears kept up their torrid pace for the remainder of the first half, and led 60-24 at intermission. Three minutes into the third quarter, Box Elder widened its lead to 40 points, and the rest of the game was played with running clock as the Bears advanced to their fifth straight 9C semifinal.

"I thought we came out and played good pressure defense like we wanted to," MacDonald said. "That's always a key for us. And when we do that, and we're getting the contributions from our second unit like we did today, we're pretty tough to beat."

Box Elder's defense and depth were the overwhelming factors. The Bears forced Turner into a whopping 31 turnovers, and as a result, Box Elder shot a stellar 61 percent from the field. The Bears were also balanced offensively. Morsette Jr., scored a game-high 21 points and hit three treys. Quinn Baker added 12 points and Jake Jones scored 10. Box Elder's bench also contributed 41 points.

Turner, which fell to 4-15 on the season, got 20 points from Reed and nine from Humphreys. Turner will now try to stay alive when it faces Fort Benton-Geraldine in a loser-out game this morning.

On the other hand, the Bears (19-1) are one step closer to claiming a third 9C title in a row. They'll face the Chester/J-I Hawks in the first boys semifinal today. And, just like against Turner Thursday, the Bears won't overlook the Hawks, who they swept during the regular season.

"We'll be ready for whoever we play," Morsette Jr., said. "We know we have to come out and play sharp, play really good defense. That's where it starts for us. We know we have to stay focused because when you let teams hang around on you, things can start to really go wrong.

"Our pressure defense and our rebounding is always key for us, no matter who we play," MacDonald added. "And it will be the key again tomorrow (Friday). But this was a good start for us. I thought we played pretty well for the first game of the tournament."

Today's semifinal between the Bears and Hawks will tip off at 4 at the HHS gymnasium. The winner will have a guaranteed berth in next week's Northern C Divisional in Great Falls.

Box Elder 97, Turner 37

Turner 13 11 11 2 – 37

Box Elder 25 25 21 16 – 97

Turner – Tyler Humphreys 4-7 0-0 9, Tristan Billmayer 1-5 0-0 2, Damian Schumacher 1-1 0-0 2, Brett Van Valkenburg 2-7 0-0 4, Lucas Reed 9-10 2-4 20. Totals: 17-34 2-4 37.

Box Elder – Brandon The Boy 4-5 0-0 9, Bodis Duran 2-3 2-3 6, Tristan Bernard 3-7 3-4 9, Clayton Morsette Jr., 8-16 2-4 21, Jake Jones 4-6 0-0 10, Jerrod Four Colors 1-3 2-2 4, Quinn Baker 6-8 0-1 12, Trey Henderson 1-1 2-2 4, Pernell Morsette 4-8 0-0 8, Shane Ketchum 3-3 0-0 8, Jacob Bradley 2-4 2-2 6. Totals: 38-70 13-20 97.

Halftime: Box Elder 60-24. 3-pointers: The Boy 1, Morsette Jr. 3, Jones 2, Ketchum 2, Humphreys 1. Fouls: Box Elder 12, Turner 14. Fouled out: None.