Hi-Line about to become hoop crazy

The high school basketball season is always highly anticipated along the Hi-Line and this year is no different as local teams get set to open their seasons this weekend,

While the Havre basketball teams opened the season last weekend, the majority of teams from the Hi-Line have yet to play. Many of those teams will be making their 2015-16 season debuts this Friday and Saturday at the Native American Classic inside the Armory Gymnasium on the campus at Montana State University-Northern.

The Native American Classic has become a staple on the opening weekend of high school basketball and will again feature some of the top teams from the area.

Quite possibly the most prominent team scheduled to be in attendance is Box Elder. After all, the Bears won a state championship in 2014 and took third at the Northern C Divisional last season after an incredible 24-2 season.

The Bears are also scheduled to play in the marquee game both Friday and Saturday. Friday night, Box Elder will take on Class B rival Harlem at 8 p.m. The other Friday games include Box Elder vs. Browning JV (girls) at 10 a.m., Kainai vs. Browning JV (boys) at 11:30 a.m., Rocky Boy vs. Heart Butte (girls) at 1 p.m., Heart Butte vs. Rocky Boy (boys) at 5 p.m., Harlem vs. Kainai (girls) at 6:30 p.m., leading up to the finale between the Wildcats and Bears.

The Native American Classic will continue Saturday with Browning JV vs. Kainai (girls) at 10:30 a.m., Heart Butte vs. Browning JV (boys) at 11 a.m. and Harlem vs. Heart Butte (girls) at 12:39 p.m.

Later Saturday, Kainai will take on Harlem (boys) 4:30 p.m., then the Box Elder girls will take on Rocky Boy at 6 p.m., followed by Box Elder and Rocky Boy, closing out the tournament.

However, the Native American Classic will not be the only preseason basketball tournament going on this weekend as Chester/J-I will also be hosting a preseason tournament starting in Chester Thursday.

At 12 p.m., the North Star girls will take on Valier, followed by the North Star boys against Valier at 1:45 p.m. Both teams Chinook teams will go head-to-head with Great Falls Central, with the girls playing at 3:30 p.m., and the boys at 5:30 p.m.

The action will continue Friday with back-to-back games between the Big Sandy girls and boys teams and Dutton-Brady. Those games will take place at 11:15 a.m. and 1 p.m., respectively. North Star and Great Falls Central will play a girls game at 2:45 p.m., then a boys game at 4:30 p.m. Chester/J-I will do the same with Power. The first game starts at 6:15 p.m., with the second to follow at 8 p.m.

Chinook will pit its boys and girls team against Dutton-Brady Saturday at 11:15 a.m., and 1 p.m. Power will then take on Big Sandy in a girls matchup at 2:45 p.m., followed by the boys game, which will take place at 4:30 p.m.

Rounding out the final day will be the Chester/J-girls taking on Valier at 6:15 p.m., then the C/J-I boys going head-to-head with Valier at 8 p.m.

C/J-I Preseason Tournament

Thursday

12 p.m. Valier vs North Star, girls

1:45 p.m. Valier vs North Star, boys

3:30 p.m. GFC vs Chinook, girls,

5:15 p.m. GFC vs Chinook, boys

Friday

11:15 a.m. Big Sandy vs Dutton-Brady, girls

1 p.m. Big Sandy vs Dutton-Brady, boys

2:45 p.m. North Star vs GFC, girls

4:30 p.m. North Star vs GFC, boys

6:15 p.m. C/J-I vs Power, girls

8 p.m. C/J-I vs Power, boys

Saturday

11:15 a.m. Chinook vs Dutton-brady, girls

1 p.m. Chinook vs Dutton-brady, boys

2:45 p.m. Power vs Big Sandy, girls,

4:30 p.m. Power vs Big Sandy, boys

6:15 p.m. C/J-I vs Valier, girls

8 p.m. C/J-I vs Valier, boys

2015 NAC

at MSU-Northern

Friday

10 a.m. Box Elder vs Browning JV, girls

11:30 a.m. Kainai bs Browning JV, boys

1 p.m. Rocky Boy vs Heart Butte, girls

5 p.m. Rocky Boy vs Heart Butte, boys

6:30 p.m. Harlem vs Kainai, girls

8 p.m. Box Elder vs Harlem, boys

Saturday

9:30 a.m. Browning JV vs Kainai, girls

11 a.m. Heart Butte vs Browning JV, boys

12:30 p.m. Harlem vs Heart Butte, girls

4:30 p.m. Kainai vs Harlem, boys

6 p.m. Box Elder vs Rocky Boy, girls

7:30 p.m. Box Elder vs Rocky Boy, boys