Hi-Line Boys Basketball Roundup

It was another exciting weekend of basketball along the Hi-Line. In fact, it was a weekend that was more exciting than most, particularly because of a high-profile contest between Chester/J-I and Box Elder.

Box Elder has dominated the District 9C in boys basketball over the past few seasons and this year the Bears are once again at the top of the heap. However, earlier in the season, C/J-I got the better of the Bears in Chester and last Friday, the two teams met in a rematch that would decide first place in the 9C.

And as they have done to many teams that have come into their den, the Bears dismantled the Hawks, dominating them from start to finish in a 78-59 victory in Box Elder. The three-time defending district champs pounced on C/J-I, jumping out to a 14-6 lead at the end of the first quarter, that eventually swelled to a 37-20 advantage at halftime.

The onslaught continued in the second half and even though the Hawks made some gains in the third quarter, a 27-point fourth for Box Elder put the win on ice. Pernell Morsette continues to play well and led both teams with a game-high 22 points. Jerrod Four Colors pitched in with 20 for the Bears, while Brandon The Boy had 17.

Cory Richter finished with 17 points to pace C/J-I in defeat; Troy Harmon also contributed 16 points and Jarvin Miles had 14. The loss was the first in 9C play for C/J-I this season and dropped them into a tie for first place with Box Elder.

The most important local game may have come Friday, but the action on the hardwood started last Tuesday when the Rocky Boy Stars welcomed Conrad to Rocky Boy for a District 1B battle. And in a hard-fought game, Rocky Boy came out on top and earned a much-needed 47-45 win.

Then, Thursday, Hays-Lodge Pole paid a visit to the Chinook Sugarbeeters in another 9C game between two teams in the upper tier of the district standings. The Thunderbirds, who came into the game trailing Chinook by one game, earned a crucial 41-35 victory, pulling them into a tie for third place with the Beeters.

The T-Birds, who are finally getting to full strength, got 15 points from Frank Runs Above, as well as eight points from Tyson Shambo and seven from Damon Castillo. Isaac Bell led the way for the Beeters with a game-high 16 points.

The Harlem Wildcats were also in action Thursday as they hosted Malta in a District 2B contest. And as they did earlier in the season, the Mustangs easily dispatched of Harlem by the score of 89-43. Nate Costin went off for 30 points for Malta, while Marcus Henry led the Wildcats with 14. Keahna Little also had 12 and Michael Butterfly also contributed with nine.

In another 9C game Friday night in Turner, the Tornadoes hosted the North Star Knights in a game of two teams looking to move up in the district standings. Yet, it was the Knights, who were able to come away with the win as they rolled Turner 78-36. Devon Miller had a standout performance, scoring a game-high 32 points in the win. Shea Sizemore also reached double figures with 11. Eddie Harmon led the Tornadoes with 14 in defeat.

After knocking off Turner, the Knights returned home Saturday to take on district-leader Box Elder. And just as they did to C/J-I Friday, the Bears steamrolled the Knights, knocking them off 78-30. Trey Henderson notched 17 points to lead Box Elder; Four Colors added 13 and Morsette had 10. Sizemore was the high scorer for North Star with six.

After losing their first district game of the season, C/J-I went on the road for the second straight night Saturday, this time paying a visit to Hays-Lodge Pole to take on the T-Birds. And for much of the game, it looked like HLP was going to hand the Hawks a second straight loss. Yet, after leading 40-26 at the half and 56-46 entering the fourth quarter, the T-Birds were outscored 18-7 in the final eight minutes and ending up losing a heartbreaker to the Hawks, 64-63.

Harmon was stellar in the win for C/J-I, connecting on four 3-pointers and leading all scorers in the game with 24 points. Cory Richter pitched in with 16 points and Justin May added 12. Shambo had possibly his best game of the year for the T-Birds, with 22 points, while Runs Above finished with 17.

Elsewhere in the 9C, the Fort Benton Longhorns played host to Turner Saturday in Fort Benton and despite a slow start, the Longhorns bested the Tornadoes 61-49. Javan Christensen led the way for Fort Benton with a game-high 21 points. Eli Toon added 13 and Aaron Giles had 11. Harmon paced Turner with 15 points, while Brett Van Valkenburg scored 13.

In Class B action Saturday, Rocky Boy paid a visit to Cut Bank in another 1B conference game, but unfortunately for the Stars, the Wolves controlled the game from beginning to end, steamrolling Rocky Boy 80-55. Jerell Gopher led the Stars with 14 points. Kendall Windy Boy also contributed with 11.

Also in Class B, Harlem traveled to Wolf Point in search of its first win in District 1B play this season and thanks to a complete team effort, the Wildcats got just that by way of a 60-48 victory over Wolf Point.

Thursday

Malta 89, Harlem 43

Malta 21 28 21 19 - 89

Harlem 19 7 13 4 - 43

Malta - Nate Costin 30, Hunter Love 2, Jace Bishop 6, Tyson Carney 15, Allen Williamson 15, Cru Darrah 3, Ostin Welch 5, Taylor Mathews 5, Devon Raybon 8.

Harlem - Corbin Brockie 2, Marcus Henry 14, Michael Butterfly 9, Keahna Little 12, Damon Adams 2, Tevin Messerly 2, Cole Azure 2.

Hays-Lodge Pole 41, Chinook 35

HLP 8 7 12 14 – 41

Chinook 6 11 7 11 – 35

Hays-Lodge Pole – Tyson Shambo 8, Damon Castillo Jr. 7, C. Werk 7, Frank Runs Above 15, D. Main 1, J. Shambo 3. Totals: 16 8-19.

Chinook – Kyle Johnson 5, Ian Mcintosh 5, Riley Kellam 2, Cord Schneider 7, Isaac Bell 16. Totals: 15 3-14.

Fouls – H-LP 16, Chinook 17. Fouled out – Castillo Jr., Main. 3-pointers – Castillo Jr., Johnson, McIntosh.

Friday

Box Elder 78, Chester/J-I 59

C/J-I 6 14 21 18 – 59

Box Elder 14 23 14 27 – 78

Chester/J-I – Cory Richter 17, Brandon Richter 8, Javin Miles 14 ,. Troy Harmon 16, Justin May 5. Totals: 23 5-6.

Box Elder – Jerrod Four Colors 20, Pernell Morsette 22, Brandon The Boy 17, Bodis Duran 5, Tristan Bernard 4, Jake Jones 3, Elias Robertson 2, Trey Henderson 2, Shane Ketchum 3. Totals: 32 9-18.

Fouls –C/J-I 15, BE 13. 3-pointers – C. Richter 3, Miles 4, Harmon, May, Four Colors, Morsette, The Boy, B. Duran, Jones.

North Star 78, Turner 36

North Star 14 21 28 15 -- 78

Turner 4 14 13 5 -- 36

North Star – Dylan Miller 2, Shea Sizemore 11, Cade Chvilicek 1, Dane Miller 2, Willy Gilead 7, Gavin Spinler 9, Jimmy Snow 7, Payton Peterson 3, Devon Miller 32, Matthew Helmbrect 2, Thomas Nerat 2. Totals: 32 11-25.

Turner – J. Wu 3, Curt Welsh 5, C. Krass 3, T. Humphreys 5, D. Schumacher 2, Brett Van Valkenburg 3, Eddie Harmon 14, T. Heilig 1. Totals: 13 4-6.

3-Point goals – Gilead 1, Spinler 1, Snow 1, Wu 1, Krass 1, Humphreys 1, Valkenburg 1, Harmon 2. Fouls – North Star 13, Turner 17. Technical fouls – Valkenburg.

Saturday

Cut Bank 80, Rocky Boy 55

Rocky Boy 6 20 11 18 – 55

Cut Bank 22 13 20 25 – 80

Rocky Boy: J. Gopher 14, K. Small 6, C. Corcoran 7, B. Iron Eyes 7, T. Belgarde 6, K. Windy Boy 11, J. Parker 4. Totals: 21 9-13.

Cut Bank: Reid Berkram 5, Evan Harrell 19, Nate Wynn 6, Seth Omsberg 27, Jemiah Peevler 3, Halston Beck 2, Kyle Brauhn 6, Wyatt Harwood 12. Totals: 30 5-7.

Fouls: Rocky Boy 11, Cut Bank 14. Fouled out: none. 3-pointers: Gopher 4, Harrell 5, Wynn 2, Omsberg 2, Peevler.

Fort Benton 61, Turner 49

Turner 18 13 8 10 –49

Fort Benton 9 16 24 12 – 61

Turner – Cody Welsh 4, Tyler Humphreys 10, Bret VanValkenburg 13, Eddie Harmon 15, Tracer Heilig 7. Totals: 12 16-26.

Fort Benton – E. Toon 14, T. Arganbright 9, J. Christensen 21, A. Giles 11, T. Hasbrouck 6. Totals: 23 9-19.

Fouls –Turner 16, FB 20. Fouled out – Harmon, Toon, Hasbrouck. 3-pointers –Humphreys 2, VanValkenburg 2, Harmon 3, Toon, Arganbright, Giles 2.

Chester/J-I 64, Hays-Lodge Pole 63

C/J-I 11 15 20 18 -- 64

HLP 16 24 15 7 -- 63

C/J-I – Justin May 12, Troy Harmon 24, Cory Richter 16, Brandon Richter 6, Javin Miles 5, Bruce Tempel 1. Totals: 25 8-16.

HLP – Tyson Shambo 22, Frank Runs Above 17, Jace Shambo 7, Damon Castillo 5, Elijah Black Crow 10, Charles Werk 2. Totals: 22 12-20.

3-Point goals – Harmon 4, C. Richter 1, Miles 1, T. Shambo 4, Runs Above 1, Black Crow 2. Fouls – CJI 17, Hays-Lodgepole 14. Fouled out – Miles, J. Shambo.

Box Elder 78, North Star 30

Box Elder 21 29 13 15 -- 78

North Star 3 9 10 8 -- 30

Box Elder – Jerrod Four Colors 13, Pernell Morsette 10, Brandon The Boy 6, Bodis Duran 9, Triston Bernard 5, Jake Jones 3, Elias Robertson 2, Trey Henderson 17, Thane Caplette 2, Shane Ketchum 5, Seth Duran 6.

North Star – Dylan Miller 2, Shea Sizemore 6, Cade Chvilicek 2, Willy Gilead 3, Gavin Spinler 4, Payton Peterson 5, Devon Miller 4, Matthew Helmbreck 4. Totals: 10 10-19.

3-Point goals – Four Colors 1, B. Duran 1, Bernard 1, Jones 1, Henderson 2, S. Duran 2. Fouls – Box Elder 16, North Star 10.