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Young Pioneers can't keep pace with the Box Elder juggernaut
Big Sandy's Laurence Alderdice, left, tries to go by Box Elder's Bodis Durna during Wednesday afternoon's 9C first-round boys game at the Havre High gymnasium. The Bears won and will play Chinook in tonight's semifinal.
Box Elder's Brandon The Boy takes a shot during Wednesday's win over Big Sandy at the 9C tournament in Havre.
Box Elder's Elias Duran, left, looks to shoot during Wednesday's game against Big Sandy in Havre.
Big Sandy's Eric Schwarzbach goes up for a shot during Wednesday's first-round game at the HHS gymnasium.
The Box Elder Bears haven't lost a District 9C tournament game since the 2012 version. It's a lengthy winning streak, and that didn't change in the first round of the 2016 District 9C boys basketball tournament.
The Bears (18-1), going for an unprecedented fourth straight 9C title, tipped off the tournament with a 112-21 bludgeoning of the Big Sandy Pioneers Wednesday afternoon inside the HHS gymnasium. The win was Box Elder's 10th straight in the 9C tournament, and it pushed the Bears into tonight's semifinal game where they'll take on Chinook.
"Our number one goal for today was to just come out and get into that tournament mind-set," said Box Elder head coach Jeremy MacDonald. "And I thought the boys were very focused."
The Bears looked extremely sharp against the Pioneers, who haven't won a game this season. Box Elder's press was just too much for Big Sandy, which turned the ball over seven of its first eight possessions in what amounted to an 18-0 Box Elder run, including 3-pointers by Brandon The Boy and Jake Jones.
Big Sandy finally ended the onslaught with a jumper from Ryan Roth, but the Bears continued their hot shooting, and they ended the first period with another The Boy trey, which gave them a 37-8 after one.
Box Elder's suffocating defense continued in the second period, when the Bears held the Pioneers to just a pair of free throws by Roth, while on the other end, The Boy, Trey Henderson and Jones added three more triples in what amounted to a 64-10 halftime lead, as well as the mercy rule the rest of the way.
On both ends of the floor, Box Elder was spectacular. The Bears shot a whopping 63 percent from the floor, while going 13-of-29 from downtown. The Boy led all scorers with 25 points, while Pernell Morsette added 18, Tristen Bernard had 13, Bodis Duran scored 12 and Jones chipped in with 10.
Defensively, Box Elder was just as good. The Bears forced 36 Big Sandy turnovers, while out-rebounding the Pioneers 34-20. Big Sandy, which shot just 22 percent from the field, got eight points by Laurence Alderdice and another five from Roth, in the loss, which sent the Pioneers into a loser-out game against North Star this morning.
Meanwhile, the Bears will now turn their attention to a big rivalry matchup with Chinook. Box Elder swept the Beeters during the regular season, but MacDonald said his team must continue to play the style it knows best in order to move into the 9C championship game for a fifth straight year.
"Whoever controls the tempo is going to have the advantage," MacDonald said. "Obviously, we want to speed up, play with a lot of tempo, and they (Beeters) will want to slow it down and limit our possessions. So we need to come out ready to do what we do."
Tonight's semifinal between the Bears and Beeters will tip at 7 inside the HHS gymnasium. The winner will play either Chester/J-I or Hays-Lodge Pole in Friday night's championship game.
Box Elder 112, Big Sandy 21
Big Sandy 8 2 5 6 - 21
Box Elder 37 27 25 23 - 112
Big Sandy - Ryan Roth 5, Tevin Haugen 2, Eric Schwarzbach 4, Laurence Alderdice 8, Jordan Schwarzbach 2. Totals: 8 4-6 21.
Box Elder - Jerrd Four Colors 8, Pernell Morsette 18, Brandon The Boy 25, Bodis Duran 12, Tristen Bernard 13, Jake Jones 10, Pet Azure Jr. 3, Elias Duran 8, Trey Henderson 7, Lane Caplette 3,. Shane Ketchum 2, Seth Duran 3.
3-pointers: Morsette 2, The Boy 4, Bernard 1, Jones 2, Azure Jr. 1, Duran 1, Caplette 1, Roth 1.
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