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Bears roll in 9C girls first-round game against youthful Pioneers
Box Elder's Tia Russell, left, drives the lane during the Bears' win over Big Sandy in the first round of the District 9C girls tournament Thursday afternoon at the HHS gymnasium. The Bears play North Star in the semifinals tonight.
Big Sandy's Andrea Rutledge goes up for a shot during Thursday's game against Box Elder in Havre.
Big sandy's Callie Demontiney, middle, goes up for a shot during Thursday's game at the HHS gymnasium.
Box Elder's Jude The Boy looks to shoot during Thursday's 9C girls game at the HHS gymnasium.
The Box Elder girls basketball team has been untouchable all season long, and Thursday morning the Bears made sure it stayed that way.
In the opening game of the 2016 District 9C girls basketball tournament inside the Havre High gymnasium, Box Elder cruised to its 19th straight win by defeating the young Big Sandy Pioneers 59-8. The win not only kept the Bears (19-0) undefeated, but it vaulted them into today’s semifinal, where they’ll face the North Star Knights.
And while Thursday’s outcome may have never been in doubt, Box Elder head coach Joel Rosette wanted to see his talented team play with focus and energy, and the Bears did just that.
“We started the game off with a lot of energy, and defensive intensity,” Rosette said. “So that was good. And I thought we finished strong.”
The Bears were indeed good from start to finish. Their smothering pressure defense forced Big Sandy into 35 turnovers, which in turn, created easy fast-break points for the Bears all day.
Box Elder started the game on a 10-0 run, including two quick scores by Alyssa LaMere. Big Sandy managed to halt the run with a Maddy Reichelt bucket, but it was only temporary, as Box Elder finished the first quarter on a 17-0 spurt.
Lillian Gopher then scored the first two baskets of the second stanza to push the Bears’ run to 21-0 before Andrea Rutledge got the Pioneers back on the board. However, Jaynee Parisian’s 3-point bombs, and a Tai Russell triple pushed the Bears’ lead to 40-6 at halftime, and they held Big Sandy scoreless in the third quarter before Cassidy Belcourt scored to end the long drought.
In the end, the Pioneers (1-18) just couldn’t hang with the Bears, who have a deep roster, and who play a suffocating tempo on both ends of the floor. Box Elder wound up shooting 47 percent for the game, while out-rebounding the Pioneers 38-23.
“I thought our defensive intensity was really good,” Rosette said. “I think we forced them into 25 turnovers in the first half. I thought we also did a good job of sharing the ball. We had a lot of assists. So it was just a really good team win for us.”
The Bears were indeed balanced and unselfish. Parisian and Jude The Boy each scored 10, while 12 different Bears found the basket. Big Sandy, which played in a loser-out game this morning, got four points from Rutledge.
Now, the Bears, who finished second in the 9C a year ago, will turn their attention to today’s 4 p.m. semifinal. And no matter the opponent, Rosette said his team’s goals are the same as they were against the Pioneers.
“The biggest thing for us is to maintain that defensive intensity,” Rosette said. “We want to play as hard as we can for four quarters in every game. We also need to get up and down the court on offense, really push our tempo. Those are the things we need to focus on in the next game.”
Box Elder 59, Big Sandy 8
Box Elder 27 13 11 8 – 59
Big Sandy 2 4 0 2 – 8
Box Elder – Jaynee Parisian 10, Eve The Boy 2, Kiya Morsette 1, Minnie The Boy 2, Jude The Boy 10, Lillian Gopher 6, Alyssa LaMere 8, Tia Russell 9, Tai Russell 3, Tyrah Gopher 8. Totals: 22 11-22 59.
Big Sandy – Andrea Rutledge 4, Maddy Reichelt 2, Cassidy Belcourt 2. Totals: 4 0-8 8.
3-pointers: Parisian 2, Tia Russell 1, Tai Russell 1. Fouls: Box Elder 14, Big Sandy 13.
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