Hi-Line Boys Roundup: Great games at the Native American Classic

Over the years, the Native American Classic has had plenty of great games and matchups. But this year, the pre-season tournament outdid itself as it hosted a rematch of last season’s Class C state championship game.

Box Elder, which captured the boys Class C title in two of the last three years, defeated Arlee in the Four Seasons Arena last March to win the championship. And Saturday night inside the Armory Gymnasium, the two teams met again. This time, however, it was the Warriors, not the Bears that walked away victorious, thanks to an 85-63 victory.

Although the game wasn’t close at the end, it was in the beginning, as the Bears hung with the Warriors and trailed just 21-17 at the end of the first quarter. Yet, a 13-0 run by Arlee to start the second quarter, helped blow the game open and the Warriors took a 46-27 lead into the intermission.

Box Elder managed to outscore Arlee in the third, with a 21-point quarter, but the deficit was too great to overcome and the Bears never really threatened in the second half. Greg Whitesell, who was on fire from 3-point range all night, finished with a game-high 23 point. Tyler Tanner added 20 and Phillip Malatare finished with 16 for Arlee. Pernell Morsette led the way for the Bears with 15, while Trey Henderson contributed with 14.

Though the Bears lost to Arlee, on Thursday night, in their annual showdown with Class B rival Rocky Boy, it was Box Elder that notched a 65-62 victory.

Rocky Boy scored the first 14 points of the game, but the Bears battled back and, thanks to a blistering 29-point second quarter, they took a 42-33 lead into the half. Rocky Boy outscored the Bears 17-13 in the third to tighten things up, but in the end, Box Elder was able to hang on for the win.

Morsette, who scored a game-high 23 points, while Henderson, who poured in 20. Chase Corcoran scored a team-high 17 for the Stars. Ben Iron Eyes also had a solid game with 16.

“That was probably the biggest thing for us,” Box Elder head coach Jeremy MacDonald said. “Was to get some atmosphere and some tournament prep. We opened up with Rocky Boy and Arlee. We couldn’t ask for a better way to open our season. There was great crowd support and I think we learned a lot about our team, in both games. So there are a lot of positives to take out of this weekend.”

In other action at the Native American Classic Thursday, the Hays-Lodge Pole Thunderbirds, a District 9C rival of Box Elder, put together an impressive 96-55 win over Harlem of Class B.

Tyson Shambo had a stellar outing, scoring 32 points. Frank Runs Above pitched in with 16 for HLP. Corbin Brockie led the way for the Wildcats in defeat with 13 points.

The Thunderbirds also got the chance to take on Arlee Friday in the NAC and despite a valiant effort, HLP came up short, 67-56. Malatare had 24 points to lead the Warriors, while Runs Above scored 22 for the T-Birds.

Yet, Box Elder and HLP, weren’t the only 9C teams getting their seasons started Thursday, as North Star and Chinook also took the floor in the CJI Preseason Tournament in Chester.

North Star took on fellow Northern C member Great Falls Central, but despite building a 45-38 lead after three quarters, the Knights couldn’t close it out and dropped the game 60-57 after being outscored 22-12 over the last eight minutes. Devon Miller led the way with 27 points, while Keevan Borlaug also contributed with 13.

Chinook, on the other hand, started its season off on the right foot, thanks to a 65-41 win over Valier. The Sugarbeeters built a 17-9 lead at the end of the first quarter and never looked back en route to the easy win. Brandon Edwards led the way for the Beeters with 16 points. Isaac Bell added 11 and Cord Schneider had 10.

On Friday, the basketball continued in Chester and there were more 9C teams in action, including the host team, Chester-Joplin-Inverness. Unfortunately, the Hawks were no match for Great Falls Central as they upended CJI 77-49. The Hawks did get a game-high 24 points from Cory Richter, along with 11 from Evan Dahinden.

Big Sandy also opened its season Friday against Power and the Pioneers also came up short in their season opener and fell to Power 81-38.

After suffering a season-opening loss, North Star was also in action Friday in Chester and this time, the Knights found themselves in the winner's circle as they dispatched of Dutton-Brady 53-38. Devon Miller had another strong outing, scoring 27 points, while Dylan Miller and Borlaug both had 12.

The Fort Benton Longhorns were in action Friday and in fact, they played at their tournament in Fort Benton. Against Simms Friday, in the first of two games over the weekend for Fort Benton, the Longhorns took care of business, beating the Tigers 49-37. Andy Giles scored a team-high 16 in the win for the Longhorns, while Ty Hasbrouck added 11.

Following their win Friday, the Longhorns took on Sunburst Saturday and despite putting together a competitive game, the Longhorns fell to the Refiners 61-45. Giles had another big night for Fort Benton with 22 points. Damon Bird also pitched with seven for the Longhorns.

In other local action Saturday, Rocky Boy got its first win of the season, via a 70-65 overtime thriller against Poplar in the Native American Classic. The Stars got 21 points from Corcoran to lead the way. Rocky Boy also got 13 each from Kordell Small and Iron Eyes in the win.

In other Class B action Saturday at the Native American Classic, the Harlem Wildcats were in action against Heart Butte. Yet, the Wildcats would have to end their weekend at 0-2, following a 49-35 defeat. Brockie led Harlem with 10 points. Lane Allen also scored 10 in the loss.

The CJI tournament finished up Saturday, also. Chinook, which got a win Thursday, wrapped up a 2-0 weekend, as they knocked off Power by the score of 69-55. Bell paced the Beeters with 14 points, while Kyle McMaster and Cord Schneider each had 13 points, and Wade Schneider also pitched in with 11.

CJI was also in action Saturday in Chester, but lost a second straight game as the Hawks fell to Dutton-Brady 63-24. Richter had 11 points in the loss for CJI.

Another 9C team that was playing Saturday was Big Sandy and the Pioneers, who fell Thursday, dropped another game Saturday, this time to Valier, which rolled to an 82-42 victory.

Thursday

Box Elder 65, Rocky Boy 62

Rocky Boy 22 11 17 12 - 62

Box Elder 13 29 13 10 - 65

Rocky Boy: Kendall Small 11, Ben Iron Eyes 16, Jerell Gopher 9, Chase Corcoran 17, F. Bacon 5, K. Windy Boy 4.

Box Elder: L. Benson Jr. 5, P. Morsette 23, P. Azure Jr. 8, W. Caplette 2, T. Henderson 20, L. Caplette 3, D. Weiss 4.

Hays-Lodge Pole 96, Harlem 55

Harlem 12 15 15 13 – 55

HLP 15 18 33 30 – 96

Harlem – Corbin Brockie 13, H. Fox 6, S. Main 3, B. Cichoz 11, T. Devaney 6, T. Messerely 5, L. Allen 11. Totals 19 11-21 55.

HLP – B. Wing 5, Tyson Shambo 32, DJ Shambo 4, K. Young 6, Frank Runs Above 16, D. Main 4, R. Foote 15, C. Work 4, Chance Main 10. Totals 41 6-11 96.

3-point goals – Brockie, Cichoz 2, Devaney, Messerly, Allen; Wing, T. Shambo 4. Total fouls – Harlem 15, HL 19. Fouled out – C. Main.

Great Falls Central 60, North Star 57

North Star 15 16 14 12 – 57

Central 11 15 12 22 – 60

North Star – Dylan Miller 9, Cade Chvilicek 2, Caden Rettig 3, Jimmy Snow 3, Devon Miller 27, Keevan Borlaug 13. Totals: 20 14-27.

Great Falls Central – Andrew Pehut 4, Ethan Vincent 15, Luke Marmon 3, Riley Dickinson 6, Noah Ambuehl 20, Wyatt Walters 6, Isaac Armstrong 4, Matt Mendenhall 2. Totals: 21 13-23.

3-pointers – Dy. Miller, Rettig, Snow, Pehut, Vincent 3, Marmon.

Chinook 65, Valier 41

Chinook 17 24 8 16 – 65

Valier 9 7 10 15 – 41

Chinook – Trajan Mannum 2, Hunter Neibauer 8, Kyler Johenson 1, Isaac Bell 12, James Christensen 2, Riley Kellam 2, Kyle McMaster 5, Brandon Edwards 16, Cord Schneider 10, Wade Schneider 7. Totals: 27 6-14.

Valier – Will Parker 7, Owen Lunda 10, Koltin Christiaens 5, Colten Curry 14, Zach Stoltz 3, Dustin Steele 1, Spencer Briggs 1. Totals: 12 17-37.

3-pointers – Bell, Edwards 4.

Friday

North Star 53, Dutton-Brady 38

NS 10 15 18 10 – 52

DB 9 13 7 9 – 38

NS – Shaun Cunnington 15, Aaron Infanser 10, Andru Belstad 10, Dylan Givens 2, Brad Habel 1. Totals 13 10-16 38.

DB – Dylan Miller 12, Jimmy Snow 4, Devon Miller 25, Keevan Borlaug 12. Totals 20 11-16 53.

3-point goals – Belstad 2; Miller 2. Total fouls – NS 15, DB 16. Fouled out – none.

Fort Benton 47, Simms 32

Simms 0 2 11 9 – 32

Fort Benton 9 9 4 25 – 47

Simms – T. Kohut 2, J. Smerker 3, A. Rushton 10, M. Lewis 4, K. Sheldon 11, R. Annis 2. Totals: 12 4-19.

FB – Damon Bird 6, Ty Hasbrouck 11, Andy Giles 16, Garret Diekhans 13, Jace Pimperton 1. Totals: 14 17-27.

Total fouls – Simms 20, FB 17. Fouled out – none. 3-pointers – Rushton 2, Sheldon 2, Bird 1, Giles 1.

Arlee 67, Hays-Lodge Pole 56

Arlee 15 13 14 25 – 67

HLP 12 10 16 18 – 56

Arlee – W. Mesteth 2, P. Malatare 24, C. Brazil 3, T. Tanner 24, G. Whitesell 5, I. Fisher 2, R. Bird 2, A. Moran 3.

HLP – CJ Shambo 6, Tyson Shambo 6, D. Shambo 4, K. Young 2, Frank Runs Above 22, R. Foote 6, Chance Main 8, E. Blackcrow 2.

3-pointers – Brazil, Tanner 3, Whitesell, Moran, Runs Above.

Great Falls Central 77, CJI 49

GFC 16 27 25 9 – 77

CJI 11 9 17 12 – 49

CJI – Cory Richter 24, Brett Henke 2, Tyler Wanken 3, Evan Dahinden 11, Jackson Diemert 1, Spencer Richter 3, Andrew Woods 5.

GFC – Andrew Pehut 13, Ethan Vincent 3, Luke Marmom 4, Riley Dickinson 4, Noah Ambuehl 15, Wyatt Walters 18, Isaac Armstrong 12, Jon Ruud.

Power 81, Big Sandy 38

BS 11 13 9 5 – 38

Power 17 25 26 13 – 81

BS – R. Roth 9, E. Sipler 2, B. Jones 27.

Power – Logan Smoot 11, Javey Somerfeld 15, Levi Smoot 6, Jackson Widhelm 6, Sam Leigland 8, Andrew Jensen 13, Dominik Dunk 20, Peyton Hill 4.

3-point goals – BS 16, Power 19. Fouled out – none.

Heart Butte 49, Heart Butte 35

Heart Butte 22 6 16 5 - 49

Harlem 6 6 11 12 - 35

Harlem - Eron Snow 2, Corbin Brockie 10, Hollin Fox 2, Tevin Messerly 2, Lane Allen 10, Sam Main 3, Zane Fox 1, Taggert Devaney 0, Brad Cichoz 5.

Heart Butte - Shylon Spoonhunter 5, Chasen Kipp 11, Charlie Tail Feathers 7, Josiah Aimsback 1, Wendull Main 4, Cody Aimsback 19, Robert Calf Boss Ribs 2.

Saturday

Valier 82, Big Sandy 42

Valier 17 25 22 18 - 82

Big Sandy 8 11 14 9 - 42

Big Sandy - B. Proulx 9, D.Darlington 9, B.Jones 32.

Valier - Will Parker 4, Owen Lunda 13, Koltin Williams 20, Colten Curry 16, Zach Stotte 4, Colton Wheeler 17, Chance Peterson 3, Dustin Steele 5.

Dutton-Brady 63, CJI 24

DB 20 24 12 7 - 63

CJI 4 3 6 11 - 24

CJI - Cory Richter 11, Brett Henke 4, Tyler Wanken 2, Evan Dahinden 2, Bobby Whitley 2, Jackson Diemert 1, Spencer Richter 2.

Dutton-Brady - Shaun Cunrington 27, Aaron Infanger 9, Garrett Funtz 23, Andrew Belstad 2, Brad Habel 2.

Chinook 69, Power 55

Chinook - Hunter Neibauer 6, Isaac Bell 14, James Christenson 2, Kyle McMaster 13, Brandon Edwards 6, Cord Schneider 13, Wade Schneider 11.

Power - Logan Smoot 15, Javy Somerfield 15, Anorow Jensen 13, Dominik Dunk 3, Peyton Hill 6.

Sunburst 61, Fort Benton 45

FB 13 7 8 15 – 45

Sunburst 17 14 14 16 – 61

FB – Damon Bird 7, Ty Hasbrouck 4, Logan Giles 6, Andy Giles 22, Garret Diekhans 6. Totals: 14 6-11.

Sunburst – Jordan Williams 17, Cody Smith 3, Jeff Owens 12, Treyton Pickering 17, Mike Buckley 6, Dylan Smylie 4, Dakota S. 2. Totals: 24 8-21.

Total fouls – FB 14, Sunburst 14. Fouled out – Hasbrouck. 3-pointers – Bird, L. Giles, A. Giles 7, Smith, Owens 2.

Rocky Boy 70, Poplar 65 (OT)

Rocky Boy 14 13 17 26

Poplar 20 12 12 21 - 65

Rocky Boy: Kordell Small 13, Ben Iron Eyes 15, J. Gopher 12, Chase Corcoran 21, K. Windy Boy 9.

Poplar: K. Smoker 20, L. Young 11, D. Sadler 13, C. Atkinson 13, D. Joe 8.

Arlee 85, Box Elder 63

Arlee 21 25 19 20 - 85

Box Elder 17 10 21 15 - 63

Arlee: Will Mesteth 7, Phillip Malatare 16, Colt Brazill 3, Tyler Tanner 20, Greg Whitesell 23, Ivory Brien 2, Alex Moran 8, Issac Fisher 6.

Box Elder: L Benson Jr. 2, P Morsette 15, P Azure Jr. 12, W Caplette 4, E Russell 3, T Henderson 14, D Weiss 10, S Duran 3.