HLP, Box Elder heavy favorites in Havre

Believe it or not, tournament basketball is upon us as the District 9C invades the HHS gymnasium for a jam-packed week of high school hoops.

The 9C girls tournament will get underway Wednesday, and the boys will take the floor Thursday as Hays-Lodge Pole, the regular-season champs, take on Chester-Joplin-Inverness. That is followed by North Star and Fort Benton at 12:30 p.m., Chinook and Big Sandy at 4 p.m. and Box Elder against Turner at 5:30 p.m.

The Bears, who come in as the four-time defending champions, are in a strange position this year. In the past, they have been the prohibitive favorites, but after losing twice to HLP in the regular season, the Bears come in as slight underdogs.

“This team keeps getting better and better,” Box Elder head coach Jeremy MacDonald said. “(HLP) is a good team. They have a lot of talent. But if we can be aggressive and take care of the basketball and play well defensively, I think we have a good chance against anyone in the tournament.”

Of course, during the regular season, it was the Thunderbirds that got the better of Box Elder, twice. The T-Birds knocked off the Bears by six in Box Elder and last Saturday at home, HLP won 66-57. The victory clinched a perfect district record at 14-0 and an overall mark of 17-1. The T-Birds only loss this season came to Arlee, the 2016 Class C runner up.

“Those wins over Box Elder,” HLP head coach Derek Shambo said. “Those were huge for our players and our fans. We hadn’t beaten them in a long time, so that was big. But if we could win this championship, that would mean a lot to this program and to this community.”

HLP (17-1, 14-0) will start its quest to a 9C championship in the opening game of the tournament against CJI. The Hawks (2-16, 2-12) were in the championship game a year but lost a lot of talent and haven’t recovered. Cory Richter, Shay Richter, Brett Henke and Evan Dahinden lead the way for a CJI team that had just one win coming into last weekend but beat Fort Benton for its second victory.

HLP, on the other hand, comes into the tournament on a 17-game win streak. The T-Birds boast arguably the best backcourt duo in the 9C with Frank Runs Above and Tyson Shambo. However, others such as Jace Shambo, Chance Main, Lance Strike and Riel Foote, give HLP depth it hasn’t had in the past.

“We have got a lot of depth,” coach Shambo said. “And that really allows us to get after people.”

While the T-Birds will try to run CJI into submission in the opening game, North Star and Fort Benton will meet in an important matchup right after. The Knights (10-8, 8-6) dropped a close opening-round game to Chinook last season and are looking to get to the semifinals for the first time under Walynn Burgess.

The thing the Knights have going for them are the talents of Keevan Borlaug and Devon Miller, two of the top scorers in the district. According to Burgess, Borlaug is averaging 19 points and 10 rebounds, while Miller is averaging 17 points and eight boards. Fort Benton (6-12), on the other hand, is a team that generally needs to get hot from the outside to have a chance. They are led by Garret Diekhans, as well as Andy Giles. That game starts at 12:30 p.m.

“The 9C is really wide open,” Burgess said. “I think there are five teams that have a chance to get through. Fort Benton, they can get hot. They beat us down there, so if they get going, they can be tough. It should be interesting.”

North Star has put together its second consecutive winning season , but is looking for its first Northern C berth in 11 years.

“That would be huge,” Burgess said. “Our guys are pretty excited. They are ready and if we can beat Fort Benton and get to the semis that will put us in a good position.”

At 4 p.m., Chinook (13-5, 9-5) will open its 9C tournament against Big Sandy (3-15, 3-11). The Pioneers, who are the sixth seed are a long shot to pull the upset but with Bryant Jones and Laurence Alderdice, they can certainly score. Chinook is led by sophomore Isaac Bell, as well as fellow sophomore Cord Schneider. Center Wade Schneider, another important piece is a senior. Kyle McMaster and Brenden Edwards also see plenty of minutes.

“It’s always tough to try and battle your way out of the 9C just to get to divisionals,” Chinook head coach Mike Seymour said. “And I think it’s going to be the same way this year.”

And lastly at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Box Elder will play Turner. The four-time defending 9C champions beat the Tornadoes (5-13, 2-12) twice during the regular season and posting a 15-3 record with a 12-2 mark in the district, the Bears won’t relinquish their title without a fight.

“I think it would say a lot about these kids and this program if they could win a championship,” Box Elder head coach Jeremy MacDonald. “I think that would be a great reward for all the hard work they have put into this season.”

In addition to having MacDonald on the sidelines, the Bears boast two of the best individual players in the 9C in the Trey Henderson and Pernell Morsette. Pete Azure Jr., Lane Caplette and Dusty Weiss have also been solid contributors for Box Elder.

In terms of the entire field, HLP and Box Elder are the clear favorites to play for the championship Saturday night, but Chinook and North Star both could have something to say about it. And Fort Benton is another darkhorse contender to finish in the top three.

“(HLP) they are really good,” Burgess said. “They are as good as any team in the state, so they are the favorite, but after that, it’s pretty wide open.”

There are three berths on the line to Northern C Divisional next week in Great Falls. The semifinals will held at 4 and 5:30 Friday night, with the championship game scheduled for Saturday night at 8:30.