BEAR BITE

For almost one half of basketball, Chinook was able to hang with Box Elder in the semifinals of the District 9C girls basketball tournament Thursday night inside the Havre High School gymnasium.

The key word being almost.

With just minutes before the first half was over, the Sugarbeeters found themselves trailing just 22-20. The crowd was getting fired up and it seemed maybe the Bears were feeling the pressure. Yet Box Elder was just getting started and by the time it finished a 21-2 run to end the first half, it led 43-22. The Lady Bears went on to win easily, 75-36. It was the third straight win for the Bears over the Beeters in 9C tournament play.

"A few years ago, we were on the other side of it," Box Elder head coach Joel Rosette said. "So it's nice for us to be on the winning side here for a few years."

Chinook started the game well and after a hoop by Brooke Elliot, the Beeters led 4-2. But a 3-pointer by Nikayla Anderson sparked a 7-0 run and the Bears grabbed a 9-4 lead. The two teams went back and forth for the rest of the opening stanza and after one, Box Elder led 17-12.

Lilly Gopher scored three points early in the second quarter to push the Box Elder lead to 20-14. But a bucket by Carrie Hofer and another from Sierra Swank got the Beeters within four. Another hoop off an offensive rebound by Kourtney Hanson got Chinook within two at 22-20. From there, Gopher went to work. She scored to put the Bears up four and then a triple by Minnie The Boy extended the lead to 27-20.

Sensing weakness, Gopher relentlessly attacked the basket and scored seemingly at will. In the final minute, Maddie Wolf Chief hit from deep to put Box Elder ahead 39-22. Two more scores from Gopher, who scored 23 first-half points, made it 43-22 at the intermission.

"I just have that natural instinct to attack," Gopher said. "That's just what I do. I get to the basket, get to the free throw line, what I can do to score.

"We really picked up our pressure defensively," Rosette said. "And I think that caused them some problems and got some things going for us offensively."

In the third quarter, the run continued as Wolf Chief hit another trey early in the stanza to make 49-23 Box Elder. By the time the fourth quarter rolled around, the Bears led 62-27 and the rout was on. Chinook battled back a bit in the final stanza, but a 3-point play by Gopher late, put the Lady Bears up 69-33 and put the cherry on top of an impressive victory.

Gopher led all scorers in the game with 26 points. Wolf Chief added 16 points, while Anderson contributed with nine. Hanson led the way for the Beeters with 10 points. Swank added seven, and Hofer contributed with six.

"It feels great," Gopher said of going back to divisionals and having a shot at another district title. "That's our goal every year. We want to go to districts and win, divisionals and win and to state and win."

With the victory, the Lady Bears have clinched a berth in the Northern C Divisional tournament in Great Falls next week for the third straight time. Box Elder will also play in the 9C championship game for the third consecutive year. The Lady Bears beat the Beeters in the championship game a season ago, as well as the semifinals back in 2015.

"It's big for us to get back," Rosette said. "We want to make that our destination every year around this time. This is a tough district to get out of, so we are happy to be going back to the Northern C, that is one of our goals every year."

The Box Elder girls will go for back-to-back district championships inside the HHS gymnasium tonight against Fort Benton. Tip-off time is set for 8:30.

Box Elder 76, Chinook 37, SF

Box Elder 17 26 18 15 - 76

Chinook 12 10 5 10 - 37

Box Elder – Minnie The Boy 4, Kiya Morsette 5, Sarah Parisian 2, Nikayla Anderson 9, Eve The Boy 2, Maddie Wolf Chief 17, Lily Gopher 26, Tia Russell 5, Joelnell Momberg 5, Brittany Lafromboise 1. Totals: 27 16-29.

Chinook – Sierra Swank 7, Carrie Hofer 6, Kourtney Hanson 10, Rochelle Chaffin 3, Ashely MacLeod 2, Erin Pula 2, Brooke Elliot 5, Lincy Johnson 2. Totals: 14 9-15.

Fouls: Chinook 22, Box Elder 14. Fouled out – none. 3-pointers: Box Elder 6 (Anderson 2, Momberg 2, The Boy, Morsette), Chinook 0.