News you can use
News you can use
Box Elder's Pernell Morsette, right, drives by a Chinook defender during Friday's 9C semifinal at the HHS gymnasium.
Since the start of the District 9C boys basketball team, there has been one matchup just about everybody has wanted to see. And after Box Elder and Hays-Lodge Pole each won convincingly in the semifinals, the Bears and Thunderbirds will meet in a highly-anticipated showdown Saturday night.
The T-Birds, which defeated Box Elder twice during the regular season, cruised to an easy 72-30 win over North Star Friday night inside the HHS gymnasium. To hold up its end of the bargain, Box Elder knocked off Chinook 77-54.
While the two teams played back-to-back Friday night, HLP took the floor first and early on at least, North Star was competitive. The score was 10-5 early in the first quarter, when Jace Shambo scored three buckets to spark an 8-3 run that gave the T-Birds an 18-8 lead after one.
HLP scored 32 points in the second quarter and took a 50-23 lead into halftime. Early in the third, North Star fought back a little, but a decisive 8-0 run for the T-Birds pushed the lead to 61-23 and put the game on ice.
"We didn't really shoot the ball well," HLP head coach Derek Shambo said. "But our guys played hard. They played really well defensively and were able to force a lot of turnovers."
Shambo also said his team was looking forward to Saturday night.
"Our main goal was to get to divisionals," Shambo said. "But we are excited to have a chance to win the district championship, that has been another goal of ours all season."
After seeing the T-Birds dismantle North Star, Box Elder decisively defeated Chinook. Yet, it wasn't an easy as the other semifinal. The Bears led 13-5 at the end of the first and 34-20 at the half. Yet, in the third quarter, the Sugarbeeters came out firing. Wade Schneider and Kord Scheider each scored multiple times and with 5:06 left in the third, Box Elder's lead had shrunk to 38-30.
However, Pete Azure Jr. responded with a 3-pointer and a few minutes later, when Tanner Parisian knocked down a trey it was 54-34. Trey Henderson then added a 3-point play and suddenly the Bears led 58-37 entering the fourth quarter.
"They made a run at us," Box Elder head coach Jeremy MacDonald said. "But we got some big buckets there and that got us some momentum."
MacDonald's Bears will shoot for their fifth straight 9C championship Saturday night. Tip-off time is set for 8 p.m.
"We are excited to have a chance to win a fifth district championship," MacDonald said. "We know it's going to be difficult because Hays-Lodge Pole has a good team, but it would mean a lot. I don't know if anyone has ever won five straight championships in the history of our district, so it's a great opportunity for us."
BOYS BASKETBALL
Billings West 52, Great Falls Russell 47
Bozeman 67, Great Falls 55
Butte 54, Billings Senior 46
Dillon 63, Belgrade 50
District 1B at Cut Bank
Semifinal
Cut Bank 71, Shelby 70, OT
Rocky Boy 81, Choteau 63
District 2B at Malta
Semifinal
Glasgow 47, Poplar 46
District 3B at Colstrip
Loser Out
Baker 65, St. Labre 46
Lodge Grass 83, Forsyth 63
District 4B at Red Lodge
Semifinal
Joliet 63, Huntley Project 57
Roundup 45, Shepherd 43
District 5B at Belgrade
Semifinal
Townsend 63, Three Forks 42
Whitehall 54, Jefferson (Boulder) 34
District 6B at Hamilton
Semifinal
Anaconda 53, Deer Lodge 49
Missoula Loyola 37, Florence 29
District 2C at Sidney
Loser Out
Froid/Medicine Lake 51, Culbertson 38
Richey-Lambert 51, Plentywood 38
Semifinal
Fairview 50, Bainville 44
District 3C at Glasgow
Loser Out
Lustre Christian 51, Dodson 42
Semifinal
Frazer 70, North Country 69
Scobey 63, Lustre Christian 16
District 4C at Custer
Loser Out
Jordan 64, Custer-Hysham 49
Terry 53, Broadus 34
Semifinal
Melstone 48, Ekalaka 31
Wibaux 78, Northern Cheyenne 67
District 6C at Huntley Project
Loser Out
Broadview-Lavina 72, Roberts 45
Park City 71, Absarokee 48
Semifinal
Plenty Coups 72, Harlowton 60
Reed Point-Rapelje 53, Bridger 50
District 8C at Lewistown
Loser Out
Winnett-Grass Range 44, Roy-Winifred 38
Semifinal
Belt 72, Hobson-Moore-Judith Gap 43
District 9C at Havre
Loser Out
Fort Benton 56, Chester-Joplin-Inverness 53
Turner 66, Big Sandy 61
Semifinal
Box Elder 77, Chinook 54
Hays-Lodgepole 80, North Star 36
District 10C at Great Falls
Loser Out
Great Falls Central 58, Cascade 54
Power 59, Simms 42
Semifinal
Heart Butte 40, Dutton-Brady 38
Sunburst 51, Valier 48
District 11C at Manhattan Christian
Semifinal
Gardiner 76, Lone Peak 55
White Sulphur Springs 74, Manhattan Christian 36
District 12C at Butte Central
Loser Out
Sheridan 70, Lima 52
Semifinal
Ennis 63, Phillipsburg 30
Twin Bridges 59, Drummond 34
District 13C at Frenchtown
Semifinal
Darby 53, Seeley-Swan 42
Valley Christian 77, Lincoln 52
District 14C at Pablo
Loser Out
Noxon 52, Two Eagle River 38
Semifinal
Arlee 84, Hot Springs 58
Plains 58, Charlo 47
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