T-Birds Flying High

When the Hays-Lodge Pole Thunderbirds get their running game going, they're hard to stop. The Chester-Joplin-Inverness Hawks saw that first hand in the first game of the District 9C boys basketball tournament.

Thursday morning inside the Havre High School gymnasium, the T-Birds began their postseason run, by running past the Hawks 72-33, setting up a semifinal showdown with North Star this afternoon.

The T-Birds scored 54 first-half points, got 20 steals in the first 16 minutes and had the clock running the entire second half in the victory.

"When we get running like that, when we get our pressure defense going, it gives us a big confidence boost," HLP senior Tyson Shambo, who scored nine points in a 40-second stretch said. "When we get rolling like that, we're pretty hard stop."

Indeed. In the first quarter, the T-Birds (18-1) used a tenacious full-court press to create a running offense that saw them roll off 16 unanswered points in one stretch. And it all started with a Shambo 3-pointer.

But as good as HLP was on offense throughout the first half, it was really all about the pressure defense. Cory Richter hit a jumper to make the score 26-9, but after two straight turnovers, the T-Birds led 32-9 after just eight minutes.

And, they were just getting started. The T-Birds went on a 16-0 run that started at the 3:54 mark of the second quarter, with a Frank Runs Above 3-pointer. Then, Shambo scored nine straight, all off of CJI turnovers, and Ryal Foote capped the run with two more layups. In just under four minutes, HLP had upped its lead to a whopping 54-12.

"We always have the mindset that it starts with our defense," Shambo said. "We keep pressing and keep pressing and we know, eventually, good things will happen."

Good things certainly happened for HLP, which finished third at the 9C a year ago. The T-Birds were able to call off the press for the second half, and CJI outscored them 21-18, thanks to a big second from Richter. But, at the end of the day, the damage had already been done.

HLP forced 23 turnovers, shot 42 percent from the floor and outrebounded the Hawks 46-28. The T-Birds ripped off a 20-0 run at one stretch of the game and led by as many as 44 points. Shambo finished with 16 points, while Chance Main scored 12 and grabbed six boards. Runs Above and Dave Main added 11 each for the T-Birds, who haven't tasted defeat since the first week of the season when they were beaten by Arlee at the Native American Classic.

Meanwhile, the Hawks never quit playing, and got 16 points from Richter and eight from Brett Henke. CJI battled with Fort Benton in a loser-out game this morning.

On the other side of the bracket, the T-Birds will look to advance to the 9C championship game when they face North Star today at 4. The goal is to win the 9C, but, a win over North Star would already send the T-Birds back to the Northern C for the second straight season.

"We just have to keep playing team basketball," Shambo said. "This isn't about one guy. We're a team. We play as a team and as long as we keep doing that, it will be good."

Hays-Lodge Pole 72, CJI 33

CJI 9 3 16 5 - 33

Hays-Lodge Pole 32 22 10 8 - 72

CJI: Andrew Woods 2, Spencer Richter 1, Brett Henke 8, Evan Dahinden 4, Cory Richter 16, Tyler Wanken 2. Totals: 11 9-16.

Hays-Lodge Pole: Jace Shambo 3, Tyson Shambo 16, Lance Strike 7, Chay-Chaz Shambo 2, Kyle Young Jr. 2, Frank RunsAbove 11, David Main 11, Ryle Foote 4, Colton Werk 4, Chance Main 12. Totals: 31 7-9.

3-pointers: Richter 2, T. Shyambo 2, RunsAbove.