Box Elder girls reach Northern C semifinals

GREAT FALLS — The Box Elder girls basketball team has gotten used to playing in the Four Seasons Arena and Wednesday, on the opening day of the Northern C Divisional, the Bears looked right at home.

Box Elder took on Simms in a quarterfinal matchup, but it was soon apparent that the Tigers were no match for the Bears. Box Elder opened the game on a 31-3 run and went on to win with ease 72-24.

“I think the girls were ready to get back on the big stage,” Box Elder head coach Joel Rosette said. “They are comfortable here and they know this atmosphere, so I think that helped make them comfortable.”

The Bears, who came into the Northern C as the top seed from the 9C, took on Simms, the No, 2 from the 10C and from the get-go, it wasn’t pretty. Box Elder scored the first seven points and after a 3-point play by Lily Gopher, it led 10-0. Maddie Wolf Chief added a 3-pointer and it was 13-0 before Simms scored.

Yet, Box Elder’s hot start continued. Joelnell Momberg drilled a trey, then Gopher made one from downtown to put the Bears up 20-2. Then, as time expired in the first quarter, Tia Russell nailed a three from the corner to make it 25-2.

“We came out and were able to knock down some shots,” Rosette said. “But our defense was really a big key for us.”

In the the second quarter, Gopher continued to dominate. She hit two more 3-pointers to extend the lead to 36-8. She finished the first half with 17 points and the Bears led at the break 39-10.

Nikayla Anderson got in on the act in the third quarter, knocking down a shot from beyond the arc to push the advantage to 48-12. And near the end of the stanza, Wolf Chief buried another triple, which helped the Bears add to their lead even further. After three, Box Elder was up 63-15. With the clock running each team scored nine in the fourth quarter, as the Bears wound up winning big.

Gopher led all scorers in the game with 21 points on 7-of-12 shooting. She was 3-of-5 from 3-point range and also grabbed six rebounds to go along with four assists and three steals. Russell added 13 for the Bears, while Momberg had 11 and Wolf Chief had 10. Janessa Willekes was the top scorer for Simms with 10. The Tigers shot just 36 percent from the field, compared to 53 percent by Box Elder.

“I was proud of the girls,” Rosette said. “They were patient and took good shots. But we have been waiting to have a good shooting night because we haven’t really been shooting well, so it was nice us come out and shoot the ball like that early.”

The Bears will advance to the semifinals, where they will take on defending state champion Belt in a rematch of last year’s state championship game. Tip-off time is set for tonight at 7.

“We have kind of had them in the back of our mind all year long,” Rosette said. “We know what it takes to play against them. We just have to go out and handle that pressure and hopefully we will be in the game at the end of it.”

Roy-Winifred 37, Fort Benton 32

Of the four morning games played the Northern C Wednesday, the only close one wound up being between Roy-Winifred and Fort Benton.

The Longhorns, who entered as the two seed from the 9C and the Outlaws, who were the second-seeded team from the 8C, waged a back and forth battle. But in the final minutes, Roy-Winifred got some key buckets from Brietta Boyce to come away with the 37-32 victory.

“They just made plays down the stretch,” Fort Benton head coach Cassie Scheffelmaier said. “And we just didn’t make enough.”

After jumping out to a 10-4 lead in the second quarter after a bucket by Kaitlyn Bird, Fort Benton saw its lead slip away, as the Outlaws closed the first half on a 12-2 run to lead 16-12 at the midway point.

The Outlaws continued the run in the third quarter, going up six at 18-12. Finally, at that point, Fort Benton awoke from its offensive slumber. Leah Gannon knocked down a 3-pointer, then the Longhorns got a deuce from McKenzie Clark to get within one. Minutes later, Gannon scored and after after a triple by McKenna Hanford, it was 22-22 heading to the fourth quarter.

Coya Nack scored early in the final stanza to put Fort Benton up 24-22. The Longhorns remained in the lead until Boyce scored with 59 seconds left to put the Outlaws up one. Nack answered five seconds later on the other end, giving Fort Benton a 32-31 edge.

Yet following a timeout, Boyce was again able to get free for a lay up that gave Roy-Winifred the lead again. Nack got the ball on the ensuing possession, but had her shot blocked. After two free throws, the Longhorns trailed by three. They had one last chance to tie the game, but a turnover doomed their chances.

“I don’t think we can blame it on fatigue, both teams were tired,” Scheffelmaier said. “They were just able to stay focused better at the end of the game than we were, and they made the plays they had to in order to win.”

Gannon was the high scorer for Fort Benton and was the only player in the game to reach double figures as she had 10. Nack finished with seven, while Lorianne Stulc led the Outlaws with nine.

Fort Benton will play Winnett-Grass Range today at 12:30 in loser-out action.

WGR 44, North Star 26

In the first game of the tournament, Winnett-Grass Range, the third-seed team from the 8C, took on the third seed from the District 9C, North Star.

The Knights were making their first appearance at the Northern C Divisional in a few years, but their return to the Four Seasons was less than triumphant as they fell 44-26.

The two teams were tied 8-8 at the end of the first quarter, but the Rams outscored North Star 13-5 in the second stanza, which gave them a 21-13 halftime lead. In the third quarter, North Star, which shot just 25 percent from the field, saw its offensive woes continue as it managed just three points. The Rams, on the other hand, scored 10 points and after three, Winnett-Grass Range led 31-16. The Knights never challenged in the fourth and the Outlaws won by 16.

Brynn Jolma scored a game-high 17 points to spark the Rams. Sydney Browning also contributed with 10. Sheridan Spicher was the top scorer for North Star with seven points, no one else had more than three.

North Star played Cascade Thursday morning at 8 in loser-out action.

Winnett-Grass Range 44, North Star 26

North Star 8 5 3 10 - 26

Winnett-Grass Range 8 13 10 13 - 44

North Star: Katelyn Hansen 2, Paij Peterson 3, Lily Pedersen 3, Katelin Harvey 3, Saige o'Neil 2, Sheridan Spicher 7, Peytan King 6. Totals: 10 5-14.

Winnett-Grass Range: Sydney Browning 9, Kita Weingart 4, Brynn Jolma 17, Piper Johnson 5, Taylor Stahl 5, Kendra Murnion 4. Totals: 16 12-18.

3-pointers: Harvey.

Box Elder 72, Simms 24

Box Elder 24 15 24 9 - 72

Simms 2 8 5 9 - 24

Box Elder: Minnie The Boy 4, Kiya Morsette 6, Nikayla Anderson 5, Eve The Boy 2, Maddie Wolf Chief 10, Lillian Gopher 21, Tia Russell 13, Joelnell Momberg 11. Totals: 27 8-14.

Simms: Taylor Jones 2, Janessa Willekes 10, Draylen Sawyer 2, Maddie Bloom 1, Madi Cicon 2, Elyssa Willekes 2, Aryana Black 2, Avery Harris 3. Totals: 9 5-9.

3-pointers: Anderson, Wolf Chief 2, Gopher 3, Russell 2, Momberg 2, J. W

Roy-Winifred 37, Fort Benton 32

RW 4 12 6 15 - 37

FB 8 4 10 10 - 32

Roy-Winifred - Jada Goettlich 6, Kaylie Carlstrom 7, Lorianne Stulc 9, Olivia Geer 5, Keyara Bahnmiller 4, Dyauni Boyce 6. Totals: 13 9-19.

Fort Benton - Kaitlyn Bird 5, Maddy Thompson 2, Coya Nack 7, Alia Evans 2, Leah Gannon 10, McKenzie Clark 3, McKenna Hanford 3. Totals: 11 7-18

3-pointers: Gannon, Hanford, Bird, Carlstrom, Geer.