Talented teams set to battle for 9C boys title

While it might not seem like it with the frequent sub-zero temperatures and cascades of snow seen up and down the Hi-Line, spring is creeping closer and the middle of February, means it's time for the District 9C Basketball Tournament.

The 9C boys tournament, which will send three teams to the Northern C Divisional in Great Falls next week, kicks off Wednesday at the HHS gymnasium and the boys basketball version will run through Friday night. The 9C championship game will be Friday night at 8 p.m., the consolation will be at 6:30.

The tournament, which features all eight teams from the 9C, should be as competitive as ever, although the Chinook Sugarbeeters, who rolled through district play with a perfect 14-0 record will be the heavy favorite.

"Chinook is really tough," North Star head coach Walynn Burgess said. "They are long and they get after it. There is a reason why they haven't lost a district game."

As Burgess pointed out, the Beeters are 14-0 so far against the 9C and for the season, they are 17-1, with their only loss coming to Sunburst back in December. Chinook comes into the district tournament as the sixth-ranked team in Class C. And with guys like Isaac Bell, Cord Schneider, Brendan Edwards, Riley Kellam and Ethan Bell, the Beeters have plenty of firepower.

Bell, who along with Schneider was an All-State selection a season ago, has taken his game to an entirely new level. A couple of weeks ago, he set the season-high for most points in a game with 51 against Harlem. Yet, Schneider has been just as effective for Chinook scoring in double figures in just about every game this season. Edwards, Kellam and Bell, have also come on strong in recent weeks.

Over the years, the Beeters have had plenty of success in the 9C tournament, especially under the direction of head coach Mike Seymour. Chinook has advanced to the Northern C Divisional tournament in three of the past four years. In that time, it finished third twice and also second at the 9C tournament. And last season, Chinook got within a couple wins of advancing to the state tournament, but first on the docket is the 9C tournament and eighth-seeded Big Sandy (3-15, 2-12), which Chinook will play Wednesday at 1 p.m.

The Pioneers lost to Chinook handily in both of regular season matchups, but they have been more competitive than in recent years, and with guys like Bryant Jones, Parker Prouix, Clint Darlington and freshman Kade Strutz, the Pioneers have a solid roster.

Chinook will be the odds-on favorite to advance to the semifinals, but in the second game Wednesday, between Turner and Fort Benton, things won't be so easy to predict. The Tornadoes, who are coached by Zach Holland come in on a bit of a roll. Led by the stellar play of Cody Welsh and Eddie Harmon, Turner is a team on the rise. Not only have the Tornadoes (8-10) won three of four games to end the season, they also upset third-seeded Hays-Lodge Pole just last week, which seems to give them a legit chance of at least contending for the consolation game.

Fort Benton (9-8), Turner's opponent is another team that will be in the mix for a berth at divisionals. Led by Tyler Pasha, the Longhorns boast a solid group of players, highlighted by Garrett Diekhans, Hayden Diekhans, Logan Giles and Andy Giles.

The winner of Turner and Fort Benton will play either Chinook or Big Sandy in the semifinals Thursday. On the other side of the bracket, the highest-seeded team is North Star, which finished second in the district during the regular season. The Knights come in with a record of 15-3 overall and 11-3 in the 9C.

In in the 2017 tournament, North Star lost in the consolation round to Chinook and fell just short of advancing to the Northern C Divisional. And this year, with a veteran group of players, the Knights are determined to finally make it past this weekend. Dylan Miller and Devon Miller, two All-Conference performers a season ago, have led the team again during the 2017-18 campaign. Both have scored 20 points numerous times this season and along with Dane Miller, Thomas Nerat and Caden Rettig, the Knights have all the pieces for a deep run.

"This is where we want to be," Burgess said. "We are pretty focused in right now. We understand that the 9C is going to be tough to get out. Chinook is the frontrunner and should be for good reasons. But besides that, we have had two wins over Fort Benton by a combined two points. We split with HLP. So anything can happen. But we feel like we have a good chance. It could be a really fun semifinals night."

North Star will take on Chester-Joplin-Inverness, the seventh seed in the opening round at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday. CJI (2-12) will be led by Spencer Richter, Evan Dahinden, Andrew Woods and Tyler Wanken.

Prior to that matchup, the Box Elder Bears, the six seed, will take on the third-seeded Hays-Lodge Pole Thunderbirds, in a rematch of two of the last three 9C championship games. The Bears are the five-time defending champions of the 9C tournament, but after a 5-13 regular season and a 3-11 mark in district play, winning a sixth straight title will be a tall order for first-year head coach LaVon Myers.

The T-Birds also have suffered some key losses, playing without three All-Conference standouts from a season ago. However, with guys like Chance Main, David Main and Michael Young, HLP has as good a shot as anyone of finishing in the top three. The Bears and T-Birds will renew their rivalry Wednesday at 6 p.m. The winner of that game will play either North Star or CJI in the semifinals Thursday night.

All games will be play inside the HHS gymnasium. The consolation game will be at 6:30 Friday night, followed by the championship game at 8 p.m. The top three teams will advance to the Northern C Tournament next week in Great Falls.