Unbeaten Bears going for a Havre 3-peat

The District 9C girls basketball tournament has been getting deeper and deeper over the last few seasons. The field just seems to get stronger.

And while the 2018 9C season included two of the most powerful teams in all of Class C basketball, this week's 9C girls tournament once again features a deep and talented field of eight.

Yes, Box Elder and Fort Benton are heavy favorites to play for the 9C title for a second straight year, but three teams go to next week's Northern C, and a host of teams will fight to the end at this 9C tourney, which runs Thursday through Saturday at the HHS gymnasium in Havre.

"The 9C tournament should be good for the fans with lots of competitive games all week," North Star head coach Rob Spicher said. "Most of the teams in this year's tournament have had ups and downs during the season, leading to a lot of teams fighting to be in the top three to move on to divisional.  The teams that can put it all together during tournament week will move on. It will be a long tough week for all the teams fighting for one of those spots."

There will be a great fight for the three spots at the Northern C, as well as the 9C championship - something undefeated Box Elder (18-0) is trying to chase down for a third straight year. Head coach Joel Rosette's squad is loaded, led by double-digit scorers Lilly Gopher and Cecelia Vielle, as well as talented sophomore Joelnell Momberg. And throughout the Bears' unbeaten capping, they've only had two games in which they didn't win by 10 points or more. Still, Rosette isn't taking anything for granted this week in Havre. He already knows how hard it is to win a 9C crown, something the Bears have done three times in the last five years, and including the last two.

"The 9C is deep again this season," Rosette said. "Fort Benton is the toughest contender, but CJI, Turner and North Star are also tough. For us, exciting offensively, playing with defensive intensity and rebounding will be the keys."

The Bears open their drive for a three-peat Thursday at 11 a.m. against Big Sandy. The Pioneers (1-17) have had a rough go in recent years, but they did break through for a win in the regular season, and they have players with tournament experience, including Jenna Leader and leading scorer Jaylyn Cline.

The second game of the opening day will be the all-important 4-5 matchup, which pits fourth-seeded Chester-Joplin-Inverness (12-6) against fifth-seeded North Star (9-9).

The Hawks have been one of the surprise teams of the 9C regular season, as they finished in a tie for third. And with standout athletes like Korrin Harmon, Kendahl Knapton and Khloe Kamerzell, they're coming to Havre with the goal of reaching the Northern C for the second time in three years. North Star on the other hand, just played in the Northern C a year ago, and while Spicher's club, led by veterans Kate Hansen, Paij Peterson and Peytan King, have had an up-and-down winter, the Knights are experienced, talented and deep, and there's no doubt they can do a lot of damage this week in Havre.

"Our goals as a team are to play our best basketball during tournament week and fight for every victory we can," Spicher said. "We have, at times this year played some very good basketball. We will need to play our best games of the year during the tournament to reach our goals. If we can stay healthy and play to our potential as a team, we will have a successful tournament."

The other half of the 9C bracket features powerhouse Fort Benton, a squad that, in spite of key losses to graduation from a team that nearly made the state tournament a year ago, hasn't missed a beat this season. The Longhorns (16-2) have talent at every position, led by standouts Maddie Thompson and Leah Gannon. But, they also have immense depth, and their goal isn't just to reach the Northern C again, but to win the 9C crown along the way.

"Our goal is always to be playing our best basketball of the year at tournament time. Our goal is to compete with the best of them and make it as far into the post season as possible," Fort Benton head coach Cassie Pimperton said.

The Longhorns open tourney play in the final game of the first round, when they take on seventh-seeded Chinook (5-13). The Sugarbeeters are in unfamiliar territory this week, as they play the role of underdog. And while the season has been one of tough times for the Beeters, head coach Lisa MacLeod's squad is loaded with talent, including experienced stars like Sierra Swank, Carrie Hofer, Erin Pula and Kourtney Hanson.

The winner of the game between Chinook and Fort Benton will face either third-seeded Turner (11-7) or sixth-seeded Hays-Lodge Pole in Friday's second semifinal. The Tornadoes have put together their best regular season in a decade, and they are seeded as high as they've been in the 9C tournament in years.

Head coach Jennifer Baird has been building the last couple years with tons of young players who now have a plethora of 9C experience, and Turner is now a legitimate threat to not only win games in Havre, but to play their way to Great Falls as well. Raegan and Rylee Conlan, Sarah Billmayer and Shyan Krass lead a Turner squad that also has something they haven't had in some time - depth.

"The last few seasons we've come up short of one of the goals we've been pushing for," Baird said. "And that goal is to go beyond Districts and continue on in post season play. It's going to take one game at a time and another goal is, each team we play in tournaments, to play them better than we've played them before. To keep striving to get better each and every game."

The Tornadoes will be favored against HLP (3-14) Thursday, but the Thunderbirds can't be taken lightly. Mulleah Stiffarm is one of the top scorers in the 9C, and the T-Birds have been competitive all season long.

And competitive is something the 9C girls tourney will certainly be again this week. Friday's semifinals and Saturday night's consolation and championship games will be intense, and the 9C will also showcase that it is one of the premier districts in all of Class C girls basketball.

"I think the tournament will be competitive," Pimperton said. "CJI is a team that could sneak in and surprise somebody. North Star is experienced in the postseason and Turner has been competitive all season. It could be pretty exciting, but Box Elder is definitely the team to beat."

Indeed, the Bears are going for a three-peat and have proved to be unbeatable all season long. But this is tournament time and everything is one the line Thursday through Saturday in the HHS gymnasium. The action starts at 11 a.m. Thursday, with the consolation game set for 7 p.m. Saturday and the championship to be played at 8:30 p.m. The top three teams advance to next week's Northern C in Great Falls.