Beeters Semifinal Bound

The Chinook Sugarbeeters are considered heavy favorites to win the 2018 District 9C championship. Having a roster full of experienced and tall talents and going 17-1 in the regular season will do that.

On the other hand, the Big Sandy Pioneers are the opposite. They're young, don't have a ton of 9C tourney experience, and they aren't exactly gifted with the size Chinook has either.

And so that's how things played out in the first game of the 9C boys tournament Wednesday afternoon inside the HHS gymnasium, as Chinook's size and experience won out against the eighth-seeded Pioneers. The Beeters (18-1) advanced to today's semifinal game with a 60-29 win over the Pioneers.

"We're a young team, playing a lot of freshmen and sophomores," Big Sandy head coach Thomas Dillworth said. "And it's Chinook. They're huge. They kind of killed us on the boards, and the end of the second quarter and the beginning of the third, that's where they really turned it up. Other than that stretch, I thought we competed really well."

Chinook did simply wear down the Pioneers. The Beeters have a host of players standing 6-4 or taller, led by star junior Isaac Bell, who scored the first four points of the game, while Cord Schneider (6-4) and Brendan Edwards (6-6) added inside buckets as well, giving the Beeters a 15-5 lead after eight minutes.

Chinook can also bring size in off the bench, and freshman Reese Elliot (6-5) is a big example of the Beeters' incredible depth. Elliot scored a quick six points in the second stanza, and Bell added a 3-pointer at the buzzer to give the Beeters a 33-16 lead at intermission.

Elliot and freshman guard Ethan Bell combined for 13 points, and that was big for head coach Mike Seymour.

"Our five starters have a lot of tournament experience," Seymour said. "But it was nice to get those two freshmen, Reece Elliot and Ethan Bell in off the bench and get them that tournament playing time. Those two did a really good job."

And Chinook did a good job of closing the door on the Pioneers. The Beeters started the second half on a 10-0 run, and outscored the Pioneers 13-4 in the fourth quarter to win going away. The victory pushed Chinook into tonight's semifinal where it will take on Fort Benton.

"We advanced. That's always the first goal," Seymour said. "But tomorrow (Thursday), I'd like to see us come out and play with a lot more energy and enthusiasm. We can't just go through the motions. I want to see us play with a bigger sense of urgency. We're going to need to do that."

Isaac Bell scored 16 points to lead Chinook Wednesday, while Edwards scored 15. Elliot made a splash in his 9C debut with 10 points and nine rebounds, while Schneider finished with 10 points and six boards, as Chinook out-rebounded the Pioneers 42-30.

Big Sandy (3-16), which played Turner in a loser-out game this morning, got nine points each from Ryan Roth and Kade Strutz. Strutz also grabbed eight boards and hit the Pioneers' only triple of the game, as Chinook's defense forced Big Sandy into just 28 percent shooting, as well as 14 turnovers.

Still, Dillworth said his team certainly has goals ahead of it that can be reached.

"I think we've gotten much more competitive as the season has gone on," he noted. "Our goal all along has been divsionals, and I think we can win three in a row. I think we've shown we can play with anybody."

Divisionals is certainly the goal for the Beeters, who play Fort Benton tonight at 7. The winner will meet either North Star or Hays-Lodge Pole in Friday night's championship game.

Chinook 60, Big Sandy 29

Chinook 15 18 14 13 – 60

Big Sandy 5 11 9 4 – 29

Chinook – Isaac Bell 16, Ethan Bell 3, James Christensen 2, Reese Elliot 10, Riley Kellam 4, Brendan Edwards 15, Cord Schneider 10. Totals: 24-60 10-24 60.

Big Sandy – Ryan Roth 9, Brady Pleninger 2, Brock Proulx 6, Kade Strutz 9, Clint Darlington 3. Totals 9-37 10-15 29.

3-pointers: I. Bell 2, Strutz 1. Fouls: Chinoon 16, Big Sandy 19. Fouled out: None.