Beeters will battle for the title

The Chinook Sugarbeeters dominated the District 9C throughout the regular season and after two days at the 9C boys basketball tournament, that domination has only continued. Although, the Fort Benton Longhorns put up a pretty good fight.

But in the end, it wasn't enough to upset the mighty Beeters, who are now 19-1 on the season, after knocking off the Longhorns 59-41 in the 9C semifinals Thursday in Havre inside the HHS gymnasium. Chinook (19-1) will head back to the Northern C Divisional for the second straight season. The Beeters will also play in the 9C championship game against North Star tonight at 8:30. It will be their first appearance in the title game since 2014.

"It's very exciting," Chinook head coach Mike Seymour said. "We have had a tremendous amount of adversity this year. We have had seven different starting lineups and we have never been full strength all year. But regardless, we also seem to find a way to get it done. The next guy always steps up and I couldn't be more proud of this team."

While Chinook eventually won the game by 18, it was much closer most of the way. The Beeters grabbed an early lead, but led by only one until an Isaac Bell 3-pointer put them in front 11-7 at the end of the first quarter. Yet in the second quarter, Fort Benton (10-10) stormed out of the gates and took the lead after a 7-2 run to open the stanza. However, an 8-0 run that featured buckets by Bell and Cord Schneider put the Beeters up 23-17 at halftime.

Bell opened the second half with a triple and suddenly Chinook led 26-17, yet the Longhorns answered with a slew of 3-point makes. The first was by Garrett Diekhans. The next two were by Andy Giles. Two free throws by Hayden Diekhans completed an 11-2 run and Fort Benton led 28-27 with 3:45 left in the third.

The lead wouldn't last for long. Bell and his brother Ethan Bell both scored inside, sparking a 10-2 run that gave the Beeters a 47-40 advantage with eight minutes left. In the fourth quarter, Chinook just wore down Fort Benton, pounding the ball inside to Schneider and dominating on the glass. A 3-point play by Schneider put the Beeters in front by 10 and they would go to win by 18, finishing the game on an 11-1 run after Fort Benton got within six.

"We just play as a team and try to play with great intensity," Bell said. "It's been a long time since we have played for the district championship and that's a really big goal of ours, so it's exciting to have that chance."

Schneider was dominant in the win, scoring 25 points and bringing down 15 rebounds. Bell was also outstanding, contributing with 14 points, 11 rebounds and four steals. Garrett Diekhans stood out for the Longhorns, he finished with a stat line that included 14 points, 10 rebounds and four blocked shots. Fort Benton will try to keep its hopes alive and will need to win games today, starting with Box Elder in the afternoon to keep its season going. A win gets the Longhorns into the consolation, a loss means they go home.

"The difference in the game was height," Fort Benton head coach Tyler Pasha said. "We got out-rebounded really bad. We knew that was going to be our bugaboo. They fought well. Cord had a heck of a game, he had 25 points and 14 rebounds. It's hard to keep up with that. We just ran out of gas at the end, but I was proud of the boys for how hard they fought."

Chinook, on the other hand, will head to divisionals no matter what happens in the championship, but after winning the regular season crown, they are just one win away from the sweep. Tip-off with North Star is set for 8:30 tonight inside the HHS gymnasium.

"Defense is going to be the key," Seymour said. "Defense wins championships."