Tornadoes blow into 9C semifinals

All season long, the Turner girls basketball team has believed it not only could, but should, be in the District 9C semifinals. It's one of many goals Turner had coming into the 2018 9C tournament.

Thursday afternoon, only the Hays-Lodge Pole Thunderbirds stood in the way of that happening, and while the T-Birds put up a great fight, Turner accomplished what it came to do on the first day of the 9C girls tourney inside the HHS gymnasium, with a 51-32 victory.

"I'm really happy for the girls," Turner head coach Jennifer Baird said. "I'm, so excited for them to get that first tournament win of this year out of the way. To see the smiles on their faces right now, it's special. It's exciting for them, for me, and for the whole community."

Again, Turner, the No. 3 seed, was expected to beat the T-Birds and be playing second-seeded Fort Benton in tonight's semifinals. But, HLP didn't make it easy.

For much of the first quarter, the T-Birds kept the game tight, and trailed by just two points when Ella Messerly nailed a 3-pointer. Turner, though, was able to finish the first quarter on an 8-0 run, which was sparked by six points from Sarah Billmayer.

Leading 16-6 to start the second stanza, Turner was looking for more. But the T-Birds stiffened defensively, holding Turner to just five points in eight minutes, while they got another three from Messerly, which helped close the gap to 21-13 at intermission.

"Hays played very tough today," Baird said. "They made us work for everything we got. But our kids were able to dig deep. We've been in a lot of close games this year, and I think that experience really helped today when times got tough."

And the T-Birds were able to keep things tough on the Tornadoes for a portion of the third period, too. Mulleah Stiffarm scored four straight early in the stanza, and all of a sudden, the T-Birds were within striking distance again.

Yet, Turner was simply not going to be denied its first berth in the 9C semifinals in more than two decades. Behind six straight points from Billmayer, and an inside bucket from Shyan Krass, Turner started the fourth quarter on an 11-0 run, and the Tornadoes cruised from there, right into tonight's semifinals.

"I think one of the big things is, this team has played together for a long time," Baird said. "We don't have any seniors, but this group has been together for a long time, and their bond and their closeness really helps them through any tough times they face. I think that was definitely the case today."

HLP (3-16), which played Chinook in a loser-out game this morning, played well for much of the contest, getting 12 points from Messerly, while also forcing Turner into 24 turnovers. They also held the Tornadoes to just one 3-pointer.

And yet it wasn't enough. Billmayer poured in a game-high 21 points, while Turner shot an outstanding 45 percent from the floor. Raegan Conlan added eight points, while Krass finished with eight points and 10 rebounds.

The win was an exciting one for the Tornadoes, but they're nowhere near done, and they're just one win away from playing for a 9C title and clinching a berth in the Northern C. Of course, that win will be tough to come by, as the Tornadoes (12-7) will have to upset Fort Benton to reach those goals tonight, in a game that's set to tip at 5:30. But, Baird said, while the Longhorns are tough, and swept Turner this season, her team is a confident bunch right now.

"We're going to have to be sharp, we'll have to really be on our toes defensively," Baird said. "They're (Longhorns) very quick, and very good offensively. So for us, it's going to come down to how well we play defensively. If we play like we're capable of defensively, and maybe take advantage of the size advantage we have, I think we have a good chance."

The winner of tonight's game between Turner and Fort Benton will face either Box Elder or Chester-Joplin-Inverness in Saturday night's championship game.

Turner 51, Hays-Lodge Pole 32

Turner 16 5 13 17 – 51

HLP 6 7 9 10 – 32

Turner – Raegan Conlan 8, Sarah Billmayer 21, Rylee Conlan 2, Melanie Watkins 6, Brandy Calvert 4, Brooke Reed 2, Shyan Krass 8. Totals: 18-44 14-21 51.

HLP – Nature Andrew 2, Darrelyn Blackwolf 2, Ella Messerly 12, Latasha Kirkaldie 4, Mulleah Stiffarm 4, Tahlia Werk 4, Miqueala Perez 4. Totals: 13-59 4-9 32.

3-pointers: Billmayer 1, Messerly 2. Fouls: Turner 11. HLP 21. Fouled out: Stiffarm.