Hi-Line Boys: Chinook rolls on; HLP, CJI notch wins

With the holiday break upon us for the high school sports schedule, boys basketball teams from around the Hi-Line got in their final games last week before taking the annual two-week break from competitive hoops.

One team that has to be pleased with the way it closed things out is Hays-Lodge Pole, which started its week Thursday by playing host to North Star. The Thunderbirds, who came into the game with a 3-1 record, got their fourth win of the season thanks 74-44 triumph over the Knights. Gilbert Snow led all scorers with 20, while Ken Black Crow Jr. also added 14. Jeremy Pretty Paint contributed with 10 in the win. Bailey Spicher was the top scorer in defeat for North Star with 17.

In another District 9C contest Thursday night, Chester-Joplin-Inverness notched their first win of the season, knocking off Turner 54-44. The Hawks got 18 points each from Tyler Wanken and Andrew Woods, while Shane Kimmel led the Tornadoes with 14. Jack Harmon also reached double figures with 11; Tracer Heilig added 10. Turner also traveled to Dodson Friday night and was defeated 79-38.

CJI tried to follow up that win over Turner with another over Chinook, a team that came into the week tied with Fort Benton at the top of the 9C standings and in that matchup, the Hawks were overwhelmed by the Sugarbeeters 68-26. Chinook was paced by its three big guys in the win as Brenden Edwards scored 13, Cord Schneider had 12 and Isaac Bell had 10. Ethan Bell also added 10 points, while Woods matched that total to lead CJI.

After beating the Hawks at home Friday, Chinook went on the road Saturday an improved its record to 6-0 overall and 4-0 in the 9C with a 79-49 win. The loss dropped the Bears to 2-1 in the 9C.

Another team that closed the first stretch of games strong was Fort Benton. The Longhorns paid a visit to Rudyard to take on North Star Friday and outscored the Knights 35-13 in the second half to come away with a 64-38 win. Damon Bird scored 12 points for Fort Benton, which also got 10 points from Garrett Diekhans. Caden Rettig had 10 points in the loss for the Knights. Hayden Massar also pitched in with eight. The victory was the second of the week for Fort Benton, which also knocked off Conrad 83-68 last Tuesday. Fort Benton is 6-0 on the season.

Elsewhere Friday night, Big Sandy stepped outside the 9C to take on Denton-Geyser-Stanford in Denton and despite trailing to start the fourth quarter, the Pioneers rallied for a 57-54 win. Ryan Roth poured in 19 for the Pioneers; Brock Proulx also had a strong game with 17.

Following the non-conference win, Big Sandy hosted HLP Saturday night, but unfortunately for the Pioneers, they were unable to break through and grab their first district win of the season as the T-Birds cruised to a 78-63 win. Roth scored a game-high 25 in defeat for Big Sandy. On the other side, Pretty Paint had 22 for the T-Birds, who also got 15 from Snow.

In Class B action, Rocky improved its record to 4-2 with a couple of wins this past week, starting with a 95-52 domination of Conrad last Friday in Rocky Boy. The Stars also played host to Harlem Saturday and notched another impressive win, 92-46.

The high school basketball season will resume Jan. 3.

Thursday

Chester-Joplin-Inverness 54, Turner 44

CJI 8 12 10 24 - 54

Turner 12 4 14 14 - 44

CJI: Andrew Woods 18, Spencer Richter 8, Evan Dahinden 8, Jarrett Green 2, Tyler Wanken 18

Turner: Cody Welsh 7, Jack Harmon 11, Calvert 2, Shane Kimmel 14, Tracer Heilig 10

3 pointers- Woods Harmon 3, Kimmel 3, Heilig 2; Fouled out- Green

Friday

Fort Benton 64, North Star 38

Fort Benton 15 14 20 15 - 64

North Star 14 11 7 6 - 38

North Star: Austin Hansen 6, Bailey Spicher 4, Rhett Wolery 4, Payne Ditmar 5, Hayden Massar 8, Caden Rettig 11.

Fort Benton: Damon Bird 12, Jace Thompson 10, Ethan Pfile 10, Garrett Diekhans 10, Max Lane 2, Logan Giles 6, Billy Lillery 8, Hayden Diekhans 6.

Big Sandy 57, Denton-Geyser-Stanford 54

Big Sandy 4 20 15 9 - 57

DGS 7 18 12 11 - 54

Denton-Geyser-Stanford: Dylan Taylor 13, Arik Ayers 5, Kein Carpenter 4, Ace Becker 2, Parker Donaldson 15, Jake Soloman 11, Kyle Lee 4.

Big Sandy: Brock Proulx 17, Ryan Roth 19, Kody Strutz 3, Parker Proulx 4, Kade Strutz 5, Jeremiah Genereaux 9.

Chinook 68, Chester-Joplin-Inverness 26

Chinook: Isaac Bell 10, Hunter Neibauer 8, Trajan Hannum 2, R. Kellam 2, Cord Schneider 12, Ethan Bell 10, R. Elliott 9, Brenden Edwards 13.

Chester-Joplin-Inverness: A. Woods 10, T. Wanken 7, S. Richter 6, N. Bender 3.

Saturday

Hays-Lodge Pole 78, Big Sandy 63

Big Sandy 5 18 18 22 - 63

HLP 10 19 29 21 - 78

Big Sandy: Wyatt Labuda 1, Ryan Roth 25, Kody Strutz 3, Crawford Terry 9, Parker Proulx 4, Jeremiah Genereaux 2, Kade Strutz 4.

HLP: Gilbert Snow 15, J. Stiffarm 8, Jeremy Prett 22, D. Shambo 5, K. Boderas 10, Kyle Young Jr 4 ,D. Shambo 5, T. Brockie 4.