Beeters who stand tall

Over the past few seasons, the Chinook Sugarbeeters have had more success than they have ever had in Class C boys basketball and they have done so thanks in part to two of the most unique players in the state: Isaac Bell and Cord Schneider.

With their size, skill and athleticism, Bell and Schneider present the kinds of problems you don't see every night in Class C hoops and it has allowed Chinook to run roughshod through the District 9C.

"We aren't just slow, tall people," Isaac Bell said. "And that really helps a lot. To be able to play with other people that are over 6-foot and have a ton of potential is actually really fun."

Led by Bell and Schneider, two All-State players that both stand 6-foot-4, yet shoot, pass and handle the ball like guards, Chinook, which also features Brendan Edwards (6-foot-5), Trajan Hannum, Ethan Bell and Riley Kellam, among others, has taken advantage of their height and skill to the tune of 27 straight wins within the 9C - counting postseason.

That winning streak included a win in last season's 9C championship game, which was the first district title for the Beeters since dropping down to Class C basketball.

It was also the first championship for long-time head coach Mike Seymour.

"That felt really good to be able to win that one for him," Schneider said. "That was one thing that we really wanted to do, and it just meant a lot because it's been a long time since Chinook has done something like that."

While Chinook finally reached the top of the 9C last season, it didn't happen overnight.

For a long time, Bell and Schneider have been playing and developing together, dating back to their pre-high school days. And even back then, according to former North Star and current Havre High head coach Walynn Burgess, they were a formidable challenge.

"Cord and Isaac have always been tough to guard," Burgess said. "Cord has that little side shuffle that is pretty hard to stop and he can crash the boards any time he wants and finishes strong. Isaac, just being as tall as he is and with how well he moves on the perimeter, it has always been hard to stop him. He's just so versatile."

If anyone would know what it's like to try and devise a plan for stopping Schneider, Bell and the rest of the Sugarbeeters, it would be Burgess, who coached against Chinook four times last season. North Star and Chinook met twice during the regular season, again in the 9C championship and one more time in the Northern C Divisional tournament. The Beeters won all four matchups and the production of Bell and Schneider was a big reason why.

Yet, there were still some growing pains. Chinook was a solid team during their freshman campaign but finished fourth at districts and fell short of reaching the Northern C. Then, after getting third place in 2017, Chinook won their first two games at divisionals and reached the semifinals before eventually losing out.

It wasn't where the Beeters ultimately wanted to go, but it was part of the growing process and during last season's tournament run, that growth really started to show.

In the 9C championship game, Bell scored a game-high 33 points, which wasn't even his season high (51). That coupled with 14 from Schneider accounted for 47 of Chinook's 62 points. The effort also included four 3-pointers by Bell and one memorable fourth-quarter slam dunk from Schneider.

"In Class C, you don't see a lot of guys like that," Burgess said. "That size has always been tough to guard but that combination of quickness and toughness is hard to deal with."

At any level of high school basketball, two 6-foot-4 talents such as Bell and Schneider would be a bonus and in Chinook, the results speak for themselves.

"That makes them really tough, and Chinook has been rolling off wins because of it," Burgess said. "Mike (Seymour) does a great job with them of utilizing all of the assets they bring to the court. Just having all the big kids they do, it's not something you see very often."

While Chinook has achieved a lot during this run, the Beeters are still looking and hoping for more. Certainly, the Beeters are hoping to defend their district championship, however, another obvious goal will be reaching the Class C state tournament for the first time.

Yet, in order to get there, the Beeters have focused on doing things a little differently this year, starting with Bell and Schneider taking on less of a scoring role.

"This year, it's about whatever helps the team win, to be honest," Bell said. "I think I am averaging about 10 points a game. I have been getting a lot more assists, too, and I think it's a lot tougher to scout and defend a team that has five guys that can score in double digits."

Bell may not be scoring as much per game as he was last season when he had a number of big games including a school-record 51 points against Harlem, it's intentional and it's part of an effort to get others like Hannum, Edwards, Hunter Neibauer and Ethan Bell involved.

"We have a lot of weapons," Bell said. "And I am just trying to move out of my comfort zone and do whatever I can to help the team and there is a lot beyond just scoring."

Both Bell and Schneider agreed that another key component to any postseason run will be their team's ability to defend.

"Last year our defensive intensity wasn't where it needed to be," Bell said. "It still isn't quite this year, either, but we are working on it. Being long and things like that can really help though."

While size and length can be a big help on the offensive end, creating open looks and mismatches, it can be just as menacing defensively, leading to blocked or altered shots and smaller lanes to pass or drive the basketball.

"We block a lot of shots," Schneider said. "And I think it can be intimidating. We see it every day in practice, but when we play other teams, sometimes you do notice it."

Of course, height will always be an advantage in basketball, it's just an inherent part of the game. However, Bell and Schneider have developed into elite high school players, who are sure to get chances at the next level and doing all that requires much more than just being tall.

Both players have a rare combination of size, speed, athleticism and basketball skill. Combined, those traits have given the Beeters two cornerstones for a championship program, one that will have a chance to win even more hardware in the coming months.