Back in the chipper: Fort Benton turns away Turner

The Turner Tornadoes were determined to give the Fort Benton Longhorns' all they could handle in the semifinals of the District 9C Tournament Thursday night inside the HHS gymnasium.

It just wasn't as strong as the Longhorns determination to play Box Elder for another 9C championship.

Thanks to a buzzer-beater by Aspen Giese a year ago, Fort Benton beat the Bears for the 2018 9C championship and after knocking off Turner 65-51, the Longhorns and Bears will meet in the district title game for the third year in a row and for the fourth time in five years.

"We gutted it out and were able to make some big plays down the stretch," Fort Benton head coach Cassie Pimperton said. "Turner played well tonight. They are a tough team, and that was an exciting game."

Just like Fort Benton (18-2) did Wednesday night against Chester-Joplin-Inverness and like the Longhorns have done against opponents all season, they applied intense pressure to Turner and it yielded results right away. Leah Gannon and Aspen Giese each scored early and after McKenzie Clark scored off a steal, Fort Benton led 8-0. In the first half, the Longhorns forced 12 turnovers and for the game, they created 22, giving them 43 turnovers forced in two games.

"Defense is our thing," McKenzie Clark said. "That's our big focus and we talk about that a lot. We know that if we work hard on defense, the offense will come."

Yet, even facing heavy defensive pressure the Tornadoes weren't going away without a fight and they battled their way back in it after a 3-point play by Shyan Krass, as well as a pair of 3-pointers by Rylee Conlan, the second of which capped an 11-4 run for the Tornadoes. At that point, Fort Benton led just 12-11. The two teams played an exciting eight minutes to start the game and nothing was more exciting than the bank shot from three Clark hit to close the quarter, giving Fort Benton a 17-13 lead.

"I am not really sure how that went in," Clark said. "I just kind of threw it up and hoped."

Clark's 3-pointer was huge, but she continued to attack and added to her point total right away in the second stanza. Cassie Nack also scored a couple of key buckets to push the lead to 32-17. However, the Tornadoes rallied again and, following a pair of scores inside by Krass, Raegan Conlan hit a driving layup off glass with the final shot of the first half, making the score 34-25 Fort Benton.

In the third quarter, Clark continued to impact the game as she knocked down a 3-pointer just minutes into the second half which pushed the lead back to 15 at 42-27. She then answered a run by Turner with four more points, giving her seven in the third. Her sister, Megan Clark, scored off an offensive rebound late in the quarter and heading to the fourth, Fort Benton led 54-37.

"McKenzie hit some really good shots," Pimperton said. "And when she gets fired up, the team gets fired up. She played well tonight."

Despite getting down by as many as 17 points, the Tornadoes still wouldn't go away in the fourth. Billmayer scored on a scoop shot and then scores by Krass and Watkins after offensive rebounds, got Turner back within single digits at 56-47 with three minutes left to play.

Eventually though, despite their never-say-die attitude, the Tornadoes ran out of time and energy. Fort Benton was also just too good at the free throw line knocking down 22-of-27 attempts for the game, including a 4-of-4 stretch for Giese at a critical juncture in the game that pushed the lead back to double digits for good.

McKenzie Clark led the way for Fort Benton with a team-high 17 points; Giese added 14 and Nack finished with 13. Giese also finished off a double-double with 10 rebounds to go along with seven steals, three assists and three blocks. Krass had a huge game for the Tornadoes in defeat, notching 24 points and 10 rebounds. Watkins contributed with 10 and Rylee Conlan had nine. Turner (14-6) will look to rebound today against Hays-Lodge Pole in a loser-out game.

Fort Benton and Box Elder will meet for the fourth time in five years in the 9C championship game tonight at 8:30. The Longhorns will also head back to the Northern C Divisional tournament for the fourth time in five years.

"It feels like deja vu," McKenzie Clark said. "We beat Turner last year and now we are going to play Box Elder again, just like last year. I am really excited. It's going to be a fun."

Fort Benton 65, Turner 51, SF

Turner 13 12 12 14 - 51

Fort Benton 17 17 20 11 - 65

Turner - Raegan Conlan 4, Sarah Billmayer 4, Rylee Conlan 9, Melanie Watkins 10, Shyran Krass 24. Totals: 20-48 9 -17 51.

Fort Benton - Cassie Nack 13, McKenzie Clark 17, Aspen Giese 14, Maci Molinario 4, Megan Clark 8, Leah Gannon 7, McKenna Hanford 2. Totals: 20-54 22-27 65.

3-Pointers: Rylee Conlan 2, McKenzie Clark 2, Leah Gannon. Fouls: Turner 22, Fort Benton 17. Fouled out -- Brandy Calvert.