T-Birds' turn to soar

Nothing lasts forever. That's the truth in life and sports, and in the first round of the District 9C girls basketball tournament, a dominant run came to an end at the hands of an exciting up-and-comer.

Thursday afternoon in the Havre High gymnasium, the Hays-Lodge Pole girls not only catapulted themselves to within one win of a Northern C berth, but they also ended Box Elder's run of 9C championship games with a 64-61 win in a 9C girls thriller.

"It feels really good," HLP's Mulleah Stiffarm said. "We played together, we worked as a team to achieve this today and we achieved it."

The Thunderbirds, who have had a renaissance season did score a big win and will now get a shot at top-ranked Fort Benton in today's semifinals. But the Bears, the two-time defending Class C champions, didn't make it easy. And in the end, HLP head coach Cory Morgan said it was his team's defense that made the difference.

"Our plan was to pressure them, to hurry their offense," Morgan said. "They are an explosive offense, and if we let them sit back and get going, we're in trouble. So I think our pressure defense was a big difference in the end."

Indeed, HLP forced Box Elder into 33 turnovers in what was a wild, back-and-forth affair.

Stiffarm capped a 12-0 run early with a 3-pointer, and the T-Birds jumped out to a 16-4 lead. But before the first quarter had even come to a close, Sarah Parisian got hot for the Bears, who rattled off an 11-0 run and trailed just 18-5 after one.

In the second stanza, Stiffarm scored back-to-back layups in transition, but Parisian went on a 7-0 run, sparked by a triple, as she single-handedly brought the Bears back to a 30-30 tie at intermission.

"Sarah Parisian is a really good player," Morgan said. "When she gets going, she can really shoot it."

Parisian hit another big shot early in the third quarter, and when she buried another triple, Box Elder was on an 11-2 run and led by eight points late in the third. Yet, HLP came right back with a 9-0 run, capped by an Ella Messerly layup off a steal, and the T-Birds were back in front 47-46.

And the wild fun was just getting going. The two teams battled back and forth for the entire fourth quarter, but back-to-back buckets by Jaedyn Chandler and four clutch points from Stiffarm gave the T-Birds a 62-59 cushion with :49 left, and from there, the HLP defense closed it out.

"Our experience was another big factor," Morgan said. "We focused on keeping our composure more this season; we focused on being a family and sticking together through the ups and downs. And I thought that really showed today. It was an intense game, but the girls kept their composure, and that was big."

Stiffarm, the leading scorer in the 9C, was big, too. She scored 21 points, grabbed seven rebounds and made three treys, while Judemia Gray added 13 points and Messerly came up with 12.

Meanwhile, Box Elder was left heartbroken. After finishing fifth in the 9C regular season, the Bears still have hopes of getting to divisionals, but they'll have to do it the hard way now. They did get a game-high 26 points from Parisian, who is the only returning starter from last year's title team, while Annalise Johnson added 10, as Box Elder dropped into this morning's loser-out game against Big Sandy.

There's no heartache in HLP, however. The T-Birds are flying high, and they will take their shot at unbeaten Fort Benton tonight, with a spot in the Northern C and the championship game both on the line.

"Divisionals is the goal," Morgan said. "And it's attainable. Fort Benton is very good. They are tough. But we feel good about where we're at going into that game and moving forward."

The Thunderbirds and Longhorns will meet today at 4 p.m. in the first of two girls semifinals in the HHS gymnasium.

HLP 64, Box Elder 61

HLP - Ella Messerly 12, Judemia Gray 13, Kassi Perez 8, Tahtinna Whitecow Mulleah Stiffarm 21.

Box Elder - Annalise Johnson 10, Sarah Parisian 26, Makaela Kelly 6, Tayleigh Sunchild 4, Brielle Sunchild 4, Alysia LaMere 2, Brenna Bacon 8.

3-pointers: (Stiffarm 3, Johnson 2, Parisian 3, Sunchild 1). Fouls: HLP 20, Box Elder 19, Fould out: Johnson, Bacon.