Hi-Line Girls BB: Knights, Bears win big 9C games

The third week of high school basketball on the Hi-Line got going with a good District 9C battle Tuesday in Box Elder, where the Lady Bears topped the Chinook Sugarbeeters, 57-49. The game was a good one throughout, but Box Elder was able to hold off the Beeters down the stretch.

The Hays-Lodge Pole girls struggled Tuesday night in a Northern C loss at Roy-Winifred. The T-Birds fell behind 23-8 in the first quarter and never caught up in a 52-24 loss. Ella Messerly scored 10 points for the T-Birds in the defeat.

The Rocky Boy girls had a rough Tuesday, as well. The Morning Stars fell in a District 1B game to Great Falls Central, 73-50. The Morning Stars only trailed 36-31 at halftime, but the Mustangs pulled away in the final 16 minutes.

The Morning Stars also fell in 1B action Thursday night. In Conrad, the Cowgirls beat Rocky Boy 68-48. The Morning Stars were paced by Janessa Standing Rock's 19 points, while Kodee Henderson added 13.

In another Class B affair Thursday night, Harlem was beaten by Glasgow, 73-43. The Scotties opened the game on a 24-15 run, and Harlem never recovered. Gabi Bell and Taya Trottier did combine for 29 points in the loss.

Back in Class C Thursday night, Fort Benton remained undefeated by beating Northern C powerhouse Roy-Winifred 44-35. The game was intense with Fort Benton falling behind 14-5 early. But a 16-4 third-quarter run propelled the Longhorns to victory. Aspen Giese led the way for Fort Benton with 18 points.

Friday night the 9C featured one of the biggest games of the year thus far as Fort Benton and Turner went head-to-head. And while the game was a defensive struggle, Fort Benton pulled away 47-29. Ashlee Wang scored 15 points and Aspen Giese added 11 for the Longhorns, while Shyan Krass had 13 for the Tornadoes.

In another huge 9C meeting Friday night, North Star pulled away from Hays-Lodge Pole. The Knights opened on an 18-8 run, and closed on a 10-5 run in a 47-34 win.

Jade Wendland paced the Knights with 14 points, while Alliya Pretty Paint led the Thunderbirds with 11.

Friday night also saw Chinook thump Chester-Joplin-Inverness, 70-36 for a key 9C win. The Beeters led from start-to-finish and had three players in double figures. Hallie Neibauer scored 23 points, while Britton Elliot had 14 and Bree Swanson added 13.

The tough week for the Rocky Boy girls continued Friday night as the Morning Stars were soundly defeated by Choteau, 66-35. Rocky Boy trailed by just three points at halftime, but the Bulldogs outscored the Morning Stars 45-17 in the second half.

Also in the 9C Friday night, the Box Elder Bears cruised to a 76-29 win over Big Sandy. The Bears roared out of the gate with a 30-7 first quarter, and got 18 points by Breanna Bacon and 15 from Angela Gopher in the win.

Saturday night in the 9C saw Turner grab a big win with a 59-52 victory over Chinook. The game was close all the way, but the Tornadoes stayed in front to the end. Shyan Krass led Turner with 17 points, but Brooke Reed added 15 and Dakota Krass had 13. Hallie Neibauer poured in a game-high 20 points for the Sugarbeeters,

North Star also rolled to victory with a 70-14 crushing of Big Sandy Saturday night. The Knights scored 35 points in the first eight minutes of the game against the struggling Pioneers. Shayla Borlaug paced North Star with 21 points, while Jaivan Bauman scored six for the Pioneers.

In perhaps the most exciting game of the night though, defending 9C champion Fort Benton just got past Box Elder, 51-48. The Bears led 28-26 at halftime, but the Longhorns outscored Box Elder 25-20 down the stretch to come back for the win. Aspen Giese hit on 15 points for Fort Benton, while Kyla Momberg scored a game-high 23 for the Bears, who had a big week in the 9C.