Hi-Line Boys BB: Fort Benton storms back to stun Chinook

Another week of big Hi-Line boys basketball games started all the way back on Tuesday when Harlem and Box Elder went head-to-head in a non-conference showdown. In Harlem, though, the Bears were no match for the Class B Wildcats, who crushed the Bears 96-39.

Thursday night saw the Rocky Boy Stars beat the Great Falls Central Mustangs for the second time in a week. The rematch saw the Stars roll to a 74-54 victory behind 19 points from Joe Demontiney and 18 by Joe Standing Rock.

The Stars were right back in the action Friday night as they stepped up a class to play Browning. And while they put up a great fight, they fell to Browning, 76-67 in triple overtime. Rocky Boy led 28-18 at halftime, but the Indians caught the starts by game's end. Still, the Stars hung tough, before Browning pulled away with a 14-5 run in the third OT. Ben Crebs scored 23 points for the Stars in the exciting game.

In 9C play Friday night, the Fort Benton Longhorns kept on winning, with a 60-30 route of Chester-Joplin-Inverness. The Longhorns led 25-8 early on, then poured on a 24-12 run in the third quarter to really run away.

Hayden Diekhans led all scorers with 20 points for Fort Benton, while Bryce Kammerzell paced the Hawks with nine.

Chinook also kept on rolling with a dominant win over North Star Friday night in Rudyard. The Sugarbeeters cruised to an 82-52 win behind 24 points from Oskar Pula, while Ethan Bell had 17. Rhett Wolery led the Knights with 13 points and six rebounds.

In another 9C boys game Friday night, Big Sandy got past Turner, 70-61, while the game between Box Elder and Hays-Lodge Pole was canceled. In the win for the Pioneers, Kody Strutz has 19 points, Kade Strutz added 13 and Brayden Cline chipped in with 12. Turner got 23 points each from Shane Kimmel and Austin Welch.

Saturday night, Rocky Boy tired to keep rolling, but the Stars ran into a buzzsaw in the form of Shelby, as the Coyotes blasted their way to a 71-48. The game was tight early, but Shelby went on a 25-8 run in the third quarter to pull away. Joe Demontiney scored 15 points and Teague Stump added 13 in the loss.

Of course Saturday night was also round one of the huge rivalry between Fort Benton and Chinook, and in Fort Benton, the Longhorns knocked off the top-ranked Sugarbeeters 57-55 in a thriller. The game marked an incredible comeback by the Longhorns, who trailed 35-15 at halftime, and were still behind 51-32 after three. But in the final eight minutes, Fort Benton outscored the Beeters 25-4 to pull off the huge win.

Hayden Diekhans scored 19 points, while Jace Thompson had 14 for the Longhorns. Ethan Bell scored 19 and Reese Elliot chipped in with 15 for the Beeters, who lost their first game of the season.

There were also more cancellations Saturday due to COVID-19. Big Sandy and Hays-Lodge Pole didn't play and neither did Box Elder and CJI, nor did North Star and Turner.