Hi-Line Girls: Area girls teams off to a hot start in basketball

After a long wait, basketball is finally back on the Hi-Line. Over the weekend, girls basketball teams were looking for strong starts to set the tone for the year. On Thursday night, a pair of District 9C teams started their season with a bang.

Chinook defeated Cut Bank, 53-34, in a tournament in Shelby to open the season. The Sugarbeeters got off to a strong start as they scored 29 points in the first half. Their defense also played well through the course of the game as Cut Bank did not break double digits in scoring in any quarter of the game. On offense, Hallie Neibauer led Chinook with 25 points while Allison Powell also scored 12 in the winning effort.

The Box Elder Bears got off to a hot start Thursday with a dominant 86-26 win over Plenty Coups at the All-American Indian Shootout in Billings. The Bears are coming off a third-place finish in the District 9C tournament last season and return many players, so the win is a positive sign to begin this new season.

Many other 9C teams got their seasons started with games Friday. In Dutton, Big Sandy opened the season with a 47-40 win over Sunburst. It was neck and neck through the first half as the game went into halftime with the Pioneers holding a slim 16-13 lead. But a 16-point quarter by the Pioneers allowed them to build a lead that Sunburst could not overcome. In their season opener, Eva Yaedon led the Pioneers with 16 points while Eva Wagoner scored 10 points for Big Sandy.

North Star opened the season with a 56-27 win over White Sulphur Springs in Harlowton. The Knights opened the game strong by taking a 14-7 lead in the first quarter. They continued to build their lead until they led 26-13 at halftime. The Hornets were unable to climb their way back into the game as North Star cruised to victory.

Box Elder continued to play in the All-American Indian Shootout with a game against Class A powerhouse Hardin on Friday. However, the Bears suffered a 59-54 loss to Hardin. Hardin maintained control through most of the game as the Bears trailed, 13-10, at the end of the first quarter and they trailed, 29-23, at halftime. The Bears got their offense going in the second half but it was not enough to win the game.

Defending state champion Fort Benton also began its season Friday with a game against North Country in Lewistown. However, in a rematch of the 2021 state championship game, the Longhorns suffered a 49-23 loss to open the year. The Mavericks jumped on the Longhorns early for a 20-10 lead at the end of the first quarter. Through the rest of the game, the Longhorns failed to climb their way back.

Hays-Lodge Pole competed in the All-American Indian Tournament in Billings this past weekend. The Thunderbirds opened the tournament with a 69-32 victory over Heart Butte Friday.

On Saturday, the Harlem Wildcats suffered a 73-51 loss to Huntley Project. Through the first three quarters, the Wildcats did not fall too far behind as they trailed 44-35 heading to the fourth. However, the Red Devils scored 29 points in the final quarter to pull away for the victory. Raelynne Briere and Chloe Messerly each scored 18 points to lead the Wildcats while Taya Trottier scored 11 points.

Chinook played again Saturday but this time, the Beeters suffered a 43-26 loss to Northern C stalwart Belt. The Huskies got off to a hot start as they led Chinook, 20-13, at halftime. In the third quarter, the Sugarbeeters only scored two points as Belt pulled away for the win. Alexus Seymour led Chinook with 17 points in the loss.

In their second game of the weekend, the Big Sandy Pioneers defeated Dutton-Brady, 58-27, to improve to 2-0 on the season. The Pioneers were hot out of the gates as they scored 23 points in the first quarter. They also played strong defense as they limited the Titans to only three points in the opening frame. Yeadon again led the team with 19 points while Wagoner chipped in 10 of her own.

The North Star Knights also improved to 2-0 on the season as they defeated Park City, 53-32, Saturday. The Knights only led 14-13 at the end of the first quarter, but they tightened up on defense to pull away over the course of the game. In the second quarter alone, the Knights held the Panthers to only three points.

After their earlier loss, the Fort Benton Longhorns rebounded Saturday for a 54-43 win over Melstone. The Longhorns did trail through most of the game but they were able to tie the game, 34-34, heading to the fourth. They then ended the game on a 20-9 run to win their first game of the season.

Saturday, the All-American Indian Shootout continued in Billings. In the tournament, Rocky Boy defeated Mandaree, 66-55, and HLP defeated Plenty Coups, 60-53.

Thursday

Chinook 53, Cut Bank 34

CHI - 14 15 12 12 - 53

CB - 9 8 9 8 - 34

CHI - Hallie Neibauer 25, Allison Powell 12, Anna Terry 6, Bree Swanson 4, Mya Berreth 4.

CB - Jackie 9, Kendra Spotted 9, Aliyah Cruz 7, MacKenzie Johnson 3, Madison Baker 3, Makenna Burke 2, Alison Gray 1.

Friday

Big Sandy 47, Sunburst 40

SUN - 5 8 13 14 - 40

BS - 8 8 16 15 - 47

SUN - Claire Bucklin 15, Nikki Nau 12, Megan Hout 7, Katie Hout 4, Tara Robins 2.

BS - Eva Yeadon 16, Eva Wagoner 10, Jaihven Baumann 8, Lainey Terry 5, Jenny Sant 4, Malaysia Baumann 2.

North Star 56, White Sulphur Springs 27

WSS - 7 6 8 6 - 27

NS - 14 12 18 12 - 56

Hardin 59, Box Elder 54

HAR - 13 16 17 13 - 59

BE - 10 13 15 16 - 54

Saco-Whitewater-Hinsdale 49, Fort Benton 23

SWH - 20 7 11 11 - 49

FB - 10 5 3 5 - 23

Saturday

Huntley Project 73, Harlem 51

HAR - 9 12 14 16 - 51

HP - 11 19 14 29 - 73

HAR - Raelynne Briere 18, Chloe Messerly 18, Taya Trottier 13, Ella Billmeyer 11, Aaraya Maurt 3, Gracie Sanchez 3, Cece Helgesen 2, Vaise Little 1.

HP - Paige Lofing 22, Macy Rose 17, Lily Zimmer 14, Madison Akins 9, Hadley Kautz 5, Teagan LaRoche 2, Rebecca Middleton 2, Addison Parker 1, Angel Wipf 1.

Belt 43, Chinook 26

BEL - 12 8 9 14 - 43

CHI - 6 7 2 11 - 26

BEL - Lindsey Paulson 14, Raily Gliko 8, Hattie Bumgarner 7, Kylee Permann 6, Ahmia Lords 5, Ella Pethel 2, Danika Lords 1.

CHI - Alexus Seymour 17, Bree Swanson 2, Hallie Neibauer 2, Allison Powell 2, Hannah Schoen 1, Torin Cecrle 1, Jenna Liddle 1.

Big Sandy 58, Dutton-Brady 27

BS - 23 16 11 8 - 58

DB - 3 4 12 8 - 27

BS - Eva Yeadon 19, Eva Wagoner 10, Jaihven Baumann 8, Amy Gasvoda 6, Lainey Terry 6, Jenny Sant 2, Alex Worrall 2, Angie Sant 2.

DB - Chloe Sealey 9, Leslie Ostberg 6, Emagin Wakkinen 3, Nadely Chapman-Roberts 3, Seattle Kjensmo 2, Kimi Baringer 2, Kayley Cloninger 2.

North Star 53, Park City 32

PAR - 13 3 8 8 - 32

NS - 14 12 12 15 - 53

Fort Benton 54, Melstone 43

FB - 11 12 11 20 - 54

MEL - 15 13 6 9 - 43