Hi-Line Boys BB: Pioneers, Hawks earn critical 9C victories

With little time left before the postseason, the time is now or never for Hi-Line boys basketball teams to show who they are. This past week, several teams continued to show why they are contenders while others are just trying to find an identity just in time for the postseason.

Hi-Line basketball got started Tuesday night with a game between the Harlem Wildcats and Poplar Indians. Poplar played strong but Harlem pulled out the 85-79 victory to begin the week.

Area basketball continued Thursday when the Box Elder Bears started the week with a 70-65 win over Chinook. The Bears came out hot as they led 23-11 in the first quarter. But the Sugarbeeters responded to cut their deficit to 33-26 at halftime. The Sugarbeeters continued to stay close in the second half but the Bears were able to hold on for the win.

The Rocky Boy Stars started their week with a 73-64 win against the Malta Mustangs. The Stars got off to a good start as they led 16-13 in the first quarter. They continued to play well as they stretched their lead to 36-32 at halftime. The Stars continued to keep the Mustangs at bay in the second half as they went on to win the game. Joe Demontiney had a strong game for the Stars with 31 points while Kellen Colliflower and Sean Gibson combined for 25 points.

The Rocky Boy Stars played again Friday night, but this time they lost, 71-66, to Fairfield. The Eagles took an early advantage as they led 16-12 in the opening quarter. The Eagles then pulled away in the second quarter to take a 37-24 lead into halftime. The Stars fought back in the second half but they were unable to steal a win. Demontiney had another strong game with 25 points while Ben Crebs scored 22 in the loss.

District 9C action also kicked off Friday night. The Big Sandy Pioneers started the weekend with a 82-71 victory over the Box Elder Bears. The Bears took an early 22-20 lead, but the Pioneers battled back to take a 40-36 lead at halftime. The Pioneers' momentum carried over into the third quarter where they stretched their lead to 59-53. The Pioneers then closed out the win in the fourth quarter. Kody Strutz led Big Sandy with 23 points while Brayden Cline scored 19 points. Gabe Saddler led Box Elder with 22 points in the loss.

Chester-Joplin-Inverness opened the weekend with a 58-49 win over North Star. After an early 13-13 tie, the CJI Hawks grabbed momentum to take a 33-27 lead into halftime. The Knights did not go away in the second half, but the Hawks were able to hold on for the win. As a team, the Hawks shot 51.2 percent from the field and 40 percent from three. Blake Harmon led the Hawks with 17 points while Gavin Spicher scored 21 for the Knights.

The Hays-Lodge Pole Thunderbirds started their week with a 69-47 win over the Turner Tornadoes. The Thunderbirds jumped out to an early 18-7 lead. The Tornadoes played better in the second quarter, but the Thunderbirds pulled away in the third quarter to take the game.

In a non-conference game, the Fort Benton Longhorns won, 53-41, against Conrad. The Cowboys took an early 13-10 lead but the Longhorns responded to take a 23-20 lead into halftime. They continued to play well in the third quarter as they stretched their lead to 41-28. Andrew Ballantyne led Fort Benton with 14 points while Landis Arganbright chipped in 12.

District 9C action continued Saturday. The CJI Hawks capped off their week with a 76-56 win over the HLP Thunderbirds. The Hawks raced out to an early 23-10 lead but the Thunderbirds cut their deficit to single digits heading into halftime. The Hawks again grabbed momentum in the third quarter to pull away for the win. Harmon had another strong performance as he scored 23 points. Tyshon Shambo led the Thunderbirds with 20 points.

The Big Sandy Pioneers continued their winning ways by pulling out a 59-55 victory against the North Star Knights. The Knights came out strong as they took a 30-21 lead into halftime. The Pioneers got some momentum going in the third quarter as they cut their deficit to 43-37. The Pioneers then exploded in the fourth quarter to eke out the win. Cline had a great game as he led the way with 35 points. Garrett Spicher led North Star with 19 points.

The Chinook Sugarbeeters won, 53-38, against the Turner Tornadoes Saturday. The Sugarbeeters got off to a strong start as they led 15-5 in the opening quarter. They continued to play well as they built themselves a 39-19 lead in the second half. Ryan Doyle scored eight points for Turner in the losing effort.

The Harlem Wildcats ended their week with a 67-60 loss to Wolf Point. The Wildcats played well early on as they led, 32-30, at halftime. The Wildcats kept the Wolves at bay in the third quarter as they stretched their lead to 48-43. But the Wolves exploded in the fourth quarter to steal the win from Harlem. Daniel Lawrence led Harlem with 23 points in the loss.

Hi-Line boys basketball will continue this week starting Thursday.

Tuesday

Harlem 85, Poplar 79

Thursday

Box Elder 70, Chinook 65

BE - 23 10 17 20 - 70

CHI - 11 15 16 23 - 65

Rocky Boy 73, Malta 64

RB - 16 20 21 16 - 73

MAL - 13 19 16 16 - 64

MAL - Bohdi Brenden 14, Carson Ottinger 11, Kaden Bishop 10, Jared Eggebrecht 8, Treyton Wilke 7, Jonathan Siewing 4.

RB - Joe Demontiney 31, Kellen Colliflower 14, Ben Crebs 11, Sean Gibson 9, Tayce St. Pierre 8.

Friday

Big Sandy 82, Box Elder 71

BE - 22 14 17 18 - 71

BS - 20 20 19 23 - 82

BS - Kody Strutz 23, Brayden Cline 19, Lane Demontiney 18, Wylee Snapp 18, Rusty Gasvoda 3.

BE - Gabe Saddler 22, Gym Kelly III 16, Tyrus LaMere 12, Joe Standing Rock 8, Skylar Walker 5, King Ragged Robe 4, Mathias Blackbird 2.

Fairfield 71, Rocky Boy 66

RB - 12 12 21 21 - 66

FAI - 16 21 18 16 - 71

FAI - Cooper Christensen 17, Daniel Faith 16, Kaelob Flores 12, Owen Cartwright-Gines 12, Michael Wambach 7, Brian Ward 4, Tyson Schenk 2, Bryden Batson 1.

RB - Joe Demontiney 25, Ben Crebs 22, Sean Gibson 13, Kelle Colliflower 4, Kenster Corcoran 2.

CJI 58, North Star 49

CJI - 13 20 12 13 - 58

NS - 13 14 13 9 - 49

NS - Gavin Spicher 21, Rhett Wolery 14, Garrett Spicher 7, Gavin Clawson 3, Carter Campbell 2, Ty Hansen 2.

CJI - Blake Harmon 17, Karson Pulst 15, Nate Nelson 9, Kyle Harmon 8, Bryce Kammerzell 7, Braden Mattson 2.

HLP 69, Turner 47

HLP - 18 15 22 14 - 69

TUR - 7 16 8 16 - 47

TUR - Trever Kimmel 13, Charlie Calvert 11, Carson Maloney 10, Trent Billmayer 7, Ryan Doyle 4, Tate Beck 2.

Fort Benton 53, Conrad 41

CON - 13 7 8 13 - 41

FB - 10 13 18 12 - 53

FB - Andrew Ballantyne 14, Landis Arganbright 12, Jackson Schmele 9, Tim Lane 8, Jacob Giles 4, Brock Grossman 3, Sam Smith 3.

CON - Teagen Arnold 14, Sam Blanchard 13, Brayden Stordahl 7, Devon Baney 4, Roscoe Shaw 2, Zach Darnell 1.

Saturday

Big Sandy 59, North Star 55

NS - 15 15 13 12 - 55

BS - 11 10 16 22 - 59

BS - Brayden Cline 35, Kody Strutz 9, Wylee Snapp 9, Lane Demontiney 6.

NS - Garrett Spicher 19, Gavin Spicher 14, Gavin Clawson 10, Rhett Wolery 7, Ty Hansen 2, Carter Campbell 2.

CJI 76, HLP 56

HLP - 10 13 15 18 - 56

CJI - 23 11 22 20 - 76

CJI - Blake Harmon 23, Karson Pulst 15, Kyle Harmon 11, Bryce Kammerzell 10, Braden Mattson 9, Nate Nelson 8.

HLP - T. Shambo 20, D. Henry 13, J. Ball 11, B. Castillo 7, D. Sullivan 3, R. Blackcrow 2.

Chinook 53, Turner 38

CHI - 15 12 12 14 - 53

TUR - 5 8 6 19 - 38

TUR - Ryan Doyle 8, Carson Maloney 7, Trever Kimmel 6, Shay Humphreys 6, Trent Billmayer 5, Charlie Calvert 4, JR Brown.

Wolf Point 67, Harlem 60

WP - 14 16 13 24 - 67

HAR - 16 16 16 12 - 60

HAR - Daniel Lawrence 23, RJ Ramone 11, Tyler Cichosz 10, Teegan LeValdo 8, Lance Morgan 5, Deshon Shambo 3.

WP - Corey Martell 20, Kelby Bauer 14, Kraven Silk 13, Julian Benson 10, Jack Sprague 4, Jaxon Azure 2, Gaige Bushman 2, Ethan Blount 2.