Pioneers survive shootout to advance to title game

Day two of the District 9C boys basketball tournament ended with probably the most exciting game of the tournament so far. No. 2 seed Big Sandy and No. 3 seed Box Elder went at it throughout their semifinal game as both teams showed why they deserved a spot in the championship.

At the end of all the lead changes and barrage of buckets, it was the Big Sandy Pioneers that emerged with the 74-72 victory at Havre High Gymnasium. Even as he was recovering from the thrilling victory, Big Sandy head coach Thomas Dilworth made sure to offer praise to the Box Elder Bears.

"They're tough," Dilworth said. "There was no fear in them. They're a phenomenal team. I suspect they'll probably make divisionals. I think they'll come through the backside. I'm hoping so."

The Pioneers started the game strong with buckets from Lane Demontiney and Wylee Snapp to take the lead. After a score by Box Elder's Gabe Saddler, the Pioneers maintained control with an 8-1 run to stretch the lead. Braydon Cline led the way with a pair of buckets that gave Big Sandy a 12-3 lead halfway through the opening quarter.

The Pioneers and Bears exchanged scores over the next few minutes. Late in the first, Big Sandy had an 18-8 lead. With less than a minute remaining, the Bears went on a 6-1 run to close the quarter. A 3-pointer by Jo Jo Standing Rock in the closing seconds cut the deficit to 19-14 to end the first.

The Bears carried that momentum into the beginning of the second. A three by Gyme Kelly III and a free throw from Tuarie Stiffarm cut the deficit to 19-18. Standing Rock then nailed a three to give Box Elder a 21-19 lead with six minutes left in the half.

The Pioneers were able to recover as they went on a 10-0 run to retake the lead. Kody Strutz got hot during this stretch as he scored six points. Some free throws from Demontiney then gave Big Sandy a 29-21 lead halfway through the second.

Through the rest of the half, the Pioneers were able to keep the Bears at bay. Everytime Box Elder scored, Big Sandy scored in response to maintain the lead. As they went into halftime, the Pioneers had a 41-30 lead. Dilworth believes the Pioneers were able to get their offense rolling throughout the game because they took advantage of the Bears' defensive aggressiveness.

"They play really aggressive defense so we tried to stretch them out the best we could and take advantage with our speed and size mismatches," Dilworth said.

The Pioneers held onto control to start the second half. Halfway through the third quarter, things were looking good for the Pioneers as they had a 52-38 lead. But the Bears were not discouraged as they kept themselves within striking distance. As the game went to the fourth quarter, Big Sandy held a solid but not imposing 61-53 lead.

The Bears started the fourth on fire with a 13-2 run to take the lead. After Demontiney knocked down some free throws, Tyrus LaMere and Standing Rock made a pair of shots to cut the deficit to 63-59. A three by Saddler then cut the deficit to one. Baskets from Stiffarm and LaMere gave Box Elder a 66-63 lead halfway through the fourth after they trailed by double digits in the second half.

"We started creating some pressure, getting some turnovers and then transition buckets," Box Elder head coach Jeremy MacDonald said about the comeback. "They attacked the rim really well in the second half."

But the Bears were unable to hold onto momentum to close out the game. Cline answered the bell for the Pioneers as he scored five straight points, including a three to give Big Sandy a 68-66 lead. Snapp then scored to stretch the lead to 70-66.

The Bears tried to reignite that spark to take back the lead when they needed it the most. A score by Standing Rock again cut the lead to two with about a minute remaining. After some missed free throws by Big Sandy, LaMere got sent to the free-throw line with a chance to tie the game with 19.7 seconds left. But he was only able to make one of his attempts to cut the deficit to 70-69.

But the Bears still had a chance. Even after Demontiney knocked down a pair of free throws, the Bears could still tie it with a three. But LaMere's three fell short on the Bears' next possession. The Pioneers then knocked down some more free throws to put the game out of reach for good. As the game came down the stretch, Dilworth knew his team's experience would help lead them to victory.

"We've been in a lot of close games this year so that always benefits in tournament time," Dilworth said. "These guys have been in that situation. They're confident and they knew what they needed to do to get it done."

Demontiney finished the game with 22 points as he went 4-for-8 from the field and 13-for-14 from the free-throw line. Cline scored 21 points and Strutz had a strong performance with 17 points. As a team, the Pioneers shot 50 percent from the field and 72.7 percent from the free-throw line.

Saddler and Standing Rock each scored 20 points for Box Elder in the loss. The Bears will now try to keep their season alive when they play Fort Benton in a loser-out game. After such an emotional loss, MacDonald knows the Longhorns will be another tough outing.

"We know (Tyler) Pasha will have his boys ready. His boys are fundamentally sound," MacDonald said. "They're big and athletic. They play great defense. We got our work cut out for us."

The Big Sandy Pioneers will now head to the district championship game tonight to play Chester-Joplin-Inverness. The title game is an unfamiliar site for both teams, so Dilworth knows that both squads will try to make the most of their opportunity tonight.

"They're tough. They're defensively sound and (Joe) Horel has done a phenomenal job turning that program around," Dilworth said. "It's going to be a battle. I watched them play tonight and I was scratching my head. I'm going to spend a lot of time watching film between now and then and try to figure it out."

Big Sandy will play CJI in the District 9C championship game tonight at 8:30 p.m. at HHS Gymnasium. Box Elder played Fort Benton in a loser-out game this afternoon.

Big Sandy 74, Box Elder 72

BS - 19 22 20 13 - 74

BE - 14 16 23 19 - 72

BS - Lane Demontiney 22, Braydon Cline 21, Kody Strutz 17, Wylee Snapp 11, Cooper Taylor 3.

BE - Gabe Saddler 20, Jo Jo Standing Rock 10, Tyrus LaMere 17, Skylar Walker 3, Gyme Kelly III 3, Tuarie Stiffarm 3, Matthias Blackbird 2, Alex Four Colors 2, King Ragged Robe 2.

3-pointers: BS 4-13 (Lane Demontiney 1, Kody Strutz 1, Braydon Cline 1, Cooper Taylor 1), BE 8-20 (Tyrus LaMere 3, Gabe Saddler 2, Jo Jo Standing Rock 2, Gyme Kelly III 1). Fouls: BS 16, BE 26. Fouled Out: None.