Harlem claims 2B boys crown; Rocky Boy finishes second at tough District1B tourney in Shelby

While the District 9C basketball tournaments raged on in Havre over the weekend, other Hi-Line schools began their postseasons this past week. The Rocky Boy and Harlem boys basketball teams represented the Hi-Line well in their tournaments.

In the District 2B boys basketball tournament, Harlem defeated Malta, 71-56, to win the tournament. In the District 1B boys basketball tournament, Rocky Boy placed second after losing, 61-35, to Shelby in the championship game.

Rocky Boy got the 1B tournament started in Shelby Thursday with a 64-42 win over Conrad. The Stars got off to a strong start as they took an early 16-8 lead. They then pulled away in the second quarter for a 37-18 lead at halftime.

With the sizable lead, Rocky Boy cruised in the second half for a victory to start the tournament. Joe Demontiney led the Stars with 19 points while Ben Crebs and Sean Gibson each scored 10 points in the win.

The Stars continued the tournament Friday night with a 65-61 win over Fairfield in the semifinals. The Stars played well early to take a 19-13 lead in the first quarter. But the Eagles refused to go away as Rocky Boy had a 40-37 lead at halftime.

The Eagles came out strong to start the second half as they took a 49-47 lead heading to the fourth. But the Stars rebounded in the fourth quarter to win the game. Four players for the Stars reached double digits in scoring. Demontiney led the team with 20 points while Crebs contributed 16. Tayce St. Pierre scored 15 points while Gibson scored 12.

In the championship game Saturday, Rocky Boy lost, 61-35, to Shelby. The Stars started the game strong as they took a 14-5 lead in the first quarter. But the Coyotes exploded on offense in the second quarter to take a 29-21 lead at halftime. The Stars were unable to find their offensive momentum again as Shelby pulled away in the second half to win the district title. Demontiney led Rocky Boy with 10 points in the loss.

After a bye, the Harlem boys basketball team started the District 2B tournament in Glasgow with a 73-54 victory over Wolf Point Thursday. It looked like it would be competitive early on as Harlem had a 17-15 lead to end the first quarter. But the Wildcats found some momentum to take a 35-26 lead at halftime.

In the second half, the Wildcats pulled away for the win. Tyler Cichosz led Harlem with 19 points while R.J. Ramone contributed 16 points in the win.

In the championship game Saturday, Harlem defeated Malta 71-56. The Wildcats started the game strong as they took a 17-8 lead in the first quarter. They continued to play well in the second quarter as they took a 38-18 lead into halftime.

The Mustangs tried to come back in the second half but they were unable to overcome the deficit. Both Ramone and Caleb Cole scored 23 points to lead Harlem to the district title. Cichosz also played well with 12 points.

The Harlem girls basketball team also competed in its District 2B tournament in Glasgow this past weeked. The Wildcats started the tournament Thursday with a 62-43 win over Poplar. The Wildcats took an early 15-9 lead in the first quarter and then stretched it out to 33-21 heading into halftime.

In the second half, the Wildcats cruised to victory. Taya Trottier had another solid game for the Wildcats as she led the team with 24 points. Chloe Messerly also contributed with 14 points.

The Wildcats ran into trouble Friday in a 63-43 loss to Malta. The M-Ettes took an early 17-7 lead in the game but the Wildcats stayed with it to cut the deficit to 30-22 heading into halftime.

In the third quarter, the M-Ettes stretched their lead to 51-37. The Wildcats were unable to make a run in the fourth as they were sent to the loser-out bracket. Trottier led Harlem with 16 points while Messerly scored 10 points in the losing effort.

In the consolation game on Saturday, Harlem lost, 67-25, to Glasgow to finish fourth in the tournament. The Wildcats struggled to score early as they trailed 14-1 to end the first quarter. They found some offense in the second quarter but still trailed, 32-14, at halftime.

The Wildcats were unable to find offense in the second half as Glasgow pulled away for the win. Messerly scored 10 points for Harlem in the loss.

The Rocky Boy girls basketball team competed in the District 1B tournament in Shelby this past weekend. However, the Morning Stars lost their first two games of the tournament to end their season.

The Morning Stars started the tournament Thursday with a 57-46 loss to Shelby. The Coyotes took an early 13-2 lead to start the game. But the Morning Stars were able to battle back as they cut the deficit to 24-15 at halftime.

The Morning Stars carried that momentum into the third quarter as they cut the deficit to 35-31. But the Coyotes took control in the fourth quarter to pull away for the win. Both Neferti Standing Rock and Jourdai Coffee scored 12 points while Abria Small Boy scored 12 points in the losing effort.

In a loser-out game Saturday, Rocky Boy’s season came to an end with a 58-52 loss to Conrad. The Morning Stars and Cowgirls went back and forth as the game was tied, 15-15, at the end of the first quarter. Even in the second quarter, neither team took momentum as they were tied, 26-26, at halftime.

In the third quarter, the Cowgirls finally created some distance on the scoreboard as they took a 42-39 lead. In the fourth quarter, the Cowgirls were able to hold on for the win. In the final game of the season, Standing Rock and Coffee scored 12 points for Rocky Boy.

Both the Harlem and Rocky Boy boys basketball teams qualified for the Northern B boys basketball tournament in Glasgow this week. Both teams will play Thursday with Harlem playing Conrad at 1 p.m. and Rocky Boy playing Poplar at 2:30 p.m.

Rocky Boy 64, Conrad 42

CON - 8 10 12 12 - 42

RB - 16 21 21 6 - 64

CON - Sam Blanchard 22, Roscoe Shaw 8, Brayden Stordahl 6, Zach Darnell 4, Devon Baney 2.

RB - Joe Demontiney 19, Ben Crebs 10, Sean Gibson 10, Kenster Corcoran 8, Tayce St. Pierre 5, Cruz Sunchild 5, Kellen Colliflower 4, Jayden Gopher 3.

Rocky Boy 65, Fairfield 61

RB - 19 21 7 18 - 65

FAI - 13 24 12 12 - 61

RB - Joe Demontiney 20, Ben Crebs 16, Tayce St. Pierre 15, Sean Gibson 12, Kenster Corcoran 2.

FAI - Daniel Faith 15, Kaelob Flores 13, Owen Cartwright-Gines 12, Tyson Schenk 6, Brian Ward 6, Cooper Christensen 5, Bryden Batson 4.

Shelby 61, Rocky Boy 35, 1st

RB - 14 7 5 9 - 35

SHE - 5 24 10 22 - 61

RB - Joe Demontiney 10, Ben Crebs 8, Kellen Colliflower 7, Tayce St. Pierre 5, Kenster Corcoran 3, Cruz Sunchild 2.

SHE - Rhett Reynolds 22, Kyle McDermott 18, Trenton Emerson 11, Randon Richman 4, Kolby Lohr 3, Bryce Lee 2, Matteo Padroni 1.

Shelby 57, Rocky Boy 46

RB - 2 13 16 15 - 46

SHE - 13 11 11 22 - 57

RB - Jourdai Coffee 12, Neferti Standing Rock 12, Abria Small Boy 11, Jayci Demontiney 5, Kendra Gopher 4, Tenille Standing 2.

SHE - Adele Lamb 16, Jori Clary 16, Vivi McDermott 15, Cameron Blevins 3, Addison Richman 3, Reese Lee 3, Taylor Schilling 1.

Conrad 58, Rocky Boy 52

CON - 11 15 16 16 - 58

RB - 11 15 13 13 - 52

CON - Brae Eneboe 24, Tala Eneboe 14, Cierra Kulpas 8, Maggie Bender 7, Taylor Evans 4, Zoey Pogreba 1.

RB - Jourdai Coffee 14, Neferti Standing Rock 12, Abria Small Boy 10, Jayci Demontiney 8, Tenille Standing 4, Kale Windy Boy 2, Kendra Gopher 2.

Harlem 73, Wolf Point 54

HAR - 17 18 23 15 - 73

WP - 15 11 14 14 - 73

HAR - Tyler Cichosz 19, RJ Ramone 16, Deshon Shambo 9, Teegan LeValdo 8, Daniel Lawrence 7, Caleb Cole 6, Lance Morgan 4, Devon Deney 2, Amari Stanley 2.

WP - Julian Benson 13, Gaige Bushman 11, Kraven Silk 10, Corey Marshall 7, Jack Sprague 4, Kelby Bauer 4, Ethan Blount 3.

Harlem 71, Malta 56, 1st

HAR - 17 21 14 19 - 71

MAL - 8 10 10 28 - 56

MAL - Connor Yuss 16, Treyton Wilke 12, Rex Williamson 9, Bohdi Brenden 6, Jared Eggebrecht 6, Kaden Bishop 2, Carson Ottinger 2.

HAR - RJ Ramone 23, Caleb Cole 23, Tyler Cichosz 12, Deshon Shambo 7, Teegan LeValdo 5, Daniel Lawrence 1.

Harlem 62, Poplar 43

POP - 9 12 12 10 - 43

HAR - 15 18 17 12 - 62

POP - Morgan Nordwick 9, Kassee Erickson 7, Gracelyn Medicine Cloud 6, Jazmyn Carrywater 5, Mattie Fallsdown 4, Allie Azure 4, Teagan Escarega 4, Emmara Martell 2, Bailey Dupree 2.

HAR - Taya Trottier 24, Chloe Messerly 14, Cece Helgesen 7, Ma'Lea Moore 6, Aaraya Mount 5, Vanise Little 2, Raelynne Briere 2, Tova Anderson 2.

Malta 63, Harlem 43

HAR - 7 15 15 6 - 43

MAL - 17 13 21 12 - 63

HAR - Taya Trottier 16, Chloe Messerly 10, Aaraya Mount 8, Vanise Little 7, Cece Helgesen 2.

MAL - Allison Kunze 24, Addy Anderson 12, Maddie Williamson 7, Brylee French 5, Justine Lamb 4, Aubri Werk 4, Arena Niebur 3, Lauren Tuss 3, Kennedy Koss 1.

Glasgow 67, Harlem 25

GLA - 14 18 30 5 - 67

HAR - 1 13 7 4 - 25

GLA - Abrianna Nielsen 19, Sabrina Harsh 15, Tyann Graham 10, Daley Aune 6, Carly Nelson 6, Blaire Westby 5, Aspen Stulc 2, Tatum Nyquist 2, Stevie Hartwell 2.

HAR - Chloe Messerly 10, Raelynne Briere 5, Jaden Blackcrow 5, Cece Helgesen 2, Tova Anderson 2, Ma'Lea Moore 1.