Box Elder starts strong, Chinook falls at Northern C

As the Northern C Divisional girls basketball tournament continued Thursday at the Four Seasons Arena in Great Falls, the Box Elder Bears and the Chinook Sugarbeeters finally got in on the action. The District 9C champion Box Elder Bears started the tournament well as they won, 56-23, against Geraldine-Highwood. But on the other hand, 9C runner-up Chinook lost, 55-23, to Roy-Winifred.

The Chinook Sugarbeeters fell behind early in their loss to Roy-Winifred Thursday afternoon. The Sugarbeeters fell behind early as the Outlaws raced out to an early 12-0 lead. After Megan Bergmun knocked down a 3-pointer, Laynee Elness scored four straight points to keep things rolling. Madeline Heggem then made a basket and Elness knocked down a three to give Roy-Winifred a 12-0 lead halfway through the opening frame.

The Sugarbeeters did not score until there was about two minutes left in the quarter when Hallie Neibauer nailed a three. Elness made a free throw down the stretch to give the Outlaws a 13-3 lead to end the quarter.

The second quarter was also low scoring for the Sugarbeeters. Elness scored to extend the lead to 15-3. Bree Swanson then made a three to cut the deficit to 15-6 halfway through the quarter. But the Outlaws took full control of the game with an 8-0 run to end the half. Heggem and Elness continued to lead the way on offense as the Outlaws took a 23-6 lead into halftime.

The Outlaws started the second half with another 8-0 run to further pull away. Isabelle Heggem scored a pair of baskets, her second one giving Roy-Winifred a 31-6 lead with about five minutes left in the third. The Sugarbeeters got some momentum with a three from Britton Elliot and some buckets from Neibauer to cut into the deficit. But the Outlaws scored down the stretch to take a 41-16 lead into the fourth.

The Outlaws continued to play well in the fourth quarter as they went on to win. Neibauer led the Sugarbeeters with 10 points while Elness led Roy-Winifred with 17 points.

In an attempt to keep its season alive, Chinook played Cascade in a loser-out game this morning. Roy-Winifred will play Fort Benton in the semifinals tonight at 7 p.m. at the Four Seasons Arena in Great Falls.

On Thursday night, the Box Elder Bears started the tournament with a dominant win over Geraldine-Highwood. The Bears got on an early roll as Mariah Arkinson scored the first six points of the game. She got things started the night with a 3-pointer and then made a layup and one free throw. After a Rival bucket, Angela Gopher got involved with three straight points for the Bears.

It was then Kyla Momberg's turn as she made three buckets in a row to stretch the lead further. Buckets from Breanna Bacon and Momberg helped the Bears take a 19-2 lead to end the first quarter.

Arkinson got the second quarter started with a three and Gopher followed that up with a pair of free throws. After Trinity Tinsen made some free throws for the Rivals, Gopher and Bacon kept things rolling with a pair of scores. Lauren Crowder was able to score for the Rivals but the Bears ended the half on a 5-0 run for a 33-6 lead at halftime.

Even with the sizable halftime lead, the Bears continued to roll in the third quarter as they stretched the lead to 49-14. In the fourth quarter, the Bears ran out the clock as they cruised to the win to open the tournament.

Momberg finished the game with 14 points while Gopher contributed 13 points. Arkinson also made an impact with 12 points after making a trio of threes. Crowder led the Rivals with seven points.

The Box Elder Bears now advance to the Northern C semifinals where they will play Belt at 5:30 p.m. tonight at the Four Seasons Arena in Great Falls.

Roy-Winifred 55, Chinook 23

RW - 13 10 18 14 - 55

CHI - 3 3 10 7 - 23

RW - Laynee Elness 17, Madeline Heggem 10, Isabelle Heggem 10, Jayda Southworth 9, Megan Bergum 5, Daniela Artamendi 2, Hannah Ewen 2.

CHI - Hallie Neibauer 10, Bree Swanson 5, Britton Elliot 3, Addison Olsen 3, Anna Terry 2.

3-pointers: RW 4-17 (Laynee Elness 2, Megan Bergum 1, Isabelle Heggem 1), CHI 4-19 (Bree Swanson 1, Britton Elliot 1, Hallie Neibauer 1, Addison Olsen 1). Fouls: RW 4, CHI 15. Fouled Out: None.

Box Elder 56, Geraldine-Highwood 23

BE - 19 14 16 7 - 56

GH - 2 4 8 9 - 23

BE - Kyla Momberg 14, Angela Gopher 13, Mariah Arkinson 12, Breanna Bacon 6, Tayleigh Sunchild 4, Makaela Kelly 3, Meiyah Sutherland 2, Annalise Johnson 2.

GH - Lauren Crowder 7, Ellie Aron 6, Azzia Rowland 4, Trinity Tinsen 4, Lizzie Summers 2.

3-pointers: BE 4-11 (Mariah Arkinson 2, Angela Gopher 1, Tayleigh Sunchild 1), GH 1-8 (Lauren Crowder 1). Fouls: BE 6, GH 14. Fouled Out: None.