Hi-Line Boys: Pioneers, Bears perefect on 9C's first full week

With the holiday break soon coming up, high school boys basketball teams across the Hi-Line will be looking to finish 2022 on the right foot. Over this past week, some Hi-Line teams have begun to find their strides while others are still searching for their identities.

Hi-Line basketball began this past Tuesday with a couple of games. In a meeting between the Rocky Boy boys basketball team and the Hays-Lodge Pole boys basketball team in Hays, Rocky Boy dominated for a 73-38 victory on the road.

Both teams played well in the first quarter as the Stars only had a 10-6 lead to end the frame. Even though they stretched their lead in the second quarter, the Stars only had a 26-18 lead at halftime.

But the Stars began to dominate in the second half to pull away for the win. By the end of the third quarter, the Stars had stretched their lead to 47-30.

They dominated the Thunderbirds even further in the fourth quarter to win the game to start the week. Joe Standing Rock led the Stars with 13 points while Teague Stump and Kellen Colliflower each scored 12 points.

In a matchup between District 9C teams, the Fort Benton boys basketball team and the Big Sandy boys basketball team met up Tuesday in Big Sandy. In the first district game for both teams this winter, the Big Sandy Pioneers pulled off the 58-47 win over the Longhorns.

The Pioneers got off to a strong start as they jumped out to a 16-7 lead in the first quarter. They cooled off in the second quarter, but still had a 24-15 lead at the half. Both offenses got rolling in the third quarter with the Pioneers maintaining a 39-30 lead heading to the fourth.

The Pioneers continued to roll on offense to outscore the Longhorns in the fourth to secure the win. Braydon Cline had a strong night as he led the team with 18 points while Kody Strutz scored 14 points.

Hi-Line basketball continued Friday with several District 9C matchups. In Box Elder, the Box Elder boys basketball team defeated Chester-Joplin-Inverness 85-70. The Bears got hot early as they jumped out to a 22-17 lead in the first quarter.

At halftime, the Bears were looking good with a 41-34 lead. In the third, they looked even better as they pushed their advantage to 63-48. The Hawks got their offense going in the fourth, but the Bears continued to score to close out the win. Tuarie Stiffarm-Rosette led Box Elder to victory with 26 points while Blake Harmon led the Hawks with 27 points.

In another 9C meeting in Turner, the Turner boys basketball team earned a tough, 52-47, victory over Fort Benton. The Tornadoes started strong as they took a 16-9 lead in the first quarter. They then stretched their lead to 38-22 by halftime.

The Longhorns began to claw their way back in the second half. Heading into the fourth, Turner's lead was 46-32. Despite a Fort Benton surge in the fourth, the Tornadoes held on to win. Ryan Doyle led Turner with 23 points in the game.

In Rudyard, the North Star boys basketball team won, 66-43, against visiting Hays-Lodge Pole. After the Knights jumped out to a 16-7 lead, the Thunderbirds responded to cut their deficit to 28-21 by the half.

In the third, the Knights retook momentum to stretch their lead to 47-34. The Knights then pulled away in the fourth to win the game. Garrett Spicher went off as he led the Knights with 27 points while Daniel Henry led HLP with 17 points.

Down in Big Sandy, the Pioneers continued their strong week with a 67-52 win over Chinook. The Pioneers started the game by taking a 21-14 lead in the first quarter. By halftime, the Pioneers had a 32-24 lead.

The Pioneers continued to play well in the third as they pushed their lead to 47-35. They continued to roll on offense in the fourth to pull away with the game. Pedraza led the team with 25 points in the game.

Also on the Hi-Line Friday night, the Harlem boys basketball team suffered an 88-52 loss to Malta on the road. The Mustangs started the game by taking a 22-19 lead over the Wildcats. They then dominated the second quarter to make their lead, 41-26, at the half. In the second half, the Mustangs pulled away for the victory.

More Hi-Line basketball took place Saturday. In Chester, the CJI Hawks defeated Turner, 58-32, to end the week. The Hawks took a 16-7 lead in the first quarter before stretching their lead to 30-11 by halftime. In the second half, the Hawks cruised to win the game. Braden Mattson led CJI with 15 points while Carson Maloney led Turner with 17 points.

Down in Fort Benton, the Fort Benton Longhorns pulled out a tough 48-45 win over the North Star Knights. After the game started with a 14-14 tie, the Longhorns pulled ahead to take a 25-23 lead into halftime.

The Knights responded in the third quarter to cut their deficit to 31-30. But in the fourth, the Longhorns edged the Knights to come away with the win. Landis Arganbright led Fort Benton with 15 points while Spicher led North Star with 14 points.

In Rocky Boy, the Rocky Boy Stars found themselves in a tough game against Shelby that went to overtime. At the end of the night, the Stars lost, 67-65, to the visiting Coyotes. The Stars started the game strong as they jumped out to a 20-9 lead. The Coyotes were able to respond as they cut their deficit to 26-20 at halftime.

The Coyotes had a strong third quarter to pull ahead 42-40. The Stars were able to recover in the fourth to tie the game and force overtime. But in overtime, the Coyotes eked out the win over the Stars. Stump led the Stars with 21 points in the loss.

At home Saturday, the Harlem Wildcats could not keep up with the Poplar Indians as Harlem lost, 75-52, to end the week. Marley Stewart led the Wildcats with 15 points in the losing effort.

In a 9C matchup in Chinook, the Box Elder Bears got the better of the Sugarbeeters with an 89-69 victory. The Bears started strong as they jumped out to a 27-18 lead. By halftime, the Bears had a 55-30 lead. Heading to the fourth, the Bears had stretched their advantage to a 69-46 lead. The Bears then cruised to victory in the fourth to close out their weekend.

On Saturday in Hays, the Big Sandy Pioneers capped off their weekend with a 53-40 win over the Hays-Lodge Pole Thunderbirds. With the win, the Pioneers improved to 6-0 on their season.

Hi-Line basketball will continue tonight with Hays-Lodge Pole visiting Fort Benton and North Star visiting Box Elder. CJI will also host Sunburst in a game tonight.

Tuesday

Rocky Boy 73, Hays-Lodge Pole 38

RB - 10 16 21 25 - 73

HLP - 6 12 12 8 - 38

RB - Joe Standing Rock 13, Teague Stump 12, Kellen Colliflower 12, Domitri Standing Rock 8, Aeron Gopher 8, Phoenix Henry 7, Kaleb Caplette 4, Dion Lodgepole 4, Tayshaun Seaton 3, Kenny Corcoran 2.

Big Sandy 58, Fort Benton 47

FB - 7 8 15 17 - 47

BS - 16 8 15 19 - 58

BS - Braydon Cline 18, Kody Strutz 14, Isaac Pedraza 13, Wylee Snapp 7, Cooper Taylor 2, Rusty Gasvoda 2, Jake Darlington 2.

Friday

Box Elder 85, CJI 70

CJI - 17 17 14 22 - 70

BE - 22 19 22 22 - 85

CJI - Blake Harmon 27, Karson Pulst 19, Braden Mattson 18, Ryland St. John 2, Nate Nelson 2, Adam Grammar 2.

BE - Tuarie Stiffarm-Rosette 26, Matthias Blackbird 16, Tracen Jilot 15, King Ragged Robe 7, Theron Oates Jr. 6, Skylar Walker 6, Dreydon Anderson 3, Julian Henry 3.

Turner 52, Fort Benton 47

FB - 9 13 10 15 - 47

TUR - 16 22 8 6 - 52

FB - B. Grossman 15, B. Evans 13, K. Diekhans 3, T. Giese 3, S. Smith 2, G. Arganbright 2.

TUR - Ryan Doyle 23, Carson Maloney 6, Caleb Zellmer 6, Charlie Calvert 6, Trent Billmayer 6, Tate Beck 5.

North Star 66, Hays-Lodge Pole 43

HLP - 7 14 13 9 - 43

NS - 16 12 19 19 - 66

HLP - Daniel Henry 17, Davontae Sullivan 5, Chuy Aguirre 5, Kaleb Walker 4, Russell Plainfeather 4, William Hughes Jr. 4, Richard Gone 3, Teaunce Brockie 1.

NS - Garrett Spicher 27, Gavin Spicher 10, Carter Campbell 8, G. Clawson 8, S. Mansfield 5, M. Berg 2, P. Hansen 2, D. Wolery 2, C. Burkhartsmeyer 2.

Big Sandy 67, Chinook 52

CHI - 14 10 11 17 - 52

BS - 21 11 15 20 - 67

BS - Isaac Pedraza 25, Ryder Galbavy 14, Braydon Cline 11, Kody Strutz 10, Cooper Taylor 4, Jake Darlington 3.

Malta 88, Harlem 52

HAR - 19 7 12 14 - 52

MAL - 22 19 33 14 - 88

Saturday

CJI 58, Turner 32

TUR - 7 4 7 14 - 32

CJI - 16 14 10 18 - 58

TUR - Carson Maloney 17, Charlie Calvert 5, Trent Billmayer 4, Tate Beck 4, Ryan Doyle 2.

CJI - Braden Mattson 15, Karson Pulst 13, Blake Harmon 9, Nate Nelson 9, Ryland St. John 5, Adam Grammar 4, Elijah Sanders 3.

Fort Benton 48, North Star 45

NS - 14 9 7 15 - 45

FB - 14 11 6 17 - 48

NS - Garrett Spicher 14, G. Clawson 8, Carter Campbell 7, S. Mansfield 6, Gavin Spicher 6, C. Burkhartsmeyer 2, M. Berg 2.

FB - L. Arganbright 15, K. Diekhans 9, S. Smith 7, David Olsen 5, G. Arganbright 5, B. Evans 4, B. Grossman 2, S. Herzog 1.

Shelby 67, Rocky Boy 65

SHE - 9 11 22 12 13 - 67

RB - 20 6 14 14 11 - 65

SHE - Kyle McDermott 31, Trenton Emerson 14, Hayden Schilling 9, Randon Richman 8, Bryce Lee 2, Kody Standiford 2, William Patterson 1.

RB - Teague Stump 21, Joe Standing Rock 17, Aeron Gopher 15, Domitri Standing Rock 7, Jayden Gopher 4, Kellen Colliflower 1.

Poplar 75, Harlem 52

HAR - Marley Stewart 15, Tommy Chapange 12, Moses Lawrence 6, Diondre First Raise 6, Chantry Johnson 6, Christian Beaumont 2, Terrance Messerly 1.

POP - Geordie Medicine Cloud 22, Delray Lilley 21, Kameron Reum 8, Walker Burshia 8, Kanile Ricker 6, Cetan Growing Thunder 6, Preston Ogle 2.

Box Elder 89, Chinook 69

BE - 27 28 14 20 - 89

CHI - 18 12 16 22 - 69