Bears are Back: Box Elder beats Big Sandy in 9C girls opener

It's been a roller coaster of a season for the Box Elder Bears. In many ways, it was to be expected after the incredible ride the Bears went on a year ago, a ride that took them all the way to the state championship game.

And while the Bears might not have been the tournament favorite when the District 9C girls extravaganza got underway Thursday afternoon inside the HHS gymnasium, here the Bears are, still alive as the defending 9C champions.

Thanks to a 52-44 win over fourth-seeded Big Sandy in the first round of the 9C tourney, Box Elder will face Chinook for a spot in Friday night's championship game.

"I think we are starting to play more together," first-year head coach Colby Minert said. "We're playing more as a team now, and that was big for us today."

Box Elder did come up big when the Bears had to. In what was expected to be a close matchup, the Bears and Pioneers were tied at 7-7 after the first quarter. From there, the Pioneers would go up by as many as five points thanks to buckets from star Eva Yaedon, but a 3-pointer by Ariel Gopher tied the game at 15-15, and ultimately led to a 9-0 Bears run, and a 24-9 halftime lead.

But the big damage was done in the third quarter. Box Elder would go on a 10-0 run, thanks to key steals and layups from Meiyah Oats and Tayleigh Sunchild. The lead would eventually grow to 40-24 at the end of the third quarter, and while Box Elder's offense was clicking, it was the defensive end where Minert thought the difference was.

"We told two of our girls at halftime, we need to shut down number 20 - she's Big Sandy's stud player, she's really good)" Minert said. "So we rotated those two on her, and she didn't score in the third quarter, and that helped us get a lead. So those two really sacrificed a lot for the team today."

Yeadon did help the Pioneers go on a quick 7-0 run in the fourth quarter, but Gopher answered with a big shot to end the run, and the Bears would hold on for a huge win, as they improved to 10-9 on the season.

Box Elder got a huge effort from the trio of Sunchild, who had 17 points, Gopher who finished with 16 and Oats, who scored 15. The Bears also turned Big Sandy over 20 times, while the Pioneers, who were playing without star Eva Wagoner, who suffered an injury last Saturday, got 19 points and 11 rebounds from Yeadon, while Angie Sant scored 10.

With the loss, the Pioneers fell to 12-7 on the season and had to play Turner in a loser-out game this morning.

Meanwhile, Box Elder gets a rematch of last year's 9C championship game against Chinook, only this time, the Beeters will be the favorites.

"I think if we keep playing together, if we do all the little things you have to do in basketball well, we'll be OK," Minert said. "Chinook is a great team, but I also think we have a great chance. I really believe that."

Box Elder 52, Big Sandy 44

Box Elder 7 17 16 12 - 52

Big Sandy 7 12 5 20 - 44

Box Elder - Martay Russette 2, Tayleigh Sunchild 17, Meyiah Oats 15, Ariel Gopher 16.

Big Sandy - Jenny Sant 1, Jaihven Baumann 7, Mattie Gasvoda 2, Malaysia Baumann 3, Eva Yaedon 19, Angie Sant 10, Keira Galbavy 2.

3-pointers: Maumann 1, Oats 2, Gopher 1. Fouls: 17, Big Sandy 16; Fouled out: None.