Bears win Northern C boys crown

It was less than a decade ago the Box Elder boys basketball team had quite the run. Now, the Bears seem to be doing it again.

Led by head coach Jeremy MacDonald, the Bears captured the 2024 Northern C Divisional Tournament this past weekend at the Four Seasons Arena in Great Falls.

In the championship game Saturday, Box Elder gutted out a 54-45 win over the stellar Belt Huskies. Star Tracen Jillott led the way with 31 points, two rebounds and three blocks, while Alex Four Colors dropped in 10 boards in the hard-fought victory.

Box Elder, which is still undefeated this season, reached the title game by beating Winnett-Grass Range in the semifinals, 69-41. In that victory, Jillott scored 26 points and Four Colors had seven boards, while Tuarie Stiffarm-Rosette added 11 points and six rebounds.

While Box Elder punched its ticket to the state tourney, Belt has to play W-GR in a Northern C Challenge Game tonight in Great Falls. That's because the Rams upended 9C foe Chester-Joplin-Inverness 54-52 in the Northern C consolation game Saturday. 

After a 62-53 semifinal loss to Belt Friday, the Hawks rebounded with a 58-48 win over Roy-Winifred Saturday morning. That victory gave the Hawks a chance at a challenge game, but they fell just short in the loss to the Rams.

On the girls side, the 9C could still see a team go to state. That's because the upstart Big Sandy Pioneers are playing in a Northern C Challenge Game tonight in Great Falls.

After losing to eventual champion Roy-Winifred in the quarterfinals Thursday, the Pioneers stormed their way through the loser-out bracket.

First, Big Sandy took out the Cascade Badgers 59-36 Friday morning, then they knocked off the Belt Huskies in a thrilling win, 66-59 Saturday morning.

On the other side of the bracket, the 9C champions CJI Hawks were making a run, too. On Friday morning, the Hawks beat Augusta 58-46, then in another 9C battle, CJI beat Fort Benton 44-35 to advance to the consolation game.

On Saturday night, CJI and Big Sandy met for the fourth time this season, and this time, the Pioneers won in a wild, 46-45 affair. Jai Baumann scored 19 points for Big Sandy, while Keira Galbavy added 11. The Hawks were led by Brynn Kammerzell's double-double with 21 points and 10 boards.

Big Sandy will now have a chance to join the Box Elder boys at the Class C state tournament, which takes place March 6-8 right back at the Four Seasons Arena. To get there, the Pioneers will need to beat W-GR tonight in Great Falls. The Northern C Girls Challenge Game tips off ar 6 p.m.