Thunderbirds one step closer to securing No. 1 seed; Chinook, Turner blast Chester J-I
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Wendy VanValkenburg/Randy Perez
Thunderbird All-State point guard Tyson Shambo scores two of his team high 15 points Friday night.
The Hays/Lodge Pole Thunderbirds moved a step closer to clinching the number one seed at this years District 9C Tournament following a pair of lopsided victories over the North Star Knights 73-38 and the Big sandy Pioneers 81-28 to improve to 13-1 overall and 10-0 in conference play.
The Chinook Sugarbeeters completed the season sweep of the Chester-Joplin-Inverness Hawks on Friday 57-18. Saturday the 'Beeters fell to the Box Elder Bears 55-43.
The Turner Tornadoes picked up another conference win racing past Chester J-I 73-52 in their only contest of the weekend.
The Harlem Wildcats dropped a pair of contests to the Rocky Boy Stars 71-53 on Friday and fell on Saturday to the Cut Bank Wolves 89-55.
Hays/L.P. 79 North Star 38
The Thunderbirds wasted little time in taking control of their contest with the North Star Knights Friday evening storming out to a 26-7 lead in the opening quarter.
The Thunderbirds didn't slow down in the second quarter extending the margin to 45-17 by the halftime break.
Hays/Lodge Pole was on cruise control the entire second half but still added to their lead in both the third and fourth quarters before securing a 73-38 conference win over the Knights.
Senior Frank RunsAbove tallied 20 points in the win. Junior Chance Main added 11 markers for the Thunderbirds and senior Tyson Shambo contributed 10.
Hays/L.P. 81 Big Sandy 28
The offense was in high gear from the opening tip scoring 33 points in the first quarter getting 9 points apiece from RunsAbove and senior Jace Shambo.
The Thunderbirds added 25 second quarter points to take a 58-15 halftime lead coasting to a 81-28 win over the Pioneers.
Ten players found the scoring column for the Thunderbirds including four with double figures.
Jace Shambo led the way with 16 points, RunsAbove added 15 more. Tyson Shambo and junior Ryle Foote each added 10 in the win.
Chinook 57 Chester J-I 18
The Chinook Sugarbeeters completed the regular season sweep of the Chester-Joplin-Inverness Hawks Friday night with a 57-18 shellacking Friday night.
The Sugarbeeters dominated both sides of the court, scoring 20 first quarter points while shutting out the Hawks in the process.
Sophomore Isaac Bell knocked down a pair of triples and scored 12 points in the first eight minutes of action for the 'Beeters.
Senior Kyle McMaster and sophomore Trajan Hannum each drained three's in the second quarter helping Chinook to extend the lead to 31-9 by intermission.
The 'Beeters kept things rolling in the third quarter outscoring the Hawks 17-4 picking up six points from senior Wade Schneider.
Chinook got the entire roster involved in the contest, picking up the 57-18 conference win.
Bell finished with 23 points in the contest Wade Schneider added 10 and sophomore Cord Schneider eight in the victory.
Turner 73 Chester J-I 52
The Turner Tornadoes picked up their third straight conference win Saturday night, taking a 73-52 victory over the Chester-Joplin-Inverness Hawks.
Junior Eddie Harmon scored eight first quarter points and sophomore Cody Welsh added six as Turner took a 18-7 lead.
Turner extended the advantage to 35-21 by halftime. The Tornadoes doubled up the Hawks 12-6 in the third quarter to hold a 47-27 advantage with eight minutes remaining.
Both teams cranked up the offense down the stretch as they combined for 51 fourth quarter points with Turner extending the lead by one to earn a 73-52 conference win.
Junior Eddie Harmon scored a remarkable 34 points in the win including a pair from beyond the arc. Welsh finished with 15 in the Tornado victory.
Box Elder 55 Chinook 43
Wendy VanValkenburg/Randy Perez
Hays/Lodge Pole senior Frank RunsAbove put together another solid effort in the Thunderbirds 60-43 win over Chinook. Runs Above score 11 points in the win helping the first place Thunderbirds improve to 11-1 on the season.
The Chinook Sugarbeeters got the start they wanted against the Box Elder Bears Saturday evening, picking up 10 first half points from sophomore Cord Schneider as they held a 24-20 advantage heading into the third quarter of action.
The Bears however controlled the action over the final two quarters. Box Elder took a 37-34 lead into the fourth quarter before earning a 55-43 win over Chinook.
Cord Schneider finished with 20 points in the contest including 8-9 from the charity stripe. Bell finished with 10 points in the contest.
The District 9C Tournament begins on Wednesday February 15. Currently the Thunderbirds hold the top seed while the Chinook Sugarbeeters are 9-5 overall, 6-5 in conference and sit in the number three spot. The Turner Tornadoes hold the six seed with a 5-8 overall mark, 3-6 in conference.
The District 2B takes place in Glasgow beginning on Thursday, February 16.
