The Blaine County Journal News-Opinion - We've Got The County Covered

The Chinook Sugarbeeters concluded the first half of the District 9C schedule with a perfect 7-0 record following wins over the North Star Knights 64-44 Friday evening and the Fort Benton Longhorns 66-58 Saturday Knight.

The Hays/Lodge Pole Thunderbirds (7-3, 6-1) sit right behind Chinook in the conference standings after taking down the Box Elder Bears Saturday 77-56 and the Big Sandy Pioneer Monday 89-55.

This Thursday the Two teams will square off in Chinook.

Chinook led 18-10 after eight minutes Friday evening in a battle between top teams in the District 9C.

Junior Cord Schneider converted an old fashion three point play to extend the 'Beeter lead to 22-12. Junior Brendan Edwards later scored four in a row as Chinook opened a 36-22 lead late in the first half.

Junior Isaac Bell began the second half scoring for the Sugarbeeters with a long three point bucket and followed with a sweet pass to his brother, freshman Ethan Bell for a 51-35 lead.

After North Star closed to 51-40, Isaac scored four straight before making a nice steal and saving the ball to Ethan who then found junior Riley Kellam for an easy bucket and a 58-40 'Beeter advantage.

Chinook would finish strong in securing a 64-44 win. Isaac Bell finished with 12 points in the contest as did Schneider and Kellam. Edwards added eight points and seven rebounds.

Saturday the 'Beeters faced a Longhorn team in Fort Benton that was dialed in from long range.

Edwards knocked down the first triple of the game for a 5-0 Chinook lead. Junior Trajan Hannum ignited the defense by taking a charge and Schneider scored seven first quarter points to help the 'Beeters open a 17-6 lead after one quarter of action.

From the start of the second until the final buzzer the game was played even and at a high level.

Junior James Christensen scored going to the basket and knocked down a pair of free throws to give Chinook its biggest lead of the half 21-9.

Fort Benton had an answer, and it was from long range as they hit four from beyond the arc including a buzzer beater to end the first half and trim Chinooks lead to 31-25 at the break.

Hannum opened the third with a three of his own. Schneider scored twice in the paint and Kellam converted an offensive rebound into two points as Chinook opened a 40-27 advantage.

The Longhorns again converted from distance narrowing the Chinook lead to 43-39. The Bell brothers each scored to end the third and Isaac found Kellam to start the fourth giving Chinook a 50-39 lead.

Schneider later converted a pair from the charity stripe and Isaac Bell finished the 'Beeter break with a slam to push the lead to 60-46 with just over three minutes remaining.

The 'Beeters were able to convert from the line down the stretch to hold off the Longhorn attack to secure a 66-58 win.

Chinook has had their struggles at the line during the season but the team converted 19-24 free throws in the win including 13 in the fourth quarter.

Schneider finished the game with 16 points and six rebounds. Isaac Bell added 15 points and seven rebounds while Kellam finished with eight points and five boards.

The Thunderbirds made the trip to Roy Friday to take on the Outlaws in a non-conference clash.

The Thunderbirds had their chances throughout the contest but in the end it was Roy/Winifred pulling out a 64-61 win.

The Thunderbirds responded with a pair of conference wins over Box Elder and Big Sandy.

Saturday Hays/Lodge Pole was money from beyond the arc, draining 12 three pointers in a 77-56 win over the Box Elder Bears.

The Thunderbirds knocked down three from long range in the first quarter to open a 23-16 lead. Senior Moke Cliff hit two in the second as the Thunderbirds secured a 40-35 halftime lead.

Cliff hit two more in the third as did senior Tony Sears to help the Thunderbirds to a 61-44 advantage entering the fourth quarter.

Hays/Lodge Pole hit five more from downtown in the final stanza to win going away 77-56. Senior Chance Main led the attack with 21 points while cliff knocked down five triples and 17 points. Sears finished with four bombs and 13 points.

Monday the Thunderbirds completed their make up contest with the Big Sandy Pioneers, winning 89-55. No stats were available at press time.

The Turner Tornadoes fell to the Box Elder Bears in the final minutes 69-68 Thursday and bounced back Friday with a 74-68 win over the Big Sandy Pioneers.

Thursday the Tornadoes opened up a 22-8 lead over the Bears after eight minutes but Box Elder won the next three quarters to escape with a 69-68 win over the Tornadoes. Junior Cody Welsh poured in 26 points in the loss

Friday Turner played from behind early, trailing 42-32 at halftime before turning the tables in the second half. Turner outscored Big Sandy 42-23 in the final to quarters to pick up a 74-36 win. Welsh led the charge with 34 points.

The Harlem Wildcats dropped a pair of hard fought contests over the weekend. Friday the Wildcats fell to the Shelby Coyotes 68-61 and Saturday to the Poplar Indians 64-56.

The Wildcats won the first and fourth quarters but were outscored in the third 19-9 in a loss to the District 1B Coyotes Friday night 68-61.

Sophomore Brad Cichosz led the Wildcat effort with 19 points.

Saturday senior Kyle Young junior knocked down a long three midway through the fourth quarter to bring Harlem within one of the Poplar Indians 51-50.

Moments later, Young would tie the contest at 54-54 but the Indians pulled away down the stretch to hand the Wildcats their first conference loss 64-56.

Harlem sits in second place in the District 2B at 3-1 and are 3-7 overall.

Boys Basketball Box Scores

Chinook 64 North Star 44

North Star 10 12 10 12 - 44

Chinook 18 14 14 18 - 64

North Star: Dylan Miller 8 9-13 25, Dane Miller 1 0-2 2, Caden Rettig 1 0-0 3, Payne Ditmar 0 0-0 0, Hayden Massar 1 0-0 2, Devon Miller 2 4-8 8, Thomas Nerat 2 0-0 4. Team Totals 15 13-23 44.

Chinook: Isaac Bell 5 0-0 12, Ethan Bell 5 0-0 10, James Christensen 1 0-0 2, Trajan Hannum 3 1-2 8, Reece Elliot 0 0-0 0, Riley Kellam 4 4-4 12, Brendan Edwards 4 0-2 8, Cord Schneider 5 2-5 12, Tamer Jamieson 0 0-0 0. Team Totals 27 7-13 64.

Three Point - Chinook 3 (Isaac Bell 2, Trajan Hannum 1), North Star 1 (Caden Rettig 1); Total Fouls - Chinook 17, North Star 12; Fouled Out - None.

Roy/Winifred 64 Hays/Lodge Pole 61

Hays/L.P. 12 12 20 17 - 64

Roy/Winifred 14 22 13 17 - 61

Roy/Winifred: Bryer Shultz 1 0-0 2, Cody Bergum 3 3-4 10, Justin Stulc 9 3-6 25, Ryan Russell 2 0-0 4, Tyler Fordyce 6 11-20 23. Team Totals 20 18-29 64.

Hays/L.P.: Moke Cliff 2 0-0 4, Michael Ball 3 0-0 7, Tony Sears 0 0-0 0, Damian Bradley 10, Jeff Stiffarm 0, David Main 6, Isiah RunsAbove 1 0-0 2, James Brockie 0 0-0 0, Chance Main 12 6-11 32. Team Totals 23 8-13 61.

Three Point - Roy/Winifred 5 (Justin Stulc 4, Cody Bergum 1), Hays/L.P. 5 (Chance Main 2, Damian Bradley 2, Michael Ball 1); Total Fouls - Roy/Winifred 8, Hays/L.P. 25; Fouled Out - Hays/L.P. (David Main).

Shelby 68 Harlem 61

Shelby 12 19 19 18 - 68

Harlem 15 17 9 20 - 61

Shelby: TJ Reynolds 12 6-7 31, Brock Witted 0 0-0 0, , Zach Torgerson 1 2-5 5, Aaron White 8 1-4 20, Kade Leck 0 3-4 3, Logan Watson 1 0-1 2, Macaser McAllister 3 0-0 6. Team Totals 25 12-21 68.

Harlem: Taggert Devaney 2 0-2 5, Samuel Main 4 0-0 9, Zane Fox 0 0-0 0, Kyle Young Jr. 2 0-0 4, Lane Allen 4 3-5 12, Brad Cichosz 8 0-2 19, Ryle Foote 6 0-0 12. Team Totals 36 3-9 61.

Three Point - Shelby 8 (Aaron White 6, TJ Reynolds 1, Zach Torgerson 1), Harlem 6 (Brad Cichosz 3, Lane Allen 1, Taggert Devaney 1, Samuel Main 1); Total Fouls - Shelby 12, Harlem 22; Fouled Out - Harlem (Taggert Devaney, Kyle Young Jr.).

Box Elder 69 Turner 68

Turner 22 16 14 16 - 68

Box Elder 8 18 17 26 - 69

Turner: Austin Welsh 0 1-3 1, Jack Harmon 2 1-2 5, Kurt Calvert 0 0-1 0, Trevor Kimmel 0 0-0 0, Cody Welsh 9 6-7 26, Shane Kimmel 6 3-6 16, Ethan Heilig 0 0-0 0, Shane Humphreys 0 0-0 0, Eddie Harmon 6 2-5 14, Tracer Heilig 3 0-0 6. Team Totals 26 13-24 68.

Box Elder: Nacona Limberhand 2 1-4 7, Kadyn Duran 2 0-0 5, Chris Burns 12 2-2 18, J. Anders 2 1-2 5, Peyton Gardipee 5 1-2 11, Jayden Jilot 0 0-0 0, Malique Rosette 0 0-0 0, Quintin Limberhand 3 0-2 6, Seth Duran 2 1-6 6, P. Zander 0 0-0 0. Team Totals 28 7-20 69.

Three Point - Box Elder 6 (Chris Burns 2, Nacona Limberhand 2, Kadyn Duran 1, Seth Duran 1), Turner 5 (Ryan Roth 4, Kade Strutz 1); Total Fouls - Box Elder 24, Turner 18; Fouled Out - Box Elder (Quintin Limberhand, Peyton Gardipee), Turner (Eddie Harmon).

Chinook 66 Fort Benton 58

Chinook 17 14 16 19 - 66

Fort Benton 6 19 14 19 - 58

Chinook: Isaac Bell 5 2-3 15, Ethan Bell 2 3-4 7, James Christensen 1 4-4 6, Trajan Hannum 2 2-2 11, Reece Elliot 0 0-0 0, Riley Kellam 3 2-2 8, Brendan Edwards 3 0-0 7, Cord Schneider 5 6-9 16, Tamer Jamieson 0 0-0 0. Team Totals 21 19-24 66.

Fort Benton: Andy Giles 5 2-2 16, Damon Bird 6 1-1 15, Logan Giles 2 0-0 4, Garett Diekhans 5 2-5 12, Hayden Diekhans 4 2-2 14, Max Lane 0 0-0 0, Jace Pimperton 1 0-0 2. Team Totals 26 6-9 62.

Three Point - Chinook 5 (Isaac Bell 3, Trajan Hannum 1, Brendan Edwards 1), Fort Benton 10 (Hayden Diekhans 6, Andy Giles 4); Rebounds - Chinook 32 (Isaac Bell 7); Assists - Chinook 16 (Trajan Hannum 5); Steals - Chinook 7 (Isaac Bell 2); Total Fouls - Chinook 20, Fort Benton 22.

Hays/Lodge Pole 77 Box Elder 56

Box Elder 16 19 9 14 - 56

Hays/L.P. 23 17 21 17 - 77

Box Elder: Nacona Limberhand 6 1-2 16, Kadyn Duran 3 0-0 6, Chris Burns 5 3-4 12, Peyton Gardipee 0 0-0 0, Jayden Jilot 0 0-0 0, Malique Rosette 0 0-0 0, Quintin Limberhand 3 0-1 6, Cameron Eagleman 0 0-0 0, Jerel A. 1 1-2 4. Team Totals 24 9-13 56.

Hays/L.P.: Moke Cliff 66 0-0 17, Michael Ball 2 0-0 5, Tony Sears 5 0-0 13, Siris Grandchamp 0 0-0 0, Damian Bradley 0 0-0 0, Jeff Stiffarm 2 1-2 5, David Main 5 0-0 11, Spencer Grandchamp 0 0-0 0, James Brockie 2 0-0 4, Chance Main 8 3-6 21. Team Totals 30 5-11 77.

Three Point - Box Elder 4 (Nacona Limberhand 3, Chris Burns 1), Hays/L.P. 12 (Moke Cliff 5, Tony Sears 3, Chance Main 2, Michael Ball 1, David Main 1); Total Fouls - Box Elder 12, Hays/L.P. 14; Fouled Out - None.

Turner 74 Big Sandy 68

Turner 19 13 23 19 - 74

Big Sandy 18 24 10 13 - 65

Turner: Austin Welsh 1 3-8 6, Jack Harmon 1 0-0 2, Kurt Calvert 0 0-0 0, Trevor Kimmel 0 0-0 0, Cody Welsh 15 3-4 34, Shane Kimmel 3 3-5 10, Ethan Heilig 0 0-0 0, Shane Humphreys 0 0-0 0, Eddie Harmon 5 0-0 11, Tracer Heilig 5 1-8 11. Team Totals 30 10-25 74.

Big Sandy: Parker Proulx 0 0-1 0, Ryan Roth 9 2-2 22, Ethan Wagoner 0 0-0 0, Brady Pleninger 1 0-0 2, Kade Strutz 3 2-4 8, Cam Schwarzbach 0 0-2 0, Jeremiah Genereux 1 0-0 3, Clint Darlington 6 0-0 12, Brock Proulx 8 1-2 18. Team Totals 28 5-11 65.

Three Point - Turner 4 (Austin Welsh 1, Cody Welsh 1, Shane Kimmel 1, Eddie Harmon 1), Big Sandy 4 (Ryan Roth 2, Brock Proulx 1, Tevin Haugen 0 0-0 0, Jeremiah Genereux 1); Total Fouls - Big Sandy 25, Turner 16; Fouled Out - Big Sandy (Kade Strutz), Turner (Eddie Harmon).

Poplar 64 Harlem 56

Poplar 11 16 17 20 - 64

Junior Brendan Edwards scores two third quarter points during Chinooks 64-44 win over the North Star Knights. The Sugarbeeters finished the first half of the conference schedule 7-0 and are 9-1 overall.

Harlem 18 10 14 14 - 56

Poplar: Kenny Smoker 16, Wynn Main 10, Damon Saddler 30, Darryl Doe 2, Dion Hopkins 6. Team Totals N/A.

Harlem: Taggert Devaney 4, Samuel Main 4, Kyle Young Jr. 12, Lane Allen 6, Brad Cichosz 16, Ryle Foote 14. Team Totals N/A.

Chester/J-I 70 Big Sandy 62

Big Sandy 16 18 11 17 - 62

Chester/J-I 19 23 18 10 - 70

Big Sandy: Parker Proulx 2, Ryan Roth 23, Ethan Wagoner 0, Brady Pleninger 1, Kade Strutz 14, Cam Schwarzbach 0, Clint Darlington 21, Brock Proulx 18. Team Totals N/A.

Chester/J-I: Jackson Diemert 11, Andrew Woods 9, Nathan Bender 7, Spencer Richter 13, Evan Dahinden 24, C. Davis 1, Tyler Wanken 3, Green 2. Team Totals N/A.

Monday, January 15

Hays/Lodge Pole 89 Big Sandy 55