The Chinook Sugarbeeter boys basketball team returns to the court this season with their sights set on making a run at the Class C boys State Tournament in Billings, March 7-9. The 'Beeters battled injuries a season ago while finishing fourth at the Northern C a look to stay healthy and take the next step.

Head Coach Mike Seymour has a strong team returning with a ton of experience and depth. Seniors Isaac Bell and Cord Schneider are both All-State performers and have been All-Conference selections the previous three seasons. Also back is Riley Kellam and Brendan Edwards, both were District 9C All-Conference a season ago. James Christensen also returns and is a hard nosed defender with plenty of experience. Trajan Hannum also has plenty of experience and will return to guide the offense.

Junior Hunter Neibauer is back and will be a strong contributor on both sides of the ball. Sophomores Ethan Bell and Reece Elliot earned valuable tournament experience as freshman and will be counted on.

Also back for their sophomore seasons are Benton Elliot, Ethan MacLeod and Damon Hannum.

Freshman, getting their first taste of high school basketball will be Hunter Molyneaux, Braden Eoff, Bryden Friede, Oskar Pula and Toby Niederegger.

The team has plenty of size to put on the court with Edwards and Elliot topping the 6'6" mark and Isaac and Cord at 6'5". Kellam and Neibauer are 6'1" making the 'Beeters one of the tallest teams in the state.

Seymour is in his eighth season as Head Coach is well aware of what's in front of this team, "We know what is at stake with this group and we are very goal oriented. We have some high profile athletes on the team, but they know individual sacrifices will need to be made for team success."

"The team is working very hard and I am impressed with their attitudes and enthusiasm. The seniors are showing great leadership and we are focusing on sound team defense," said Seymour.

The team is full of players who have put in countless hour in the gym and have a very high basketball IQ. The team is very familiar with each others style and has become a very cohesive unit that puts team first. "I feel like our depth and experience is one of our strengths and this depth is going to help us be very successful. We are going to be able to play 9-10 players deep without losing skill level on the floor. Hopefully we can avoid the injury bug this year," concluded Seymour.

The 'Beeters will look to get the season off to a fast start this Friday and Saturday when they head down the road to Chester to take part in the Hawks annual pre-season showcase. The 'Beeters will open play Friday afternoon against the Sunburst Refiners at 4:00 p.m. Saturday the team will take on the Power Pirates, also at 4:00 p.m. both games are non-conference.

The team will then prepare for the start of the District 9C schedule which begins on Friday, December 14 when they will welcome the Hays/Lodge Pole Thunderbirds to town. Saturday the boys will hit the road for another 9C clash in Big Sandy against the Pioneers.

The 'Beeters will close out 2018 with a home contest against the Chester/Joplin-Inverness Hawks on Friday, December 21. They will then travel to Box Elder to face the Bears on Saturday, December 22 before heading into the holiday break..

The 'Beeters will return to the court on Thursday, January 3 when they head east to face former Class B rival Harlem in a non-conference clash. The boys will play their first home contest of the new year on Saturday, January 5 when they will welcome the Turner Tornadoes to town.

They first half of the District 9C schedule will conclude with a road contest against the North Star Knights on Friday, January 11 and a home game against the Fort Benton Longhorns on Saturday, January 12.

The teams will then play each other one more time in the same order with the home teams swapping. The 'Beeters will honor it's seniors in their final home game of the season, Friday, February 8 against the North Star Knights.

The District 9C Tournament will again be played in Havre at the High School gymnasium. The tournament will run February 13-16 with the top three teams advancing to the Northern C Divisional in Great Falls, February 20-23 at the Four Seasons Arena, The top two teams from there will advance to the State Tournament.

The boys state tournament will be played in Billings at the Rim Rock Auto Arena, March 7-9.