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

The Harlem Lady Cats locked up the District 2B crown with a thumping of the Poplar Indians Saturday afternoon on the road 70-38. Harlem avenged a two point loss to the Shelby Coyotes Friday night with a 46-41 road win. Harlem finishes the regular season with a 7-1 mark in conference play and an overall record of 15-3. Harlem also fished the regular season as the No. 3 ranked team the Class B State Power Poll.

The Lady Cats earned the top spot by virtue of a three point win a couple of weeks ago in Wolf Point. The Wolves had won the first meeting between the two teams by two points in Harlem back in December but the extra point in their most recent win gave them the tiebreaker. The Wolves currently hold the No. 2 spot in the latest power poll.

The Turner Tornadoes split their final two games of the regular season. Thursday, at home, they played a solid game against the top seeded Box Elder Bears, falling 86-73 in a high scoring affair. Friday the Tornadoes were in Big Sandy where they capped the regular season with a 62-24 thumping of the Pioneers.

The Chinook Sugarbeeters were at home Friday night where they were defeated by the North Star Knights 54-37. Saturday the 'Beeters fell to the Fort Benton Longhorns 69-15. The Hays/Lodge Pole Thunderbirds also suffered a pair setbacks as well, falling in Roy Friday night to the Outlaws 59-26. Saturday the T-birds lost to the Box Elder Bears 84-48.

In Shelby Friday night the Lady Cats were looking to avenge an earlier loss at home to the Coyotes but the home team held a slim 14-10 advantage over the visitors after eight minutes of action.

Harlem got a three point bucket and five points from junior L'Tia Lawrence in the opening stanza and were just getting started.

Lawrence knocked down another triple in the second and the Lady Cats got buckets from sophomore Melonie Fetter, freshman Taya Trottier and junior Kristyn Kittson, outscoring the Coyotes 11-8 in the second to close the gap to one, 22-21 by halftime.

Lawrence added six more points in the third to help the Lady Cats stay within one, 35-34 heading into the fourth quarter of action.

Senior Skylee Dirden found her mark from beyond the arc and scored five big points down the stretch for the Lady Cats. Lawrence was money from the line in the closing minutes, connecting on all six attempts from the charity stripe to put the finishing touches on a 46-41 win over the Coyotes.

Lawrence finished with 22 points in the contest to lead the Harlem attack. Dirden and Trottier each added 10.

With the win Harlem now owns victories over the District 2B's top two teams heading into the post season.

Saturday the girls traveled east to Poplar to take on the Indians in the final come of the regular season.

Lawrence and Fetter each knocked down triples early on, helping Harlem take a 16-3 lead into the second quarter. The offense would struggle heading into halftime, scoring just five points in the quarter and held a slim 21-17 advantage at intermission.

Harlem got the offense going a bit in the third quarter with Trottier draining a pair from long range and scoring nine of the teams 16 points in the quarter.

With a nine point advantage, 37-28 entering the fourth, the Lady Cats kicked the offense into another gear and finished strong down the stretch. Trottier connected on seven attempts from the field in the fourth, scoring 14 points in the final eight minutes to power the Lady Cats to a 70-36 win in the season finale.

Trottier led the attack with 25 points in the contest. Lawrence added 14 for the District 2B conference champions and Dirden contributed 13.

Thursday night in Turner, The Box Elder Bears were in town and fans were witness to a high scoring affair between two of the District 9C's top three teams.

The undefeated Bears started fast, putting up 27 first quarter points, but the Tornadoes were up for the challenge scoring 18 themselves to begin the contest.

Turner kept pace with the Bears before the half scoring 18 more in the second quarter. Sophomore Shyan Krass scored nine in the second to help keep the Tornadoes in striking distance, trailing 46-36 at the break.

The Two teams would continue to race up and down the court in the second half but the Tornadoes were unable to close the gap on the Bears, falling 86-73.

Krass led the Turner girls with 26 points, while junior Sarah Billmayer added 15. Senior Rylee Conlan chipped in 11 and senior Melanie Watkins added 10 for the Tornadoes.

Friday in the season finale, the team headed to Big Sandy to take on the Pioneers.

Turner stepped on the gas right off the bat, racing out to a 23-0 lead at the end of the first quarter.

The Tornadoes held a 37-4 advantage at the half time break and cruised to a comfortable 62-24 win over the Pioneers.

Krass again led the effort with 16 points. Watkins scored 12 and Billmayer 11 for the Tornadoes.

The District 2B Tournament begins Thursday night with a play-in game between the No. 4 Glasgow Scotties and the No. 5 Poplar Indians. The winner of that contest earns the right to play the No. 1 Harlem Lady Cats Friday night in the semifinals.

The No. 2 Wolf Point Wolves and the No. 3 Malta M-ettes will play the other semifinal with the winners meeting Saturday night in the championship. Losers will play in the consolation final and all four teams will advance to the Northern B Divisional in Malta, February 21-23.

The District 9C Girls Tournament gets underway today at the Havre High School Gymnasium and will conclude Friday evening with the championship getting underway at 8:30 p.m.. The consolation final will tip off at 7:00 p.m. The first game of the tournament features the top seeded Box Elder Bears (14-0, 18-0) taking on the No. 8 Big Sandy Pioneers (0-14, 2-16) at 1:00 p.m. Game number two will pit the No. 4 North Star Knights (8-6, 11-7) against the No. 5 Hays/Lodge Pole Thunderbirds (5-9, 5-14). The winners of those two contests will play Thursday at 7:00 p.m. in the first semifinal. Losers will play Thursday morning at 8:00 a.m.

The other half of the bracket begins today at 6:00 p.m. and will have the No. 3 Turner Tornadoes (10-4, 13-5) taking on the No. 6 Chinook Sugarbeeters (5-9, 7-11) at 6:00 p.m. The No. 2 Fort Benton Longhorns (12-2, 16-2) will play the No. 7 Chester/Joplin-Inverness Hawks at 7:30 p.m. with the winners playing at 8:30 p.m. Thursday night in the other semifinal. Losers will meet Thursday morning at 9:30 a.m.

The top three teams at the District 9C will advance to the Northern C Divisional in Great Falls.

The Northern C Girls Divisional will get underway Wednesday, February 20 at 8:00 a.m. and will conclude with the championship Friday night at 8:30 p.m. The top two teams at the Northern C will advance to the state tournament in Belgrade.

Girls Basketball

Harlem 46 Shelby 41

No. 3 Harlem 10 11 13 12 - 46

Shelby 14 8 13 6 - 41

Harlem: Kristyn Kittson 1 0-0 2, MacKenzie Doney 0 0-0 0, Skylee Dirden 4 1-2 10, Melonie Fetter 1 0-0 2, L'Tia Lawrence 6 8-8 22, Taya Trottier 4 1-3 10, Taeshon Scheaffer 0 0-0 0, Aria Owens 0 0-0 0. Team Totals 1610-13 46.

Shelby: Maddison Underdal 6 4-6 16, Skyler Martin 1 3-3 5, Bailey Johnson 4 5-8 13, Brogan McAllister 2 0-0 4, Brielle Aklestad 1 1-2 3, . Team Totals 14 13-19 41.

Three Point Field Goals: Harlem 4 (L'Tia Lawrence 2, Skylee Dirden, Taya Trottier), Shelby 0; Team Fouls: Harlem 18, Shelby 13; Fouled Out: L'Tia Lawrence (Harlem).

Box Elder 86 Turner 73

Box Elder 27 19 17 23 - 86

Turner 18 18 16 21 - 73

Box Elder - Annalise Johnson 0 0-0 0, Sarah Parisian 6 4-9 20, Talyssa Oats-Horn 0 0-1 0, Eve The Boy 1 0-0 2, Maddie Wolf Chief 8 1-3 17, Lillian Gopher 4 2-4 11, Joelnell Momberg 11 7-8 31, Zayna Henderson 1 1-2 3, Britney Lafromboise 1 0-0 2. Team Totals 32 15-27 86

Turner: Raegan Conlan 1 0-1 2, Sarah Billmayer 6 2-2 15, Rylee Conlan 4 0-0 11, Melanie Watkins 3 3-6 10, Brandy Calvert3 1-2 7, Laci Maloney 0 0-0 0, Brooke Reed 1 0-0 2, Shyan Krass 11 4-6 26. Team Totals 29 10-17 73.

Three Point Field Goals: Box Elder 7 (Sarah Parisian 4, Joelnell Momberg 2), Turner 5 (Rylee Conlan 3, Sarah Billmayer, Melanie Watkins); Team Fouls: Box Elder 18, Turner 21; Fouled Out: None

North Star 54 Chinook 37

North Star 18 9 15 12 - 54

Chinook 10 6 11 20 - 37

North Star: Laynie Sattoriva 1 0-0 2, Jade Wendland 8 4-5 23, Kenidee Wolery 2 0-0 4, Paij Peterson 2 3-4 7, Tanicha Hudson 0 0-0 0, Olivia King 3 0-0 7, Shayla Borlaug 5 0-0 10, Saige Scheresky-O'Neil 0 1-2 1, Kaytlyn Domire 0 0-1 0, Rainee Watson 0 0-1 0. Team Totals 21 8-13 54.

Chinook: Jade Cecrle 0 1-2 1, Megan Molyneaux 1 2-2 5, Ginger Hauer 1 0-2 2, Kourtney Hanson 5 2-5 12, Delaney Kellam 0 0-0 0, Ashley MacLeod 0 0-0 0, Lily Surber 0 0-0 0, Lincy Johnson 3 0-0 8, Rachel Gunderson 1 1-2 3, Allison Powell 3 0-0 6. Team Totals 14 6-13 37.

Three Point Field Goals: North Star 4 (Jade Wendland 3, Olivia King), Chinook 3 (Lincy Johnson 2, Megan Molyneaux); Team Fouls: North Star 15, Chinook 16; Fouled Out: None

Roy/Winifred 59 Hays/Lodge Pole 26

Hays/Lodge Pole 5 5 2 12 - 26

Roy/Winifred 22 22 9 6 - 59

Hays/Lodge Pole: Tahtianna Whitecow-Morgan 1 2-4 5, Kassi Perez 0 0-0 0, Sierra Chandler 0 0-0 0, Justine Gray 1 0-0 2, Nashone Shambo 0 0-2 0, Latasha Kirkaldie 2 0-2 4, Rayleigh Kirkaldie 1 0-2 1, Shante Hawley 0 0-0 2, Jaedyn Chandler 2 0-0 4, Mulleeah Stiffarm 1 3-5 5, Lakota Pretty Paint 1 0-0 2. Team Totals 9 5-15 24.

Roy/Winifred: Dyauni Boyce 4 0-1 8, Olivia Geer 3 2-6 9, Madeline Heggem 7 5-6 19, Cassie Smith 5 1-2 11, Trinity Edwards 3 0-0 6, Megan Bergum 1 0-0 2, Josie Russel 1 0-0 2. Team Totals 24 8-15 59.

Three Point Field Goals: Three Point Field Goals: Hays/L.P. 1 (Tahtianna Whitecow-Morgan), Roy/Win 1 (Olivia Geer); Team Fouls: Hays/L.P. 17, Roy/Win 12; Fouled Out: None.

Fort Benton 69 Chinook 15

Chinook 4 5 6 0 - 15

Fort Benton 20 26 12 11 - 69

Chinook: Megan Molyneaux 0 1-2 1, Ginger Hauer 0 0-0 0, Kourtney Hanson 2 0-0 4, Delaney Kellam 0 1-2 1, Ashley MacLeod 0 0-0 0, Lily Surber 0 0-0 0, Lincy Johnson 0 0-2 0, Rachel Gunderson 3 0-3 6, Allison Powell 1 1-2 3. Team Totals 6 3-11 15.

Fort Benton - Cassie Nack 1 0-0 2, McKenzie Clark 2 4-5 8, Ashlee Wang 2 0-0 4, Aspen Giese 11 0-2 23, Sam Vielleux 0 0-0 0, Maci Molinario 4 2-2 10, Megan Clark 2 0-0 6, Cloe Kalanick 1 2-2 5, Hadley Cook 1 0-0 2, Leah Gannon 2 3-4 9, McKenna Hanford 0 0-0 0. Team Totals 26 11-15 69.

Three Point Field Goals: Chinook 0, Fort Benton 5 (Aspen Giese 2, Megan Clark 2); Team Fouls: Chinook 18, Fort Benton 14; Fouled Out: None

Box Elder 84 Hays/Lodge Pole 48

Box Elder 17 34 20 13 - 84

Hays/Lodge Pole 11 12 16 9 - 48

Box Elder - Annalise Johnson 1 2-2 5, Sarah Parisian 3 0-0 8, Talyssa Oats-Horn 0 0-0 0, Eve The Boy 5 1-2 12, Maddie Wolf Chief 5 4-7 14, Lillian Gopher 4 0-2 9, Kyla Momberg 0 0-0 0, Joelnell Momberg 7 6-8 23, Zayna Henderson 5 0-2 11, Britney Lafromboise 1 0-0 2. Team Totals 31 13-25 84.

Hays/Lodge Pole: Tahtianna Whitecow-Morgan 0 0-0 0, Kassi Perez 2 0-0 6, Sierra Chandler 0 0-0 0, Justine Gray 1 0-0 2, Latasha Kirkaldie 3 0-0 6, Rayleigh Kirkaldie 3 0-0 6, Shante Hawley 0 0-0 2, Jaedyn Chandler 6 0-0 14, Mulleeah Stiffarm 6 0-0 14, Lakota Pretty Paint 0 0-0 0. Team Totals 15 0-0 48.

Three Point Field Goals: Box Elder 9 (Joelnell Momberg 3, Sarah Parisian 2), Hays/L.P. 4 (Sierra Chandler 2, Kassi Perez 2); Team Fouls: Box Elder 9, Hays/L.P. 19; Fouled Out: Mulleeah Stiffarm (HLP), Zayna Henderson (BE).

Harlem 70 Poplar 36

No. 3 Harlem 16 5 16 33 - 70

Poplar 3 14 11 8 - 36

Harlem: Kristyn Kittson 2 0-0 4, MacKenzie Doney 0 0-0 0, Skylee Dirden 5 3-7 13, Melonie Fetter 2 0-0 5, L'Tia Lawrence 6 1-3 14, Taya Trottier 11 1-4 25, Taeshon Scheaffer 0 0-0 0, Gabi Bell 0 0-0 0, Alaynee Hawley 2 0-0 4, Tamica Cole 0 0-0 0, Aria Owens 1 0-0 2, Shontelle Talks Different 1 0-0 3. Team Totals 35 5-14 70.

Poplar: Jacora Youngman 1 2-2 4, Riley Macdonald 3 0-0 9, Sasha Youngman 1 2-4 5, Hailey Berg 0 0-2 0, Mercedee Dionne 0 0-0 0, Lilyann Taflan 3 0-0 7 Chloe Belton 1 1-2 3, Keandra Marteil 0 0-0 0, Macey Dionne 3 2-2 8. Team Totals 12 7-12 36.

Three Point Field Goals: Harlem 6 (Taya Trottier 2, Melonie Fetter, L'Tia Lawrence, Alanee Hawley, Shontelle TalksDifferent), Poplar 5 (Riley MacDonald 3); Team Fouls: Harlem 13, Poplar 12; Fouled Out: None

Turner 62 Big Sandy 24

Turner 23 14 14 11 - 62

Big Sandy 0 4 13 7 - 24

Turner: Raegan Conlan 0 0-0 0, Sarah Billmayer 3 4-5 11, Dakota Krass 1 0-0 2, Rylee Conlan 3 0-0 7, Melanie Watkins 4 4-4 12, Brandy Calvert 0 0-0 0, Laci Maloney 1 0-0 2, Brooke Reed 4 0-0 8, Shyan Krass 8 0-0 16, Lacey Hickel 1 2-3 4. Team Totals 25 6-12 62.

Big Sandy: Laynee Ophus 1 0-0 2, Stacey Allderdice 0 0-0 0, Kylee Sternberg 0 0-0 0, Amiya Griffith 0 0-0 0, Grace Finke 0 0-0 0, Madison Terry 0 0-0 0, Lainey Gregory 2 0-2 6, Jaylyn Cline 2 3-5 9, Amanda Cline 3 0-0 7, Seanna Demontiny 0 0-0 0, Caydence Pleninger 0 0-0 0. Team Totals 8 3-7 24.

Three Point Field Goals: Turner 2 (Sarah Billmayer 1, Rylee Conlan 1), Big Sandy 6 (Lainey Gregory 2, , Jaylyn Cline 2, Amanda Cline 1); Team Fouls: Turner 10, Big Sandy 8; Fouled Out: None

District 2B Girls Standings

Team Conf Overall

No. 2 Wolf Point 7-1 16-2

No. 3 Harlem 7-1 15-3

Malta 3-5 10-7

Glasgow 2-6 6-12

Poplar 1-8 9-8

Sophomore Melonie Fetter has provided a big boost to the Lady Cat attack, both offensively and defensively.

District 9C Girls Standings

Team Conf Overall TP

#1 Box Elder Bears 14-0 18-0 +113

#2 Fort Benton Longhorns 12-2 16-2 +87

Turner Tornadoes 10-4 13-5 +52

North Star Knights 8-6 11-7 +18

Chinook Sugarbeeters 5-9 7-11 -25

Hays/L.P. Thunderbirds 5-9 5-13 -35

Chester/J-I Hawks 2-12 4-14 -101

Big Sandy Pioneers 0-14 2-16 -109