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

It was a successful start to the 2019-20 basketball season for the three Blaine County teams in action this past weekend. The Harlem Lady Cats, Hays/Lodge Pole Thunderbirds and Turner Tornadoes all got their seasons underway while the Chinook Sugarbeeters will have to wait until this weekend to begin theirs.

The Harlem Lady Cats looked sharp in picking up a pair of wins at the Native American Classic in Great Falls. Friday, Harlem ran past St. Ignatius 69-31 and Saturday they added a 47-27 win over the Browning JV. The Hays/Lodge Pole Thunderbirds are starting to see their hard work they have put in over the past few years pay off as they earned a pair of lopsided wins in Great Falls as well. Friday the Thunderbirds blew out Heart Butte 57-16 and Saturday they were too much for Kanai in a 59-31 route.

The Tornadoes were in Glasgow at the Class C Showcase where they earned a split in their two games against quality opponents. Friday, the Plentywood Wildcats got the best of the Tornadoes 47-44, but the girls bounced back Saturday afternoon to win a thriller 61-60 over the North Country Mavericks.

The Lady Cats wasted little time in taking control of their season opener against St. Ignatius. Senior Kristyn Kittson knocked down a pair of threes and sophomore Taya Trottier added to help the Lady Cats storm out to a 23-4 lead after eight minutes.

Kittson drained another from beyond the arc and senior Kailee Henry added a trifecta of her own to help extend their lead. Senior L'Tia Lawrence contributed 11 first half points as Harlem led 35-14 at the break.

The Lady Cats kept the offense rolling in the third quarter, outscoring St. Ignatius 21-11 on the strength of 10 points from Henry. Harlem cruised through the fourth quarter, securing a season opening 69-31 victory. Trottier led the offensive attack with 22 points. Lawrence added 15 and Henry 13 in the win.

Saturday the Lady Cats took on the Browning Indian JV and while the opponent provided a bit more of a test, the Lady Cats were in firm control start to finish. Harlem opened up a 14-6 lead after one quarter and pushed their advantage to 25-10 by the end of the first half.

Trottier caught fire to start the third, scoring 10 of the teams 14 points on the quarter to put Harlem in complete control, leading 39-17 with eight minutes remaining. The Lady Cats maintained the advantage down the stretch to earn a 47-27 win and start the season 2-0. Trottier led the way with 13 markers while Henry ans senior Aria Owens each added nine.

The Hays/Lodge Pole Thunderbirds have high expectations for the upcoming season and they got the season started off on the right foot. Friday the Thunderbirds started strong taking a 12-4 lead into the second quarter of their season opener against the Heart Butte Warriors. Hays/Lodge Pole extended the margin to 29-9 by intermission. Junior Ella Messerly dropped in a pair from long distance and scored eight first half points to help guide the Thunderbird offense.

The second half saw the Thunderbirds remain in complete control, outscoring the Warrior 17-4 in the third to bust the game wide open. Hays/Lodge Pole cruised down the stretch to win their opener 57-16. Junior Jaedyn Chandler led the offensive attack with 19 points, including 13 in the second half. Messerly added eight in the win.

Saturday the Thunderbirds took on Kanai and were steady in their attack. The Thunderbirds led just 12-8 after one quarter of action but quickly found their rhythm to start the second, outscoring the Warriors 18-4 to take a 30-12 halftime lead.

Hays/Lodge Pole would push that lead to 45-16 by the end of the third quarter and match the Warriors effort the remainder of the contest to win their second game of the young season 59-31.

Chandler again paced the offensive attack with a 16 point effort. Messerly added 11 and senior Mulleeah Stiffarm chipped in 9.

The Turner Tornadoes opened the 2019-20 campaign in Glasgow at the Class C Showcase. The competition was stiff with the Turner girls opening up against the Plentywood Wildcats.

The game was a back and forth affair with each team having their chances to gain control throughout. Turner took a 12-9 advantage into the second quarter but the Wildcats were able to pull even by intermission, 24-24. Plentywood took a 35-33 advantage into the fourth quarter and were able to hold on down the stretch defeating the Tornadoes 47-44. Senior Sarah Billmayer and juniors Laci Maloney and Shyan Krass each scored 12 in the contest.

Saturday the Tornadoes were looking to bounce back against another quality opponent in the North Country Mavericks. In what turned out to be an early season classic the Tornadoes were able to do just that. Turner opened up a 10 point lead (19-9) early and then held on for a narrow, hard fought 61-60 win.

Krass led the Tornado offensive attack with 27 points in the win. Krass scored seven in the first, added eight more before the half and chipped in 9 fourth quarter points to help secure the win. Billmayer was again solid with a 20 point night and Maloney added eight in helping the Tornadoes even their record at 1-1

Harlem 69 St. Ignatius 31

St. Ignatius 4 10 11 6 - 31

Harlem 23 12 21 13 - 69

St Ignatius - Kanolyana Buck 0 2-2 2, Olivia Garland 3 1-2 7, Hunter Eichert 0 0-0 0, Kooper Page 2 0-0 4, Mody Currie 0 0-2 0, Annalyria DeMontiney 0 0-0 0, Courtney Mitchell 2 0-0 4, Sydney Branden 2 0-0 4, Azla Umphrey 4 1-2 10. Team Totals 13 4-8 31.

Harlem - Kristyn Kittson 3 0-0 9, Gabi Bell 1 2-2 4, Alaynee Hawley 1 0-0 2, Kailee Henry 6 0-0 13, Vanise Little 0 0-0 0, L'Tia Lawrence 7 0-0 15, Taya Trottier 9 3-4 22, Taeshon Schaeffer 0 0-0 0, Chloe Messerly 1 0-0 2, Aria Owens 1 0-0 2. Team Totals 29 5-6 69.

Three Point Field Goals - St. Ignatius 1 (Azla Umphrey 1), Harlem 7 (Kristyn Kittson 3, Taya Trottier 2, Kailee Henry 1, L'Tia Lawrence 1); Team Fouls - St. Ignatius 6, Harlem 12; Fouled Out - None.

Harlem 47 Browning JV 27

Browning JV 6 4 7 10 - 27

Harlem 14 11 14 8 - 47

Browning JV - Tonaya Sinclair 1 1-2 3, Banaa B 0 2-2 2, Alyssa Skjold 0 0-0 0, Larissa Lahr 1 0-0 3, Jaralynn wells 0 1-2 1, Kinsley Bird 4 0-2 10, Mishayla Croff 0 0-0 0, Brailey Racine 1 3-4 5, Paris Vaile 0 1-2 1, Abby Bullcalf 0 2-4 2. Team Totals 7 10-20 27.

Harlem - Kristyn Kittson 1 0-0 2, Gabi Bell 0 0-2 0, Alaynee Hawley 2 0-0 4, Kailee Henry 2 4-5 9, Vanise Little 0 0-0 0, L'Tia Lawrence 2 2-2 6, Taya Trottier 4 4-6 13, Taeshon Schaeffer 1 0-0 3, Chloe Messerly 0 1-2 1, Aria Owens 4 0-0 9. Team Totals 16 11-17 47.

Three Point Field Goals - Browning JV 3 (Kinsley Bird 2, Larissa Lahr 1), Harlem 4 (Aria Owens 1, Taya Trottier 1, Kailee Henry 1, Taeshon Schaeffer 1); Team Fouls - Browning JV 9, Harlem 15; Fouled Out - None.

Plentywood 47 Turner 44

Plentywood 9 15 11 12 - 47

Turner 12 12 9 11 - 44

Plentywood - Annie Kaul 1 0-0 2, Tomarra Kittleson 0 0-0 0, Kylee Kleppen 0 0-0 0, Ashtyn Curtiss 5 1-6 15, Shayla Fawcett 2 0-0 5, Megan Marriage 1 0-0 2, Emma Brensdal 1 0-0 2, Liv Wangerin 10 1-4 21, Autumn Heppner 0 0-0 0. Team Totals 20 2-10 47.

Turner - Dakota Krass 0 0-0 0, Sarah Billmayer 6 0-0 12, Brandy Calvert 0 2-2 2, Laci Maloney 4 2-2 12, Brooke Reed 3 0-0 6, Shyan Krass 5 1-2 12. Team Totals 18 5-6 44.

Three Point Field Goals - Plentywood 5 (Ashtyn Curtiss 4, Shayla Fawcett 1), Turner 3 (Laci Maloney 2, Shyan Krass 1); Team Fouls - Plentywood 8, Turner 12; Fouled Out - Turner (Sarah Billmayer).

Turner 61 North Country 60

North Country 9 19 19 13 - 60

Turner 19 14 12 16 - 61

North Country - Elise Strommen 0 0-0 0, Kia Wasson 7 2-2 22, Kaitlynn McColly 9 6-10 25, Jaycee Erickson 0 3-4 3, Kelsee Cummings 1 0-0 2, Danilla Soper 0 0-0 0, Jaydyn Erickson 1 0-0 2, Zandora Longtree 3 0-0 6. Total 21 11-16 60.

Turner - Dakota Krass 0 0-0 0, Sarah Billmayer 9 2-5 20, Brandy Calvert 0 2-2 2, Laci Maloney 3 2-2 8, Brooke Reed 2 0-0 4, Shyan Krass 10 5-7 27. Team Totals 24 11-16 61.

Three Point Field Goals - North Country 7 (Kia Wasson 6, Kaitlynn McColly 1), Turner 2 (Shyan Krass 2); Team Fouls - North Country 18, Turner 13; Fouled Out - None.

Hays/Lodge Pole 57 Heart Butte 16

Heart Butte 4 5 4 3 - 16

Hays/Lodge Pole 12 17 17 11 - 57

Heart Butte - Neveah alf Boss Ribs 0 0-0 , Malea Day Chief 1 0-0 2, Mamie Kennedy 0 2-2 2, Jodee Cree Medicine 3 0-0 8, Tearra Calf Boss Ribs 1 0-2 2, Taynoya Racine 0 0-2 0, Shay White 0 1-2 1, Nicole Jorgenson 0 1-2 1, Jesslyn Rutherford 0 0-0 0. Total 5 4-10 16.

Hays/L.P. - Nashone Shambo 1 0-0 2, Ella Messerly 3 0-0 8, Judemia Gray 0 0-0 0, Kassie Perez 2 1-1 5, Sierra Chandler 2 3-4 7, Lakota Pretty Paint 0 1-2 1, Heidi Hughes 1 0-0 2, Tahtianna Morgan 3 0-0 6, Justice Werk 0 0-0 0, Jaedyn Chandler 8 2-2 19, Mulleeah Stiffarm 3 0-0 7. Team Totals 23 7-9 57.

Hays/Lodge Pole senior Mulleeah Stiffarm has been a leader of the Thunderbird girls for the past three seasons. This weekend in Great Falls she and her Thunderbird teammates picked up a pair of lopsided wins over Heart Butte and Kanai.

Three Point Field Goals - Heart Butte 2 (Jodee Cree Medicine 2), Hays/L.P. 4 (Ella Messerly 2, Jaedyn Chandler 1, Mulleeah Stiffarm 1); Team Fouls - Heart Butte 9, Hays/L.P. 11; Fouled Out - None.

Hays/Lodge Pole 59 Kanai 31

Kanai 8 4 4 15 - 31

Hays/Lodge Pole 12 18 15 14 - 59

Kanai - C. Wells Creighton 3 9-18 15, A. Day Chief 0 0-0 0, T Day Chief 0 2-2 2, A Eagle Plume 2 1-2 5, J. Eagle Plume 2 3-6 7, T. Crow Eagle 0 0-0 0, J. Many Fingers 0 0-0 0, C Day Chief 0 0-2 0, K. Big Swallow 0 0-0 0, K. First Rider 1 0-0 2. Total 8 15-16 31.

Hays/L.P. - Nashone Shambo 1 1-1 3, Ella Messerly 4 1-2 11, Judemia Gray 2 0-0 4, Kassie Perez 0 0-0 0, Sierra Chandler 3 0-2 6, Lakota Pretty Paint 0 2-4 2, Heidi Hughes 0 0-0 0, Tahtianna Morgan 2 2-3 6, Justice Werk 0 0-0 0, Jaedyn Chandler 6 3-6 16, Mulleeah Stiffarm 3 1-2 9. Team Totals 21 10-20 59.

Three Point Field Goals - Kanai 0, Hays/L.P. 6 (Ella Messerly 2, Jaedyn Chandler 1, Mulleeah Stiffarm 2, Sierra Chandler 1); Team Fouls - Kanai 8, Hays/L.P. 19; Fouled Out - Hays/L.P. (Judemia Gray).