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

The Chinook Sugarbeeter boys basketball team got 2020 started in fine fashion, lighting up the scoreboard in a pair of conference wins over the Chester/Joplin-Inverness Hawks Friday and the Hay/Lodge Pole Thunderbirds on Saturday. The Harlem Wildcats were a perfect 5-0 entering Saturday's home contest with the District 1B Rocky Boy Stars but suffered their first defeat of the season.

The Turner Tornadoes dropped a pair over the weekend to the Dodson Coyotes on Friday and a tough overtime loss to the Box Elder Bears on Saturday. The Hays/Lodge Pole Thunderbirds had a tough go of things as well, falling at home on Friday to the Fort Benton Longhorns.

The Sugarbeeters have been impressive start to finish every time they have taken the court this season. They have had no trouble scoring with the ball as their perimeter, shooting is finding its mark, and their post play is dominant. The amazing thing about this team is the speed at which they play and the level of defensive intensity they attack their opponent with.

Friday in Chester the 'Beeters high paced attack on both sides of the ball led to a 21-4 lead after eight minutes of action. Sophomore Toby Niederegger drained a pair from beyond the arc and scored eight in the opening stanza to initiate the fast start.

Chinook pushed the lead to 42-14 by intermission and coasted to a 70-41 District 9C win over the Hawks. The 'Beeters had three players hit double figures in the win, led by junior Reese Elliot's 15 points and eight rebounds. Niederegger finished with 14 in the contest to with seven rebounds and four assists. Junior Benton Elliot added 11 markers in the win.

Saturday in Chinook the 'Beeters hosted the Hays/Lodge Pole Thunderbirds. This night it was the energy of junior Ethan Bell that kick started the team in the opening eight minutes. Bell 11 first quarter points and helped the 'Beeters establish the tempo they wanted to play the game at.

Chinook led 27-12 entering the second quarter and extended their lead to 53-21 by halftime. Chinook would slow the pace down a bit in the second half, but kept their intensity at a high level in earning a 81-38 win over the Thunderbirds to improve to 6-0 on the season and 4-0 in District 9C play.

Elliot was unstoppable on the night, converting all nine of his field goal attempts in scoring 19 points, clearing the glass for six rebounds and collecting thee blocks in the one sided win. Niederegger scored `7, Bell finished with 11 and Neibauer 10.

The Harlem Wildcats steamrolled the competition prior to the Holiday break in achieving a 5-0 record. Saturday afternoon the team hosted the District 1B Rocky Boy Stars and struggled to find any flow in the contest.

The Wildcats trailed 20-14 after eight minutes 47-32 by intermission. By the end of the contest they had suffered their first loss of the season a 83-55 defeat at the hands of the Stars.

The Hays/Lodge Pole Thunderbirds have experienced a severe learning curve this season and entered the new year still in sear of their first win. Friday the Thunderbirds fell at home to the Fort Benton Longhorns 68-49.

The Turner Tornadoes fell to the Dodson Coyotes at home Friday night 70-37. Saturday they were on the verge of their first win of the season when they forced overtime with the Box Elder Bears. in the end though the were defeated 81-74

Chinook 70 Chester/Joplin-Inverness 41

Chinook 21 21 22 6 - 70

Chester/J-I 4 10 15 12 - 41

Chinook - Ethan Bell 3 2-3 9, Hunter Neibauer 2 0-0 4, Damon Hannum 0 0-0 0, Braden Eoff 1 0-0 2, Benton Elliot 5 0-0 11, Toby Niederegger 6 0-3 14, Reese Elliot 7 1-3 15, Ethan MacLeod 3 2-3 8, Oskar Pula 3 1-2 7, Hunter Molyneaux 0 0-0 0. Team Totals 29 6-14 70.

Chester/J-I - Lane Fischer 0 1-2 1, Andrew Woods 0 3-4 3, Kyle Harmon 5 0-1 11, Spencer Richter 2 5-6 9, Bryce Kammerzell 2 0-0 5, Blake Harmon 0 0-0 0, Kealy Haaland 3 0-2 6, Caden Woods 4 0-0 8. Team Totals 15 9-15 41.

Three Point Field Goals - Chinook 4 (Toby Niederegger 2, Ethan Bell 1, Benton Elliot 1), Chester/J-I 2 (Kyle Harmon 1, Bryce Kammerzell 1); Team Fouls - Chinook 18, Chester/J-I 16; Fouled Out - Chester/J-I (Kealy Haaland).

Fort Benton 68 Hays/Lodge Pole 49

Fort Benton 24 18 14 12 - 68

Hays/Lodge Pole 13 10 19 7 - 49

Fort Benton - Damon Bird 2 0-0 5, Jace Thompson 3 1-4 7, Stephen Gannon 2 0-1 4, Jacob Giles 0 0-0 0, Nick Marias 1 0-0 2, Hayden Diekhans 7 2-3 24, Logan Giles 2 0-0 4, Max Lane 1 1-2 3, Garrett Diekhans 1 0-0 2, Andrew Ballantyne 0 0-0 0. Team Totals 25 9-20 68.

Hays/L.P. - Siris Grandchamp 0 1-2 1, Deshon Shambo 3 2-2 8, Wyman Bringing Good 4 1-3 9, Tyshawn Shambo 7 1-3 17, Estevan Granados 6 0-0 12, Ethan Werk 0 0-0 0, Brandon Castillo 0 0-0 0, Lane Kirkaldie 1 0-1 2, Isaiah Denny 0 0-0 0, Davonte Sullivan 0 0-0 0, Cash Messerly 0 0-0 0. Team Totals 20 5-11 49.

Three Point Field Goals - Fort Benton 7 (Hayden Diekhans 6, Damon Bird 1), Hays/L.P. 2 (Tyshawn Shambo 2); Team Fouls - Fort Benton 12, Hays/L.P. 16; Fouled Out - Hays/Lodge Pole (Tyshawn Shambo).

Dodson 70 Turner 37

Dodson 24 13 11 22 - 70

Turner 7 14 8 8 - 37

Dodson - Dwight Werk 4 0-0 8, Zach Jones 4 2-3 10, Alex Werk 2 0-4 5, Shaun Ball 3 2-2 9, Corbin LoneBear 12 0-1 24, Cash Killeagle 0 0-0 0, Jerimiah Benson 6 0-0 12, Julian Benson 0 0-0 0, Kadin Racine 1 0-0 2. Team Totals 32 4-10 70.

Turner - Shay Humphreys 0 0-3 0, Austin Welsh 3 10-15 16, Jack Harmon 2 2-2 7, Shane Kimmel 2 7-11, Charlie Calvert 0 0-0 0, Trent Billmayer 0 1-2 1, Ryan Doyle 1 0-0 2, Trevor Kimmel 0 0-0 0. Team Totals 8 20-33 37.

Three Point Field Goals - Dodson 2 (Shaun Ball 1, Alex Werk 1), Turner 1 (Jack Harmon 1); Team Fouls - Dodson 21, Turner 10; Fouled Out - None.

Chinook 81 Hays/Lodge Pole 38

Hays/Lodge Pole 12 9 11 6 - 38

Chinook 27 26 12 16 - 81

Hays/L.P. - Siris Grandchamp 3 0-2 6, Deshon Shambo 2 0-0 4, Wyman Bringing Good 3 1-2 9, Tyshawn Shambo 5 0-3 10, Estevan Granados 0 1-2 1, Ethan Werk 2 0-0 4, Davonte Sullivan 0 0-0 0, Lane Kirkaldie 1 1-2 4, Isaiah Denny 0 0-0 0, Desmond Yatlin 0 0-0 0, Cash Messerly 0 0-0 0. Team Totals 16 3-11 38.

Chinook - Ethan Bell 4 2-2 11, Hunter Neibauer 3 4-6 10, Damon Hannum 0 0-0 0, Braden Eoff 0 0-0 0, Benton Elliot 3 0-0 7, Toby Niederegger 4 7-12 17, Reese Elliot 9 1-4 19, Ethan MacLeod 2 0-0 4, Oskar Pula 3 0-0 7, Hunter Molyneaux 3 0-0 6. Team Totals 31 14-24 81.

Three Point Field Goals - Hays/L.P. 3 (Wyman Bringing Good 2, Lane Kirkaldie 1), Chinook 5 (Toby Niederegger 2, Ethan Bell 1, Benton Elliot 1, Oskar Pula 1); Team Fouls - Hays/L.P. 15, Chinook 14; Fouled Out - None.

Rocky Boy 83 Harlem 55

Rocky Boy 20 27 20 16 - 83

Harlem 14 18 14 9 - 55

Rocky Boy - Joe Demontiney 5 2-2 12, Ben Crebs 7 4-4 21, Sean Gibson 8 0-0 16, Joe Standingrock 4 0-0 11, Kellen Colliflower 0 0-0 0, Blake Cantrell, Isiah Limberhand 0 0-0 0, Sarinas Mithlo 0 0-0 0. Team Totals 33 9-11 83.

Harlem - Brad Cichosz 4 0-0 9, Tyler Cichosz 5 1-3 12, RJ Ramone 5 0-1 11, Daniel Lawrence 3 0-0 9, Truth Brockie 1 2-3 4, Trent Main 4 0-0 8, Jeiton Long Fox 0 0-0 0, Cassius Johnson 1 0-0 2, Teagan LeValdo 0 0-0 0, Amari Stanley 0 0-0 0. Team Totals 23 3-7 55.

Sugarbeeter senior Hunter Neibauer scores during second half action at home against the Thunderbirds. Neibauer has helped lead the 'Beeters to a 6-0 start on the season.

Three Point Field Goals - Rocky Boy 8 (Ben Crebs 3, Joe Standingrock 3, Blake Cantrell 2), Harlem 6 (Daniel Lawrence 3, RJ Ramone 1, Tyler Cichosz 1, Brad Cichosz 1); Team Fouls - Rocky Boy 10, Harlem 14; Fouled Out - None.

Box Elder 81 Turner 74 OT

Turner 18 18 12 22 4 - 74

Box Elder 16 22 23 9 11 - 81

Turner - Shay Humphreys 0 0-0 0, Austin Welsh 6 11-14 23, Jack Harmon 3 2-2 9, Shane Kimmel 17 5-14 39, Charlie Calvert 0 0-0 0, Colton Honey 0 0-0 0, Trevor Kimmel 1 1-2 3. Team Totals 27 19-32 74.

Box Elder - Gabe Sadler 6 2-3 14, Tyrus LaMere 6 5-6 20, Kadyn Duran0 1-4 1, Malique Rosette 3 0-0 7, Jayden Jilot 2 2-2 7, Tayce St. Pierre12 1-2 25, Jayden Gopher 2 0-0 5, Cameron Eagleman 1 0-0 2. Team Totals 32 11-15 81.

Three Point Field Goals - Turner 1 (Jack Harmon 1), Box Elder 6 (Tyrus LaMere 3, Malique Rosette 1, Jayden Jilot 1); Team Fouls - Turner 23, Box Elder 0; Fouled Out - Turner (Jack Harmon, Austin Welsh, Trevor Kimmel).