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

The Harlem Wildcats stayed hot from beyond the arc this past weekend improving to 9-1 in the season in the process. After scorching the nets for 15 three point bombs in a lopsided win over Glasgow, the Wildcats dropped 17 from distance in a 110-63 win over the Poplar Indians Saturday afternoon. Friday the Wildcats drained 10 triples in a 92-59 win over the Box Elder Bears.

The Chinook Sugarbeeters cross the midway point of the season with a 8-2 overall record. Chinook rolled to a 86-57 win over the North Star Knights in Gildford Friday. Saturday a depleted lineup had the Sugarbeeters on their heels in a 71-39 setback to the Fort Benton Longhorns.

The Hays/Lodge Pole Thunderbirds have been on the brink of several wins this season only to see victory elude them. This weekend was more of the same as the Box Elder Bears edged the Thunderbirds 63-62 and the Roy/Winifred Outlaws battled back to win in Hays 57-48. The Thunderbirds stand at 1-9 at the midway point of the regular season schedule.

The Turner Tornadoes have competed hard, start to finish, for 32 minutes every time they step on the court. Limited in numbers and experience, the effort hasn't translated into any wins and after suffering losses to Big Sandy, 82-48 on Friday and 59-46 to North Star Saturday, the Tornadoes remain winless at 0-10.

The Harlem Wildcats have been lighting up the scoreboard this season with no problem. Outside of being held to 47 points by the Chinook Sugarbeeters the Wildcats have consistently been scoring in th 80's and 90's. This past weekend they exceeded that mark averaging more than 100 points in a pair of wins over Box Elder and Poplar.

Friday they made the trek west to Box Elder for a non-conference clash with the Bears. The offense got off to an unusually slow start in the first half scoring just 11 the first eight minutes of the contest. Senior Brad Cichosz gave the offense a boost in the second with four buckets inside the perimeter. Sophomore Tyler Cichosz found his mark from distance twice, scoring 10 in the frame to provide Harlem with a boost heading into halftime.

The team found their running shoes coming out of the locker room and torched the nets for 34 points in the third quarter. Brad Cichosz connected twice from downtown and scored 18 in the quarter. Sophomore RJ Ramone added 12 to the Wildcat attack.

The Wildcats scored 27 more in the fourth quarter as they cruised to a 92-59 win over the Bears. Brad Cichosz led the way with 36 points in the win. Ramone finished with 25 and Tyler Cichosz 15.

Saturday the Wildcats were in Poplar for a District 2B battle with the Indians. Harlem started fast and finished fast in out-gunning the home team start to finish.

Tyler Cichosz connected twice from distance in the first quarter and Brad Cichosz dropped in a pair of triples in the second as the Wildcats began to heat up from distance. Ramone connected on his lone thee-point bucket before the end of the first half to help Harlem take a 59-28 lead into intermission.

Ramone was just getting sighted in. The sophomore added four more triples in the third quarter and three more down the stretch to finish with eight in the contest. Harlem converted on 17 attempts from three-point range, matching Valley Christian (2008, 2015) for third most in Montana High School basketball history, regardless of class.

Ramone finished with 40 points in a lopsided 110-63 Harlem win. Brad Cichosz scored 20, Tyler Cichosz 16 and sophomore Daniel Lawrence 15 in the win. Every player suited up for the Wildcats scored in the contest.

The Sugarbeeters were in Gildford Friday night to take on the North Star Knights. The 'Beeters raced out to a 20-7 lead after eight minutes of action.

Chinook had the offense rolling and the defense was working hard start to finish. Junior Reese Elliot took a nice feed from junior guard Ethan Bell and slammed it home for a 26-10 advantage with six minutes remaining in the opening half.

Elliot finished the first half with 14 points, Bell added 11 and senior Hunter Neibauer 10, helping Chinook take a commanding 41-19 advantage into the halftime locker room.

The Sugarbeeters added 21 more in the third quarter getting eight more from Neibauer, six from Elliot and seven from junior Ethan MacLeod. The 'Beeters closed out the fourth quarter scoring 22 to put the finishing touches on a 86-57 win over the Knights.

Elliot connected on all eleven of his attempts from the field, scoring 22 to lead Chinook offensively. Neibauer added 21 markers in the win for the 'Beeters. Bell finished with 13 points in the contest but left early after suffering an injury to his ankle. MacLeod added 14 to the 'Beeter total including three from distance.

Saturday the 'Beeters returned home to take on the Fort Benton Longhorns in a battle for the District 9C top spot. Both teams entered with identical 6-0 conference marks but after staying close early the 'Beeters were out-gunned by the visitors.

Chinook was with their floor general in point guard Ethan Bell and the inexperience of a roster that hadn't played in many big games as of yet showed earlier. Chinook trailed 19-11 at the start of the second quarter and trimmed the Longhorn advantage to 24-18 midway through the quarter but from that point on Fort Benton controlled the flow of the game on both ends of the court.

Fort Benton pushed the lead to 35-20 by intermission and cruised to a 71-39 win handling the 'Beeters their second loss of the season. Junior Benton Elliot led all Chinook scorers with 10 points while Reese Elliot added eight in the contest.

The Hays/Lodge Pole Thunderbirds hosted the Roy/Winifred Outlaws Friday night in a non-conference tilt. The Thunderbirds led 13-11 after eight minutes but were outscored 22-3 in the second quarter and were never able to recover in a 57-48 setback.

Saturday the Box Elder Bears came to town in clash between long time District 9C rivals. The Thunderbirds held an eight point fourth quarter advantage before the Bears were able to storm back and deal them another heart breaking loss 63-62.

The Turner Tornadoes were in Big Sandy Friday and competed well early on. The Pioneers however steadily built a lead in securing a 82-48 win. Saturday Turner hosted the North Star Knights and were competitive for much of the contest before falling 59-46.

Chinook 86 North Star 57

Chinook 20 21 21 24 - 86

North Star 7 12 22 16 - 57

Chinook - Levi Jensen 1 0-1 2, Ethan Bell 6 0-1 13, Hunter Neibauer 11 1-1 21, Damon Hannum 0 0-0 0, Braden Eoff 0 0-0 0, Benton Elliot 0 0-0 0, Toby Niederegger 1 0-0 2, Reese Elliot 11 0-1 22, Ethan MacLeod 4 3-8 14, Oskar Pula 5 0-1 10, Hunter Molyneaux 0 0-0 0, Braxton Inman 1 0-0 2. Team Totals 38 4-13 86.

North Star - Austin Hansen 1 0-0 3 Joey Wendland 0 0-0 0, Caden Rettig 7 0-2 18, Porter Ditmar 1 0-0 3, Garrett Spicher 2 0-0 6, Payne Ditmar 1 1-2 3, Hayden Masser 4 0-2 8, Frank Nerat 0 0-0 0, Gavin Spicher 0 0-0 0, Jaden Sargent 4 1-1 9, Ty Hansen 0 0-0 0, Rhett Wolery 1 3-4 5, Ethan Federspiel 0 0-0 0, Daniel Nerat 0 0-0 0. Team Totals 21 5-10 57

Three Point Field Goals - Chinook 4 (Ethan MacLeod 3, Ethan Bell 1), North Star 8 (Caden Rettig 4, Garrett Spicher 2, Porter Ditmar 1, Austin Hansen 1); Team Fouls - Chinook 13, North Star 15; Fouled Out - None.

Harlem 92 Box Elder 59

Harlem 11 20 34 27 - 92

Box Elder 9 18 11 21 - 59

Harlem - Brad Cichosz 16 1-1 36, Tyler Cichosz 3 6-6 15, RJ Ramone 10 2-2 25, Daniel Lawrence 0 0-0 0, Truth Brockie 2 1-1 5, Trent Main 3 0-0 6, Jeiton Long Fox 0 2-3 2, Cassius Johnson 0 0-0 0, Teagan LeValdo 1 0-0 3, Amari Stanley 0 0-0 0. Team Totals 34 12-13 92.

Box Elder - Gabe Saddler 1 3-3 5, Tyus LaMere 5 3-3 16, Kadyn Duran 2 0-0 4, Chris Burns 4 2-2 10, Jasper Mitchell 0 0-1 0, Malique Rosette 3 0-2 7, Jayden Jilot 0 0-0 0, Jace Corcorom 1 0-0 2. Tayce St. Pierre 1 0-0 2, Zander Parisian 5 1-2 11, King Ragged Robe 0 0-0 0, Jayden Gopher 0 2-3 2, Cameron Eagleman 0 0-0 0. Team Totals 22 11-15 59.

Three Point Field Goals - Harlem 10 (Brad Cichosz 3, Tyler Cichosz 3, RJ Ramone 3, Teagan LeValdo 1), Box Elder 4 (Tyrus LaMere 3, Malique Rosette 1); Team Fouls - Harlem 19, Box Elder 16; Fouled Out - None.

Roy/Winifred 57 Hays/Lodge Pole 48

Roy/Winifred 11 22 9 15 - 57

Hays/Lodge Pole 13 3 14 18 - 48

Roy/Winifred - E 0 0-0 0. Team Totals 0 0-0 0.

Hays/L.P. - Siris Grandchamp 0 0-0 0, Deshon Shambo 0 0-0 0, Wyman Bringing Good 0 0-0 0, Tyshawn Shambo 0 0-0 0, William HasTheEagle 0 0-0 0, Daniel Henry 0 0-0 0, Estevan Granados 0 0-0 0, Ethan Werk 0 0-0 0, Brandon Castillo 0 0-0 0, Lane Kirkaldie 0 0-0 0, Jarren Bracelet 0 0-0 0, Isaiah Denny 0 0-0 0, Davonte Sullivan 0 0-0 0, Cash Messerly 0 0-0 0. Team Totals 0 0-0 0.

Three Point Field Goals - R/W 0 (0), Hays/L.P. 0 (0); Team Fouls - R/W 0, Hays/L.P. 0; Fouled Out - None.

Big Sandy 82 Turner 48

Turner 9 16 6 17 - 48

Big Sandy 15 20 30 17 - 82

Turner - Shay Humphreys 0 2-2 2 Austin Welsh1 2-5 5, Jack Harmon 3 1-1 7, Shane Kimmel 10 3-6 24, Charlie Calvert 2 0-0 4, Trent Billmayer 0 0-1 0, Colton Honey 0 0-0 0, Trevor Kimmel 3 0-0 6. Team Totals 19 5-15 48.

Big Sandy - Lane DeMontiney 0 1-2 1, Ryan Roth 11 7-9 31, Elijah Wagoner 2 0-0 4, Kody Strutz 3 0-0 6, Braydon Cline 1 0-0 3, Clint Darlington 5 2-4 12, Rusty Gasvoda 1 0-0 2, Jeremiah Genereux 4 0-0 11, Kade Strutz 5 0-0 10. Team Totals 33 10-16 82.

Three Point Field Goals - Turner 2 (Austin Welsh 1, Shane Kimmel 1), Big Sandy 6 (Jeremiah Genereux 3, Ryan Roth 2, Braydon Cline 1-); Team Fouls Turner 13, Big Sandy 17; Fouled Out - Big Sandy (Clint Darlington).

Fort Benton 71 Chinook 39

Fort Benton 19 16 18 18 - 71

Chinook 11 9 9 10 - 39

Fort Benton - Damon Bird 4 3-6 12, Jace Thompson 1 6-7 8, Stephen Gannon 2 0-0 4, Jacob Giles 0 0-0 0, Nick Marias 2 1-2 7, Hayden Diekhans 9 3-3 23, Logan Giles 1 0-0 2, Max Lane 2 0-0 4, Brandon Ullery 1 0-0 2, Jaxon Schmele 0 0-0 0, Garrett Diekhans 4 1-2 9, Andrew Ballantyne 0 0-0 0. Team Totals 26 14-19 71.

Chinook - Levi Jensen 0 0-0 0, Hunter Neibauer 2 0-0 4, Damon Hannum 2 0-0 5, Braden Eoff 0 0-0 0, Benton Elliot 3 2-2 10, Toby Niederegger 2 0-0 4, Reese Elliot 4 0-2 8, Ethan MacLeod 0 0-0 0, Oskar Pula 2 3-3 8, Hunter Molyneaux 0 0-0 0, Braxton Inman 0 0-0 0. Team Totals 15 5-7 39.

Three Point Field Goals - Fort Benton 5 (Nick Marias 2, Hayden Diekhans 2, Damon Bird 1), Chinook 4 (Benton Elliot 2, Oskar Pula 1, Damon Hannum 1); Team Fouls - Fort Benton 14, Chinook 21; Fouled Out - Chinook (Toby Niederegger).

Harlem 110 Poplar 63

Harlem 24 35 33 18 - 110

Poplar 13 15 14 9 - 63

Harlem - Brad Cichosz 8 2-2 20, Tyler Cichosz 7 0-0 16, RJ Ramone 13 6-6 40, Daniel Lawrence 6 0-0 15, Truth Brockie 0 2-4 2, Trent Main 2 0-0 4, Jeiton Long Fox 2 0-0 4, Cassius Johnson 0 2-2 2, Teagan LeValdo 2 0-0 6, Amari Stanley 0 1-2 1. Team Totals 40 13-16 110.

Poplar - M. Menz 1 0-0 3, E. GreyBear 0 0-0 0, Andrew Azure-Youpee 3 0-0 6, Wilfred Lambert 5 2-2 13, E. Fox 1 0-0 3, Hudson Atkinson 1 0-0 2, I. Growing Thunder 3 0-0 6, Dusette Gourneau 5 2-2 13, D. Red Eagle 8 1-2 17. Team Totals 27 5-6 63.

Three Point Field Goals - Harlem 17 (RJ Ramone 8, Daniel Lawrence 3, Brad Cichosz 2, Tyler Cichosz 2, Teagan LeValdo 2), Poplar 4 (M. Menz 1, Wilfred Lambert 1, E. Fox 1, Dusette Gourneau 1); Team Fouls - Harlem 10, Poplar 12; Fouled Out - Poplar (Andrew Azure-Youpee; Technical Foul - Poplar (Andrew Azure-Youpee).

Box Elder 63 Hays/Lodge Pole 62

Box Elder 20 21 4 18 - 63

Hays/Lodge Pole 15 14 11 12 - 62

Box Elder - Gabe Saddler 3 2-2 10, Tyus LaMere 1 0-0 3, Kadyn Duran 4 5-6 16, Chris Burns 1 3-4 5, Jasper Mitchell 0 0-0 0, Malique Rosette 3 1-5 9, Jayden Jilot 1 0-0 3, Jace Corcuran 0 0-0 0, Tayce St. Pierre 1 3-5 5, Zander Parisian 3 3-4 9, King RaggedRobe 0 0-0 0, Jayden Gopher 1 0-0 3, Cameron Eagleman 0 0-0 0. Team Totals 18 17-28 63.

Hays/L.P. - Siris Grandchamp 3 0-0 7, Deshon Shambo 5 2-4 13, Wyman Bringing Good 3 3-5 10, Tyshawn Shambo 5 2-4 12, Daniel Henry 2 3-5 8, Estevan Granados 0 0-0 0, Ethan Werk 0 0-0 0, Brandon Castillo 0 0-0 0, Lane Kirkaldie 0 0-0 0, Jarren Bracelet 0 0-0 0, Isaiah Denny 0 0-0 0, Davonte Sullivan 1 0-1 2, Cash Messerly 0 0-0 0. Team Totals 22 14-25 62.

Sophomore RJ Ramone has had plenty of high scoring efforts in his short time playing varsity basketball for the Wildcats. Saturday in Poplar he had another performance for the ages. Ramone connected on eight three-point buckets and scored 40 points to help Harlem crack the century mark in a 110-63 win over the Indians.

Three Point Field Goals - Box Elder 8 (Kadyn Duran 3, Gabe Saddler 2, Malique Rosette 2, Jayden Gopher 1), Hays/L.P. 4 (Siris Grandchamp 1, Daniel Henry 1, Deshon Shambo 1, Wyman BringingGood 1); Team Fouls - Box Elder 21, Hays/L.P. 20; Fouled Out - Box Elder (Malique Rosette), Hays/L.P. (Tyshawn Shambo, Estevan Granados).

North Star 59 Turner 46

North Star 9 20 11 19 - 59

Turner 13 12 7 14 - 46

North Star - Austin Hansen 4 1-2 10, Joey Wendland 0 0-0 0, Caden Rettig 10 2-2 23, Porter Ditmar 0 0-0 0, Garrett Spicher 1 2-2 4, Payne Ditmar 1 0-0 3, Hayden Masser 1 6-6 8, Frank Nerat 0 0-0 0, Gavin Spicher 2 0-0 4, Jaden Sargent 1 1-4 3, Ty Hansen 0 0-0 0, Rhett Wolery 2 0-1 4, Ethan Federspiel 0 0-0 0, Daniel Nerat 0 0-0 0, Team Totals 22 12-17 59.

Turner - Shay Humphreys 0 0-0 0, Austin Welsh 6 2-5 15, Jack Harmon 4 2-2 11, Shane Kimmel 5 0-0 11, Charlie Calvert 1 0-0 3, Trent Billmayer 0 0-0 0, Ryan Doyle 0 0-0 0, Trevor Kimmel 3 0-0 6. Team Totals 19 4-7 460.

Three Point Field Goals - North Star 3 (Austin Hansen 1, Caden Rettig 1, Payne Ditmar 1), Turner 4 (Austin Welsh 1, Jack Harmon 1, Shane Kimmel 1, Charlie Calvert 1); Team Fouls - North Star 15, Turner 16; Fouled Out - Turner (Shane Kimmel).