All four Blaine County Varsity Girls Basketball teams were in action. Harlem visited Chinook on Tuesday while the Hays/Lodge Pole Thunderbirds were in Poplar. Friday night Hays/Lodge Pole hosted the Sugarbeeters in their first home clash of the season and Saturday they were back out on the road, visiting the Fort Benton Longhorns. The Sugarbeeters were back home Saturday to take on the Big Sandy Pioneers and Harlem hosted their first contest as the Wolf Point Wolves came to town. The Turner Tornadoes were home Friday to take on the Box Elder Bears and traveled to Chester Saturday to take on the Hawks.

Harlem Lady Cats @ Chinook Sugarbeeters

Both teams had opportunities early but nearly two minutes went by with neither team scoring. Following a time out by 'Beeter Head Coach Mike Jones the trend continued until junior Taya Trottier connected from long range for a 3-0 lead for the Lady Cats. The 'Beeters got a quick answer from junior Allison Powell, followed quickly by a steal and score by sophomore Bree Swanson for a 4-3 'Beeter advantage midway through the opening quarter. Freshman Hallie Neibauer scored moments later for a 6-3 lead and a timeout from the Lady Cats with 3:21 left in the first.

Trottier knocked down her second three point bomb to even the contest at 6-6. She then scored again off a nice back cut to give Harlem the lead back, 8-8. Senior Jayden Miller answered right back with a bucket of her own. Powell then added a pair of free throws to give the 'Beeters back the lead. Senior Jade Cecrle put the 'Beeters up 12-8 on the ensuing possession and Neibauer knocked down 1-2 from the charity stripe to give Chinook a 13-8 lead at the end of the first quarter.

Trottier nailed another from beyond the arc, scoring all 11 Lady Cat points. Trottier then connected with junior Chloe Messerly to even the contest at 13-13. Trottier picked the 'Beeters' pocket, drove hard to the basket and converted the and-1 for a 16-13 advantage with 5:52 left in the half.

Powell got the 'Beeters on the board with a basket inside to bring Chinook within one, 16-15. Messerly added a free throw and a bucket inside to push the Lady Cat lead to 19-15. Trottier continued to play hard, scoring moments later off the offensive rebound and a 21-15 lead. Freshman Britton Elliot ended the Lady Cat run with a pair from the charity stripe. Lady Cat Head Coach Laramie Schwenke called timeout with a 21-17 lead at the 1:58 mark of the half.

Messerly scored immediately out of the time out and junior Vanise Little followed on the next possession to quickly push the lead to nine at 26-17. Neibauer answered with a bucket inside to trim the advantage to seven and cut it to five moments later with another score. Trottier connected from downtown for the fourth time only to see Neibauer score at the buzzer to end a thrilling first half with Harlem on top 29-23.

Neibauer drilled a three point bomb for the 'Beeters to start the second half cutting the lead quickly in half 29-26. Miller then knocked a triple down on the next possession for the 'Beeters to even the contest at 29-29 leading to a Harlem timeout with 7:01 left in the third quarter.

Coming out of the timeout Cecrle converted a steal into a dime to Miller for a 31-29 Chinook lead. The 'Beeters kept the momentum going with an offensive rebound score from Powell to push the lead to four. Harlem senior Gabi Bell ended the 'Beeter run with a triple and then buried another after a steal to give the Lady Cats the lead back 35-33 midway through the third quarter.

Trottier drained a floater in the paint for a score and Messerly added a bucket moments later for a 40-33 Lady Cat advantage. Swanson knocked down a jumper for the 'Beeters late in the quarter and Powell closed out the third quarter with an offensive put back at the buzzer sending the teams to the fourth quarter with Harlem on top 40-37.

The teams traded baskets to start the fourth but a Neibauer drive to the basket cut the lead to two and Powell scored off an offensive rebound for the 'Beeters to even the score at 45-45.

Coming out of a timeout by Chinook the defensive intensity and tempo reached a frantic pace with both teams racing up and down the court but unable to score. Neibauer corralled an offensive rebound and was fouled in the process. The freshman converted one of two for a 46-45 Chinook lead with 3:31 remaining in the fourth quarter.

Messerly scored inside off a offensive rebound to give the Lady Cats the lead back 47-46. Neibauer dropped a bucket in off the glass with 1:10 left for the Sugarbeeters. Messerly answered right back for the Lady Cats leading to a timeout with Harlem on top 49-48 with :46 remaining in regulation.

Senior Lily Surber tied the game with a free throw to even the score at 49-49. Swanson, active again on defense made a nice steal and drew a foul going to the basket with :21 left. Neibauer converted the offensive rebound for a 51-49 lead with :12 left on the clock. Trottier then took the ball off the inbound, drove hard to the basket to even the score at 51-51 forcing overtime.

Elliot scored the first points of the extra frame to put Chinook on top 53-51. Neibauer converted the front end of a one and one to give Chinook a 54-51 lead with 2:40 left in overtime. Trottier scored for the Lady Cats to trim the 'Beeter lead to one leading to a 'Beeter timeout with 1:54 remaining.

Powell converted for Chinook out of the timeout with a nice left hand to put Chinook up 56-53. Neibauer found herself back at the line and converted one to push the lead to four 57-53. The Lady Cats called timeout with :36.4 showing on the clock. An errant pass out of the timeout spelled doom for the Lady Cats as the Chinook Sugarbeeters came out on top with a 57-53 overtime win.

The 'Beeters were led on the night by Neibauer with an impressive 21 points in her first varsity contest. Powell added 14 points for the 'Beeters in the win. Harlem was led by Trottier with 33 points while Messerly added 14.

Chinook 57 Harlem 53 – Overtime

Harlem 8 21 11 11 2 - 57

Chinook 13 10 14 14 6 - 53

Harlem - Alaura Hawley 0 0-0 0, Ma'Lea Moore 0 0-0 0, Savannah Jones 0 0-0 0, Gabi Bell 2 0-0 6, Alaynee Hawley 0 0-0 0, Tova Anderson 0 0-0 0, Vanise Little 1 0-0 3, Taya Trottier 11 2-3 29, CeCe Hegelson 0 0-0 0, Chloe Messerly 7 1-2 15. Team Totals 21 3-5 53.

Chinook - Jade Cecrle 1 0-0 2, Bree Swanson 2 0-4 4, Britton Elliot 2 0-2 4, Anna Terry 0 0-0 0, Hallie Neibauer 8 4-9 21, Jayden Miller 3 0-0 7, Lily Surber 0 1-2 1, Mya Berreth 0 0-0 0, Allison Powell 7 4-5 18. Team Totals 23 9-22 57.

Three Point Field Goals - Harlem 8 (Taya Trottier 5, Gabi Bell 3, Vanice Little 1), Chinook 2 (Jayden Miller 1, Hallie Neibauer 1); Team Fouls - Harlem 18, Chinook 0; Fouled Out - Harlem - Alaynee Hawley, Chloe Messerly.

Box Elder Bears @ Turner Tornadoes

Shyan Krass impressed with 35 points in a 68-58 Turner win over the Box Elder Bears Friday night. Turner used a huge fourth quarter effort to secure the win. Dakota Krass added 14 and Brooke Reed 10 for the Tornadoes.

Dakota knocked down a pair from beyond the arc and Shyan scored eight down the stretch as the Tornadoes outscored the Bears 24-9 in the fourth quarter to earn the win. Shyan's big night also included 14 of the teams 16 first quarter points to get the Turner girls off to the start they needed.

Turner 68 Box Elder 58

Box Elder 11 22 16 9 - 58

Turner 16 16 12 24 - 68

Box Elder - Annalise Johnson 2 1-2 6, Angela Gopher 4 3-6 14, Neferti Standing Rock 0 2-2 2, Kenra Gopher 1 0-0 2, Taleigh Sunchild 1 0-0 2, Abria SmallBear 0 0-0 0, Mieya Sutherland 0 0-0 0, Brielle Sunchild 3 2-2 10, Ariel Gopher 0 0-0 0, Kayla Momberg 5 1-1 11, Breanna Bacon 4 1-2 11. Team Totals 20 10-15 58.

Turner - Dakota Krass 5 0-0 14, Emma Billmayer 1 2-4 4, Brandy Calvert 1 1-2 3, Laci Maloney 0 0-0 0, Brooke Reed 2 6-7 10, Shyan Krass 13 9-12 35, Hannah Richman 0 0-0 0, Meridian Snider 1 0-0 2. Team Totals 23 18-25 68.

Three Point Field Goals - Box Elder 8 (Angela Gopher 3, Breanna Bacon 2, Brielle Sunchild 2, Annalise Johnson 1), Turner 4 (Dakota Krass 4); Team Fouls - Box Elder 22, Turner 15; Fouled Out - Box Elder - Kayla Momberg.

Hays/Lodge Pole @ Poplar Indians

Ella Messerly scored 12 points and Alliya Pretty Paint added 11 to guide the Thunderbirds to their first win of the season, 62-48 over the Poplar Indians. The Thunderbirds built on a five point 31-26 halftime lead with a strong second half effort to secure the win.

Hays/Lodge Pole 62 Poplar 48

Hays/Lodge Pole 11 20 13 18 - 62

Poplar 13 13 8 14 - 48

Hays/L.P. - Nashone Shambo 2 2-4 7, Ella Messerly 4 2-2 12, Judemia Gray 2 0-0 4, Kassie Perez 1 5-8 7, Sierra Chandler 3 0-3 6, Alliya Pretty Paint 4 1-4 11, Jaedyn Chandler 6 1-4 15. Team Totals 22 11-27 62.

Poplar - Allie Azure 2 1-4 5, Morgan Nordwick 3 5-6 12, Jazmyn Carrywater 1 0-0 3, Kessee Erickson 2 0-0 4, Dusti Marottek 0 0-0 0, Keandrs Martell 0 0-3 0, Rikki Belton 2 0-0 4, Gracelyn MedicineCloud 2 0-0 5, Macey Dionne 5 4-6 14. Team Totals 17 10-19 48.

Three Point Field Goals - Hays/L.P. 7 (Ella Messerly 2, Jaedyn Chandler 2, Alliya Pretty Paint 2, Nashone Shambo 1), Poplar 3 (Morgan Nordwick 1, Jazmyn Carrywater 1, Gracelyn MedicineCloud 1); Team Fouls - Hays/L.P. 18, Poplar 21; Fouled Out - Poplar - Keandra Mertell, Rikki Belton

Chinook Sugarbeeters @ Hays/Lodge Pole

The Hays/Lodge Pole Thunderbirds knocked off the Chinook Sugarbeeters Friday night in their home opener 48-35 Friday night. Nashone Shambo tossed in 12 points for the Thunderbirds while Jaedyn Chandler added 11 and Alliya Pretty Paint 10. Allison Powell led the 'Beeter effort with 12 markers.

The Thunderbirds improved to 2-1 on the season with the win.

Hays/Lodge Pole 48 Chinook 35

Chinook 10 9 8 8 - 35

Hays/Lodge Pole 11 9 14 14 - 48

Chinook - Jade Cecrle 0 0-0 0, Bree Swanson 2 0-1 4, Britton Elliot 2 0-0 5, Anna Terry 0 0-0 0, Hallie Neibauer 3 2-2 8, Jayden Miller 2 2-2 6, Lily Surber 0 0-1 0, Mya Berreth 0 0-0 0, Allison Powell 5 2-4 12. Team Totals 14 6-10 35.

Hays/L.P. - Nashone Shambo 5 0-1 12, Ella Messerly 3 1-2 7, Judemia Gray 2 1-2 6, Kassie Perez 0 0-1 0, Sierra Chandler 1 0-1 2, Alliya Pretty Paint 4 2-4 10, Jaedyn Chandler 4 1-3 11. Team Totals 19 5-13 48.

Three Point Field Goals - Chinook 1 (Britton Elliot 1), Hays/L.P. 5 (Jaedyn Chandler 2, Nashone Shambo 2, Judemia Gray 1); Team Fouls - Chinook 15, Hays/L.P. 16; Fouled Out - None

Big Sandy Pioneers @ Chinook Sugarbeeters

The Chinook Sugarbeeters improved to 2-1 on the season with a dominate 58-9 win over the Big Sandy Pioneers Saturday evening. Miller and Neibauer led the 'Beeter attack with 14 points each and Swanson contributed 11.

Chinook 58 Big Sandy 9

Big Sandy 3 0 5 1 - 9

Chinook 19 15 13 11 - 58

Big Sandy - Angie Sant 0 0-0 0, Jaycee Worrell 0 0-2 0, Justine Bauman 0 0-0 0, Mattie Gasvoda 0 1-2 1, Lainey Terry 1 0-0 3, Amy Gasvoda 0 0-0 0, A Worrell 0 0-2 0, D LaBuda 0 0-0 0, A Sant 0 0-0 0, E Wagoner 0 0-2 0, Madison Terry 2 1-2 5. Team Totals 3 2-11 9.

Chinook - Jade Cecrle 2 0-0 4, Bree Swanson 5 0-0 11, Britton Elliot 2 2-2 6, Torin Cecrle 0 0-0 0, Anna Terry 0 0-0 0, Hallie Neibauer 6 2-3 14, Jayden Miller 6 2-5 14, Lily Surber 1 0-0 3, Mya Berreth 0 3-4 3, Allison Powell 1 1-6 3. Team Totals 23 10-20 58.

Three Point Field Goals - Big Sandy 1 (Lainey Terry 1),Chinook 2 (Lily Surber 1, Bree Swanson 1); Team Fouls - Big Sandy 18, Chinook 11; Fouled Out - None

Wolf Point Wolves @ Harlem Lady Cats

Junior Taya Trottier helped the Lady Cats pick up their second win of the season with a 19 point effort Saturday afternoon. Harlem was at home for the first time this season and hosted the Wolf Point Wolves in their conference opener. Harlem held off a strong fourth quarter charge by the Wolves to secure a 61-58 win. Gabi Bell knocked in four three-point bombs and contributed 17 points in the win.

Harlem 61 Wolf Point 58

Wolf Point 16 10 16 16 - 58

Harlem 17 13 19 12 - 61

Harlem - Alaura Hawley 0 0-0 0, Ma'Lea Moore 1 0-0 2, Savannah Jones 0 0-0 0, Gabi Bell 7 0-0 17, Alaynee Hawley 5 0-1 10, Tova Anderson 0 0-0 0, Vanise Little 2 0-0 4, Taya Trottier 9 1-2 19, CeCe Hegelson 1 0-0 3, Chloe Messerly 3 0-0 6. Team Totals 28 1-3 61.

Wolf Point - Josie Kolstad 2 0-0 4, J'elle Garfield 3 0-0 6, Hamyonie Campbell 9 3-5 22, Hailey Nelson 2 0-0 5, Katelyn McDonald 0 0-0 0, Sierra Hamilton 3 2-2 8, Jodi Houg 2 0-0 4, Jaylee Azure 4 1-6 9, Haidyn Rainingbird 0 0-0 0, Mahayla McDonald 0 0-0 0. Team Totals 25 6-13 58.

Three Point Field Goals - Wolf Point 2 (Hailey Nelson 1, Hamyonie Campbell 1), Harlem 4 (Gabi Bell 3, CeCe Hegelson 1); Team Fouls - Wolf Point 8, Harlem 11; Fouled Out - None.

Turner 72 Chester/J-I 37

Senior Shyan Krass turned in another huge effort for the Tornadoes with a 35 point effort Saturday in Chester. Turner quickly took control of the contest leading 22-8 after the first quarter and 41-20 by the break. The Tornadoes stayed perfect on the season with a 72-37 win to improve to 3-0. Sophomore Dakota Krass added 16 for the Tornadoes including a pair from beyond the arc.

Chester/J-I 8 12 10 7 - 37

Turner 22 19 18 13 - 72

Turner - Dakota Krass 6 2-3 16, Emma Billmayer 1 2-3 4, Cassidy Grabofsky 0 0-1 0, Brandy Calvert 2 0-0 4, Laci Maloney 0 0-0 0, Brooke Reed 4 0-3 8, Shyan Krass 13 6-7 35, Hannah Richman 1 0-0 2, Meridian Snider 1 0-0 3, Katie Kimmel 0 0-0 0. Team Totals 29 10-17 72.

Chester/J-I - Jordan Leach 0 0-0 0, Tatum Hull 8 3-5 21, Averie Mattson 3 0-2 6, Molly Nelson 2 1-2 3, Haddie Woods 1 2-4 4, Lily Wickum 0 2-4 2, Jayla LaVerdure 0 0-0 0, Sydney Hawks 0 0-0 0, Aaliyah Standiford 0 1-2 1, Layne Green 0 0-0 0, Aria Miller 0 0-0 0.. Team Totals 13 9-19 37.

Three Point Field Goals - Turner 4 (Dakota Krass 2, Shyan Krass 1, Meridian Snider 1), Chester/J-I 2(Tatum Hall 2); Team Fouls - Turner 16, Chester/J-I 16; Fouled Out - None.

Hays/Lodge Pole @ Fort Benton Longhorns

The reigning District 9C champion Longhorns proved to be to much early on in the season for the visiting Thunderbirds Saturday afternoon with a 75-25 win. Junior Jaedyn Chandler paced the Thunderbird effort with eight points.

Fort Benton 75 Hays/Lodge Pole 25

Hays/Lodge Pole 7 9 7 2 - 25

Fort Benton 13 17 28 17 - 75

Hays/L.P. - Nashone Shambo 2 0-1 5, Ella Messerly 2 0-0 6, Judemia Gray 0 0-0 0, Kassie Perez 1 0-0 2, Sierra Chandler 2 0-0 4, Alliya Pretty Paint 0 0-0 0, Jaedyn Chandler 3 1-4 8. Team Totals 12 1-5 25.

Fort Benton - KyLynn Nack 1 0-0 2, Casha Corder 0 1-2 1, Emerson Giese 7 4-6 19, Maci Molinario 1 2-2 4, Samantha Vielleux 2 0-0 4, Abby Clark 5 1-2 11, Aspen Giese 6 2-4 16, Hailee Wing 2 0-0 5, Ashley Wang 2 1-2 5, Cloe Kalanick 3 1-2 8. Team Totals 29 12-20 75.

Three Point Field Goals - Hays/L.P. 4 (Ella Messerly 2, Jaedyn Chandler 1, Nashone Shambo 1), Fort Benton 5 (Aspen Giese 2, Emerson Giese 1, Cloe Kalanick 1, Maci Molinario 1, Hailee Wang 1); Team Fouls - Hays/L.P. 18, Fort Benton 9; Fouled Out - Hays/L.P. - Judemia Gray

Hays/Lodge Pole Senior Ella Messerly drives hard to the basket during first half action of the Thunderbirds 48-35 win over the Sugarbeeters Friday night.