The Harlem girls and boys basketball seasons concluded this past weekend at the Northern B Divisional basketball tournaments in Cut Bank and Wolf Point. The Wildcats went 3-1 to finish the season with a 12-5 overall record while earning a third place finish at the Northern B in Cut Bank. The Lady Cats dropped both of their contests in Wolf Point as they finished the year with a 5-11 overall record.

The Wildcats were certainly looking to make some noise at the Northern B Divisional in Cut Bank this past weekend and while they may not have got the desired outcome, they certainly turned some heads. The Wildcats proved that they are a quality team that will return the bulk of their firepower next year, serving notice that they will be a contender for the top prize in the division.

In the Wildcats opening contest against the Fairfield Eagles the team got off to a solid start, taking a 16-13 advantage into the second quarter. Fairfield responded with a strong second quarter effort to take a 29-26 halftime lead. The teams would match each other on the scoreboard in the third quarter, but the Eagles finished strong in defeating the Wildcats 69-57. Harlem was led in the contest offensively by junior RJ Ramone who knocked down a pair of triples and scored 18 points in the game.

The following morning the Wildcats took on the Conrad Cowboys and were in control much of the contest. Harlem led 19-10 after eight minutes of action and 33-23 by intermission. The Cowboys battled back in the third quarter and the start of the fourth to even the score at 54-54. Harlem would find their attack down the stretch, outscoring the Cowboys 8-1 to earn a 62-55 win and advance in the tournament. Junior Tyler Cichosz led the attack with 23 markers while Ramone contributed 17.

Saturday morning the Wildcats took on the Rocky Boy Stars for the right to advance to the consolation final Saturday night. The two teams battled each other from start to finish with neither side being able to take control. The Stars took a 28-25 halftime lead but the Wildcats were sharp to start the second half and secured a 41-39 advantage heading into the fourth quarter of action. Junior Daniel Lawrence knocked down a free throw in the waning seconds and a corner three by the Stars fell short at the buzzer, giving the Wildcats a 55-53 win. Cichosz was a force, pouring in 24 points in the win, Ramone added 15 for the Wildcats.

In the consolation final the Wildcats took on the Malta Mustangs. The Mustangs handed the Wildcats a big loss at home in the first meeting between the teams. Harlem turned the table a few days later and dismantled the Mustangs in Malta. At the Northern B Saturday night the Wildcats proved it was no fluke as they again took apart the Mustangs in convincing fashion.

Harlem led 19-12 at the end of the first quarter and took a 27-24 advantage into the halftime locker room. A big third quarter effort by the Wildcats saw the lead balloon to 61-37 before cruising to a 72-54 win. Harlem was sharp from beyond the arc, dropping in 12 three-point bombs in the contest. Cichosz accounted for five of those, finishing with a game high 30 points. Ramone connected four times from distance and added 21 points to the offensive effort.

The Harlem Lady Cats competed start to finish every time they took the court, but finding the win column often proved difficult. Junior Taya Trottier scored 23 points in a 54-42 loss to the Choteau Bulldogs in their opening contest of the Northern B Divisional in Wolf Point. Harlem had led 24-17 at the break but the Bulldogs finished with a flurry. Friday morning their season ended with a 40-34 set back to the Cut Bank Wolves. Trottier again paced the team with 21 points in the loss.

Harlem Wildcats - Northern B Divisional, Cut Bank

Fairfield 69 Harlem 57

Fairfield 13 19 13 24 - 69

Harlem 16 10 13 18 - 57

Fairfield - Bryden Batson 1 2-4 5, Conor Murray 5 7-7 19, Guidry Giles 4 5-5 14, Gavin Mills 1 2-4 4, Daniel Faith 6 4-6 17, Owen Cartwright-Gines 0 0-0 0, Hunter Rapp 0 0-0 0, Cooper Christensen 0 4-8 4, Cole Neal 0 0-0 0, Michael Wambach 0 0-0 0, Brayden Kolwyck 2 2-2 6. Team Totals 19 23-36 69.

Harlem - RJ Ramone 8 0-0 18, Daniel Lawrence 2 2-2 7, Tyler Cichosz 4 0-2 9, Cassius Johnson 0 3-4 3, Trent Main 2 2-4 6, Teagan LeValdo 2 2-2 7, Jehton Long Fox 1 1-4 3, Andrew Rasmussen 0 0-0 0, Amari Stanley 0 0-0 0, DeShon Shambo 0 4-4 4. Team Totals 19 14-22 57.

Three Point Field Goals - Fairfield 5 (Conor Murray 2, Brydon Batson 1, Guidry Giles 1, Daniel Faith 1), Harlem 5 (RJ Ramone 2, Tyler Cichosz 1, Daniel Lawrence 1, Teagan LeValdo 1, Teagan LeValdo 1); Team Fouls - Fairfield 20, Harlem 24; Fouled Out - Harlem (Tyler Cichosz, Daniel Lawrence, DeShon Shambo), Fairfield (Conor Murray).

Harlem 62 Conrad 55

Conrad 10 13 16 16 - 55

Harlem 19 14 13 16 - 62

Harlem - RJ Ramone 7 2-2 17, Daniel Lawrence 3 5-6 12, Tyler Cichosz 8 7-9 23, Cassius Johnson 1 0-0 2, Trent Main 1 1-2 3, Teagan LeValdo 1 0-1 3, Jehton Long Fox 0 2-4 2, Andrew Rasmussen 0 0-0 0, Amari Stanley 0 0-0 0, DeShon Shambo 0 0-0 0, McKale Messerly 0 0-0 0. Team Totals 21 17-24 62.

Conrad - Caden Huntsinger 2 0-0 4, Ethan Wittmier 4 2-2 10, Devon Baney 2 6-7 10, Jarek Shepherd 4 2-2 13, Brinkley Evans 0 0-0 0, Kade Harwood 7 4-6 18, Mark Doty 0 0-0 0. Team Totals 19 14-17 55.

Three Point Field Goals - Harlem 3 (RJ Ramone 1, Daniel Lawrence 1, Teagan LeValdo 1), Conrad 3 (Jarek Shepherd 3); Team Fouls - Harlem 17, Conrad 19; Fouled Out - Conrad (Devon Baney).

Harlem 55 Rocky Boy 53

Rocky Boy 14 14 11 14 - 53

Harlem 13 12 16 14 - 55

Harlem - RJ Ramone 6 1-2 15, Daniel Lawrence 0 4-6 4, Tyler Cichosz 9 3-7 24, Cassius Johnson 0 0-0 0, Trent Main 1 0-0 2, Teagan LeValdo 1 0-0 3, Jehton Long Fox 2 0-0 4, Andrew Rasmussen 0 0-0 0, Amari Stanley 1 0-0 3, DeShon Shambo 1 0-0 3. Team Totals 21 8-15 55.

Rocky Boy - Joe Demontiney 7 6-7 20, Sean Gibson 1 2-2 5, Teague Stump 2 0-0 5, Kellen Colliflower 6 1-2 13 , Ben Crebs 5 0-2 11, Nacona Limberhand 0 0-0 0.. Team Totals 21 10-13 53.

Three Point Field Goals - Harlem 7 (Daniel Lawrence 2, Tyler Cichosz 3, RJ Ramone 2, DeShon Shambo 1, Amari Stanley 1), Rocky Boy 3 (Ben Crebs 1, Sean Gibson 1, Teague Stump 1); Team Fouls - Harlem 16, Rocky Boy 20; Fouled Out - Rocky Boy (Sean Gibson, Ben Crebs).

Harlem 72 Malta 54

Malta 12 12 13 17 - 54

Harlem 19 18 24 11 - 72

Malta - Seth Siewing 0 0-0 0, Kooper Oxarart 3 6-8 14, Darrow Messerly 0 2-4 2, Jonathan Siewing 1 0-0 2, Jared Eggebrecht 0 0-0 0, Rex Williamson 5 7-10 19, Kaden Bishop 0 0-0 0, Connor Tuss 3 5-7 11, Carson Ottinger 0 0-0 0, Pierce Mortenson 3 0-0 6. Team Totals 15 20-29 54.

Harlem - RJ Ramone 9 1-2 21, Daniel Lawrence 2 0-1 5, Tyler Cichosz 11 3-7 30, Cassius Johnson 0 0-0 0, Trent Main 2 0-0 4, Teagan LeValdo 2 0-0 5, Jehton Long Fox 2 0-0 5, Andrew Rasmussen 1 0-0 2, Amari Stanley 0 0-0 0, DeShon Shambo 0 0-0 0. Team Totals 29 4-10 72.

Three Point Field Goals - Malta 4 (Kooper Oxarart 2, Rex Williamson 2), Harlem 12 (Tyler Cichosz 5, RJ Ramone 4, Daniel Lawrence 1, Jehton Long Fox 1, Teagan LeValdo 1); Team Fouls - Malta 11, Harlem 17; Fouled Out - Harlem (Daniel Lawrence).

Harlem Lady Cats - Northern B Divisional, Wolf Point

Choteau 54 Harlem 42

Harlem 12 12 9 9 - 42

Choteau 10 7 19 18 - 54

Harlem - Alaura Hawley 0, Ma'Lea Moore 0, Savannah Jones 0, Gabi Bell 0, Alaynee Hawley 3, Tova Anderson 0, Vanise Little 4, Taya Trottier 23, CeCe Hegelson 3, Chloe Messerly 9.

Choteau - Savannah Durocher 6, Abby McCollom 1, Ada Bieler 10, Christine Funk 18, Emma Gunderson 20.

Cut Bank 40 Harlem 34

Harlem 9 4 9 12 - 34

Cut Bank 16 5 8 11 - 40

Harlem - Alaura Hawley 2, Ma'Lea Moore 0, Savannah Jones 0, Gabi Bell 0, Alaynee Hawley 3, Tova Anderson 0, Vanise Little 0, Taya Trottier 21, CeCe Hegelson 3, Chloe Messerly 5.

Cut Bank - Sienna Spotted Bear 15, Aliyah Cruz 11, Jackie Waller 5, Sadie Pepion 9.