The (13-7) Chinook Sugarbeeters were in Great Falls this past weekend, taking part in the Northern C Divisional being played at the Four Seasons Arena. The Sugarbeeters entered the Northern C Divisional as the District 9C No. 3 and took on the District 10C No. 1 Heart Butte Warriors in their quarterfinal contest. The Sugarbeeters have been playing very well the last half of the season and carried a bunch of momentum into the Northern C after an exciting win over the Box Elder Bears in the District 9C Consolation Final. The Heart Butte Warriors have been on a roll all season and entered the contest with a perfect 18-0 record.

The Sugarbeeters shook off any tournament jitters right away and had the offense rolling at a pretty good clip early on. Senior Braden Eoff scored five early points including one from downtown. Senior Toby Niederegger added another triple and junior Brenden Fetter cashed in for six points to power the Sugarbeeters to a 20-16 advantage heading into the second quarter. The Warriors turned the tables before the end of the half, evening the contest 34-34. Chinook got six points from senior Oskar Pula and four more from junior Flint Annis to lead the 'Beeter attack.

Chinook put together a 7-0 run early in the third, led by a three-point bucket and five quick points from Niederegger to take a 43-36 lead. Fetter scored four more to help Chinook maintain a slim lead. The 'Beeters controlled the tempo on both ends of the court playing tough defense while being efficient on offense.

Chinook started the fourth quarter up 45-43 and maintained the advantage the remainder of the contest. The District 9C regular season and tournament provided the 'Beeters with plenty of experience playing in one possession games and they used that experience down the stretch to secure a 58-55 win over the previously undefeated Warriors.

Pula led the 'Beeters with 19 points and nine rebounds while also recording four steals in the win. Niederegger scored 11 points grabbed seven rebounds and dished out three assists. Fetter finished with 13 points in the contest. With the win the 'Beeters advanced to the semifinal contest Friday night against the District 8C No. 1 Roy/Winifred Outlaws. Roy/Winifred defeated the 9C N0. 2 Big Sandy Pioneers 63-53 to earn their spot in the semifinal.

The 'Beeters stood tall against the No. 1 8C Outlaws early on. Fetter scored the first points of the contest on a nice baseline jumper. Eoff followed with a little ten footer off a nice pass from Niederegger. Pula then shut down an Outlaw fast break with a huge block and converted an offensive rebound into points on the other end. Sophomore Jackson Nordboe scored down low and Chinook trailed just 10-8 as time wound down in the opening quarter.

The Outlaws then caught fire from beyond the arc and their defense limited the 'Beeters to just five second quarter points. Pula scored inside off a nice pass from Niederegger late in the half but Roy/Winifred owned a 24-14 halftime lead.

Junior Levi Jensen got the 'Beeters off to a good start in the third quarter with an offensive rebound and a score. Eoff capped off a nice drive to the basket with a spin move for two cutting the Outlaw lead to six, 24-18.

The Outlaws again found their mark from distance and started getting stops by jumping in the 'Beeter passing lanes building a 37-21 lead resulting in a 'Beeter timeout with 3:08 remaining in the third quarter. Chinook continued to battle back but were not able to sustain any momentum. The Outlaws would maintain their advantage and earn a 53-40 win over the 'Beeters. Niederegger scored 14 and dished out six assists in the contest.

Saturday morning in a 8:00 a.m. start the 'Beeters were sluggish right from the get go. Winnett/Grass Range had their sights set from distance and knocked down five triples early to jump out to a 22-5 lead early. The Rams would continue to build on their lead in the second and took a 38-14 lead into halftime.

Senior Toby Niederegger capped off his high school career at the Northern C Divisional Tournament, wearing the black and orange with pride throughout.

The 'Beeters didn't lay down the second half and continued to play hard but the deficit was to big and Chinook couldn't muster a comeback. Their season came to an end following a tough 62-46 setback to the Rams. Pula finished with 16 points and seven rebounds to lead the 'Beeters. Niederegger added 11 points and six steals to the 'Beeter effort. Nordboe scored six and grabbed five rebounds while Eoff finished with six points and three assists in the season finale.