We've Got The County Covered
We've Got The County Covered
Turner junior Ryan Doyle scores early on in their win over Hays/Lodge Pole.
Turner senior Charlie Calvert gets a shot off in the paint in first quarter action Friday morning.
The Turner Tornadoes entered the District 9C Tournament as the No. 5 Seed with a 5-9 conference mark and an overall record of 8-10. Turner opened with the No. 4 Seed Fort Benton Longhorns. Turner won the season opener at home with the Longhorns while Fort Benton won handily in their second meeting in Fort Benton.
The rubber match proved to be another great contest between the two but in the end it was Fort Benton that walked away with a narrow 58-54 win. Junior Ryan Doyle paced the offense with 20 points in the contest while junior Trent Billmayer added 16.
Turner responded with a stellar effort Friday morning in Loser Out action with the No. 8 seed Hays/Lodge Pole Thunderbirds. The two teams also split their regular season meetings with Turner winning handily at home in their first meeting and Hays/Lodge Pole picking up a lopsided win in round two.
Their meeting Friday morning with the season on the line was anything but one sided. The contest featured eight lead changes, seven ties and both teams putting together double digit scoring runs.
Hays/Lodge Pole led 10-8 after eight minutes of action and controlled the flow for much of the opening half. Thunderbird senior William Has The Eagle scored seven and senior Cash Messerly added six points in the second quarter to give Hays/Lodge Pole a 23-19 halftime lead.
Turner responded after the break with a strong second half showing. Billmayer connected from beyond the arc and scored nine third quarter points to ignite a Tornado comeback. Sophomore Caleb Zellmer added a triple in the fourth and scored seven down the stretch. Senior Charlie Calvert added a couple buckets in the paint. Doyle was clutch from the charity stripe converting 6-7. Hays/Lodge Pole struggled at the line late hitting just 1-6 in the final minute leading to a 49-38 Tornado win and ending the Thunderbirds season.
The Tornadoes were led on the night by Doyle with 17 points and six rebounds. Billmayer added 14 points and five assists. Senior William Has The Eagle led the way for the Thunderbirds with 13 points. Senior Daniel Henry contributed seven markers and grabbed 13 rebounds as well.
Turner took on the Big Sandy Pioneers in another Loser Out contest Saturday morning with a chance to advance to the consolation final on the line. Turner held their own early and trailed 15-13 heading into the second quarter. The Pioneers managed to string a few baskets together and opened up a 33-23 halftime lead over the Tornadoes.
Turner did their best to stay with the Pioneers to start the third but were unable to slow down the Big Sandy offense. Trailing 56-37 entering the fourth quarter the Tornadoes gave their best effort but were unable to make much of a dent in the Pioneer lead and were defeated 70-57, ending their season. Doyle led the Tornadoes with 22 points in the contest.
