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

This past weekend, Chinook, Harlem, Hays/ LodgePole and Turner all took part in their respective District Tournaments. Chinook traveled to Conrad to take part in the 1B tournament. This is the first time Chinook hasn't been part of the 9C tournament in 18 years, and while it was not the atmosphere they may be used to for post-season action, that didn't stop them from finding success. Harlem traveled to Wolf Point to take part in District 2B action. Turner and Hays/LodgePole were in Havre for their District 9C Tournament. Unfortunately for Harlem, Hays/LodgePole and Turner, they found their season coming to an end this weekend. Both Chinook girls and boys teams advance to the Northern B Tournament.

The Chinook Sugarbeeters struggled throughout the season, entering the tournament with a 1-10 conference record. It's always said that come tournament time, the slate is wiped clean and everyone starts back at 0-0. The 'Beeter boys proved just how true that statement can be. Entering the tournament, the 'Beeters were sitting in sixth place and would face their biggest tests if they wanted to make it to the Northern B Divisional Tournament. Starting off their tournament run, the 'Beeters faced the Fairfield Eagles. At the end of the first half, the 'Beeters were down, 42-28 and were looking to change things up in the third quarter. The 'Beeters came out firing on all cylinders, winning the third, 23-13 and cutting Fairfields lead to four going into the final quarter. Unfortunately, the 'Beeters were unable to keep control and lost 71-55. The loss led the 'Beeters to a loser out match against the Conrad Cowboys where the boys fought back with a vengeance, taking the Cowboys, 60-39. They continued their tough fight when they took on the Rocky Boys Stars. Heart, grit, tough-nosed defense and a well executed offense, kept the 'Beeters in the contest against the Stars. Heading into the locker room at the end of the half, the 'Beeters were down by two, 36-34. Looking to take control and save their season, the 'Beeters dug deep, winning the third quarter 16-11 and taking a 3 point lead going into the final quarter, 50-47. Tough defense and free throws earned the 'Beeters a hard-fought victory over the Stars, winning 69-67, and guaranteed a trip to the Northern B Divisional tournament. Looking to bring home some hardware in their final game of the tournament, the 'Beeters took on the Shelby Coyotes. The 'Beeters fought hard the entire game, and outscored the Coyotes in the third quarter, but were unable to secure the win. The 'Beeters will head to Divisionals this week, February 22-24, where they will enter as the number four seed and take on the number one seed in the 2B, the Malta Mustangs. The Sugarbeeters will take on the Mustangs on Thursday night at 6:30 p.m. in Malta.

On the girls' side, the Lady Sugarbeeters' hard work during the regular season, where they went undefeated, earned them a bye entering the tournament; giving them a chance to see their competition, give them an extra day of rest and get acclimated to their new post-season environment. On day two of action, the Lady Sugarbeeters took on the Conrad Cowgirls where they stepped on the gas and never looked back. The 'Beeters beat the Cowgirls, 46-28 and were heading to the championship matchup where they would face the Fairfield Eagles. The Eagles were the toughest competition the 'Beeters faced during the regular season. The 'Beeters were able to take home the victory both times and were looking to do it again for a third time this weekend. Unfortunately, the Eagles were able to knock down some big free throws at the end of the game to claim the championship title. The 'Beeters will enter the Northern B Divisional tournament as the number two seed where they will take on the number three see from the 2B, the Fairview Warriors. The girls divisional tournament is slated for February 29-March 2, giving the girls a chance to rest and recover. The Lady Sugarbeeters may have been handed their first loss of the season, ending their undefeated record, but that won't stop this group of girls. They will look to come back stronger as they head into Divisionals, looking to take back their number one title and continue their incredible season.

In 9C action, the Turner Tornadoes started off the tournament on Wednesday against the Big Sandy Pioneers. The Tornadoes found success in their opening game, maintaining a comfortable lead the entire way. Leading the way for the Tornadoes was senior Ryan Doyle with 21 points. Junior Carson Maloney followed with 18 of his own points and senior Trent Billmayer added 14. A win against the Pioneers advanced the Tornadoes to a semi-final matchup against the Chester/JI Hawks. Game two didn't end in Turner's favor as the Tornadoes fell in a close-fought battle, 55-52. The loss led Turner to a loser out game against the North Star Knights. The Tornadoes were able to bounce back and find the win column once more, claiming a 59-46 victory over the Knights and one more chance to find hardware and advance to the Northern C Division tournament. Taking on the Fort Benton Longhorns, the Tornadoes weren't able to find the success they were looking for, and their season ended after a tough loss to the Longhorns, 67-53.

The Lady Tornadoes started their tournament action on Thursday, February 15 against the Box Elder Lady Bears. In a close back and forth battle, it was the Lady Tornadoes who secured a close 46-43 win over the Bears. Leading the way for the Tornadoes was junior Meridian Snider with 13 points, followed by freshman Ali Doyle with 10 points. Cassidy Grabofsky added 9 of her own and freshman Natalie Richman closed out the scoring column with 8. The win for the Tornadoes sent them to a semi-finals matchup against the Chester/JI Hawks. While the Tornadoes fought hard to the end, they were never able to find the momentum they were looking for and lost to the Hawks, 54-31. The loss led the Tornadoes to a loser out game against the North Star Knights. With grit and determination, the Tornadoes were able to bounce back and knock the Knights out of the tournament, keeping their chance to advance to the Divisional tournament alive. The Tornadoes took on the Big Sandy Pioneers in a third/fourth place matchup, where, sadly, they saw their season come to an end. The Tornadoes lost to the Pioneers in a heartbreaker, 58-55.

The Hays/LodgePole Thunderbirds were a young team this year, and struggled to find the win column, but despite all the challenges they faced, they fought for the entire 32 minutes of every game they played. Entering the District 9C tournament, they started off against the Chester/JI Hawks. Although they weren't able to get any momentum going in their favor, they competed to the end, losing 83-29. Leading the Thunderbirds in their efforts was K. Ball with 14 points. The loss sent the Thunderbirds to loser out action where they would take on the Big Sandy Pioneers. While they still weren't able to find the win column, they gave the Pioneers everything they had and came up just short, ending their season with a 78-66 loss. Although they were unable to get a win this year, the young athletes of Hays have another year of experience under their belt now and will look to come back stronger next year.

On the girls' side, one thing you can say is that they always competed. Back under the control of Head Coach, Charlie Eurouex, the girls competed well at times throughout the season, winning a number of games. With the upperclassmen guiding the younger kids on and off the court, the Lady Thunderbirds are on their way to building a strong program. They gave their opponent their best effort every time they stepped on the court and last weekend wasn't any different. The Thunderbirds opened up against the Big Sandy Pioneers where they lost a tough ten-point battle, 47-37. Following their loss against the Pioneers, they faced the North Star Knights in loser out action. Unfortunately for the Thunderbirds, they weren't able to string enough points together and ended their season with a 45-30 loss to the Knights.

Switching back to the Class B tournaments, the Harlem Wildcats and Lady Cats were in Wolf Point for some District 2B action.

The Harlem Wildcats have improved a lot as the season has gone on, and while it may not have ended how they would have liked, they know that they are looking to bounce back stronger next year. Harlem entered the tournament facing the Fairview Warriors, where they took a hard loss, 59-33, to start their tournament run. Sophomore Cody McCabe led the way for the Wildcats with 14 points while junior Matt Billmayer dumped in 8 of his own. In loser out action, the Wildcats faced the Glasgow Scotties. In a hard fought battle, the Wildcats came up just short, falling to the Scotties in a heartbreaker 42-39 loss to end their season. The Wildcats were led on the night by senior Moses Lawrence Jr. with 12 points, while Billmayer added 9 and McCabe tossed in 7. Head Coach, Ben Carrywater, Jr. was very proud of his team and believes that next year they will be the team to watch out for. The underclassmen are motivated and ready to put in the work.

On the girls' side, the Lady Cats came a long way during the season and the quality of play showed. The Lady Cats were much more competitive in games at the end of the season than they were to start the season. The Lady Cats got strong leadership from their juniors and seniors that parlayed into the freshman and sophomore. Head Coach Derek Azure is building a foundation that will lead to even more success in seasons to come. To start the tournament, the Lady Cats faced the Fairview Warriors. The Lady Cats were in the game the entire way, but couldn't get enough baskets to fall in their favor and dropped their first game of the tournament 38-23. Looking to bounce back, they faced the Wolf Point Wolves in loser out action. Unfortunately for the Lady Cats, the Wolves edged them out by a single point, ending their season with a 47-46 loss. The Lady Cats were led on the night by Seniors Emma Billmayer and Jaden Blackcrow, who each had 10 points. Aaraya Mount, Raelynn Briere and Gracie Sanchez each contributed 6 points in the tough loss.