A Box Elder Blast

While much of the talk coming into the District 9C boys basketball tournament has centered on Hays-Lodge Pole as the favorite, Thursday night in the Havre High School gymnasium, the Box Elder Bears reminded everyone in attendance, they are still a team to be reckoned with.

Box Elder, the four-time defending 9C champions, looked sharp in a dominating 92-27 win over the Turner Tornadoes Thursday. The Bears, who have only lost three times this season, will put their 13-game tournament win streak on the line in the semifinals tonight against Chinook.

"I think that we came out really motivated," Box Elder head coach Jeremy MacDonald said. "We aren't used to being considered the underdog. Hays-Lodge Pole has a great ball club, but I think our guys are motivated to show what they can do."

Box Elder is always an explosive team offensively, but in the opening quarter against the Tornadoes, the Bears were flat-out on fire. Tanner Parisian knocked down two 3-pointers to put Box Elder up 6-0 and after two more treys by Pernell Morsette, the score was 13-0. Turner scored after spotting the Bears the first 15 points, but Box Elder closed the opening stanza on a 24-4 run, which gave the Bears a 39-6 advantage.

In the second quarter, things weren't much better for Turner, as the Bears kept the pressure on. Box Elder quickly pushed the lead to 41 points at 49-8 and after three more triples, the last by Petey Azure Jr., the Bears led 58-8 with 2:19 left in the first half.

"It was a good start for us," MacDonald said. "You can't overlook anyone in this tournament, and it was good to see us come out like we did and shoot the ball really well in that first quarter."

At halftime, Box Elder led the Tornadoes by a score of 64-12 and the mercy rule was in effect. The Bears shot 53 percent from the field in the first half, and 45 percent from deep. The Bears also notched 36 rebounds to 15, 13 assists to one, and 12 steals to zero. Turner was just 4-of-27 in the first half from the field.

In the third quarter, with the clock running, the Bears continued to add to their lead. Trey Henderson nailed a jumper, then knocked down another 3-pointer for Box Elder to extend the lead to 71-16 with 2:55 left in the third. Heading into the fourth quarter, Box Elder led 81-18. When it was all said and done, the Bears connected on 11 3-pointers.

Henderson was the high scorer in the game for both teams, finishing with 16 points. Morsette added 15 points and Weiss contributed with 15 as well. Parisian also pitched in with 10. Tracer Heilig was the leading scorer for Turner with 14 points in the loss.

The Bears, who are seeking a sixth consecutive berth in the Northern C Divisional tournament will look to clinch that tonight against Chinook. Tip-off time is set for 5:30.

"Tonight, we are going to look at some film and see if we can make some adjustments for Chinook," MacDonald said. "Last time, they were able to get some easy buckets on us. They are a good team, and we can't overlook them.

"It's always tough to get through," He added. "So that is a big goal of ours, to move on to next week. I like that 3-team format with three going to divisionals because that creates some exciting semifinal games that are important. It should be a fun atmosphere."

Box Elder 92, Turner 27

Box Elder 39 25 17 11 – 92

Turner 6 6 6 9 – 27

Box Elder – Lux Benson Jr. 3, Pernell Morsette 15, Pete Azure Jr. 9, Leo Johnson 8, Tanner Parisian 10, Wyatt Caplette 8, Trey Henderson 16, Dusty Weiss 15, Martin Dickenson 2, Seth Duran 6. Totals: 38 5-11.

Turner – Cody Welsh 8, Clayton Krass 3, Eddie Harmon 2, Tracer Heilig 14. Totals: 10 6-10

Fouls: Box Elder 11, Turner 7. Fouled out – none. 3-pointers: Box Elder 11 (Morsette 3, Henderson 3, Parisian 2, Johnson, Benson Jr., Weiss). Turner 1 (Krass).