By Ryan Divish/Havre Daily News Sports Editor/rdivish@havredailynews.com
In high school basketball, every conference game is important. And even with temperatures bordering in the ridiculous, area Hi-Line teams didn't let the cold bother them, picking up key conference wins.
In District 10C, the Chester Coyotes grabbed a hold of the top of the conference standings with a pair of big conference wins.
On Thursday night in Chester, the Coyotes crushed Sunburst 69-47. The Refiners were expected to be among the league favorites, but Chester didn't allow them to look like it.
The Coyotes broke open a 30-29 halftime lead, outscoring Sunburst 39-28 in the second half.
Shawnee Norick scored a team-high 18 points to lead Chester. Keyla Briese added 17 points in the win.
Sunburst got a game-high 24 points from Rachel Kleinert.
Chester moved to a perfect 4-0 in conference with a 69-50 win over another 10C favorite Heart Butte on Saturday night in Chester.
Leading 24-17 at the end of the first quarter, Chester broke the game open, outscoring Heart Butte 18-8 in the second quarter.
Mary DeVries led a group of four Coyote players in double figures with 19 points. Shawnee Norick finished with 13 points while Keyla Briese and Amanda Violett added 11 and 10, respectively.
In District 9C, the Rocky Boy Morning Stars remained atop the 9C standings with three conference wins in a week.
Tuesday night in Turner, Rocky Boy jumped out to a 21-9 first quarter lead en route to a 69-57 win.
Shaneen Raining Bird scored 19 points and the Belcourts, Loni and Tori, added 16 points each. Chelsey St. Pierre chipped in with 10 points in the win.
Cheryl Cowan had 23 points and Kelsey Klindworth and Ashley Van Voast added 12 each in the loss.
On Friday night in Rocky Boy, the Stars picked up a big 65-44 win over fellow 9C favorite Blue Sky/J-I.
The Stars got out to a 17-11 first quarter lead and put the game away in the second quarter, outscoring the Eagles 24-10.
Tori Belcourt led a group of four Stars' players in double figures with 14 points. Raining Bird added 11 points while Loni Belcourt and St. Pierre chipped in with 10 points each.
Hannah Pimley had 14 points for Blue Sky/J-I and Kaila Warren added 13 in the loss.
Rocky Boy's third win of the week came Saturday night in Gildford with a 63-44 win over the KG KouGars.
The Stars again used a big first quarter, outscoring KG 17-7. The KouGars cut the lead to 29-22 at halftime, but Rocky Boy outscored KG 34-22 in the second half to secure the win.
Loni Belcourt had a team-high 20 points to pace the Stars. Raining Bird added 13 and Erin Broncho had 10 in the win. KG was led by Tasha Dyrland's 22 points.
The Big Sandy Pioneers remained on pace with Rocky Boy, trouncing KG 67-31 Thursday night in Big Sandy.
The Pioneers rolled to a 22-4 first quarter lead and never looked back in the win.
Kacy Herron scored a game-high 18 points, while Naomi Williams added 16 in the win.
KG didn't have a player reach double figures and was led by Dyrland's nine points.
After suffering the loss to Rocky Boy, Blue Sky/J-I rebounded with a hardfought 48-44 win over Hays-Lodge Pole Saturday in Rudyard.
The Eagles fought off a game T-Bird squad, outscoring Hays 15-11 in the third quarter, taking 33-28 lead into the fourth quarter. The T-Birds outscored Blue Sky/J-I 16-15 in the fourth quarter but came up just short in their upset bid.
Hannah Pimley had 15 points and Kaila Warren added 11 in the win.
Hays-Lodge Pole was paced by Colette Hawley's game-high 23 points. Suzi Kirkaldie added 14 points, including four three-pointers for Hays.
The T-Birds did manage a split on the weekend, defeating Box Elder 64-61 Friday night in Box Elder. Hays grabbed a 42-30 halftime lead, only to see Box Elder rally behind an 18-8 third quarter outburst, to cut the lead to 50-48. The T-Birds held the Bears off in the fourth quarter, outscoring Box Elder 14-13 to secure the win.
The duo of Hawley and Kirkaldie once again led Hays-Lodge Pole. Hawley had 24 points, while Kirkaldie had 19 points in the win.
Box Elder was led by Rebecca Eagleman's 18 points. Tasha Parisian added 12 in the loss for Box Elder.
The Bears rallied from the loss to Hays with a big 64-58 road win over Turner on Saturday.
The two teams battled back and forth with Box Elder holding a slight lead most of the game, thanks to a 16-11 first quarter lead.
Eagleman continued to have the hot hand with 17 points. Gerri Eagleman added 15 points and Sharlene Yellowtail chipped in with 11 in the win.
Turner was led by the duo of Cowan and Van Voast, who scored 25 and 23 points, respectively.
In Class B action, the Chinook Sugarbeeters picked up a 49-36 nonconference win over the Poplar Indians on Friday night in Chinook.
The Beeters broke open a 31-28 game in the fourth quarter with an 18-8 fourth quarter to put Poplar away.
Whitney Lybeck led Chinook with 16 points, while Monica Thackeray chipped in with 12.
Saturday night was not as kind to the Beeters as they suffered a 45-41 loss to the Conrad Cowgirls in Conrad.
Trailing 22-17 at halftime, Chinook fought to get back into the game, cutting the lead to 31-29 at the end of the third quarter. Conrad held off the Beeters in the final period to secure the win.
Blair Bliss scored 12 points to lead Conrad. Chinook got 13 points from Lybeck and 12 from Crystal Roseberry in the loss. With the loss, Chinook drops to 1-3 in conference play and 3-7 overall.
The Harlem Wildcats continued to struggle in District 2B play, falling to Plentywood 73-52 in Harlem on Friday.
Harlem grabbed an early 13-9 lead, but was outscored 18-9 in the second quarter and could never recover.
Kirbi Henderson scored 13 points to lead Plentywood. Olivia Main paced Harlem with 21 points, while Marty Rae Stiffarm added 10 points in the loss.
Tuesday
Rocky Boy 69, Turner 57
Rocky Boy 21 8 19 21 - 69
Turner 9 15 13 20 - 57
Rocky Boy - Brittany St. Pierre 3, Chelsey St. Pierre 10, Shaneen Raining Bird 19, Loni Belcourt 16, Tori Belcourt 16, Stormy Adams 5. Totals: 26 10-17 69.
Turner - Celeste Hedegaard 2, Cheryl Cowan 23, Kelsey Klindworth 12, Ashley Van Voast 12, Cassie Cornell 2. Totals: 20 15-29 57.
Three-point goals - St. Pierre, Raining Bird 2, T. Belcourt 1, Adams 1. Total Fouls - Rocky Boy 21; Turner 13. Fouled out - none.
Thursday
Big Sandy 67, KG 31
KG 6 4 6 15 - 31
Big Sandy 22 19 11 15 - 67
KG - Whitney Hanson 5, Britta Umbach 8, Jodi Norman 4, Tasha Dyrland 9, Kendra Donoven 5. Totals: 14 2-6.
Big Sandy - Sandy Zeiger 4, Kacy Herron 18, Naomi Williams 16, Sarah Yirsa 6, Shalayna Pearson 6, Mikki Hammons 5, Shaila Cline 4, Morgan Darlington 8. Totals: 27 12-14.
Total fouls - KG 12, BS 13. Fouled out - none. Three point goals - Hanson, Hammons.
Chester 69, Sunburst 47
Sunburst 10 19 11 7 - 47
Chester 14 16 19 20 - 69
Sunburst - Rachel Kleinert 24, Cassie Myers 3, Kendra Hovland 4, Rachel Schulz 6, Darcey Johannsen 10. Totals: 19 7-11.
Chester - Amanda Violett 4, Brittney Kolstad 1, Shawnee Norick 18, Jillien Johnson 8, Mary DeVries 6, Brianne Wolfe 5, Keyla Briese 17, Jackie Alisch 9, JoAnna LaSorte 1. Totals: 25 18-27.
Total fouls: Sunburst 21, Chester 15. Fouled out: Myers, Hovland. Three-point goals: Kleinert 2, Briese.
Friday
Chinook 49, Poplar 36
Poplar 10 9 9 8 - 36
Chinook 9 13 9 18 - 49
Poplar - Amber Crowley 14, Jessica Alden 2, Shannon Dionne 8, Rena Belton 2, Amy Strauser 3, Hilary Gourneau 2, Tomecina Escarcega 3. Totals 15 2-14.
Chinook - Dawn Kellam 4, Monica Thackeray 12, Whitney Lybeck 16, Cheyenne Hamilton 5, Crystal Roseberry 4, Kassie Dugan 7, Georgia Barber 1, Brittany Williams 0. Totals 15 19-26.
Total fouls - Poplar 21, Chinook 12. Fouled out - Williams. Three-point goals - Crowley 2, Dionne 2.
Chester 69, Heart Butte 50
Heart Butte 17 8 13 12 - 50
Chester 21 18 16 14 - 69
Heart Butte - Rachael Wild Gun 5, Ida Mountain Chief 7, Kitty Vance 12, Mariah Kipp 6, Stephanie Morgan 4, Keila Guardipee 10, Terraine Edmo 6. Totals 21 4-13.
Chester - Amanda Violett 10, Brittney Kolstad 2, Shawnee Norick 13, Jillien Johnson 4, Mary DeVries 19, Brianne Wolfe 6, Keyla Briese 11, Jackie Alisch 4. Totals 28 13-32.
Total fouls - Heart Butte 23, Chester 19. Fouled out - Guardipee. Three-point goals - Wild Gun, Mountain Chief, Vance 2, Briese 2.
Hays-Lodge Pole 64, Box Elder 61
Hays-Lodge Pole 18 24 8 14 - 64
Box Elder 17 13 18 13 - 61
Hays-Lodge Pole - Jean Whitecow 6, Suzi Kirkaldie 19, Sheena Shambo 9, Tia Werk 6, Colette Hawley 24. Totals 25 12-20.
Box Elder - Tasha Parisian 12, Gerri Eagleman 9, Sharlene Yellowtail 9, Rebecca Eagleman 18, Helen Russette 6, Ashley Parisian 5, Loni LaMere 2. Totals 20 13-21.
Three-point goals - Kirkaldie 3, Shambo 2, Eagleman 2, Yellowtail, R. Eagleman 3. Total fouls - Hays 18, Box Elder 18. Fouled out - J. Eagleman, R. Eagleman, Hawley. Technicals - R. Eagleman.
Rocky Boy 65, Blue Sky/J-I 44
Blue Sky/J-I 11 10 13 10 - 44
Rocky Boy 17 24 14 10 - 65
Blue Sky/J-I - Maia Aageson 8, Kaila Warren 13, Robyn Schnitzmeier 6, Hannah Pimley 14, Megan Warren 1, Jourdon Han 1, Robin Patrick 1. Totals 14 14-19.
Rocky Boy - Brittany St. Pierre 10, Chelsey St. Pierre 6, Shaneen Raining Bird 11, Deena Sunchild 2, Loni Belcourt 10, Tori Belcourt 14, Stormy Adams 2, Erin Bronco 6, Frances Eagleman 4. Totals 28 3-5.
Three-point goals - Aageson, Warren, B. St. Pierre 2, Raining Bird, L. Belcourt 2, T. Belcourt. Fouls - Blue Sky 9, Rocky Boy 17. Fouled out - none.
Saturday
Conrad 45, Chinook 41
Chinook 8 9 12 12 - 41
Conrad 12 10 9 14 - 45
Chinook - Dawn Kellam 2, Monica Thackeray 7, Whitney Lybeck 13, Crystal Roseberry 12, Erin Eslick 1, Cassie Dugan 4, Brittany Williams 2. Totals - 15-1 8-11.
Conrad - Tiffany Christianson 3, Blair Bliss 12, Katey Schlepp 4, Crystal Zomer 7, Christine Wetendorf 3, Courtney Ellessen 8, Jaycee Peters 6, Christy Ries 2. Totals - 15-1 12-26.
Three-point goals - Thackeray, Bliss. Total fouls - Chinook 20, Conrad 15. Fouled out - Lybeck
Plentywood 73, Harlem 52
Plentywood 10 18 24 21 - 73
Harlem 13 9 14 15 - 52
Plentywood - Catie O'Toole 4, Callie Howard 11, Laura Angvick 2, Tessa Fellon 3, Cassie Barry 2, Kirbi Henderson 13, Kristen Steiner 17, Vallie Christianson 9, Shalee Christianson 12. Totals - 22-2 23-33
Harlem - Olivia Main 21, Colleen Filesteel 5, Marty Stiffarm 10, Danielle Dirden 2, Amy Stiffarm 4, Star Carrywater 4, Gemma Doore 4, Leandra Thomas 1. Totals - 16-2 13-17.
Three-point goals - Henderson 2, Main 2. Total fouls - Plentywood 18, Harlem 25. Fouled out - Brooke Filesteel (Harlem).
Blue Sky/J-I 48, Hays-Lodge Pole 44
Hays Lodge-Pole 8 10 15 15 - 48
Blue Sky/J-I 8 9 11 16 - 44
Hays-Lodge Pole - Jean Whitecow 4, Suzi Kirkaldie 14, Twila Werk 3, Colette Hawley 23 Totals: 28 4-8 44.
Blue Sky/J-I - Kaila Warren 11, Maia Aageson 6, Kile Patrick 6, Hannah Pimley 15, Megan Warren 6, Robin Patrick 4. Totals: 16 14-28 48 .
Three-point goals - K. Warren, M. Warren, Kirkaldie 4. Total Fouls - Blue Sky/J-I 9, Hays 19. Fouled out - none.
Rocky Boy 63, KG 44
Rocky Boy 17 12 18 16 - 63
KG 7 15 7 15 - 44
Rocky Boy - Brittany St. Pierre 2, Chelsey St. Pierre 6, Shaneen Raining Bird 13, Deena Sunchild 2, Loni Belcourt 20, Tori Belcourt 8, Erin Broncho 10, Francis Eagleman 2. Totals - 25-2 8-11.
KG - Whitney Hanson 4, Jodi Norman 8, Tara Donoven 3, Kate Vosen 5, Tasha Dyrland 22, Kendra Donoven 2. Totals - 12-1 17-28.
Three-point goals - Raining Bird, L Belcourt, Hanson. Total fouls - Rocky Boy 20, KG 11. Fouled out - none
Box Elder 64, Turner 58
Box Elder 16 19 13 16 - 64
Turner 11 16 18 13 - 58
Box Elder - Tasha Parisian 7, Gerri Eagleman 15, Sharlene Yellowtail 11, Rebecca Eagleman 17, Helena Russette 2, Ashley Parisian 8, Lori LaMere 4. Totals 24 7-18.
Turner - Cheryl Cowan 25, Kelsey Klindworth 6, Ashley VanVoast 23, Chelsi Jones 2, Krista Chambers 2. Totals 23 12-16.
Three-point goals - G. Eagleman 3, Yellowtail 3, R. Eagleman 3. Fouls - Box Elder 18, Turner 15. Fouled out - none.
