Chris Peterson
Havre Daily News
cpeterson@havredailynews.com
At the beginning of the 9C boys basketball season, it was predicted that the league would be rampant with parity. After this weekend, it seems as though that prediction may come true.
Teams that were unbeaten lost and teams that were winless won. Now the league has one team at the top, one team at the bottom and five teams that are separated by a single game.
Tuesday night, the Chinook Sugarbeeters traveled to Harlem to take on the Wildcats in a nonconference clash between old Class B rivals. However, this old rivalry seemed more dead than alive as the Wildcats beat down the Beeters, 61-38.
Jordan Mount led the Wildcats with 14 points, and Chad Beck of Chinook had a game-high 16 points in the loss.
Speaking of the top and bottom, those teams just happened to face off on Friday night in Rocky Boy, as the Stars played host to North Star High School.
The Stars seemed overmatched in the contest on paper, but someone forgot to tell them that, and they gave North Star a fairly big scare. In a low-scoring, defensive battle, North Star just could not shake the stubborn Stars. The Knights held a five-point, 39-34 lead heading into the decisive final period.
However, the Knights simply wielded too much firepower for the Stars to overcome and escaped with a nail-biting 47-38 victory to improve to 4-0 in conference play.
The Knights were led by Cody Donoven's 19 points on their way to victory. Brandon Melby also notched 13 points on the night in the winning effort. Leading the Stars' valiant effort was Ivan Whitford, who poured in 17 points. Lakota Oats also did his part, with nine points in the contest.
In a mild upset Friday night, the Turner Tornadoes played host to the Hays-Lodge Pole T-Birds, and Turner was able to knock off the previously unbeaten T-Birds in an overtime thriller.
Turner played well early on and held a 12-8 lead at the end of the first quarter. The T-Birds quickly responded in the second quarter and outscored the Tornadoes 18-12 to take a 26-24 halftime lead.
But, the Tornadoes fought back hard and used a solid third period to retake a four-point lead, 37-33 heading into the final frame.
Four quarters was not enough to decide the game as the T-Birds forced the game into overtime tied at 47-47. Turner refused to be beaten and outscored the T-Birds 14-10 in the extra frame to secure a 61-57 win.
Dalton Cornell continued his spectacular season for the Tornadoes as he led the way with 20 points, and Chad Jones did his part with 16 points in the big victory.
Lance Brockie led HLP with another double-digit performance, scoring 16 points. Cole McCabe contributed with 15 points.
Chinook, whose 9C season had gotten off to a rough start, looked to get things on track as the Sugarbeeters traveled to Big Sandy on Friday night to square off against the Pioneers.
Winless in conference play coming into the matchup, the Beeters desperately needed a victory. They got one as they used a stifling defense that allowed the Pioneers double digits in only one quarter of play to earn the 49-35 win.
Chinook imposed its will on the Pioneers early and often in the contest, grabbing the lead early and never letting go. Up 13-7 at the end of the first quarter and 25-16 at halftime, the Beeters controlled things throughout.
Marty Birky of Chinook had a game-high 18 points in the win, and Dallas Miller contributed nicely with 14 points of his own. For the Pioneers, only Kyle Danreuther managed to score in double figures as he scored 12 points in the losing effort.
The Box Elder Bears played host to Sunburst on Friday night. Box Elder turned it on early and quickly turned out the lights on Sunburst as it rolled to a 79-59 victory.
Steve Arca had an absolutely huge night as he poured in 26 points to pace the scoring for the Bears. Aaron Henry also had a nice night as he notched a cool 22 points in the easy win.
On Saturday night, Chinook looked to build on the momentum it had built with its win over Big Sandy, as the Beeters played host to the Hays-Lodge Pole T-Birds.
Early on, it appeared the game would be tight as it was tied up at 8-8 after the first quarter. But the Beeters began to pull away in the second quarter as they held the T-Birds to just three points to grab a 19-11 halftime lead and essentially put the game on ice. The run gave the Beeters (2-2 conference, 4-4 overall) a convincing 51-35 win.
Adam Hayes and Dallas Miller each had a game-high 13 points for the Beeters.
The T-Birds (3-2 conference, 6-2 overall) were led by Lance Brockie's 11 points in their second consecutive district loss.
Big Sandy traveled to Turner on Saturday as the Pioneers looked to rebound from their disappointing loss the night before. They found the sailing smooth as they soared past Turner 72-62.
Big Sandy (2-3 conference, 2-6 overall) was led by Justin Willis, who scored 15 points and Chris LaBuda, who also notched 12 points.
Turner (2-2 conference, 4-3 overall) got 23 points from Colin Jones and 19 points from Chad Jones in the difficult loss.
Box Elder took its high-octane offensive attack on the road Saturday as the Bears paid archrival Rocky Boy a visit. The Bears proved to be too much for the Stars. The flood gates opened up early and often on the way to a 78-55 win.
The Bears (2-2 conference, 6-2 overall) were led by star player Aaron Henry, who continued his hot streak with a game-high 30 points. Not to be outdone, Steve Arca had 20 points.
The Stars (0-4 conference, 2-6 overall) were led by Ivan Whitford, who also scored 20 points.
North Star played host to Chester/J-I on Saturday in a nonconference tilt. The outcome was never in doubt as North Star pounced on C/J-I early on and rode a wave of momentum to a 58-48 win.
North Star (4-0 conference, 6-2 overall) was led by Cody Donoven's 18 points as well as the 12 points pitched in by Brandon Melby. C/J-I got 12 points from Tyler Han and 11 points from Kevin May on a night where not much went right for the Hawks.
It was an all-around rough weekend for C/J-I. On Friday night the team traveled to Power and lost by 16 points, 82-66. The Hawks trailed by just six points, 56-50, at the end of the third period before Power exploded for 26 fourth-quarter points.
The lone bright spot of the evening was the scoring of both Kevin May and Tyler Han, who had 26 points and 23 points, respectively.
Harlem faced the tough task of going on the road back-to-back nights looking for consecutive conference wins. Yet the Wildcats, who are starting to mold themselves into mid-season form, made it look easy as they swept through Shelby on Friday night, 59-52, and snuck by Wolf Point, 56-54 on Saturday.
Rick Haluszka was off the charts as he put together games of 25 and 27 points, respectively.
Tuesday
Harlem 61, Chinook 38
Chinook 11 7 12 8 - 38
Harlem 10 16 16 19 - 61
Chinook - Chad Beck 16, Taylor Tolefson 6, Dallas Miller 12, Luke Whitney 2, Adam Hayes 2.
Harlem - Miles Werk 2, Eddie Moore 8, Neeko Bigby 5, Marty Snow 4, Jordan Mount 14, John Werk 4, Rick Haluszka 10, Jeremy Rodney 8, Wally Crantz 6.
Friday
Chinook 49, Big Sandy 35
Chinook 13 12 5 19 - 49
Big Sandy 7 9 7 12 - 35
Chinook - Marty Birky 18, Tad Darrah 4, Dallas Miller 14, Luke Whitny 6, Jordan Lybeck 3, Adam Hayes 4. Totals - 21 6-15 49
Big Sandy - Justin Willis 6, Kyle Danreuther 12, Lawrence Jappe 7 John Sheehy 2, Chris LaBuda 4, Karl Osterman 4. Totals - 16 2-7 35.
Total fouls - Chinook 11, Big Sandy 15. Fouled out - none. 3-pointers - M. Birky, K. Danreuther.
Box Elder 79, Sunburst 59
Sunburst 9 10 23 17 - 59
Box Elder 17 29 17 16 - 79
Sunburst - Mitchell Diegel 16, John Hovland 3, Robbie Skelding 2, Matt Tomsheck 7, Shane Somerville 14, Craig Cook 10, Jake Roark 7. Totals: 26 5-13.
Box Elder - Steve Arca 26, Aaron Henry 22, Dustin Bacon 5, Lane Lamere 6, Joel Parker 5, Mike Sangrey Jr. 5, Colton Montes 2, Elias McCovey 6, Travis Russette 2. Totals: 33 5-6.
Total fouls: Sunburst 9, Box Elder 17. Fouled out: None. Technical fouls: Tomsheck. Three-point goals: Diegel 2, Henry 4, Parker 1, Sangrey Jr. 1, McCovey 1.
Power 82, Chester/J-I 66
C/J-I 16 16 18 16 - 66
Power 22 20 14 26 - 82
C/J-I - Derek Fraser 4, Anthony Markion 2, Tylor Hull 2, Sean Daly 3, Kevin May 26, Tyler Han 23, Shay Richter 4, Garrett Graff 2. Totals: 23 14-22.
Power - Kenny Huffman 38, Chad Sievers 5, Vinus Somorstack 8, Judd Englehardt 4, Travis Huffman 3, Logan Manzanarez 7, Talon Allen 17. Totals: 29 10-16.
Fouls - C/J-I 19, Power 17. Fouled out - Richter, Fraser, Allen. Three-pointers - K. Huffman 10, T. Huffman, Allen 3, May, Han 5
North Star 47, Rocky Boy 38
North Star 14 15 10 8 - 47
Rocky Boy 10 14 10 4 - 38
North Star - Alex Chivilicek 4, Darius Wendland 6, Branden Melby 13, Shane Rice 5, Cody Donoven 19. Totals: 19 6-10.
Rocky Boy - Ivan Whitford 17, Lakota Oates 9, Guy Johnson 6, Justin Bigknife 4, Louis Sutherland 2. Totals: 14 3-3.
Total fouls: North Star 12, Rocky Boy 13. Fouled out: none. 3-point goals: Melby, Donoven 2, Oates, Johnson, Whitford 5.
Turner 61, Hays-Lodge Pole 57
HLP 8 18 7 14 10 - 57
Turner 12 12 13 9 14 - 61
HLP - Vince Fortin 3, Jordan Werk 9, Cole McCabe 15, Lenny Gray 2, Beau Doney 4, Cody McCabe 3, Jojo Black Elk 5, Lance Brockie 16. Totals: 21 12-25.
Turner - Colin Jones 7, Taylor Fouts 4, Chad Jones 16, Logan Fouts 12, Ryan Haugen 2, Dalton Cornell 20. Totals: 24 9-22.
Fouls - HLP 19, Turner 20. Fouled out - Jones, Brockie. Three-pointers - Brockie 3, Jones, L. Fouts, Cornell
Harlem 59, Shelby 52
Harlem 14 10 14 21 - 59
Shelby 7 10 18 17 - 52
Harlem - Eddie Moore 15, Neeko Bigby 4, Monty Snow 6, Jordan Mount 5, Rick Haluszka 25, Jeremy Rodney 2, Wally Crantz 2. Totals: 18 22-31.
Shelby - Zach Mayernik 13, Shane Clark 7, Trey Wanty 17, Kevin Steiner 2, Mick Irvin 7, Derek Sisk 4. Totals: 16 16-24.
Fouls - Harlem 20, Shelby 19. Fouled out - Irvin. Three-pointers - Moore, Mayernik 3, Clark.
Saturday
Harlem 56, Wolf Point 54
Harlem 14 14 10 18 -56
Wolf Point 17 13 11 13 -54
Harlem - Miles Werk 3, Eddie Moore 6, Neeko Bigby 5, Monty Snow 2, Jordan Mount 5, John Werk 2, Rick Haluszka 27, Jeremy Rodney 2, Wally Crantz 4. Totals 21 13-16.
Wolf Point - Tyson Tgan 11, Lee Loendorf 5, Liberty Crawford 2, Joe Johnston 13, Brock Copenhaver 15, Joey Olsen 9. Totals 21 9-14.
Total fouls - Harlem 17, Wolf Point 17. Fouled out - none. Three-point goals - M. Werk, Johnston, Copenhaver 2
Big Sandy 72, Turner 62
Big Sandy 21 15 14 22 - 72
Turner 16 15 18 12 - 62
Big Sandy - J. Sheehy 16, D. Ray 3, K. Danreuther 12, C. LaBuda 12, K. Osterman 8, L. Jappe 6, J. Willis 15. Totals - 29 13-23 72
Turner - C. Jones 19, T. Fouts 2, C. Jones 23, L. Fouts 4, R. Haugen 2, D. Cornell 12. Totals - 28 4-10 62
Total fouls - Big Sandy 14, Turner 23. Fouled out - C. Jones, L. Fouts, D. Cornell. 3-pointers - C. LaBuda, C. Jones 2.
North Star 58, Chester/J-I 48
C/J-I 6 13 12 16 - 48
North Star 16 15 16 11 - 58
C/J-I - Derek Fraser 9, Trevor Violett 4, Sean Dailey 2, Kevin May 11, Tyler Han 12, Shay Richter 1, Garret Graff 4. Totals 15 12-23..
North Star - Stephen Ramsbacher 6, Alex Chivilicek 9, Darius Wendland 2, Branden Melby 12, Adam Chivilicek 3, Shane Rice 4, Cody Donoven 18, Alex Frey 4. Totals 22 9-21.
Total fouls - C-J-I 17, North Star 18. Fouled out - Foster, Richter, Melby. Technicals - Melby. 3-pointers - Ramsbacher, Al. Chivilicek, Donoven 3, Foster, Violett, May 2, Han 2.
Box Elder 78, Rocky Boy 45
Rocky Boy 14 13 9 9 - 45
Box Elder 25 16 17 20 - 78
Rocky Boy - Ivan Whitford 15, Lakota Oats 12, Justin Big Knife 5, Louis Sutherland 7, Kyle Standing Rock 4, Elias Norris 2. Totals: 17 5-9.
Box Elder - Steve Arca 20, Aaron Henry 30, Dustin Bacon 7, Lane LaMere 3, Joel Parker 12, Mike Sangrey, Jr. 4, Travis Russette 2. Totals: 28 14-24.
Total fouls - RB 16, BE 14. Fouled out - none. 3-pointers - Whitford 3, Oats 2, Big Knife, Arca, Henry 3, Parker 4.
Chinook 51, Hays-Lodge Pole 35
Hays-Lodgepole 8 3 11 13 -35
Chinook 8 11 11 21 -51
HLP - Jordan Werk 3, Cole McCabe 8, Beau Doney 0, Lenny Gray 5, Tyrell Hankanson 5, Vince Gone 3, Lance Brockie 11. Totals 13 3-10.
Chinook - Chad Beck 4, Marty Birky 8, Dallas Miller 13, Luke Whitney 9, Jordan Lybeck 4, Adam Hayes 13. Totals 17 17-29.
Total fouls - HLP 21, Chinook 15. Fouled out - Doney. Three-point goals - Werk, McCabe, Gray, Gone
