Local teams pick up wins at Native American Classic

The 2002 Northern Native American Basketball Classic provided plenty of exciting basketball action for the start of the Montana high school basketball season as several teams showcased their talents Friday and Saturday at the Havre High gymnasium.

On the boys' side, the Heart Butte Warriors and Box Elder Bears went 2-0 over the weekend while on the girls' side the Havre High JV squad also had a perfect 2-0 mark after the two-day tournament.

The tournament tipped off Friday morning with the girls taking the court first as Dodson matched up against the Browning Indians JV team. Dodson won the opening game of the tournament 55-34 and got a solid contribution from Nikki Johnson with 13 points. Deana Bear added 12 points in the victory.

The second of four girls games saw Rocky Boy thrash the JV team from Two Eagle River 80-15. The Morning Stars were led by Shana St. Pierre's 24 points and also got 13 points from Marty Stiffarm. In the third girls game, Box Elder defeated Heart Butte 51-17 behind 14 points from Tami Infante and four other Bears who scored eight points. The final girls game of the night featured the Havre High JV team knocking off the Browning JV squad to advance to Saturday night's winners' round.

On the boys' side Friday morning, the Rocky Boy Stars downed Dodson 66-55 to open the tournament. The Stars were paced by Jessie Colliflower's 21 points and also got 13 points from Dion LodgePole and 10 from Kyle Windy Boy.

The second boys game saw defending Class C state runner- up Heart Butte hammer the Browning JV team 84-62. The Warriors had six players in double figures, led by Cory Moran's 17 points and Scott Raining Bird's 16. The third boys game was another blowout as the Box Elder Bears routed Two Eagle River 104-68. The Bears got 18 points from Kyle Parker and 17 from Neal Rossette. Aaron Henry added 16 points in the victory.

The final game of the evening saw the Havre High JV team down the Browning JVs.

Saturday morning for the girls began with a matchup between Browning JV and Two Eagle River JV with Browning coming out on top 66-21. That Browning split squad finished the tourney 1-1 while Two Eagle River went winless in two games. The second girls' contest saw the other Browning JV team knock off Heart Butte 73-41. That Browning team also finished with a 1-1 record while the Warriors fell to 0-2.

Saturday night's matchups of earlier winners began with Box Elder defeating Dodson 57-47. The Bears (2-0) were led by Tami Infante's 21 points, and Brandi Lawrence added 13. Dodson finished the tourney with a 1-1 record.

In the final girls game of the tourney, the Havre High JV team routed Rocky Boy 70-19. The Ponies were paced by Steph Flatau and Alexa Lipp, who each scored 12 points. Justine Erhard had 11 points and Kelsey Evans added a solid 10 points for the Ponies. The Morning Stars got nine points from Shana St. Pierre in the losing effort. The Ponies finished with a 2-0 mark while the Morning Stars finished at 1-1.

Saturday morning, the boys began with a matchup between Browning JV and Dodson, with Browning managing a two-point victory, 65-63. The second game of the morning session saw Two Eagle River route the other Browning JV team 83-59. Both Browning JV squads went 1-1 over the weekend and Two Eagle River was also 1-1 while Dodson went winless over two games.

The evening's first game saw the Heart Butte Warriors handle Rocky Boy 84-66. The Warriors got big nights out of Jeff Arrow on Top and Scott Raining Bird. Arrow on Top scored a game high 25 points and Raining Bird added 22. The Stars were paced by Jessie Colliflower's 25 points. The Warriors are now 2-0 on the young season while the Stars are 1-1.

The final boys game of the tournament featured the Box Elder Bears and the Havre High JV team. The Bears were able to down the Ponies 77-59. Box Elder got a game high 22 points from Marcus Standing Rock, and Tim Rossette added 16. The Ponies were led by 16 points from Bret Magelssen. Box Elder is now 2-0 on the season while Havre JV fell to 1-1.