Hi-Line Boys Roundup: Stars stay hot

After a good holiday break, with not too many basketball games being played on the Hi-Line, boys basketball teams finally returned to the hardwood over the weekend.

On Thursday, the rolling Class B Rocky Boy Stars remained undefeated on the season with a 96-77 win over the Class C Big Sandy Pioneers. The Pioneers are still fighting to stay atop the 9C, while the Stars have surprised a lot of teams with their flawless 1B record.

The Stars were in control of the game from the get go, leading 20-12 after the first frame. They added 27 in the second, 25 in the third and 24 in the fourth. The Pioneers battled back with a 26-point fourth, but the damage was already done.

Junior Day Child led the Stars with 25 points, while Elijah Gopher and Darien Lafromboise both pitched in 14-point efforts. Justin Raining Bird also added 13. Jessey Bailey led the Pioneers with 19, while Zack Leader and Trevor Lackner scored 12 each.

The Pioneers were back in action on Friday, and regrouped nicely against the rival 9C Chinook Sugarbeeters.

The Pioneers won a close game, defeating the Beeters 53-48 in Chinook. Besides the seven-point third quarter, the Pioneers turned in a balanced effort. But it was just enough, as the Beeters started slow with a seven point first frame, and finished just as slow, with an eight point fourth frame.

Leader went off for 26 points, while Jerry Hanson added 12 for the Beeters. Zach Molyneaux led the Beeters with 18, while Grant Tilleman followed with 10.

Rocky Boy's Darien Lafromboise, right, grabs a rebound during a boys basketball game against Big Sandy last Thursday night in Rocky Boy.

Also in 9C action, the district leading Box Elder Bears defeated the Hays-Lodge Pole Thunderbirds 53-42 on Friday. The Bears used a 22-13 opening quarter to get out in front, and Brandon The Boy took care of the rest, finishing with 17 points for the Bears. Randal Gardipee also finished with 10.

Jeff Sorrell led the Thunderbirds with 13 points, while Floyd McConnell followed with 11.

The 9C North Star Knights also managed to come away with a win on Friday, when they defeated the Sunburst Refiners 51-45 at home.

Sunburst held a 27-18 lead over the Knights at intermission, but the Knights came alive in the second half. North Star outscored the Refiners 12-8 in the third and 21-10 in the fourth to edge out the Refiners. Cooper Spicher led all scorers with 17 points, while Jaxon Simonson pitched in 15.

Turner wasn't as lucky, as the 9C Tornadoes were defeated by Roy-Winifred 73-47 on the road. Dylan Welsh scored 17 and Lucas Reed scored 16 for the Tornadoes, but after a 24-3 deficit in the first frame, Turner was never able to recover. The loss to Row-Winifred came one night after the Tornadoes suffered a heart-breaking, 65-64 loss to the Havre Junior Varsity in Turner. Jerod Boles led the Ponies in that win with 24 points and five 3-pointers.

The 2B Harlem Wildcats also suffered a tough loss on Friday, as the Glasgow Scotties defeated the Wildcats 57-47.

The Wildcats trailed 17-7 early and 32-23 at the half. They battled back by outscoring the Scotties 17-13 in the third, but struggled to score in the final frame, finishing with just seven points in the final eight minutes of play. Stanley Irvine led Harlem with 16, and Micah Shawls followed with 14, but it wasn't enough to out-do the Scotties four double-digit scorers.

Big Sandy's Jessey Bailey drives to the basket during a boys basketball game between the Pioneers and Rocky Boy Stars last Thursday night in Rocky Boy.

Harlem will return to the court on Friday at Wolf Point and Saturday at Plentywood.

In 10C action, the Chester/J-I Hawks were on the winning end of a 57-47 victory, as they took down Power on the road on Friday. It was a tight first half of action, with the Hawks leading by just one point. But C/J-I took over in the second half, outscoring Power 28-19 and grabbing the 10-point win. Dell Harmon and Tim Stokes both scored 12 points each in the win, while Dustin Romain added nine of his own.

The action continued on Saturday, and the Hawks followed with their second straight win. The Hawks defeated the North Star Knights 65-47. North Star jumped out to a 16-14 lead after the first frame was in the books, but the offense couldn't stay consistant. The Knights were held to six in the second and shutout in the third, while the Hawks posted 17 and 14 in the same 16 minutes. North Star did outscore the Hawks 25-20 in the final frame.

Cooper Spicher had another huge game, leading the Knights with 17 points, while Quinn Spinler added 10. But Steven May led the Hawks with 11, while Oraw and Harmon combined for another 17 to edge the Knights.

North Star will face Denton on Friday and then will host Big Sandy on Saturday. And C/J-I will host Heart Butte on Friday before traveling to Chinook on Saturday.

Rocky Boy was able to grab another win on Saturday, this time keeping its unbeaten streak alive by defeating Fairfield 66-47.

The Stars won with little resistance. They posted 22 in the first quarter and almost duplicated the performance with 21 more in the third quarter. This time Daychild led with 24 points, while Desmond Parker came through with 15. Rocky Boy will be back in action on Friday when they host Conrad and on Saturday when they host Choteau.

Box Elder continued to play well, and also recorded a solid win on Saturday, as they defeated Hart Butte 62-49 at home.

The Bears found themselves locked up in a 15-15 tie after the first quarter, but began gaining ground through the remainder of the game, scoring 13 in the second, 22 in the third and 12 in the fourth. Gardipee had another big game and led the team with 19 points. Lonnie Plain Bull Jr and Morsette Jr. both added 14 points each.

The Bears will host Sunburst on Friday and will travel to face 9C rival Turner on Saturday.

Big Sandy's Kyle Strutz, left, shoots over a Rocky Boy defender last Thursday night in Rocky Boy.

Also on Saturday, the Beeters dominated the Tornadoes 70-30 in Turner.

Lane Seymour had a big game, leading with 19 points for Chinook, while Dylan Surber and Molyneaux both added 11 points. Turner got their best production from Bret VanValkenburg and his nine points.

Chinook will face Geraldine on the road on Friday, and will return home to host Chester/J-I on Saturday. Turner will fays Hays-Lodge Pole on Friday in Hays, and will host Box Elder on Saturday.

In the final matchup of the weekend, Roy-Winifred and the Thunderbirds met in another 9C matchup. Unfortunately, the Thunderbirds were defeated 69-60 in a very tight matchup in Hays.

The Thunderbirds fell behind 18-9 in the first eight minutes, and lagged behind 40-21 at the break. But with a big second half surge, the Thunderbirds nearly pulled off an upset. The Thunderbirds were outscored 19-12 in the third, but outscored the opposition 27-10 in the final frame, still coming up just nine points short.

Marvin Cole led the Thunderbirds with 22 points, while Sorrell added 12. H/LP will be back in action on Thursday when they host Turner.

THURSDAY

Havre JV 65, Turner 64 (ot)

Havre JV 9 13 21 11 11 — 65

Turner 14 12 15 13 10 — 64

Havre JV — Jerod Boles 24, Charlie Christianson 11, Jeff Miller 3, Tanner Lowe 5, Noah Landgraf 14, Dakota Christianson 8. Totals: 23 8-14.

Turner — Dylan Welsh 10, Tyler Humphreys 2, Brex Van Valkenburg 22, Lucas Reed 24, Alvero Gonzalez 2, Reece Hutton 4. Totals: 27 10-24.

Total fouls: Havre JV 20, Turner 17. Fouled out: Gonzalez. 3-point goals: Boles 5, Miller 1, Lowe 1, Lundgraf 4.

Rocky Boy 96, Big Sandy 77

Big Sandy 12 18 19 26 — 77

Rocky Boy 20 27 25 24 — 96

Big Sandy — Zack Leader 12, Kyle Strutz 4, Jesse Bailey 19, Jerry Hanson 17, Kaden Beck 8, Trevor Lackner 12, Halston Beck 3, Brian Jones 2. Totals: 32 1-4.

Rocky Boy's Isiah Murie, left, races down the floor during a boys basketball game against Big Sandy last Thursday night in Rocky Boy.

Rocky Boy — Elijah Gopher 14, Isiah Murie 3, Junior Day Child 25, Justin Raining Bird 13, Kelsey Standing Rock 2, Desmond Parker 16, Darien Lafromboise 14, Cecil Lafromboise 4, Martin Zarco 5. Totals: 40 14-22.

Total fouls: Big Sandy 16, Rocky Boy 13. Fouled out: none. 3-point goals: Leader 2, Bailey 5, Hanson 1, Lackner 2, H. Beck 1, Gopher 2.

FRIDAY

Big Sandy 53, Chinook 48

Big Sandy 13 17 7 16 – 53

Chinook 7 18 15 8 – 48

Big Sandy — Zac Leader 26, Jessey Bailey 6, Jerry Hanson 12, Kaden Beck 3, Trevor Lackner 6.

Chinook — Lane Seymour 9, Scott Schmitt 5, Zach Molyneaux 18, Jake Diemert 6, Grant Tilleman 10.

Box Elder 53 Hays-Lodge Pole 42

Box Elder 22 9 14 7 – 53

HLP 13 5 13 11 – 42

Box Elder – Brandon The Boy 17, Clayton Morsette 9, Randal Gardipee 10, Thomas Parisian 5, Lonnie Plain Bull Jr. 9, Jacob Burns 1. Totals: 17 11-19.

HLP – Floyd McConnell 11, Jeff Sorrell 13, Marvin cole 9, Jalen Brockie 6, Sterling White Cow 1, Keenan Stiffarm 2. Totals 19 2-7.

North Star 51, Sunburst 45

Sunburst 14 13 8 10 – 45

North Star 10 8 12 21 – 51

Sunburst – Logan Simmes 4, Jackson Nagy 2, Tyler Tharp 19, Andy Ryan 12, Forest McEwen 4, Paul Ehlers 4. Totals 19 3-4.

North Star – Cooper Spicher 17, Quinn Spicher 3, Sam Ulmen 4, Jaxon Simonson 15, Gavin Spinler 6, Payton Peterson 7. Totals 18 15-23.

Total fouls – Sunburst 18, NS 11. 3-pointers – Simmes, Tharp 3, Spinler.

Roy-Winifred 73, Turner 47

Turner 3 17 12 15 – 47

Roy-Winifred 24 27 16 6 – 73

Turner — Dylan Welsh 17, Tyler Humphreys 2, Bret VanValkenberg 6, Lucas Reed 16, Alvero Gonzalez 6.

Roy-Winifred — Tucker Matovich 6, Chad Kananen 9, Samu Soini 5, Jorden Dehaven 2, Jordan Harrell 2, Clay Boyce 2, Frederik Nielson 2, Ben Negaard 8, Luke Stulc 16, Lee Thompson 19, Cole Sluggett 2.

Glasgow 57, Harlem 47

Harlem 7 16 17 7 – 47

Glasgow 17 15 13 12 – 57

Harlem – Stanley Irvine 16, Jordan Snow 2, Isaiah Lawrence 2, Micah Shawl 14, Tristin Gone 6, Tyler Doney 1, Clay Doney 6. Totals 18 8-11

Glasgow – Bryan Larson 10, Jason Thibault 6, Chase Fossum 12, Jake Page 13, Keil Krumweide 13, Gage Legare 3. Totals 24 6-12.

Chester/J-I 57, Power 47

Power 12 16 12 7 – 47

Chester/J-I 12 17 17 11 – 57

Power – Drew Carlsson 8, Kyle Schmidt 9, Levi Willekes 3, Cody Ulsh 4, Isaiah Dunk 12, Trey Ulsh 3, Ryan Gunderson 4, Seth Kitchin 4. Totals 19 3-7

C/J-I – Jordan Oraw 7, Dell Harmon 12, Tim Stokes 12, Mike Henke 3, Steven May 2, Cody Ramberg 4, Dustin Romain 9, Klayton Lohr 2, Justin May 6. Totals 18 16-23.

Total fouls – Power 15, CJI 12. Fouled out – Schmidt. Technical foul – Power coach Vick. 3-pointers – Schmidt 3, Dunk 2, T. Ulsh, Harmon, Stokes 4.

SATURDAY

Chester/J-I 65, North Star 47

North Star 16 6 0 25 – 47

Chester/J-I 14 17 14 20 – 65

North Star — Spicher 17, S. Ulmen 5, Smith 4, Simonson 4, Spinler 10, Peterson 1, Helmbrecht 2, D. Ulmen 4.

C/J-I — Jordan Oraw 9, Dell Harmon 8, Tim Stokes 2, Mike Henke 6, Steven May 11, Cody Ramberg 6, Dustin Romain 3, Klayton Lohr 5, Justin May 15.

Rocky Boy 66, Fairfield 47

Rocky Boy 22 7 21 16 – 66

Fairfield 13 5 16 13 – 47

Rocky Boy — Elijah Gopher 3, Junior Daychild 24, Justin Canning Bird 5, Kelsey Standing Rock 8, Desmond Parker 15, Darien LaFromboise 11.

Fairfield — Landon Allen 3, Nick Drishinski 15, Morgan Schenk 4, Yancy Gagne 9, Dru Oveson 14, Tanner Mayer 2.

Box Elder 62, Heart Butte 49

Heart Butte 15 7 10 17 – 49

Box Elder 15 13 22 12 – 62

Heart Butte – T. Still Smoking 4, E. Denney 1, E. young Running Crane 8, W. SkunkCap 17, J. Bull Shoe 6, J. Aimsback 12, Jiminez 1.

Box Elder – Brandon The Boy 4, Clayton Morsette Jr. 14, Randall Gardipee 19, Dakota Standing Rock 1, Quinn Baker 2, Nathan Parker 2, Thomas Parisian 4, Lonnie Plain Bull 14, Jacob Burns 1.

Chinook 70, Turner 30

Chinook 16 30 11 13 – 70

Turner 11 6 6 7 – 30

Chinook – Lane Seymour 19, Dylan Surber 11, Scott Schmitt 2, Zach Molyneaux 11, Cody McCracken 4, Zach Schellin 3, Jake Demert 8, Ty Simenson 4, Grant Tilleman 8.

Turner - Dylan Welsh 1, Tyler Humphreys 4, Bret VanValkenburg 9, Lucas Reed 8, Alvero Gonzalez 8.

Roy-Winifred 69, Hays-Lodge Pole 60

Roy-Winifred 18 22 19 10 – 69

HLP 9 12 12 27 - 60

Roy-Winifred – Tucker Matovich 16, Chad Kanamen 24, Samu Soini 2, Jordan DeNaven 3, Cole Sluggett 1, Luke Stulc 11, Lee Thompson 12.

HLP – Nate Doney 4, Jeff Sorrell 12, Marvin Cole 22, Darnell Parisian 2, Sterling White Cow 2, Floyd McConnell 2, Keenan Stiffarm 6, Jalen Brookie 10.