Hi-Line Girls Roundup: Harlem girls shock Poplar at the end

It was perhaps the busiest week of the girls high school basketball season yet on the Hi-Line. But it was the end of the week that was the most exciting.

Saturday night in Harlem, two of the best in Class B went at it with the host Wildcats taking on the Poplar Indians. Both District 2B squads have hopes of dethroning the likes of Fairfield and Malta this season, and they waged an epic battle against each other Saturday night.

The Wildcats started slow, falling behind the high-powered Indians 20-11 in the first quarter. And by the time the start of the fourth quarter rolled around, Harlem trailed 42-37. The Wildcats trailed 53-47 with two minutes left, but that's when the dramatics started.

L'Tia Lawrence buried a 3-pointer with 1:29 left to bring Harlem to within three points. And after the teams continued to battle down to the wire, Harlem found itself with the ball trailing 55-54 with just seconds left in the game. And with four ticks left, Autumn Eagleman sank a three to lift Harlem to the 57-55 win over the Indians, who came into the game undefeated and ranked second in Class B.

Lawrence and Eagleman combined for 17 points, while Mystic Striker led all scorers with 18 points and Kylee Dirden added 12 as Harlem remained perfect in District 2B play.

The Wildcats had another close game Friday night, but they handled Shelby 51-42, behind 11 points from Striker.

The week started all the way back on Tuesday as the North Star Knights played host to the Havre High junior varsity team. And the Blue Ponies were too much for the Knights, as they won 58-45. Kylie Walker scored 17 points and Jessa Chvilicek added 13 for the Ponies, while Paij Peterson scored 17 and Kate Hansen scored 11 for the Knights.

It was a full slate of District 9C games this weekend, starting Thursday night with the top two teams in the league in action. Box Elder had no trouble with Turner, winning 82-44 to stay undefeated, while Fort Benton was able to pull away from Chester-Joplin-Inverness, 59-38. Maddie Thompson scored 14 points for the Longhorns, while Peyton Hawks had 11 for CJI.

Turner, which is having a strong season, bounced right back Friday night however, as the Tornadoes belted Big Sandy 62-20. Turner ran away with a 20-2 lead in the first quarter, and got a game-high 26 points by Sarah Billmayer, as well as 11 from Rylee Conlan. Jaylyn Cline and Andrea Rutledge combined for 11 points for the Pioneers.

In a 9C rivalry game Friday night, Chinook edged North Star in a thriller, 40-38. The Sugarbeeters trailed the Knights by as many as seven points in the second half, but they exploded for 23 points in the fourth stanza to overtake North Star for the win. Hailey McMaster scored a game-high 15 points for the Beeters, while Kate Hansen paced the Knights with 11.

Hays-Lodge Pole took on one of the top teams in the Northern C Friday night in Roy-Winifred, and the Outlaws were able to pull away from the Thunderbirds, 59-38. Mulleah Stiffarm led the T-Birds with 14 points in the loss.

Rocky Boy returned to Class B action after a humbling game against Havre on Thursday night, as the Morning Stars hosted Cut Bank in a 1B game Friday night. And the Wolves were no match, as the Morning Stars won easily, 78-34. Rocky Boy used runs of 19-6 and 23-6 to blow out the Wolves, and Adrienne Gopher led four players in double figures with 21 points.

Saturday night was all about the 9C with three key games on the schedule, and in Fort Benton, the Longhorns proved they belong at the top of the standings after thrashing Chinook 60-27. A 22-5 run in the third quarter was all the Horns needed to put the game away.

Maddie Thompson and Abby Clark each scored 12 points for Fort Benton, while Carrie Hofer had eight points and Erin Pula scored seven for Chinook.

Box Elder kept its winning streak intact, as well, and with no trouble Saturday night in Hays. The undefeated Bears raced past HLP 74-34, using a 31-8 first quarter to do so. Lilly Gopher and Cecelia Vielle each scored 18 points for the Bears and Maddie Wolf Chief and Joelnell Momberg added 11 apiece. Mulleah Stiffarm paced the T-Birds with 13 points, while Ella Messerly scored 11.

CJI has also been very solid in 9C play this winter, and it showed Saturday night as the Hawks rolled to a 63-30 win over Big Sandy. The Pioneers hung tough in the first quarter, but from there, it was all CJI. Khloe Kamerzell and Kendahl Knapton came up big for the Hawks, scoring 21 and 20 points, respectively. Jaylyn Cline scored nine points in the loss for the Pioneers.

Tuesday

Havre JV 58, North Star 45

Havre JV 16 7 15 20 - 58

North Star 17 11 9 8 - 45

Havre: Britton Paulson 2, Jera Verploegen 2, Kylie Walker 17, Kassidy Compton 4, Abbey Morse 4, Jessa Chvilicek 13, Katie Wirtzberger 6, Loy Waid 2, Lauren Kato 8.

North Star: Katelyn Hansen 11, Paij Peterson 17, Lily Pedersen 3, Katelin Harvey 4, Chelsea Donaldson 7, Peytan King 3.

Thursday

Fort Benton 59, Chester-Joplin-Inverness 38

Ft. Benton 18 12 15 14 - 59

CJI 12 7 16 3 - 38

Ft. Benton: Nack 2, C. Clark 10, Thompson 14, Giese 6, A. Clark 6, Molinario 4, M. Clark 1, Gannon 11, Hanford 5.

Chester-Joplin-Inverness: Kendahl Knapton 5, Korrin Harmon 7, Kayona Fraser 8, Samantha May 2, Khloe Kammerzell 3, Jasmine Cole 2, Peyton Hawks 11.

Friday

Harlem 51, Shelby 42

Shelby 11 3 12 16 - 42

Harlem 14 15 3 19 - 51

Shelby: Abbey Aklespad 21, Johnson 1, Martin 1, B. Aklespad 5, Underdahl 10, Hellinger 4.

Harlem: Henry 5, Healy 6, Striker 11, Dirden 6, Lawrence 11, Eagleman 6, Scheaffer 6.

Turner 62, Big Sandy 20

Big Sandy 2 4 7 7 - 20

Turner 20 12 20 10 - 62

Big Sandy: J. Leader 4, A. Rutledge 5, L. Gregory 3, J. Cline 6, S. Reichelt 2.

Turner: Raegan Conlon 7, Sarah Billmayer 26, Rylee Conlon 11, Melanie Watkins 3, Brandy Calvert 1, Laci Maloney 6, Braske Reed 2, Shyon Krass 6.

Rocky Boy 78, Cut Bank 34

Cut Bank 6 12 6 10 - 34

Rocky Boy 19 16 23 20 - 78

Cut Bank: Raemaker 3, Rides At the Door 1, Sinstad 4, Barry 7, Spotted Bear 4, Black 8, Seifert 7.

Rocky Boy: J. Gopher 12, Sean Henry 14, Coffee 8, Adrienne Gopher 21, Mitchell 8, Pease 15.

Roy-Winifred 59, Hays-Lodge Pole 38

R-W 18 7 14 20 - 59

H-L 5 10 9 14 - 38

Roy-Winifred: Smith 10, Geer 7, B. Boyce 7, Bahnmiller 3, D. Boyce 24, Heggem 9

Hay-Lodge Pole: Andrew 5, Blackwolf 1, Messerly 5, Chandler 2, Kirkaldie 6, Stiffarm 14, Werk 4, Perez 1.

Chinook 40, North Star 38

Chinook 6 7 4 23 - 40

North Star 3 12 8 15 – 38

North Star – Kate Hansen 11, Paij Peterson 4, Tanisha Hudson 3, Katelin Harvey 2, Sage O'Neil 7, Chelsea Donaldson 7, Peytan King 7.

Chinook – Carrie Hofer 1, Kourtney Hanson 9, Jaye-Marie Anderson 1, Hailey McMaster 15, Erin Pula 6, Rachel Gunderson 8.

Saturday

Harlem 55, Poplar 53

Poplar 20 12 10 11 - 53

Harlem 11 11 16 17 - 55

Poplar: Alleen Russell 12, Riley MacDonald 3, Sasha Youngman 3, Gillian Medicine Cloud 3, Holly Colgan 2, Chloe' Shields 15, Imani Bighorn 15.

Harlem: Kailee Henry 2, Payton Healy 6, Mystic Striker 18, Skylee Dirdin 12, L'Tia Lawrence 9, Autumn Eagleman 8.

Fort Benton 60, Chinook 27

Chinook 7 8 10 8 - 27

Fort Benton 12 15 22 11 - 60

Chinook: Carrie Hofer 8, Kourtney Hanson 2, Hailey McMaster 5, Ashley MacLeod 1, Erin Pula 7, Rachel Gunderson 3.

Fort Benton: Cassie Nack 3, McKenzie Clark 4, Madison Thompson 12, Aspen Giese 7, Abby Clark 12, Maci Molinario 2, Jaelyn Vielleux 4, Megan Clark 3, Leah Gannon 5, McKenna Hanford 8.

Box Elder 74, Hays-Lodge Pole 34

Box Elder 31 18 22 3 - 74

Hays 8 14 8 4 - 34

Box Elder: Sarah Parisian 1, Nikayla Anderson 2, Eve The Boy 5, Maia Henderson 2, Maddie Wolfchief 11, Lilly Gopher 18, Zayna Henderson 6, Joelnell Momberg 11, Cecelia Vielle 18

Hays-Lodge Pole: Nature Andrew 2, Ella Messerly 11, Sierra Chandler 4, Latasha Kirkaldie 1, Mulleeah Stiffarm 13, Tahlia Werk 2.

Chester-Joplin-Inverness 63, Big Sandy 30

Big Sandy 6 7 8 9 - 30

CJI 8 21 17 17 - 63

Big Sandy: Leader 4, Rutledge 5, Gasvoda 1, Gregory 5, J. Cline 9, A. Cline 4, Allderdice 2.

Chester-Joplin-Inverness: Kendahl Knapton 20, Korrin Harmon 9, Kayona Fraser 3, Samantha May 2, Khloe Kammerzell 21, Peyton Hawks 6, Tatum Hull 2.