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Bears stay perfect with easy win over Big Sandy in 9C opener
The Box Elder Bears haven't lost a District 9C regular season game in two years. They have also been ranked as one of the top teams in Class C girls basketball for just as long, and for even longer, they've simply been really good.
Add to that the fact the Bears started Wednesday night's 9C girls tournament not only a perfect 18-0, but as the defending state champions, and one would think the Box Elder players would be feeling the heat, even if its miserably cold outside.
But, in the opening game of the 2019 9C tourney, the Bears showed little signs of pressure getting to them as they thumped Big Sandy 67-20 to improve to 19-0 on the season. And afterward, head coach Joel Rosette said, his players are handling everything that comes with being an elite program really well.
"We talk a lot about living in the moment," Rosette said. "We talk about worrying only about the things we can control. The girls do know that there's a lot of eyes on us. Some people want to see us succeed, and some want to see us not succeed. But our girls have been able to stay really even keeled about everything. Our older girls have done a great job of leading us, and I'm very proud of the way this team handles all of that stuff. They do a great job of staying focused and working hard, and I'm very proud of them for that."
Box Elder is likely on a mission this week inside the HHS gymnasium too, even if the Bears don't talk about it. After all, they did win the state championship a year ago, but, they didn't hoist the 9C trophy. And while the Pioneers scored the first four points of Wednesday's opener, Box Elder didn't take long to assert its dominance, even without star senior Lilly Gopher (injured) in the lineup.
Freshman Kyla Momberg scored two straight layups to give the Bears the lead and spark a 10-0 run to finish the first quarter. Maddie Wolf Chief and Eve The Boy added layups off of steals to start the second period, and the run would eventually grow to 18-0. Then, veteran guard Joelnell Momberg capped off a spectacular first-half performance with a triple that sent the Bears into halftime leading 42-9, and there was nothing the young Pioneers could do to get back in the game.
"We started a little slow, with Lilly not playing today, it took a bit for the girls to adjust to it," Rosette said. "But they did do a really good job of adjusting, and I thought the most important thing was, we played really good defense today. That's what I want to see, us playing as hard as we can on defense, and we did that today."
Indeed. The Bears held the Pioneers to just 11 points the rest of the way, and forced Big Sandy into 29 turnovers. The Pioneers (2-17), did get a strong outing from Jaylyn Cline, who scored 10 points, while Lainey Gregory added five, but, in the end, there wasn't much they could do to slow Box Elder down. The Bears shot 44 percent from the field and made six threes, with Joelnell Momberg scoring 15 and making three triples. Kyla Momberg added 14 points and eight rebounds, while Sarah Parisian scored 11.
With the win, Box Elder advances to tonight's semifinal where the Bears will face North Star.
"North Star is a very good team, and they're playing well," Rosette said. "They have good size and good length, and that's something that we don't have as much of this year. So we'll see what happens."
One thing that will happen for certain is, the Bears won't let the mounting pressure to keep winning affect what they do on the court. They're after the 9C title and another trip to Great Falls, and that's where their focus lies.
"We are just staying focused on what's in front of us," Rosette said. "Staying in the moment. So we'll come back tomorrow (Thursday) and come out and play our game, and control what we can control. These girls have done a great job of that all year."
Tonight's semifinal between Box Elder and North Star tips at 7 in the HHS gymnasium. Big Sandy battled Hays-Lodge Pole in a loser-out game this morning.
Box Elder 67, Big Sandy 20
Box Elder 19 23 15 10 - 67
Big Sandy 4 5 6 5 - 20
Big Sandy - Stacey Allderdice 2, Amiya Griffin 1, Jaylyn Cline 10, Amanda Cline 2, Lainey Gregory 5. Totals: 7-24 5-7.
Box Elder - Sarah Parisian 11, Taylssa Oats-Horn 3, Eve The Boy 4, Maddie Wolf Chief 8, Angela Gopher 6, Kyla Momberg 14, Joelnell Momberg 15, Zayna Henderson 4, Brittan Lafromboise 2. Totals: 27-62, 7-15.
3-pointers: Parisian 1, Goher 1, K. Momberg 1, J. Momberg 3, Gregory 3. Fouls: Box Elder 13, Big Sandy 11. Fouled out: None.
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