Box Elder beats Turner in a Northern C game for the ages

GREAT FALLS - Some might want to call the Turner Tornadoes a Cinderella. But after the way they battled the mighty Box Elder Bears Thursday night at the Four Seasons Arena, that word shouldn't be used to describe this Turner team ever again.

Facing the defending Class C state champions, the Tornadoes didn't blink. However, in the end, Sarah Parisian didn't either and with time running out, the senior knocked down a buzzer-beating 3-pointer to send the Bears to the Northern C title game Saturday night after a dramatic 63-60 win in the Northern C girls semifinals.

"The play wasn't run for me," Parisian said. "But I was open and Joelnell (Momberg) passed me the ball. Time was running out so I had to take it and it felt good when I shot it. I knew it was going in."

The triple by Parisian capped an incredible comeback for Box Elder. Turner led by as many as seven points on two separate occasions and did again after a Melanie Watkins free throw with 2:44 left

"I called a timeout and I told our team, 'Here we go, we are down by seven. We are going to come back and win this game or we are going home,'" Box Elder head coach Joel Rosette said after the game.

The Bears rose up at that moment and throughout the entire second half, so did Joelnell Momberg. Not only did Momberg notch an assist on Parisian's game-winning three, but she also hit a crucial 3-pointer of her own with 2:20 left, getting the Bears back within four. It also started the 13-3 run that allowed Box Elder to wrap up its furious, last-minute comeback.

Following two Lilly Gopher free throws, which cut the deficit to two, Eve The Boy tied the game before Shyan Krass answered for the Tornadoes, giving them a 59-57 lead with just over a minute left.

With 51 seconds to go, another Box Elder senior, Maddie Wolf Chief, scored a bucket off the glass and was fouled. She converted the free throw and a 3-point play, giving the Bears a 60-59 lead. Sarah Billmayer, who was outstanding all night for Turner, with 24 points, and 15 in the second half, made one of two free throws to tie it up at 60-60 with 30 seconds remaining.

"We got fortunate that she missed a free throw," Rosette said. "That would have changed what we wanted to do. When it was tied, we wanted to make sure we got the last shot. We didn't want to give the ball back to them, they weren't missing many. Shyan (Krass), Sarah (Billmayer) all of those Turner girls played outstanding and I am proud of them, too, because I have been watching them ever since they were little, too."

Box Elder took over possession with 30 seconds and with :10 left, Rosette took time. He drew up a play for Momberg, who finished with team-high 21 points. Turner was ready, though, and when the defense collapsed on Momberg, she kicked it out to an open Parisian and the rest is history.

"I was going to take it," Momberg said. "But we talk all the time about trusting our teammates and I trust every single one of my teammates. I saw Sarah was open. She was set and ready and she knocked it down.'

Asked how she felt when the ball hit the bottom of the net, Momberg responded, "It felt good. We had a buzzer beater at state last year, but this is a new year and this got us to the championship game, so it just felt amazing."

"It's tough," Rosette said. "I was gripping the edge of my seat the whole game. But no one on our team gave up hope. Not one person. We just kept fighting and we found a way. But it's tough to lose a game that way. We know what it feels like last year against Fort Benton. I am proud of our kids, that was championship basketball, but you have to give Turner credit. They had us."

Rosette wasn't the only head coach proud of their team.

"We were hoping we had the girls in a position to defend that play," Turner head coach Julie Welsh said. "Shyan just got screened and Sarah Parisian stepped up and hit a clutch shot.

"The thing is," Welsh added. "We have more basketball to play. I told our girls that and look, this was the best game a Turner girls basketball team has played. Ever. We played the defending state champs and we led most of the game. So I just want those girls to know how proud I am of them. I am so proud."

Right from the opening tip, the game was a barn burner. Box Elder beat Turner twice during the regular season, but this time around, the Tornadoes weren't going down without a fight.

Turner hung around early and after a bucket inside by Shyan Krass, it was 8-8. Momberg hit her first three of the game soon after, A triple by Kyla Momberg also helped push the Bears lead to 17-11 after the first eight minutes.

In the second quarter, though, the Tornadoes started blustering. While holding Box Elder to seven points, Turner roared back to tie the game. Billmayer scored twice and when Krass banked a shot off the glass, it was 22-22. Watkins knocked down two jumpers in the closing minutes of the second, and after a 10-0 run, which was ended by a Momberg bucket right before intermission, Turner led 28-24 at the break.

"We made some adjustments," Welsh said. "We knew we couldn't zone those girls and so we played them man-to-man and our girls did everything we asked. Sarah and Shyan get a lot of the credit, but every one of our girls stepped up for us tonight."

Billmayer had nine at the half and Momberg had seven, but in the third stanza, both players took over. A three by Wolf Chief and a hoop by The Boy quickly put the Bears in front. But once again, Billmayer had the answer, draining a 3-pointer, then getting a steal, as well as a score to put Turner back up four. Billmayer would score two more times, however, each time, Momberg responded. She hit a trey, then made two jumpers, keeping the Bears within striking distance, down 47-44 heading to the fourth.

"Joelnell really put us on her back in that third quarter," Rosette said. "All of our girls played great, but she really kept us in it. She wasn't going to let us lose."

Early in the fourth, Watkins scored to put Turner up by seven but Parisian hit another big-time three to get the Bears back within four, setting the stage for the pulse-pounding finish for Box Elder.

When the clock struck triple zero, Momberg had 21 points on 9-of-12 shooting. The Boy, Wolf Chief and Gopher all had 10. Parisian finished with six, all in the last four minutes. For Turner, Billmayer scored a game-high 24 points, making 10-of-14 shots from the field. She also had seven rebounds, seven assists and three steals. Krass was also key with 19 points. Watkins also contributed with 15.

Box Elder (22-1) will take on Roy-Winifred in the Northern C championship tonight at 8:30. Turner will play Fort Benton in an all 9C loser-out game this morning as the Tornadoes try to keep their state tournament hopes alive.

"No one ever expected us to get this close," Welsh said. "But we aren't done yet. We have to take it one game at a time and see what we can do, but we still have a chance."

Fort Benton stays alive

After losing in the quarterfinals of the Northern C for the second straight season, Fort Benton needed a win to keep playing in the girls tournament and Thursday in Great Falls, the Longhorns delivered with a 79-52 win over Power.

While the Longhorns got off to a sluggish start Wednesday against Tri-City, it would be an entirely different story against Power. Fort Benton opened the game on a 12-4 run thanks to 3-pointers by McKenzie Clark and Leah Gannon and never looked back, leading wire-to-wire in the 27-point win.

"Getting off to a good start is huge," Fort Benton head coach Cassie Pimperton said. "We were just ready to go. Tri-City is a good team, but they came out and defended us really well and just couldn't recover from that."

But even without its best player, Aspen Giese, who missed the game due to a lingering knee issue, the Longhorns scored 28 points in the first quarter and followed it up with 13 points in the second to take a 41-30 lead at the half. Power trimmed the lead to 10 points early in the third quarter, but two treys each in the half for McKenna Hanford and Ashlee Wang helped push the lead to 16 points. Hanford's second triple put Fort Benton in front 77-52.

The Longhorns (20-3) were led by McKenzie Clark who finished with a game-high 20 points to go along with seven rebounds, two steals, a block and an assist. Maci Moliarnio also had a solid outing, scoring 16 points and grabbing five boards. Hanford added 13 on three 3-pointers and Wang also contributed with nine thanks to three triples of her own.

Fort Benton will be back in action this morning against Turner. The winner will head to the consolation game to face either Belt or Tri-City. The consolation game will be tonight at 7.

Fort Benton 79, Power 52, LO

Power 18 12 11 11 - 52

Fort Benton 28 13 13 25 - 79

Fort Benton - Cassie Nack 6, McKenzie Clark 20, Ashlee Wang 9, Samantha Vielleuex 2, Maci Moliarnio 16, Megan Clark 6, Leah Gannon 7, McKenna Hanford 13. Totals: 31-61 8-11 79.

Power - Sierra Siever 1, Maggie Jensen 9, Monique Schwabach 19, Kinsey May 3, Jessie Maruska 13, Hope Smelser 7. Totals: 20-42 6-9 52.

3-Pointers: Monique Schwarzbach 3, Maggine Jensen 1, Jessia Maruksa 1, Kinsey May 1, McKenzlie Clark 2, Ashlee Wang 3, McKenna Hanford 3, Leah Gannon 1. Fouls: Power 10, Fort Benton 9. Fouled out -- none.

Box Elder 63, Turner 60, SF

Turner - 11 17 19 13 - 60

Box Elder 17 7 20 19 - 63

Box Elder - Sarah Parisian 6, Eve The Boy 10, Maddie Wolf Chief 10, Lily Gopher 10, Kyla Momberg 6, Joelnell Momberg 21. Totals: 24-50 7-13 63.

Turner - Raegan Conlan 2, Sarah Billmayer 24, Melanie Watkins 15, Shyan Krass 19. Totals: 26-54 6-13 60.

3-Pointers: Sarah Billmayer 2, Joelnell Momberg 3, Kyla Momberg 1, Lily Gopher 1, Sarah Parisian 1, Maddie Wolf Chief 1. Fouls: Box Elder 17, Turner 13. Fouled out -- none.