Sugarbeeters roll into Northern C semifinals

GREAT FALLS — Maybe it was because the game tipped off shortly after 11:30 a.m. or because it was their first game of the Northern C, but for whatever reason, the Chinook Sugarbeeters got off to a slow start Thursday against Winnett-Grass Range in the quarterfinals of the Northern C tournament.

However, about midway through the first quarter the heavy Chinook crowd in the Four Seasons in Arena finally got something to cheer about and it was thanks to Isaac Bell, who scored on a 3-point play, assisted on a bucket, hit a 3-pointer and scored two more times in a matter of minutes. At that point, Chinook led 17-7 and the Beeters wouldn’t look back again in a 63-29 win. The Beeters will now play Belt in the semifinals tonight at 5:30 in Great Falls.

“We just had to not panic and stay with what we do,” Chinook head coach Mike Seymour said. “We had a couple of guys that were just trying hard to do something rather than working within the framework of the team, but once we got it going, it started to click pretty well for us.”

Early in the second quarter, Isaac Bell would knock down his second and third 3-pointers and after getting 16 first-half points from Bell, the Beeters built a 35-15 lead after 16 minutes of play.

In the second half, Chinook continued to extend its lead and outscored the Rams in the third quarter 12-5 to build a 27-point lead after three quarters. In the fourth quarter, sophomore Reese Elliot threw down one of two dunks for him in the second half. He finished with 10 points and the Beeters ran away in the fourth quarter to win 63-29.

“A win is a win,” Seymour said. “We want to survive and advance. We just wanted to get through this first one and into the second one, so we are happy.”

Bell finished the game with 16 points and he was followed by Cord Schneider who finished 13 points and five rebounds. Elliot also pitched in with 10 points and six rebounds. The Beeters (22-0) will take on Belt, a team that made the state tournament a season ago and beat Chinook in the Northern C consolation game, tonight at 5:30 p.m.

“They are a good squad,” Seymour said. “They defend and they are very patient on offense. They are a well-coached team, they have some athletes that can shoot and that can jump, so we are going to have to play well again.”

Belt made its way into the semifinals thanks to a 57-51 win over Great Falls Central. The Mustangs made a run at the end but the Huskies were able to hang on for the win and the second-seeded team from the 8C will battle Chinook for a berth in the Northern C championship. The only other boys game that took place Friday was between Sunburst and Heart Butte.

The two teams were taking part in loser-out action and Sunburst eventually prevailed, winning by four, a victory which kept the Refiners alive. Sunburst will play Fort Benton this morning in another loser-out contest. The two semifinal games will be at 4 p.m., with Hays-Lodge Pole taking on Roy-Winifred, which will be followed by Chinook and Belt. The winners will meet in the divisional championship game Saturday night at 8.

Chinook 63, Winnett-Grass Range 29

WGR 7 8 5 9 - 29

Chinook 17 18 12 16 - 73

WGR - Jacob Jessen 12, Charlie Keith 6, Garrett Eickhoff 2, Walker Doman 3, Caleb Hess 2. Totals: 11-39 4-11 29.

Chinook - Isaac Bell 16, Ethan Bell 8, Hunter Neibauder 2, Damon Hannum 2, Trajan Hannum 2, Toby Neideregger 6, Reese Elliot 10, Brendan Edwards 4, Cord Schneider 13. Totals: 24-46 10-20 73.

3-Pointers: Isaac Bell 3, Ethan Bell 1, Toby Neideregger 1, Jacob Jesson 1, Walker Doman 1, Charlie Keith 1. Fouls: WGR 18, Chinook 14. Fouled out -- none.