Outlaws keep Bears from a Northern C crown; Turner girls come up short

GREAT FALLS - The Box Elder girls basketball team was hoping to make history with a Northern C Divisional championship. But after their third loss in four years in the title game, the Bears will have to settle for yet another berth at the Class C state tournament.

Following a dramatic come-from-behind win over Turner Thursday night to reach the girls championship game, Box Elder didn't have quite the same energy Friday night inside the Four Season Arena during the Northern C championship game, and in the fourth quarter Roy-Winifred snatched away a victory thanks to some clutch shots from Dyauni Boyce. She finished with 18 points and aided a defensive effort that limited the Bears to nine points in the final stanza, as the Outlaws, a team with no seniors, won the game 51-45, and the tournament.

Despite the loss, since Box Elder had already beaten Belt and Turner, the two teams in the consolation game, the Bears berth at state was locked up Friday afternoon, meaning the Bears will be back at the Class C state tournament, where they will get a chance to win back-to-back championships. The Bears will open their run Thursday night at 10 in Great Falls back at the Four Seasons Arena.

"I don't know whether to be happy or mad," Box Elder head coach Joel Rosette said. "I am disappointed that we weren't able to get it done but the good thing is that we are advancing. We played two good days of basketball. We just haven't been able to put three good games together in a row and we are going to have to figure out how to do that."

In the first quarter, Box Elder grabbed an 8-7 lead when Sarah Parisian, the hero against Turner Thursday night, knocked down a 3-pointer. Yet, the Outlaws closed the first quarter on a 5-0 run to grab a 12-10 lead.

In the second, Lilly Gopher got things going and knocked down a trey to give the Bears a 16-12 advantage with 6:28 left in the first half. Joelnell Momberg added a floater moments later, which capped an 8-0 run and Box Elder was in front 18-12.

After taking a narrow 3-point advantage into the half, the Bears built an eight point lead in the third quarter when Momberg hit a three and then Gopher converted a 3-point play to make it 32-24 Bears with 2:48 left in the the third quarter. Box Elder got another bucket from Wolf Chief but the Outlaws scored the last four points of the quarter, as they finished the game on a 27-13 run.

The key bucket was a triple from Boyce with 3:35 left in the fourth quarter. The Outlaws went up two after and didn't trail again. Another trey from Cassie Smith with 2:21 left put Roy-Winifred up five and in the end, the Bears lost by six.

"I was disappointed in our third and fourth quarter effort," Rosette said. "They killed us on the glass. They shot 27 free throws and that hurts. But we made it through. We will recover, but we are definitely disappointed."

Before Box Elder took the floor to battle the Outlaws for the Northern C championship, Turner played Belt for a shot at third and a potential chance at a challenge game.

But while playing in the consolation game was new territory for the Tornadoes, seeing as it was their first trip to that round of the divisional tournament since the 1980s, it was old hat for Belt and early on it looked that way. The Huskies seemed right at home in the big-game atmosphere and built a 16-4 lead at the end of the first quarter. At the half, Belt was in front 29-10 and Turner was never able to get back within striking distance as it fell 50-26.

Morgan Cooper led the way for the Huskies with 24 points thanks to 4-of-6 shooting from beyond the arc. Sarah Billmayer of Turner was the only other player to score in double digits and she led the Tornadoes with a team-high 11 points.

Turner reached the consolation game by beating 9C champion Fort Benton in a loser-out game Saturday morning. And for the first time in more than two seasons, the Tornadoes were able to beat the Longhorns, winning 69-60. The win pushed Turner into the consolation game for the first time in decades, while the Longhorns were eliminated from the Northern C in heartbreaking fashion for the second straight year.

"There is just a lot of heart and desire with this group," Turner head coach Julie Welsh said. "These girls have been playing basketball forever and it's a camaraderie. It's a family. It really is. We say family in every huddle and I am just so proud of them. They came to town against every big dog in the state and showed everybody they belong here."

Box Elder will head back to the Four Seasons Thursday night to take on Ekalaka. Tip-off for the defending state champions is set for 8 p.m.

Roy Winifred 51, Box Elder 45, 1st

RW 12 7 13 19 - 51

BE 10 12 14 9 - 45

Box Elder - Sarah Parisian 11, Talyssa Oats-Horn 1, Eve The Boy 4, Maddie Wolf Chief 5, Lily Gopher 11, Angela Gopher 2, Kyla Momberg 4, Joelnell Momberg 7. Totals: 16-48 10-18 45.

Roy-Winifred - Cassie Smith 6, Olivia Geer 2, Trinity Edwards 17, Madeline Heggem 8, Dyauni Boyce 18. Totals: 16-44 16-27 51.

3-Pointers: Cassie Smith 2, Dyauni Boyce 1, Sarah Parisian 1, Lily Gopher 1, Joelnell Momberg 1. Fouls: Box Elder 19, Roy-Winifred 14. Fouled out -- Eve The Boy.

Belt 50, Turner 26, 3rd

Belt 16 13 9 12 - 50

Turner 4 6 5 11 - 26

Belt - Kolby Pimperton 8, Morgan Cooper 24, Lindsey Paulson 2, Kyelie Marquis 4, Brooke Schraner 2, Shelby Paulson 2, Raily Gilko 3, Abby Gilko 2, Adelle Meissner 3. Totals: 19-46 5-7 50.

Turner - Raegan Conlan 1, Sarah Billmayer 11, Rylee Conlan 2, Melanie Watkins 4, Brooke Reed 2, Shyan Krass 6. Totals: 11-36 4-10 26.

3-Pointers: Morgan Cooper 4, Kolby Pimperton 1, Adelle Meissner 1. Fouls: Belt 12, Turner 11. Fouled out -- none.

Turner 69, Fort Benton 60, LO

Turner 14 18 19 18 - 69

Fort Benton 15 9 13 23 - 60

Fort Benton: Cassi Nack 3, McKenzie Clark 21, Maci Molinario 9, Leah Gannon 8, Ashlee Wang 5, Cloe Kalanick 2, Megan Clark 12.

Turner: Raegan Conlan 8, Sarah Billmayer 20, Shyan Krass 25, Melanie Watkins 4, Rylee Conlan 12.