Sugarbeeters ease into Northern C semifinals

GREAT FALLS - Chinook had to wait until Thursday to begin playing in the Northern C Divisional Boys Basketball Tournament. They were looking to rebound after a loss to Fort Benton in the District 9C championship game, and they did just that when they defeated Heart Butte, 68-28, to advance to the semifinal at the Great Falls Four Seasons Arena.

"I thought they showed a lot of grit and I thought they played well together today," said Chinook head coach Mike Seymour.

With the win, the Sugarbeeters advance to the Northern C semifinals. Now half of the remaining four teams battling for the Northern C championship come from the 9C as Fort Benton is also heading to the semifinals.

Despite winning by a large margin, that did not look like it would be the case at the start of the game. Chinook got off to a slow start as they trailed the Warriors 5-2 with just over three minutes remaining in the first quarter. The Sugarbeeters finally got their offense on a roll when they ended the quarter on an 11-2 run to take the lead. By halftime, Chinook built themselves a 29-14 lead that the Warriors could not overcome.

"The first four minutes, we struggled a little bit," Seymour said. "Once we got a couple timeouts, they settled down and played and executed our game plan."

The Warriors tried to stay in the game as they cut the deficit to 14 early in the third quarter. Later in the quarter, they trailed by 16 and just needed a run to get back in it. However, it was the Sugarbeeters who went on a run as they scored 13 straight points to end the quarter. The Warriors failed to make it interesting in the fourth quarter as they only scored four points in the final eight minutes.

Ethan Bell led the way for the Sugarbeeters, scoring 21 points on 7-for-13 shooting from the field. He also led all players with six made free throws and 10 free-throw attempts.

"I just go out and play every game like it's my last," Bell said. "Especially with COVID, you don't know when any game could be your last."

Reese Elliot also scored 14 points for Chinook on 6-for-9 shooting from the field and he led the team with nine rebounds. Oskar Pula chipped in 12 points for the Sugarbeeters as he shot 50 percent from the field.

The Sugarbeeters shut down Heart Butte's offense as the Warriors shot 18.6 percent from the field. Thomas Young Running Crane led the Warriors with 10 points on 3-for-10 shooting from the field. The Sugarbeeters' defense also didn't give the Warriors too many chances at the free-throw line as Heart Butte only attempted three free throws.

"We just try to contain their ball handlers. They're pretty quick so we try to keep them in front of us and stay between them and the basket," Seymour said.

Heart Butte came into the Northern C after going 9-4 in the regular season and finishing second in the District 10C Tournament. They played Dutton-Brady in a loser-out game this morning to fight to stay alive for the Northern C consolation trophy.

Chinook came into the game after going 12-2 in the regular season and finishing second in the District 9C Tournament. They now advance to the semifinal today where they will face Belt. The Huskies went 12-0 in the regular season in the 8C, won the District 8C Tournament and defeated Dutton-Brady on Thursday to begin play in the Northern C.

"Belt is salty. Coach (Kyle) Paulson does a great job with that squad," Seymour said. "We've got a long wait until then, so we're going to try to regroup and get ready."

Chinook and Belt play in the semifinals tonight at 8:30 p.m. at the Great Falls Four Seasons Arena. Fort Benton and undefeated Simms meet in the other semifinal tonight at 6. The boys championship game is set for Saturday at 8:30 p.m.

Chinook 68, Heart Butte 28

Heart Butte 7 7 10 4 – 28

Chinook 13 16 24 15 – 68

Heart Butte – Jordan Calf Looking 2, Wyatt Whitecomb 0, Cameron Falcon 6, Joseph Murray 2, Kyle Saetern 2, Thomas Young Running Crane 10, Natoyi Kipp-Jackson 2, Dillon Kipp 2, Payton Racine 0, Forrest Calf Boss Ribs 0, Marcus Rutherford 2.

Chinook – Ethan Bell 21, Damon Hannum 6, Flint Annis 0, Braden Eoff 3, Levi Jensen 2, Benton Elliot 2, Toby Neideregger 6, Reese Elliot 14, Braxston Inman 2, Oskar Pula 12, Jackson Nordboe 0.