Hi-Line Girls Basketball: Sugarbeeters open 2022 with big wins

As Hi-Line girls basketball teams got back on the court this past weekend, they were looking to start the new year on the right foot.

Hi-Line basketball got started last Tuesday with the Chinook Sugarbeeters beating Chester-Joplin-Inverness, 58-30, in a District 9C matchup. The Sugarbeeters took an early lead as they led 20-14 at halftime. The Sugarbeeters then dominated the third quarter, 23-3, to pull away for the victory. Hallie Neibauer led Chinook with 22 points in the game.

The Rocky Boy Morning Stars played on Thursday night against Malta. While they played a tough game, the Stars lost, 52-47.

Hi-Line basketball continued on Friday night with more District 9C games. The Box Elder Bears opened 2022 with a 75-27 win over the Big Sandy Pioneers. The Bears dominated early as they led 25-5 at the end of the first quarter. The Bears kept up their strong play through the rest of the game as they did not allow Big Sandy to come back. Angela Gopher and Kyla Momberg each scored 14 points for Box Elder while Eva Wagoner scored ten for Big Sandy.

The Fort Benton Longhorns got their weekend started on Friday with a 52-42 win over Class B Conrad. The Longhorns took control early as they led 25-14 at halftime before holding off Conrad the rest of the way. Ashlee Wang led the Longhorns with 19 points while Casha Corder and Hailee Wang each scored 11 points.

The Chinook Sugarbeeters continued their winning ways on Friday night with a 58-32 win over the Harlem Wildcats. Chinook's defense allowed the Sugarbeeters to take control as they led 25-8 at halftime, which allowed them to cruise to victory in the second half. Seymour and Swanson each scored 13 points to lead Chinook to victory. Taya Trottier led Harlem with 12 points.

Many other area schools competed on Friday night. The Hays-Lodge Pole Thunderbirds got 2022 started with a 58-43 win over Turner. The North Star Knights also played well with a 54-46 win over the CJI Hawks. Meanwhile, Rocky Boy lost, 52-47, at home to Fairfield.

The Box Elder Bears had another dominant performance on Saturday as they defeated the Fort Benton Longhorns, 72-25. The Bears had another hot start as they led 20-7 at the end of the first quarter. The Bears continued to execute on both sides of the court as they pulled away for the win. Momberg had another strong performance as she led the Bears with 20 points while Meiyah Sutherland scored 16 points as well. Cloe Kalanick led the Longhorns with ten points.

The Chinook Sugarbeeters finished the week undefeated as they defeated Turner, 71-37, on Saturday. Chinook dominated early and often with a 43-14 lead at halftime. Alexus Seymour led the Sugarbeeters with 19 points and Bree Swanson made an impact with 16 points of her own. Bridget Reed led Turner with 11 points in the loss.

The Harlem Wildcats ended the weekend with a 50-42 loss to Wolf Point. The Wolves took early control as they led 16-12 at the end of the first quarter but the Wildcats responded to tie the game, 28-28, at halftime. The Wildcats took their momentum into the third quarter where they took a 39-34 lead. But the Wolves dominated the final quarter to pull out the win. Trottier led the Wildcats with 20 points while Emma Billmayer and Chloe Messerly each scored 11.

The North Star Knights ended the week with a 54-46 win over Big Sandy on Saturday. The HLP Thunderbirds also won again as they defeated the CJI Hawks, 65-34, on Saturday.

With the first week of 2022 in the books, the Box Elder Bears are first in the District 9C with a 6-0 conference record and are 7-1 overall. Chinook and North Star are tied for second as they are both 4-1 in conference play. The defending state champions Fort Benton Longhorns are in fourth with a 3-2 record and HLP is fifth at 3-3. The CJI Hawks are 1-4 in conference play while Big Sandy and Turner are both 0-5 in conference play and 3-5 overall.

Hi-Line basketball will continue on Tuesday night with a game between HLP and Dodson.

Tuesday

Chinook 58, Chester-Joplin-Inverness 30

CHI 13 7 23 15 - 58

CJI 8 3 13 - 30

Chinook - Hallie Neibauer 22, Alexus Seymour 11, Allison Powell 8, Mya Berreth 4, Bree Swanson 3, Anna Terry 2, Britton Elliot 1, Torin Cecrle 1.

Thursday

Malta 52, Rocky Boy 47

Friday

Chinook 58, Harlem 32

CHI 13 12 14 19 - 58

HAR 5 3 14 10 - 32

CHI - Alexus Seymour 13, Bree Swanson 13, Britton Elliot 11, Allison Powell 11, Torin Ceclre 3, Mya Berreth 2, Jenna Liddle 2, Teagan Richman 2.

HAR - Taya Trottier 12, Chloe Messerly 6, Emma Billmayer 5, Vanise Little 3, Tova Anderson 2, Malea Moore 2, Gracie Sanchez 2.

Box Elder 75, Big Sandy 27

BS 5 10 7 5 - 27

BE 25 20 16 14 - 75

BS - Eva Wagoner 10, Jaihven Baumann 6, Eva Yeadon 5, Malaysia Baumann 3, Angie Sant 2, Mattie Gasvoda 1.

BE - Angela Gopher 14, Kyla Momberg 14, Mariah Arkinson 13, Breanna Bacon 8, Annalise Johnson 6, Meiyah Sutherland 5, Ariel Gopher 5, Tayleigh Sunchild 4, Cheyenne Windy 4, Kali Old 2.

Fort Benton 52, Conrad 42

FB 11 14 15 12 - 52

CON 4 10 16 12 - 42

FB - Ashlee Wang 19, Casha Corder 11, Hailee Wang 11, Cloe Kalanick 6, Samantha Vielleux 3, Kaydyn LeFurgey 2.

CON - Brae Eneboe 28, Maggie Bender 10, Tala Eneboe 2.

Hays-Lodge Pole 58, Turner 43

Fairfield 52, Rocky Boy 47

North Star 54, CJI 46

Saturday

Wolf Point 50, Harlem 42

HAR 12 16 11 3 - 42

WP 16 12 6 16 - 50

HAR - Taya Trottier 20, Emma Billmayer 11, Chloe Messerly 11.

WP - Jelle Garfield 11, Sierra Hamilton 11, Hamyanie Campbell 9, Jaylee Azure 7, Josie Kolsdtad 6, Adeia Erickson 6.

Box Elder 72, Fort Benton 25

BE 20 15 18 19 - 75

FB 7 5 6 7 - 25

BE - Kyla Momberg 20, Meiyah Sutherland 16, Mariah Arkinson 10, Angela Gopher 9, Breanna Bacon 8, Annalise Johnson 4, Makaela Kelly 3, Tayleigh Sunchild 2.

FB - Cloe Kalanick 10, Casha COrder 4, Hailee Wang 4, Ashlee Wang 3, Samantha Vielleux 2, Kylynn Nack 2.

Chinook 71, Turner 37

TUR 7 7 14 9 - 37

CHI 16 27 16 12 - 71

TUR - Bridget Reed 11, Dakota Krass 9, Meridian King-Snider 5, Katie Kimmel 5, Cassidy Grabofsky 4, Hannah Richman 3.

CHI - Alexus Seymour 19, Bree Swanson 16, Britton Elliot 11, Allison Powell 9, Mya Berreth 6, Torin Cecrle 5, Hannah Schoen 3, Jenna Liddle 2.