Hi-Line Boys BB: CJI, Box Elder get 2023 started with key 9C victories

With the arrival of a new year comes new opportunities for the Hi-Line high school boys basketball teams. In the first week of 2023, several teams looked to take advantage of that opportunity as they try to build toward the upcoming postseason.

Hi-Line basketball got started Tuesday with a District 9C matchup between Box Elder and Turner. At the end of the night, the Box Elder Bears had the 56-46 victory to start the new year.

The Bears started strong as they took a 10-6 lead in the first quarter. But the Tornadoes kept with it as the Bears only had a 21-19 lead at halftime. The Bears finally took control in the third quarter as they pushed their lead to 38-30. The Bears continued to score in the fourth to close out the victory.

Tuarie Stiffarm-Rosette played well in his first game of 2023 as he scored 21 points for the Bears. Skylar Walker also played well with 13 points. In the losing effort, Ryan Doyle led Turner with 22 points.

In another District 9C matchup Tuesday, the Chester-Joplin-Inverness Hawks won, 58-32, on the road against the Chinook Sugarbeeters. The Hawks dominated the first quarter as they jumped out to a 16-3 lead. By halftime, they led 27-7.

The Hawks cruised through the second half to victory. Blake Harmon led the Hawks with 18 points while Karson Pulst scored 15. Braxton Inman led Chinook with 10 points in the loss.

Rocky Boy got its week started with a 44-35 win over Cut Bank at home Tuesday. Teague Stump led the Stars with 22 points while Kellen Colliflower scored 10.

Rocky Boy played again Thursday, but this time, they suffered a 53-48 loss to Malta on the road. It was a tight game throughout, with Malta taking an 11-10 lead in the first quarter. At halftime, the Mustangs just had a 20-18 lead. The Stars played well in the third quarter to tie the game 32-32. But the Mustangs made more plays in the fourth to come out with the victory.

In a 9C matchup Thursday, the Fort Benton Longhorns dominated Hays-Lodge Pole for a 75-31 win at home. The Longhorns rolled out early to a 24-6 lead. The Thunderbirds found some offense in the second quarter, but it was not enough to get back in the game. In the second half, the Longhorns coasted to a win to start the new year. Cody Evans led Fort Benton with 20 points.

Hi-Line basketball continued Friday with another 9C game between Box Elder and the Big Sandy Pioneers. It was a high-scoring affair, but Box Elder pulled out a 79-72 victory on the road.

The scoring got started early as the Bears edged out to a 22-17 lead in the first quarter. The Pioneers then got rolling in the second quarter to take a 37-33 lead into halftime. The Bears came back to tie the game, 49-49, in the third quarter.

In the fourth quarter, the Bears poured it on with 30 points to pull out the win. Tracen Jilot led Box Elder with 26 points while Matthias Blackbird scored 18. Stiffarm-Rosette and Walker each scored 12 points in the win. Lane Demontiney led Big Sandy with 21 points in the loss.

Over in Chester, the CJI Hawks took care of business with a 58-35 win over the North Star Knights. The Hawks got started by taking a 16-4 lead in the first quarter. By halftime, they had stretched their lead to 33-13. The Knights got their offense going in the second half, but it was not enough to get back in the game. Braden Mattson led CJI with 16 points while Gavin Spicher led North Star with 12 points.

After a loss to start the week, the Turner Tornadoes defeated Hays-Lodge Pole, 78-33, at home. The Tornadoes got rolling early as they jumped out to a 27-7 lead. The Thunderbirds were never able to recover as Turner cruised to victory. Trent Billmayer led Turner with 24 points while Doyle scored 23. Davontae Sullivan led HLP with 12 points.

At home Friday, the Rocky Boy Stars suffered a 64-61 loss to Fairfield. The Stars played well early as they took an 11-10 lead in the first quarter. Rocky Boy continued to roll as it pushed its lead to 30-18 at halftime. But the Fairfield Eagles responded in the third to cut their deficit to 44-38. The Eagles then dominated the fourth to steal the win from the Stars.

On Friday night, the Chinook Sugarbeeters picked up a 56-47 win on the road against the Harlem Wildcats. Then Saturday, Harlem suffered another loss with a 75-25 defeat to Wolf Point on the road.

In a District 9C game Saturday, the Big Sandy Pioneers defeated North Star, 61-41, on the road. The Pioneers got rolling early to take a 17-4 victory on the road. By halftime, the Pioneers had a 33-18 lead. The Knights were unable to make it a game in the second half as Big Sandy closed out the win. Braydon Cline and Isaac Pedraza each scored 18 points for Big Sandy while Spicher led North Star with 11 points.

The CJI Hawks closed out the week with a 66-24 win on the road over the HLP T-Birds. The Hawks started strong to take a 13-4 lead in the first quarter. They then picked it up in the second quarter to take a 37-5 lead into halftime. The T-Birds were never able to recover as CJI coasted to the victory. Mattson led the Hawks with 19 points while Harmon scored 18.

Another pair of 9C matchups closed out the week for Hi-Line basketball. The Chinook Sugarbeeters held on to defeat Turner, 53-45, at home. In Box Elder, the Fort Benton Longhorns pulled out a 54-51 win on the road against the Bears.

After a busy week to start 2023, Hi-Line basketball will continue this Thursday with Box Elder playing at Harlem and CJI making a trip to play Fort Benton.

Tuesday

Box Elder 56, Turner 46

BE - 10 11 17 18 - 56

TUR - 6 13 11 16 - 46

BE - Tuarie Stiffarm-Rosette 21, Skylar Walker 13, Matthias Blackbird 6, Tracen Jilot 6, Theron Oats Jr. 6, Dreydon Anderson 2, Alex Four Colors 2.

TUR - Ryan Doyle 22, Trent Millmayer 10, Caleb Zellmer 6, Charlie Calvert 4, Tate Beck 4.

CJI 58, Chinook 32

CJI - 16 11 13 18 - 58

CHI - 3 4 8 17 - 32

CJI - Blake Harmon 18, Karson Pulst 15, Nate Nelson 8, Braden Mattson 7, Ty Backen 3, Elijah Sanders 3, Pat Dahlin 2, Adam Grammar 2.

CHI - Braxton Inman 10, Brenden Fetter 8, Carson Nissen 8, Jackson Nordboe 4, Levi Jensen 2.

Rocky Boy 44, Cut Bank 35

RB - Teague Stump 22, Kellen Colliflower 10, Domitri Standing Rock 7, Jayden Gopher 3, Aeron Gopher 2.

Thursday

Fort Benton 75, HLP 31

HLP - 6 11 10 4 - 31

FB - 24 18 12 21 - 75

HLP - William Hughes Jr. 6, Kaleb Walker 5, Russell Plainfeather 5, K. Brockie 4, Davontae Sullivan 4, Daniel Henry 3, Teaunce Brockie 3, Richard Gone 1.

FB - Cody Evans 20, B. Grossman 15, S. Herzog 7, M. Axtman 7, S. Smith 6, K. Diekhans 6, L. Arganbright 6, T. Giese 4, B. Evans 2.

Malta 53, Rocky Boy 48

RB - 10 8 14 16 - 48

MAL - 11 9 12 21 - 53

Malta - N/A.

Rocky Boy - N/A.

Friday

Box Elder 79, Big Sandy 72

BE - 22 11 16 30 - 79

BS - 17 20 12 23 - 72

BE - Tracen Jilot 26, Matthias Blackbird 18, Skylar Walker 12, Tuarie Stiffarm-Rosette 12, Theron Oats Jr. 6, King Ragged Robe 3, Alex Four Colors 2.

BS - Lane Demontiney 21, Braydon Cline 16, Isaac Pedraza 16, Wylee Snapp 9, Kody Strutz 6, Cooper Taylor 4.

CJI 58, North Star 35

NS - 4 9 17 5 - 35

CJI - 16 17 19 6 - 58

NS - Gavin Spicher 12, Garrett Spicher 10, Michael Berg 5, Carter Campbell 4, Sebastien Mansfield 4.

CJI - Braden Mattson 16, Blake Harmon 15, Nate Nelson 10, Adam Grammar 9, Ryland St. John 3, Pat Dahlin 3, Elijah Sanders 2.

Turner 78, HLP 33

HLP - 7 9 9 8 - 33

TUR - 27 21 20 10 - 78

HLP - Davontae Sullivan 12, Teaunce Brockie 6, T. Doney 5, Russell Plainfeather 4, K. Brockie 2, Haiden Grant 2, Kaleb Walker 2,

TUR - Trent Billmayer 24, Ryan Doyle 23, Carson Maloney 10, Charlie Calvert 9, Caleb Zellmer 7, Tate Beck 5.

Fairfield 64, Rocky Boy 61

FAI - 10 8 20 26 - 64

RB - 11 19 14 17 - 61

FF - N/A.

Rocky Boy - N/A,

Saturday

Big Sandy 61, North Star 41

BS - 17 16 20 8 - 61

NS - 4 14 14 9 - 41

BS - Braydon Cline 18, Isaac Pedraza 18, Lane Demontiney 8, Cooper Taylor 7, Wylee Snapp 5, Ryder Galbavy 4, Kody Strutz 3, Jake Darlington 2.

NS - Gavin Spicher 11, Gavin Clawson 9, Michael Berg 8, Garrett Spicher 6, Chris Burkartsmeyer 5, Carter Campbell 2.

CJI 66, HLP 24

CJI - 13 24 18 11 - 66

HLP - 4 1 9 10 - 24

CJI - Braden Mattson 19, Blake Harmon 18, Ryland St. John 7, Nate Nelson 5, Elijah Sanders 5, Pat Dahlin 4, Adam Grammar 4, Cooper Streit 2, Ty Backen 2.

HLP - T. Doney 6, Davontae Sullivan 5, Kaleb Walker 4, Haiden Grant 3, Russell Plainfeather 2, Richard Gone 1.