Hi-Line Boys BB: Tourney time nears for area prep boys hoops teams

The postseason is almost here so high school boys basketball teams across the Hi-Line are looking to make a statement in the final couple weeks of the regular season. Last Tuesday in Rocky Boy, the Rocky Boy Morning Stars made a statement with a 91-61 win over Harlem.

The Stars started strong as they took a 21-11 lead in the first quarter. By halftime, they had a 45-28 lead. In the second half, they continued to play well as they pulled away for the win. Teague Stump led the Stars with 31 points while Domitri Standing Rock added 16.

But Rocky Boy ran into trouble Thursday when it suffered a 73-53 loss to Malta at home. The Mustangs jumped out to a 22-4 lead to start the game. The Stars recovered but trailed 33-15 heading into halftime.

The Stars had a strong third quarter as they cut their deficit to 53-45. But the Mustangs dominated the fourth to close out the win. Stump led the Stars with 32 points in the loss.

In a 9C matchup Friday night, the Big Sandy Pioneers pulled out a 68-65 win on the road against the Box Elder Bears. The Pioneers got off to a strong start jumping out to a 27-10 lead. But the Bears responded to take a 37-36 lead into halftime.

The Bears played better in the third to stretch their lead to 56-48. However, the Pioneers dominated the fourth to steal the victory from the Bears. Both Isaac Pedraza and Kody Strutz scored 17 points for Big Sandy. Tuarie Stiffarm-Rosette led Box Elder with 19 points.

In another 9C game Friday, Chester-Joplin-Inverness won, 57-46, on the road against North Star. It was a slow start as the Hawks only had a 7-5 lead to end the first quarter. The Hawks continued to hold a slim advantage as they took a 20-16 lead into halftime.

Both teams got going in the third, but the Hawks took a 37-30 lead into the fourth where the Hawks held on for the win. Karson Pulst led CJI with 22 points while Blake Harmon scored 13 for the Hawks. Gavin Spicher led North Star with 13 points.

On the road Friday night, Rocky Boy lost, 66-55, to Fairfield. Rocky Boy fell behind 24-9 in the first quarter before going into halftime trailing 34-21. But the Eagles got on another run to push their lead to 50-33. The Stars tried to come back in the fourth but it was not enough.

After suffering a loss to start the week, the Harlem Wildcats bounced back with a 75-64 win on the road against the Chinook Sugarbeeters. Over in Hays, the Hays-Lodge Pole Thunderbirds defeated the Turner Tornadoes, 84-64, in a conference game. The Fort Benton Longhorns started their week with a 54-38 win over Conrad on the road on Friday night.

On Saturday, the CJI Hawks defended home court with a 69-55 win over the HLP T-Birds. The Hawks got off to a hot start to take a 24-11 lead. The T-Birds steadied but were never able to make any meaningful headway on the scoreboard as the Hawks controlled the final three quarters to win. Harmon led CJI with 36 points while Pulst contributed 14 in the winning effort.

In another 9C game Saturday, the Big Sandy Pioneers won, 73-51, against the North Star Knights at home. The Pioneers started the game by taking a 19-11 lead before heading into halftime with a 33-23 lead. The Pioneers then pulled away in the third to put the game out of reach. Braydon Cline led Big Sandy with 17 points while Gavin Clawson led North Star with 13 points.

The Turner Tornadoes got rolling at home with a 62-35 win over the Chinook Sugarbeeters Saturday. Turner took a 15-7 lead in the first quarter before stretching its lead to 27-18 at halftime. The Tornadoes dominated the third to put the game out of reach. Ryan Doyle led Turner with 29 points while Brenden Fetter scored 17 for Chinook.

Elsewhere on the Hi-Line, the Harlem Wildcats lost, 65-54, to Wolf Point at home. In another 9C matchup, the Box Elder Bears picked up a 60-47 road win against the Fort Benton Longhorns.

At the end of the week, Box Elder stayed first in the 9C District with a record of 13-3, but CJI held second with a 13-3 record itself. Big Sandy stands third in the conference with a 13-3 record while Fort Benton is fourth with a 12-4 record. The rest of the standings are North Star in fifth, Turner in sixth, Chinook in seventh and HLP in eighth.

Hi-Line basketball will resume this week with Harlem playing at Box Elder and Fort Benton playing at CJI this Thursday.

Tuesday

Rocky Boy 91, Harlem 61

HAR - 11 17 13 20 - 61

RB - 21 24 26 20 - 91

RB - Teague Stump 31, Domitri Standing Rock 16, Joe Standing Rock 10, Kellen Colliflower 9, Ashton Small 7, Brayden Lamere 5, Tayshaun Seaton 4, Phoenix Henry 3, Jayden Gopher 3, Aeron Gopher 2.

Thursday

Malta 73, Rocky Boy 53

MAL - 22 11 20 20 - 73

RB - 4 11 30 8 - 53

Friday

Big Sandy 68, Box Elder 65

BS - 27 9 12 20 - 68

BE - 10 27 19 9 - 65

BS - Kody Strutz 17, Isaac Pedraza 17, Braydon Cline 13, Lane Demontiney 13, Wylee Snapp 5, Cooper Taylor 4.

BE - Tuarie Stiffarm-Rosette 19, Tracen Jilot 14, Skylar Walker 10, Matthias Blackbird 8, Theron Oats Jr. 6, Julian Henry 3, Alex Four Colors 3, Dreydon Anderson 2.

CJI 57, North Star 46

CJI - 7 13 17 20 - 57

NS - 5 11 14 16 - 46

CJI - Karson Pulst 22, Blake Harmon 13, Nate Nelson 7, Braden Mattson 4, Adam Grammar 4, Ryland St. John 2, Pat Dahlin 2.

NS - Gavin Spicher 13, Garrett Spicher 10, Parker Hansen 8, Gavin Clawson 8, Carter Campbell 4, Chris Burhartsmeyer 2.

Fairfield 66, Rocky Boy 55

RB - 9 12 12 22 - 55

FAI - 24 10 16 16 - 66

Harlem 75, Chinook 64

Hays-Lodgepole 84, Turner 64

Fort Benton 54, Conrad 38

Saturday

CJI 66, HLP 55

HLP - 11 14 13 17 - 55

CJI - 24 12 16 17 - 66

HLP - Messerly 18, Jacoby Ball 15, William Hughes 14, Daniel Henry 8.

CJI - Blake Harmon 36, Karson Pulst 14, Pat Dahlin 7, Ryland St. John 6, Nate Nelson 6.

Big Sandy 73, North Star 51

NS - 11 12 12 16 - 51

BS - 19 14 28 12 - 73

NS - Gavin Clawson 13, Garrett Spicher 12, Gavin Spicher 12, Riese Sattoriva 6, Parker Hansen 6, Carter Campbell 2.

BS - Braydon Cline 17, Kody Strutz 16, Isaac Pedraza 16, Jake Darlington 9, Lane Demontiney 7, Wylee Snapp 6, Rusty Gasvoda 2.

Turner 62, Chinook 35

CHI - 7 11 7 10 - 35

TUR - 15 12 20 15 - 62

CHI - Brenden Fetter 17, Jackson Nordboe 6, Flint Annis 4, Carson Nissen 3, Braxton Inman 2, B. Powell 2, K. Jaha 1.

TUR - Ryan Doyle 29, Tate Beck 11, Caleb Zellmer 10, Trent Billmayer 7, Charlie Calvert 5.