Sugarbeeters favored in loaded 9C girls field

Year in, year out, the field for the District 9C girls basketball tournament is arguably the toughest in all of Class C. The 2023 version will be no different.

Starting Wednesday, the 9C girls tournament returns to the Havre High gymnasium where eight teams will battle for the three spots in next week's Northern C, as well as the right to be called 9C champions.

And while the field is certainly stacked again this year, everybody may be looking up at undefeated and top-seeded Chinook (18-0).

"Chinook is undefeated. They've just been handling everybody in the conference so they're the clear cut number one," Big Sandy head coach Travis Baumann said. "Two through six is kind of a mash up, North Star is two, Fort Benton three, Big Sandy four, Box Elder five and CJI six so it's going to be anyone's game of who wants to show up over the tournament and take control for that second and third place spot to get to divisionals."

The Sugarbeeters, led by veteran head coach Mike Jones, were runners-up to Box Elder a year ago, and returned a wealth of talent this season, spearheaded by the 9C's top scorer in Hallie Neibauer. The Beeters racked up a perfect record in conference play to win the regular season 9C title, and now they have their sights set on a long-awaited district championship.

"One of our goals as a team at the beginning of the season was to be playing Saturday night at Districts," Jones said. "I think that if we continue to play unselfishly and with great tenacity on defense we have a shot at that. The 9-C is always a tough district and any team can beat someone on any given night."

Chinook will square off with Turner (4-14) in the tournament opener Wednesday at 1 p.m. The Tornadoes may have finished last in the 9C during the regular season, but with standout Dakota Krass, the Beeters won't overlook them.

The winner of that game will meet the winner of an exciting first-round match between fourth-seeded Big Sandy and fifth-seeded Box Elder, who meet at 2:30 Wednesday. The Pioneers (11-7), behind Eva Yeadon and Eva Wagoner, are enjoying their best season in nearly two decades, and have their sights set on finally getting back to the top of the district.

"Our hopes are to get our first multiple district wins in about a decade and push our way and try and make it to divisionals," Baumann said.

Box Elder (9-9) meanwhile, has had a bit of a tough regular season, but a rebuilding job was to be expected after reaching the state championship game last year, and losing four star seniors and their head coach. Still, with plenty of firepower still in the tank, the no team in this week's tournament can afford to overlook the Bears.

"My expectations are the girls to listen and execute the game plan that I provide them," first-year head coach Colby Minert said. "Our goal is to win every game that we're there."

Another intriguing first-round matchup pits third-seeded Fort Benton against sixth-seeded Chester-Joplin-Inverness Wednesday at 6 p.m.

The Longhorns (11-7) have been one of the 9C's best since the first year they were moved to the district, and though they had to replace a lot of talent since winning the 2021 Class C state championship, they're still one of the teams to beat. With Emerson Giese and Casha Corder among Fort Benton's top players, they'll be a force again this week.

"For us, being consistent with energy and effort has been a little bit of a struggle," Fort Benton head coach Eddie Fultz said. "If we can find a way to play well, hard and maintain that throughout the tournament, I like where we could be when it has all played out." 

CJI (8-10) meanwhile, is a young team that has really grown this season. Sydney Hawks leads an up-and-coming squad that, while the future looks really bright, wants to make noise now.

"We are extremely young and honestly my expectations are for them to just go and have the best tournament that they possibly can and learn from this experience and hopefully get a couple surprises under our belt," CJI head coach Jordan Miller noted. "The Chinook girls are doing a fabulous job this year and they are at the top but two down, everybody's beaten everybody. Everybody's moving around and I think it's going to be a great tournament to be at." 

In the final first-found game Wednesday at 7:30 p.m., second-seeded North Star will battle seventh-seeded Hays-Lodge Pole. The Knights (14-4) have had a revival season, and are one of the deepest teams in the field, led by leading scorer and veteran Laynie Sattoriva, as well as Rainee Watson and others. HLP (6-12), meanwhile, could be one of the dark horses in the tourney. The Thunderbirds finished fourth a year ago, and with Nashone Shambo and some exciting young talent, they won't be an easy out for the Knights, or anyone else this week.

And that's the 9C. There are no easy games, and this week's tournament will be no different.

"Favorites has to start with Chinook.  No one has been able to beat them yet and many of their games have not been all that close," Fultz said. "North Star also has a lot of experience and has had a very strong season.

"I think our conference really is as even for the most part as I've seen it in many years so I really think it's going to be whoever shows up for tournaments and plays well," Turner head coach Julie Welsh added.

Following Wednesday's first round, the 9C girls tournament will continue with loser-out games Thursday at 8 a.m. and 9:30 followed by the semifinals Thursday at 7 and 8:30 p.m. Friday's slate includes loser-out games at 11 a.m. and 12:30 p.m., the consolation game at 7 p.m. and the girls championship game at 8:30 p.m. The top three teams from the 9C advance to the Northern C Divisional Feb. 22-25 in Great Falls.