Tornadoes season ends at District 9C with two losses

The Turner Tornadoes faced a tough draw when they began play in the District 9C boys basketball tournament this past weekend at the Havre High School gymnasium.

In the opener they faced the number two seeded Chester-Joplin-Inverness Hawks falling 90-41.

In the loser out bracket the number seven seed Tornadoes squared with the number six seed Fort Benton Longhorns.

In a game that had many momentum swings it was the Longhorns that came out on top ending Turners season in a close contest by a score of 45-37.

Against the Hawks senior Bret VanValkenburg tossed in 12 points to lead the effort while freshman Cody Welsh added 11 and sophomore Eddie Harmon eight.

The Longhorns held a 9-6 advantage heading into the second quarter and extended it to 26-17 by halftime.

Fort Benton led 34-22 but seven points from Harmon and a bucket by VanValkenburg cut the Longhorn lead to 39-37.

Turner couldn't convert down the stretch as the Longhorns secured a hard fought 45-37 win over the Tornadoes.

Harmon led Turner with 12 points. Senior Tyler Humphreys finished with 10 points including a pair of triples that got the scoring started.

Turner finishes the season with a 4-16 record earning a pair of sweeps against the Dodson Coyotes and Big Sandy Pioneers.

The Tornadoes competed hard for 32 minutes everytime they stepped on the court regardless of the score.

Seniors Bret VanValkenburg and Tyler Humphreys depart the program having played very well for the past five seasons.

Their departure will leave holes to fill but the Tornadoes have a solid group returning and will count on their experience to take over the leadership role next winter.