10-2 'Beeters back on track following blow out wins over Big Sandy & Box Elder

he Chinook Sugarbeeter basketball team got back to playing their style of basketball this past weekend. The 'Beeters looked sharp in blowing past the District 9C third and fourth place teams. Friday Chinook started fast and had their inside out game working to perfection in a lopsided 75-43 win over the Big Sandy Pioneers. Saturday the 'Beeters were to challenge the Box Elder Bears and turned in another dominate effort, taking down the visitors 63-36 to improve to 10-2 on the season.

The Harlem Wildcats picked up a impressive 70-43 win in Malta Friday night using a big second and fourth quarter effort to blow out the Mustangs. Saturday the Wildcats were in Wolf Point for another District 2B contest. The Wolves managed to contain the Wildcat offense and limited them to just 21 first half points. Wolf Pointed handed Harlem just its second loss of the season 58-51.

The Hays/Lodge Pole Thunderbirds saw their season long struggles continue in a pair of tough District 9C losses. Friday evening the Thunderbirds fell to the North Star Knights in Gildford 70-48. Saturday back home in the Thunderdome, the Thunderbirds turned in a gallant effort before falling 51-43 to the Big Sandy Pioneers.

The Turner Tornadoes remained without a win on the season, falling at home Friday night to the Fort Benton Longhorns 66-30. Saturday the Tornadoes were in Chester where they were defeated 71-41.

The Chinook Sugarbeeters were back in action Friday against the Pioneers in Big Sandy. The team came out firing on the offensive side of the ball but their effort defensively were impressive. Tasked with guarding the District 9C leading scorer, sophomore Toby Niederegger proved to be up for the challenge.

Chinook got a pair of long range buckets from junior Ethan Bell early on to help the 'Beeters take a 17-6 first quarter lead. Bell added another triple in the second and junior post Reese Elliot scored 10 first half points as Chinook held a 31-15 halftime advantage. Niederegger did his part defensively, limiting Big Sandy's Ryan Roth to just six first half points.

The third quarter was all Chinook. Elliot controlled the paint and along with sophomore Oskar Pula the pair controlled the glass on both ends of the court. Elliot scored 10 points in the quarter and Pula and Bell each contributed six each.

Chinook took a 55-38 lead into the fourth quarter of action and cruised to a 75-43 win over the Pioneers. Bell finished the contest with 24 points on 9-14 shooting from the field including 3-4 from distance. Elliot finished with 24 points, converting 11-16 attempts from the field in the win. Elliot also dominated the glass collecting 19 rebounds in all including 9 offensive boards.

Pula made the most of his first start of the season scoring 10 points and grabbing 14 rebounds. Niederegger contributed 10 points to the offensive total. In addition Niederegger dolled out four assist and recorded four steals while limiting the leagues top scorer to just 13 points for the game.

Saturday the 'Beeters returned home to take on the Box Elder Bears in another District 9C contest. Elliot set the tone early with eight first quarter points. Niederegger, Bell and Pula each chipped in four and Chinook led 20-8 after eight minutes of action.

The teams traded baskets in the second stanza and entered halftime with Chinook holding a 33-20 lead over the visiting Bears. Elliot scored eight more in the paint for the 'Beeters in the third quarter and combined with Bell's six the 'Beeters opened up a 53-31 lead to start the fourth quarter.

Pula added eight points down the stretch for the 'Beeters in their 63-40 win over the Bears.

Elliot led the way for the 'Beeters recording his second double/double in a row with 19 points and 14 rebounds. Bell add 18 points on 8-14 shooting. Pula was big for the 'Beeters once again with his second straight double/double as well. Pula finished the contest with 13 points and 11 rebounds. Niederegger added six assists and seven points to the 'Beeter effort.

The Harlem Wildcats have been able to put points on the board seemingly at will lately. Friday night in Malta the Wildcats looked to continue that trend when they faced off with the Mustangs.

Sophomore Daniel Lawrence connected twice from distance and the Wildcats dropped in four triples in the opening quarter with senior Brad Cichosz and junior Jehton Long Fox also finding their mark. Harlem would lead the Mustangs 19-14 at the end of the first.

The offense kept rolling in the second, scoring 26 in the frame. Sophomore RJ Ramone connected twice from beyond the arc and scored 11 in the frame to propel Harlem to a 45-27 halftime lead.

After the break the Wildcats continued to play well defensively but the offense was practically silent, scoring just seven third quarter points. It would wake up in the fourth quarter with an 18 point quarter to secure a 70-43 win over the Mustangs.

Three Wildcats were in double figures in the win. Cichosz and Ramone each finished with 18 in the contest. Henry was solid in the win with 13. Long Fox and junior Trent Main each contributed eight to the Wildcat effort.

Saturday the Wildcats traveled to Wolf Point to take on the Wolves in another District 2B clash. This afternoon would find the Wildcat offense out of sync, seemingly for the whole game.

Harlem was nearly doubled up coming out of the gate, trailing 19-10 to start the second quarter. The effort was much better on the defensive side of the ball before the half but the offense still struggled to find any rhythm as Harlem trailed 28-21 at the break.

The second half saw the teams trade baskets with Wolves winning the third quarter 12-10 and the Wildcats the fourth 20-18 in a 58-51 Harlem loss.

Cichosz was a bright spot for the Wildcats in the contest. Cichosz connected on six three point bombs in the loss and led the Wildcat effort with 29 points.

Friday in Gildford the Thunderbirds matched the Knights effort early, trailing 17-14 after eight minutes of action. The Knights opened up a 36-22 advantage by halftime and maintained control down the stretch to defeat the Thunderbirds 70-48. Senior Wyman Bringing Good led the Thunderbird attack with 13 points on the night.

Saturday back home in the Thunderdome the Thunderbirds were in a battle for much of the contest with the Pioneers. The teams were all even at 14-14 at the end of the first and Big Sandy held a slim 20-19 lead at the break.

Hays/Lodge Pole continued to compete but the Pioneers were able to separate themselves just a bit as the game continued on. The Thunderbirds would suffer another tough loss 51-43. Sophomore Daniel Henry led the way with 13 points.

Junior Shane Kimmel scored 17 points Friday night for the Tornadoes in a 66-30 loss to the Fort Benton Longhorns. Saturday in Chester, Kimmel again paced the Tornado attack with 22 points in a 71-31 setback to the Chester/Joplin-Inverness Hawks.

Chinook 75 Big Sandy 43

Chinook 17 14 24 20 - 75

Big Sandy 6 9 23 5 - 43

Chinook - Levi Jensen 0 0-0 0, Ethan Bell 9 3-4 24, Hunter Neibauer 0 0-0 0, Damon Hannum 0 0-0 0, Braden Eoff 0 0-0 0, Benton Elliot 0 4-4 4, Toby Niederegger 4 0-8 10, Reese Elliot 11 2-8 24, Ethan MacLeod 0 1-3 1, Oskar Pula 4 2-2 10, Braxton Inman 1 0-0 2. Team Totals 29 12-29 75.

Big Sandy - Lane DeMontiney 0 0-0 0, Ryan Roth 4 4-5 13, Elijah Wagoner 1 0-0 2, Kody Strutz 2 0-0 4, Braydon Cline 0 0-0 0, Clint Darlington 5 1-1 11, Rusty Gasvoda 0 0-0 0, Jeremiah Genereux 2 0-0 4, Kade Strutz 4 1-3 9. Team Totals 18 5-9 43.

Three Point Field Goals - Chinook 5 (Ethan Bell 3, Toby Niederegger 2), Big Sandy 1 (Ryan Roth 1); Team Fouls - Chinook 11, Big Sandy 19; Fouled Out - Big Sandy (Kody Strutz).

Harlem 70 Malta 43

Harlem 19 26 7 18 - 70

Malta 14 13 8 8 - 43

Harlem - Brad Cichosz 6 5-5 18, RJ Ramone 5 5-8 18, Daniel Lawrence 4 2-2 13, Truth Brockie 0 0-2 0, Trent Main 3 2-2 8, Jeiton Long Fox 3 1-2 8, Cassius Johnson 1 0-1 2, Teagan LeValdo 0 0-0 0, Amari Stanley 0 3-4 3. Team Totals 22 18-26 70.

Malta - Kanyon Stiles 1 0-1 2, Kooper Oxarart 2 7-12 11, Darrow Messerly 0 0-0 0, Seth Siewing 0 0-0 0, Ben Costin 2 4-12 8, Rex Williamson 0 0-0 0, Tanner Smith 2 0-0 4, Conner Tuss 4 0-3 8. Kaden Bishop 0 0-0 0, Jared Eggebrecht 1 0-0 2, Pierce Mortenson 4 0-0 8, Jon Siewing 0 0-0 0. Team Totals 16 11-28 43.

Three Point Field Goals - Harlem 8 (RJ Ramone 3, Daniel Lawrence 3, Brad Cichosz 1, Jeiton Long Fox 1), Malta 0 (0); Team Fouls - Harlem 25, Malta 21; Fouled Out - Malta (Tanner Smith).

North Star 70 Hays/Lodge Pole 48

Hays/Lodge Pole 14 8 14 12 - 48

North Star 17 19 13 21 - 70

Hays/L.P. - Siris Grandchamp 3 0-0 6, Deshon Shambo 0 0-0 0, Wyman Bringing Good 5 2-5 13, Tyshawn Shambo 0 0-0 0, William HasTheEagle 1 1-2 3, Daniel Henry 2 0-0 6, Estevan Granados 5 0-2 10, Ethan Werk 0 0-0 0, Brandon Castillo 0 0-0 0, Lane Kirkaldie 4 1-2 10, Jarren Bracelet 0 0-0 0, Isaiah Denny 0 0-0 0, Davonte Sullivan 0 0-0 0, Cash Messerly 0 0-0 0. Team Totals 20 4-11 48.

North Star - Austin Hansen 3 0-1 10, Joey Wendland 0 0-0 0, Caden Rettig 3 0-0 7, Porter Ditmar 1 0-0 3, Garrett Spicher 6 0-0 14, Payne Ditmar 1 0-2 2, Hayden Masser 1 5-6 7, Frank Nerat 0 0-0 0, Gavin Spicher 3 0-0 6, Jaden Sargent 6 1-2 13, Ty Hansen 0 0-2 0, Rhett Wolery 5 0-0 11, Ethan Federspiel 0 0-0 0, Daniel Nerat 0 0-0 0. Team Totals 29 7-15 70.

Three Point Field Goals - Hays/L.P. 4 (Daniel Henry 2, Wyman Bringing Good 1, Lane Kirkaldie 1), North Star 5 ( Garrett Spicher 2, Porter Ditmar 1, Caden Rettig 1, Rhett Wolery 1; Team Fouls - Hays/L.P. 18, North Star 12; Fouled Out - None.

Fort Benton 66 Turner 30

Fort Benton 35 15 6 10 - 66

Turner 5 9 3 13 - 30

Fort Benton - Damon Bird 6 0-0 13, Jace Thompson 4 2-4 10, Stephen Gannon 1 0-0 2, Jacob Giles 0 2-4 2, Nick Marias 2 0-2 4, Hayden Diekhans 4 3-3 14, Logan Giles 1 0-0 2, Max Lane 1 0-0 2, Brandon Ullery 4 1-1 9, Jaxon Schmele 0 0-0 0, Garrett Diekhans 3 0-0 6, Andrew Ballantyne 1 0-0 2. Team Totals 28 8-14 66.

Turner - Shay Humphreys 0 0-0 0, Austin Welsh 0 0-0 0, Jack Harmon 0 0-0 0, Shane Kimmel 7 2-2 17, Charlie Calvert 2 1-2 7, Trent Billmayer 0 0-0 0, Ryan Doyle 1 0-0 3, Colton Honey 0 0-0 0, Trevor Kimmel 1 0-0 3 Team Totals 11 3-4 30.

Three Point Field Goals - Fort Benton 2 (Damon Bird 1, Hayden Diekhans 1), Turner 5 (Charlie Calvert 2, Shane Kimmel 1, Ryan Doyle 1, Trevor Kimmel 1); Team Fouls - Fort Benton 14, Turner 9; Fouled Out - None.

Chinook 63 Box Elder 40

Box Elder 8 12 11 9 - 40

Chinook 20 13 20 10 - 63

Box Elder - Gabe Sadler 0 0-0 0, Tyrus LaMere 3 0-0 8, Kadyn Duran 3 2-3 10, Chris Burns 0 0-0 0, Malique Rosette 2 3-4 8, Jayden Jilot 2 0-0 50, Tayce St. Pierre 2 0-0 4, Jayden Gopher 0 0-0 0, Cameron Eagleman 0 0-0 0, Zander Parisian 2 1-4 5. Team Totals 14 6-11 40.

Chinook - Levi Jensen 0 0-0 0, Ethan Bell 8 0-0 18, Hunter Neibauer 0 0-0 0, Damon Hannum 0 0-0 0, Braden Eoff 0 0-0 0, Benton Elliot 1 0-1 2, Toby Niederegger 3 1-2 7, Reese Elliot 9 1-1 19, Ethan MacLeod 2 0-0 4, Oskar Pula 6 1-3 13, Braxton Inman 0 0-0 0. Team Totals 29 3-7 63.

Three Point Field Goals - Box Elder 6 (Tyrus LaMere 2, Kadyn Duran 2, Malique Rosette 1, Jayden Jilot 1), Chinook 2 (Ethan Bell 2); Team Fouls - Box Elder 12, Chinook 8; Fouled Out - Box Elder (Kadyn Duran) Technical Foul - Kadyn Duran.

Wolf Point 58 Harlem 51

Harlem 10 11 10 20 - 51

Wolf Point 19 9 12 18 - 58

Harlem - Brad Cichosz 10 3-7 29, Tyler Cichosz 0 0-0 0, RJ Ramone 5 0-0 10, Daniel Lawrence 3 1-3 7, Truth Brockie 0 0-0 0, Trent Main 1 1-3 3, Jeiton Long Fox 1 0-0 2, Cassius Johnson 0 0-0 0, Teagan LeValdo 1 0-0 3, Amari Stanley 0 0-0 0. Team Totals 20 5-15 51.

Wolf Point - Sage Hutchinson 0 0-0 0, Michael Goodman 0 0-1 0, Tade Wallette 1 0-0 2, Antone Manning 5 1-1 12, August Spotted Wolf 0 0-0 0, Nick Page 3 0-0 9, Lance St. Germaine 10 6-8 26, James Lien 1 0-0 2, Treyton Lilly 3 0-0 6. Team Totals 23 8-12 58.

Three Point Field Goals - Harlem 6 (Brad Cichosz 6), Wolf Point 4 (Nick Page 3, Antone Manning 1); Team Fouls - Harlem 18, Wolf Point 15; Fouled Out - Wolf Point (Tade Wallette, Nick Page)

Big Sandy 51 Hays/Lodge Pole 43

Big Sandy 14 6 13 18 - 51

Hays/Lodge Pole 14 5 10 14 - 43

Big Sandy - Lane DeMontiney 0 0-0 0, Ryan Roth 8 6-12 23, Elijah Wagoner 0 0-0 0, Kody Strutz 3 0-0 9, Braydon Cline 0 0-0 0, Clint Darlington 3 0-0 6, Rusty Gasvoda 0 0-0 0, Jeremiah Genereux 1 1-4 4, Kade Strutz 3 2-4 9. Team Totals 18 9-20 51.

Hays/L.P. - Siris Grandchamp 4 0-0 8, Wyman Bringing Good 3 2-6 9, William HasTheEagle 0 0-0 0, Daniel Henry 5 0-2 13, Estevan Granados 1 0-0 2, Ethan Werk 0 0-0 0, Lane Kirkaldie 2 6-8 11, Davonte Sullivan 0 0-0 0, Cash Messerly 0 0-0 0. Team Totals 15 8-16 43.

Three Point Field Goals - Big Sandy 6 (Kody Strutz 3, Ryan Roth 1, Kade Strutz 1Jeremiah Genereux 1), Hays/L.P. 5 (Daniel Henry 3, Lane Kirkaldie 1, Wyman Bringing Good 1; Team Fouls - Big Sandy 14, Hays/L.P. 15; Fouled Out - None.

Chester/Joplin-Inverness 71 Turner 41

Turner 11 11 18 1 - 41

Chester/J-I 15 19 21 16 - 00

Turner - Shay Humphreys 0 0-0 0, Austin Welsh 0 0-0 0, Jack Harmon 0 0-0 0, Shane Kimmel 9 3-10 22, Charlie Calvert 5 1-2 13, Colton Honey 0 0-0 0, Trevor Kimmel 1 1-3 3, Ryan Doyle 1 1-2 3. Team Totals 16 6-17 41.

Chester/J-I - Lane Fischer 1 0-0 2, Andrew Woods 2 3-3 7, Kyle Harmon 6 1-3 14, Spencer Richter 5 1-2 13, Bryce Kammerzell 0 0-0 0, Blake Harmon 1 5-5 7, Keeley Haaland 8 2-6 20, Caden Woods 2 0-0 4. Team Totals 27 12-19 71

Three Point Field Goals - Turner 3 (Charlie Calvert 2, Shane Kimmel 1), C/J-I 5 (Keeley Haaland 2, Spencer Richter 2, Kyle Harmon 1); Team Fouls - Turner 14, C/J-I; Fouled Out - None.