We've Got The County Covered
We've Got The County Covered
Junior Hallie Neibauer battles in the paint Friday afternoon for a bucket against the Roy/Winifred Outlaws.
Senior Bree Swanson scores inside against Roberts. Swanson added eight points to the 'Beeter total in the win.
Beeter sophomore Alexus Seymour drops in one of her six three point bombs during Chinooks 76-61 win over the Roberts Rockets Thursday morning. Seymour finished with 30 points in the win.
Chinook Sugarbeeter senior Torin Cecrle attacks the Roy/Winifred Outlaws during action Friday afternoon at the State C in Billings. The 'Beeters had a huge third quarter that gave them a brief lead but in the end their season came to a close with a tough 49-40 loss.
The Chinook Sugarbeeters were in Billings this past week taking part in their first ever Class C State Girls Basketball Tournament. The Sugarbeeters entered the tournament with a whopping 25-1 overall record. The State tournament, regardless of class is aways tough with only the very best teams in the field.
Chinook opened their tournament against the undefeated Saco/Whitewater/Hinsdale (North Country) Mavericks. North Country came in as the No. 1 Seed out of the East and showed quickly why they were undefeated, storming out to a big lead early and coasting to a 65-25 win over the 'Beeters. Chinook has been a resilient team all season long and proved so once again Thursday morning. The 'Beeters bounced back in their loser out contest with the Roberts Rockets. The game featured big runs by both teams but in the end it was the Sugarbeeters owning the last laugh with a 76-61 win.
Friday the 'Beeters faced a tough challenge facing their nemesis from the Northern C, the Roy/Winifred Outlaws. Chinook trailed 27-15 at the half, but a huge third quarter effort briefly had them back in front. The Outlaws closed out the game strong and ended the 'Beeters season with a 49-40 decision.
In Wednesday's opener with the Mavericks, junior, Hallie Neibauer scored the first points of the contest, hitting on both attempts from the free throw line for a 2-0 lead. Moments later she hit on a straight away three for a 5-2 'Beeter lead. North Country responded with a 6-0 run before Neibauer added another bucket on a short jumper in the paint to cut the deficit to 11-7 with 3:17 left in the first quarter.
The Mavericks slowly began to pull away but the Chinook girls continued to play hard. Neibauer connected again from downtown and senior, Bree Swanson scored off an offensive rebound to keep Chinook close at 29-19. Neibauer added a third trifecta right as the half ended, but North Country held a 38-20 advantage heading into the break.
Chinook couldn't mount any type of comeback after the intermission but that didn't stop them from diving on the floor for loose balls or battling for rebounds. Saco/Whitewater never took their foot off the gas and cruised to a 65-25 first round win. Neibauer led the 'Beeters with 15 points while also securing a team high of eight rebounds.
The loss had the 'Beeters playing in a loser out contest with the Roberts Rockets Thursday Morning and the girls came to play. Swanson opened the 'Beeter scoring with a pull up jumper from the free throw line for their first lead of the contest at 2-1. The teams traded possessions before Neibauer extended the lead to 5-1with a long one from beyond the arc.
Neibauer continued her strong start with a big move in the key for a score and a long three from NBA range off a pass from junior Mya Berreth. Swanson scored again to put Chinook on top, 18-10 with 6:45 left in the first half. Sophomore Alexus Seymour caught fire, knocking down her first triple of the night to double Roberts up 24-12. The Rockets responded with a couple scores inside but Seymour found junior Jenna Liddle for an easy bucket and senior Anna Terry had a nice steal for a layup to push the lead back to 12, 28-16.
The game featured big runs by both teams throughout the contest and Roberts quickly cut the lead back to five, 28-23. Swanson found Neibauer for an easy bucket only to see Roberts hit from distance to trip the lead to four. Neibauer answered with another triple in a wild sequence of events to give Chinook a 33-26 lead. Roberts came right back with another from a distance as both teams were on fire from long range. Neibauer closed out the half with a nice feed to Seymour for yet another three to give Chinook a 36-29 lead at the half.
After the break the 'Beeters came out firing and lit up up the scoreboard with a flurry of points. Neibauer began the half going coast to coast for a quick score. Seymour followed on the next possession with a couple dribbles on the baseline for a mid range jumper to push the lead to 11 at 40-29. The Rockets added a pair from the charity stripe only to see Seymour connect from distance again. Sophomore Hannah Schoen got free on the right block for a score and Seymour found her mark again for her fourth three of the game. Following a Rockets timeout Seymour added her fifth triple to give Chinook a 51-31 lead midway through the third quarter.
In stunning fashion the Rockets responded with a 16-0 run of their own the cut the large 'Beeter lead back to five, 55-50. Chinook settled themselves and closed out the third quarter with a couple of baskets to take a 59-52 lead into the fourth quarter of action. With both teams showing the ability to string long scoring runs together, fans were on the edge of their seat with eight minutes left on the clock.
Chinook didn't let up down the stretch and limited the Rockets ability to close the gap. The 'Beeters outscored Roberts in the final stanza to secure a hard fought and well deserved 76-61 win to advance in the tournament to a Friday afternoon contest with the Roy/Winifred Outlaws. Seymour led the 'Beeters in the win with 30 points on 9/14 shooting from the field, including six from downtown. Neibauer had the hot hand as well finishing the contest with four from distance and 28 points on 12/18 shooting. Neibauer also cleaned the glass for 11 rebounds in the win. Berreth dished out seven Assists on the night.
The Outlaws dealt the 'Beeters their first loss of the season in the semifinal of the Northern C and the 'Beeters were looking to make the most of the opportunity with a rematch at the State C. Neibauer connected twice from the charity stripe and then knifed her way through the paint to give Chinook a quick 6-0 lead and a quick timeout from Roy/Winifred.
Roy/Winifred came out of the timeout a different team and closed out the first quarter with a 8-2 run. Neibauer began the second quarter with a three ball off a pass from Berreth to give Chinook an 11-8 lead, again the Outlaws responded. Roy/Winifred caught fire both inside and out, closing out the first half with a 19-6 run to take a 27-15 lead into halftime.
Chinook once again showed their heart and dug deep to mount an impressive third quarter comeback. Berreth began the third with a high floater to cut the lead to ten. Swanson followed with a long three and Neibauer drove hard down the left side of the key for another score leading the Outlaws to call time out with their lead down to five, 27-22.
Swanson connected again from downtown this time from the left elbow to keep the momentum going in the 'Beeters favor. Seymour then found Cecrle for a three ball of her own and suddenly it was a one point contest, 31-30. Neibauer completed the 'Beeter comeback, scoring on the right low block to give Chinook their first lead since early in the second quarter, 32-31.
Roy/Winifred scored just as time ran out in the third to put the Outlaws back on top, 33-32 to start the fourth quarter. Neibauer scored on a strong move to the basket for a 34-33 Sugarbeeter lead with 7:46 remaining. Liddle added an offensive rebound putback and a Swanson steal resulted in an easy layup to give Chinook a 38-33 lead with 6:29 on the game clock.
Just like the second quarter the Outlaws came out of timeout and turned the tide of the game completely. Roy/Winifred scored 12 straight to turn a five point deficit into a 45-38 Outlaw lead. Chinook did what they could to stem the onslaught but in the end Roy/Winifred secured a 49-40 win to end the 'Beeters season. Neibauer led the 'Beeters with 15 points in the loss.
Chinook Head Coach Mike Jones couldn't be more proud of his team the season, "This year has been awesome. Our girls have really been fun to coach. They are super resilient and it shows on the court. They have a never quit attitude and are really unselfish." Every coach wants to see their team leave nothing in the tank and the 'Beeters certainly did that this year, "I think this team left everything they had on the court here at the state tournament and I couldn't be more proud of them."
A good team requires a lot from so many, players, managers, parents and even fans and Jones wants to ensure his staff gets acknowledged as well, "Kudos to our coaching staff they really are awesome to work with the team. These girls put a tremendous amount of work in during the off season and to see them grow over the years is amazing. It was really fun and an honor to coach them this year and be apart of something they have worked so hard to achieve."
North Country 65 Chinook 25
North Country 15 23 12 15 - 65
Chinook 9 11 5 0 - 25
North Country - Sammie Wisher 0-0 0-0 0; Shelbi LaBrie 3-5 0-0 6; Cienna Strommen 0-0 0-0 0; Kora LaBrie 6-10 0-0 13; Mattea McColly 2-3 2-4 6; Kendall Scheffelmear 0-3 0-2 0; Teagan Erickson 6-12 2-2 15; Paige Wasson 10-11 0-0 23; Berkley Hillman 0-0 0-0 0; Josie Brown 1-2 0-0 2, Kennedy Simonson 0-0 0-0 0; BaiLee McColly 0-1 0-0 0. Team Totals 28-47 4-8 65.
Chinook - Torin Cecrle 0-1 0-0 0; Sami Malsam 0-0 0-0 0; Bree Swanson 0-4 0-0 0; Alexus Seymour 1-7 0-0 3; Addison Olsen 0-0 0-0 0; Mya Berreth 1-3 0-0 2; Neva Lowe 0-0 0-0 0; Anna Terry 2-2 0-0 5; Hallie Neibauer 5-15 2-2 15; Jenna Liddle 0-1 0-0 0; Gracie Skoyen 0-0 0-0 0; Hannah Schoen 0-2 0-0 0. Team Totals 9-35 2-2 25.
Three point Field Goals: North Country 5 (Wasson 3, Erickson 1, LaBrie 1), Chinook 5 (Neibauer 3, Seymour 1, Terry 1); Total Rebounds: North Country 26 (Teagan Erickson 8), Chinook 21 (Neibauer 8); Turnovers: North Country 13, Chinook 27; Total Fouls: North Country 9, Chinook 7; Fouled Out: None.
Chinook 76 Roberts 61 (LO)
Roberts 8 21 23 9 - 61
Chinook 12 24 23 17 - 76
Roberts - Jozelyn Payovich 0-0 0-0 0; Elizabeth DeVries 0-1 0-0 0; Laynee Holdbrook 3-9 0-0 7; Hailey Croft 3-8 0-0 8; TJ Chirrick 3-9 0-0 9; Taylee Chirrick 8-18 10-12 30; Bentley Bertolino 3-7 1-2 7. Team Totals 20-52 11-14 61.
Chinook - Torin Cecrle 0-1 0-0 0; Bree Swanson 4-15 0-0 8; Alexus Seymour 9-14 6-6 30; Mya Berreth 0-4 0-0 0; Anna Terry 1-2 0-0 2; Hallie Neibauer 12-18 0-0 28; Jenna Liddle 1-5 0-0 2; Hannah Schoen 3-4 0-1 6. Team Totals 30-63 6-7 76.
Three Point Field Goals: Roberts 10 (Chirrick 4,), Chinook 10 (Seymour 6, Neibauer 4); Total Rebounds: Roberts 34 (Holdbrook 10, Chirrick 8), Chinook 34 (Neibauer 11); Turnovers: Roberts 18, Chinook 12; Total Fouls: Roberts 14, Chinook 13; Fouled Out: Roberts (TJ Chirrick).
Roy/Winifred 49 Chinook 40 (LO)
Roy/Winifred 8 19 6 16 - 49
Chinook 8 7 17 8 - 40
Roy/Winifred - Laynee Elness 3-7 7-8 13; Isabella Edwards 0-0 0-0 0; Lyla Ewen 1-3 2-2 4; Jayda Southworth 1-8 0-0 2; Hannah Ewen 1-5 2-4 4; Isabella Heggem 11-19 2-7 26. Team Totals 17-42 13-21 49.
Chinook - Torin Cecrle 1-2 0-0 3; Bree Swanson 3-9 0-0 8; Alexus Seymour 1-14 0-0 3; Mya Berreth 2-2 1-2 5; Anna Terry 0-0 0-0 0; Hallie Neibauer 6-13 2-6 15; Jenna Liddle 2-5 0-0 4; Hannah Schoen 1-2 -0- 2. Team Totals 16-47 3-8 40.
Three Point Field Goals: Roy/Win 2 (Heggem 2), Chinook 5 (Swanson 2); Total Rebounds: Roy/Win 32 (Heggem 1, Elness 7) Chinook 33 (Swanson 7, Neibauer 7, Liddle 7); Turnovers: Roy/Win 13, Chinook 18; Total Fouls: Roy/Win 11, Chinook 19; Fouled Out: Chinook (Schoen).
Congrats on a GREAT Season!
