We've Got The County Covered
We've Got The County Covered
The Harlem Wildcat boys basketball team hosted the Box Elder Bears in a non-conference tilt. The Wildcats had trouble keeping up with the Bears, who eventually took an 82-41 lead over the Wildcats. Friday night they made the long trip east to Fairview to face the Warriors in a District 2B contest. Fairview got their offense and defense rolling early on and took a 73-45 win over the Wildcats. Saturday, the Wildcats got things turned around and played a solid 32 minutes in earning a 67-63.
On Thursday night, the Box Elder Bears visited the jungle in a non-conference tilt. The Wildcats had a tough time getting the offense started as they mustered just seven first quarter points. Senior Moses Lawrence scored three points and senior Tommy Champagne and junior Diondre Firstraised each scored two. The defense struggled early on as well, allowing the Bears to take a 25-7 lead at the end of the first quarter.
Champagne drained a three-point bomb while also scoring seven more before the break. Junior Matt Billmayer scored four more. The defense continued to struggle heading into the half, allowing the Bears to add 28 points to their total, powering the Bears to a 53-18 halftime lead. The third quarter was more of the same with Box Elder winning the frame 19-11 to lead 72-29 heading into the final eight minutes of action. In the end, it was the Bears getting an 82-41 win. Billmayer led the Wildcats with 21 points.
On Friday, the Wildcats made the long trip to Fairview to take on the Warriors. Harlem again struggled to score, mustering just three points in the opening quarter. The defense allowed 18 points and entered the second quarter with Harlem trailing 18-3. The Warriors maintained control for the remainder of the contest and eventually earned a 73-45. Billmayer and First Raised each scored 10 points to lead the Wildcats.
Saturday in Wolf Point, the Wildcats finally got off to the start they wanted getting nine points from sophomore Cody McCabe and eight points from Billmayer. Champagne connected from long range and added 5 to the Wildcats' total. The defense also played much better, holding the Wolves to 11 points in the frame. Harlem took a 22-11 lead into the second quarter.
McCabe scored five points in the quarter, while the Wildcat offense tallied 14 points in the frame. The Wolves' offense found a bit of offense before the half, scoring 19 in the stanza, cutting the Harlem lead to just six points, sending the teams to the locker room with a 36-30 advantage.
The Wildcats really struggled coming out of the halftime break, scoring just nine points and saw their lead vanish. Wolf Point scored 21 points in the third quarter to take a 51-45 lead over the Wildcats to start the fourth quarter. Champagne finished strong and scored 10 points down the stretch. Billmayer added a triple in the Wildcats come back. The Wildcats also got three points from senior Eric Snell and junior Antone Rider. Harlem scored 22 points in the fourth quarter, while holding the Wolves to just 12. When the final horn sounded, it was Harlem earning a 67-63 win.
McCabe led the Wildcat attack with 27 points on the night on seven field goals and 10-11 shooting from the charity stripe. Billmayer added 15 points in the victory, including one from distance. Champagne scored 12 with a pair of triples.
The Wildcats have a pair of District 2B road contests on the schedule. On Thursday the Wildcats will head to Malta to play the Mustangs. On Friday the team will be in Glasgow to take on the Scotties. The Wildcats have shown that when they play together they can compete with anyone. Couple of wins and they will be right in the mix.
