Blain County Sports Highlights

The Beeters, Wildcats, and Thunderbirds grapplers opened the weekend on Thursday in Chester - and closed it on Saturday in Cut Bank. Coach Stroh said "As a team, we had the best weekend we've had all season. The boys really stepped up and showed what they learned through the Christmas break. This team has worked hard all season and they have competed even harder."

Stroh added, "However this is the first weekend we have seen them start to put all of the pieces together. For example, a couple of highlights on the boys' side were some very notable wins from Hayden Berreth. He knocked off a top 3 ranked opponent in the semis. Sam Sandars, another freshman, really showed his technique by battling hard to get on the podium in a 32 man bracket. I was very pleased to see Griffen Crowley find his groove and make the podium, too. His mental toughness is impressive. All of the boys wrestled great, some just fell a little short of the podium.

On the girls' side, "Grace Buck and Lynley Conrad really showed that they are forces to be reckoned with, both winning their brackets without trouble. Grace has been rock solid all year and is a great leader. Lynley is a newcomer to the sport but she hasn't wasted any time showing her natural athleticism on the mat. I hope this can be a turning point for the team as they continue to grow and advance every week."

Sugarbeeters basketball teams endured a double loss. Friday night saw both teams in Fairfield, where the boys fell 62-39 and the girls were defeated 34-26. Fairfield was on the offensive all night.

The boys struggled to keep pace with that offense. The Eagles pulled away in the second half, outscoring Chinook 31-18. Despite the tough loss, Ryan Bell and Jameson Nordboe delivered strong performances, scoring 13 and 12 points, respectively.

The lady Beeters faced challenges of their own. Fairfield built momentum with a series of small runs starting late in the second quarter. Chinook struggled against Fairfield's staunch defense and were missing their usual shots. Hannah Schoen finished with 12 points. Chinook hosts CJI this Thursday. For the season, Beeter boys are 2-6 (1-4) and the girls are 7-1 (4-1).

For our other locaI basketball teams, on the boys side the Hays Lodgepole Thunderbirds fell to Rocky Boy 73-19. The following night it was Big Sandy over Hays-Lodgepole, 61-28. The Tornadoes fell to the Box Elder Bears, 78-57, and Fort Benton, 65-51. On the girls' side the Hays Lodgepole Thunderbirds earned a win over Rocky Boy, 44-39, and the Big Sandy Pioneers, 45-37. The Turner Tornadoes bested Box Elder, 72-53. On Saturday night they fell in a close battle against the Fort Benton Longhorns, 46-42.