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2017
February 2017
9C DISTRICT TOURNAMENT
www.havredailynews.com
9C girls field as good as it gets Box Elder favored to repeat, but this 9C girls tourney is loaded with challengers
healthy we can compete with any team in our district.” North Star has shown just that. Sophomore Paij Peterson is a standout, as is Kate Hansen. But, the Knights, like Box Elder and Fort Benton, also have depth, and depth is big in the 9C. Sheridan Spicher is an excellent scorer, while Lily Pedersen, Katelin Harvey and Peyton King all have experience and talent, and with a lineup like that, North Star will be right in the hunt this week.
George Ferguson
Havre Daily News sports editor gferguson@havredailynews.com Girls basketball in the District 9C has been good for many years. But, it’s been a while since it’s been this good. With five teams boasting winning records coming into this week’s 9C tournament at the HHS gymnasium, the tournament is deep and talented. And with three spots in next week’s Northern C Divisional on the line, every game is going to be fierce this week. “Fort Benton is a strong team with a lot of balance and quickness, North Star is a formidable team who plays solid defense and rebounds well,” Box Elder head coach Joel Rosette said. “Turner is an exciting team that will look build on positive season, Chinook has steadily improved and Coach has them playing together at tournament time. CJI has improved each game and they will play good basketball. Hays has a young team that has proven they could play with anyone in the league. And Big Sandy is a scrappy team that will play hard for four quarters.” Of course, Rosette didn’t mention his own team. Yes, while the 9C is really good this year, Box Elder still stands atop them all as the tournament dawns. The Bears have lost just once all season, and come to Havre as the defending 9C champions, and 2016 Class C state runner-up. So, with a top-notch team like the Bears, and so many good teams chasing them, this year’s 9C tournament may just be one of the most exciting in the tournament’s long and storied history. Here’s a team-by-team glance of this year’s 9C girls tourney, which runs Wednesday-Friday at the HHS gymnasium. Box Elder Bears
Chinook Sugarbeeters No one has had as much sustained success in the 9C as Chinook. The Sugarbeeters have played in a bunch of 9C championship games, won 9C titles and made their way to the Northern C seemingly every year since they dropped from Class B. But this season has been a trying one of the Beeters, and head coach Mollie Rose. Chinook suffered some tough early-season losses that set the Beeters back. Now however, led by Brooke Elliot, Sierra Swank, Erin Pula, Carrie Hofer and Kourtney Hanson, the Beeters are on a roll entering the tourney, and they appear to be as dangerous as ever. So, with the way Chinook has played the last month, don’t be surprised to see the Beeters playing for possibly a 9C title, and yet another trip to Great Falls. Turner Tornadoes Havre Daily News/Colin Thompson Lillian Gopher and the Box Elder Bears are the top seed and the defending champions at this week's District 9C girls tournament. The tourney runs Wednesday-Friday at the Havre High gymnasium. The Bears didn’t lose a single game in 9C play this season. And, they are a heavy favorite to repeat. That’s amazing considering what Box Elder lost to graduation a year ago. But, Rosette’s squad is simply loaded with talent, and more depth than anyone else in the field. On a given night, Box Elder can be led by veterans like Tia Russell, Minnie The Boy, Maddie Wolf Chief or Adrienne Gopher. But the likes of Joelnell Momberg, Nikayla Anderson, Tai Russell and Kaya Morsette can step up too. In other words, the Bears are so deep, and so good, and
they play great defense, and that’s made them darn near unbeatable. “We need to continue to play stingy defense and apply constant pressure to opposing teams,” Rosette said. Fort Benton Longhorns The Longhorns are just three years into their move to the 9C and already, they’ve won a district title, and played on Saturday night twice. This season, the Horns of head coach Cassie Scheffelmaier, appear to be the team with the best chance to dethrone Box Elder. Senior Coya
Knack is a double-double every night and one of the top post players in the Northern C. But, she’s also surrounded by talent and scorers, like veteran point guard Kaitlyn Bird, as well as top scorers Maddie Thompson, Alia Evans and Leah Gannon. “For us to be successful at the tournament we need to be consistent on offense,” Scheffelmaier said. “We need to handle adversity when teams go on runs and be able to respond with a run of our own.” With talent, height and depth, plus plenty of experience, it’s very likely the Longhorns will be playing on the final night of
the tournament for the third straight season. North Star Knights Despite a plethora of injuries, North Star has returned to being a true 9C contender. The Knights finished fourth at the 9C a year ago, and new head coach Rob Spicher is looking for his team to build on that finish this season. “We need to get healthy and play our best games in the tournament,” Spicher said. “We have battled a number of injuries to key players throughout our season. If we can get our girls
What a season it’s been for the Tornadoes. With their best record in a decade, and wins over many traditional 9C powers, Turner has reached new heights for sure. And yet, coming into the 9C tourney, Turner is still in the underdog role. Only because the field as so good and so deep. Yes, in many other districts, this Turner team, led by Ella Billmayer, Rylee Conlan, Reagan Conlan, Sarah Billmayer, Melanie and Rennay Watkins and more, all of whom have played together for years now, would probably be a favorite this week. But, while Turner not be the favorite, no one in the 9C can afford to take a game against the
■ See 9C Girls Page 4
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2017
9C DISTRICT TOURNAMENT
February 2017
www.havredailynews.com
Havre hosts exciting 9C boys tourney T-Birds, others hope to end Box Elder's long reign over District 9C Chris Peterson
Havre Daily News sports writer gferguson@havredailynews.com It has been another exciting season of District 9C boys basketball. But as the eight teams get ready to convene on the Havre High gymnasium for another installment of the tournament, it’s hard not to notice a different feel. That’s because in recent years, the Box Elder Bears have been the big dog in the 9C and while the Bears are still a top contender, they certainly don’t own the league like they once did and even lost to Hays-Lodge Pole, the other sure-fire contender, earlier this season. In the regular season, the two squads, who have outside of each other, have lost only to Arlee, the Class C runner-up a season ago, have played stellar basketball and waged two competitive games. However, when the Thunderbirds beat the Bears earlier in the season, it definitely marked a turning point in the rivalry and it was something that meant a lot to HLP and not just the players and coaches, but to the fans as well. “That was a really big win for
our program,” HLP head coach Derek Shambo said. “It was really important for the kids to get that monkey off our back.” Yet, even though the T-Birds have their sights set on the district championship, there is a reason Box Elder, led by head coach Jeremy MacDonald has won the last four. And despite giving a little ground in the district, the Bears are still the defending Class C state champions and they still have a stellar record, as well as a talented team. From there, Chinook and North Star appear to be the next contenders and after that it’s wide open. But that’s the 9C tournament and as usual the competition for the three berths available in the next week’s Northern C Divisional in Great Falls should be fierce. Here’s a team-by-team glance of this year’s 9C boys tourney, which runs Thursday-Saturday at the HHS gymnasium. HLP Thunderbirds As far as talent, there is probably no team in the district with more of it than the T-Birds. With All-Conference and former AllState stars Tyson Shambo and Frank Runs Above, HLP has a backcourt duo few teams in the state can match. Yet, HLP isn’t just good on offense. With players like Jace Shambo, Chance Main, Lance Strike, the T-Birds have frustrated teams with their press defense, which has caused
them to build so many big leads, so quickly. “Our press has been a big part of our success,” Shambo said. “We switch back and forth between a couple different looks, but the boys have done a really good job with that this year.” Ryle Foote, who transferred over to HLP this season, has also given the T-Birds a big body inside and that’s something they aren’t used to having. “Ryle has made a big difference for us,” Shambo said. “We aren’t used to having someone in there that can be protect the rim and rebound the way he does.” Box Elder Bears The Bears may not be dominating teams the way they have the past few seasons, but make no mistake, Box Elder is still darn good. Led by All-Conference standout Pernell Morsette and Trey Henderson, the Bears have two of the most explosive scorers in the district. And with other key players such as Pete Azure Jr., Dusty Weiss and Lane Caplette, the Bears have been able to simply reload instead of rebuild. “I have been really happy with how this team has come along,” Box Elder head coach Jeremy MacDonald said. “I think for us to lose seven of our top nine guys and come back and play the way we have shows how hard these guys have worked. And I think if they were able to win a championship, it would just be a
testament to that hard work.” Chinook Sugarbeeters After HLP and Box Elder, the team that is feared the most could be Chinook, thanks to its incredible size inside and its overall depth. With Wade Schneider, Isaac Bell and Cord Schneider, the Sugarbeeters have three players at 6-4 or taller. And in addition to their size, they are athletic enough to give teams problems. “They are a tough team,” Shambo said. “They can give you trouble with their size inside and coach Seymour, he is always going to have a strategy.” Bell was an All-District player last season and has put together a stellar sophomore campaign. He helped Chinook finish fourth last season and will be looking to help get the Beeters back to Great Falls for the Northern C. “We are still a really young team,” Chinook head coach Mike Seymour said. “But we have been coming along and hopefully, some of the experience we gained last season will help us out this year.”
■ See 9C Boys Page 4 Havre Daily News/Colin Thompson Tyson Shambo and the HaysLodge Pole Thunderbirds are looking to capture their first 9C title since 2006. The T-Birds and Box Elder are expected to battle for the title this week, but North Star and Chinook are contenders as well.
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2017
9C DISTRICT TOURNAMENT
February 2017
www.havredailynews.com
9C Girls: Best 9C field in years
9C Boys: Box Elder is still elite, but the District 9C has more balance now
■ From Page 2
■ From Page 3
While the strength of the 9C resides in the top half of the district, Fort Benton is a team on the rise and finds itself in the fifth position heading into the tournament. Of course, the Longhorns, who are in their third season now in the district, remain a long shot to get out, but with Andy Giles, Logan Giles and Garrett Diekhans, there is a chance. The Longhorns will be led into the 9C tournament once again by head coach Tyler Pash.
that doesn’t mean the team isn’t improving as the number in the win column keeps growing. Big Sandy has won two games this year and they have won them in the 9C, which is important to start doing if the program is every going to get back on its feet. It may seem like a long shot now, but with Bryant Jones, an electrifying scorer and Laurence Alderdice, the Pioneers might have a chance in their own right to win a game at the 9C, an accomplishment they haven’t enjoyed in a few years now.
Turner Tornadoes
CJI Hawks
For Turner, it’s been a middle of the road season. The Tornadoes are the No.6 in team in the 9C according to the regular season standings and even though their Tornado faithful have hope, their chances of making a run to Great Falls seem slim. There is some talent though, as Eddie Harmon and Cody Welsh lead a team that has proven capable of getting hot from beyond the 3-point line. But, while some teams are hoping to win a district championship or earn a divisional berth, the Tornadoes are just trying to win a district tournament game, something they haven’t done in years. Big Sandy Pioneers
No team was hit harder with graduation than CJI, which lost not only All-State star Justin May, but Troy Harmon and Brandon Richter as well. The Hawks still have Cory Richter, but he has been limited and missed a slew of games this season. Shay Richter is probably the secondbest player for first-year head coach TJ Murphy, who has also relied heavily on Brett Henke and Evan Dahinden for key contributions. Regardless of who is the top seed, CJI will have its work cut out for it in the opening round.
Fort Benton Longhorns
Tornadoes lightly, because they are that good, and they are poised to make the 2017 9C tournament their best showing in a long, long time. “Our goals for the district tournament are of course to end up somewhere in the top three by the end of it. But most importantly to go out, have fun, and play our best,” Turner head coach Jennifer Baird said. The 9C is very deep. In my opinion everyone is in contention. It's anyone's tournament and I don't believe any team could be counted out of it. It's going to be a very fun tournament.” CJI Hawks Last year, the Hawks made a magical run to a third-place finish and a trip to the Northern C. But, graduation hit CJI hard, and early this season, it was a bit of a struggle. But just like last year, CJI is coming on strong at the right time. Head coach Jerry Kulpas’ squad is playing well, and with star shooters Korrin Harmon, Kendahl Knapton and Khloe Kammerzell among others, the Hawks could be a real dark horse this week in Havre.
with all of that said, HLP could, and should cause fits for any of the perceived top teams in the field this week, and, they only add to what is already a loaded 9C tourney.
HLP Thunderbirds
Big Sandy Pioneers
The 9C tourney has not been kind to the T-Birds in recent years. But, this HLP squad is different. The T-Birds returned almost every top scorer from last year’s team, and with wins over Chinook, Turner and CJI this season, the T-Birds have shown they can play with anybody. Rayleigh Kirkaldie and Mulleah Stiffarm are capable of putting up big numbers every night, and Kiara and Kennessa Shambo have plenty of tourney experience. So,
It’s been a rough go for the Pioneers again this season. But, first-year coach Ronnie Simpson’s team has certainly made strides. Veterans Jenna Leader and Jaylyn Cline can score in double figures, and they have plenty of players with 9C tourney experience around them, like Jessica Roth and Andrea Rutledge. And that means, while Big Sandy’s record might not jump out at you, the Pioneers are by no means an easy out in this tournament.
Havre Daily News/Colin Thompson Both Nor th Star and For t Benton come into this week's 9C girls tournament with high hopes. Both teams should be strong contenders to play for a spot in the Northern C.
r, Go Bigge ! Go Faster
The Big Sandy Pioneers have spent another year near the bottom of the 9C standings, but
Havre Daily News/Colin Thompson Cord Schneider and the Chinook boys are hoping to challenge four-time defending 9C champion Box Elder, as well as Hays-Lodge Pole for a district title this weekend in Havre.
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