Prep Basketball: Hays-Lodge Pole, Belt boys advance
Eight years ago, members of the Hays-Lodge Pole boys’ basketball team came to Four Seasons Arena and left with basketball nets around their necks.
This weekend on the very same floor, the Thunderbirds are trying to recall the past with similar haircuts and a sole purpose.
“We’d like to get back to that state tournament,” said Hays-Lodge Pole coach Charlie Ereaux following the T-Birds’ 59-57 victory over Sunburst on Thursday morning in a first-round game at the Northern C boys’ tournament. “We haven’t been there since that great team with A.J. Long Soldier.”
The late, great Long Soldier led the T-Birds to the 2007 title in Great Falls. He played that weekend with hair dyed blonde.
Many of the current Thunderbirds sported similar looks on Thursday in a narrow victory over the plucky Refiners.
“The difference was our speed and quickness,” said Ereaux. “Finally we started getting it together. That’s how we got here. We’re the shortest team here, and we’ve got to make up for it with heart and hustle.
“We finally started getting rolling there in the fourth quarter.”
Ereaux said the Thunderbirds were led down the stretch by Lance Strike, a freshman guard with star potential, and senior guard Jasper Lewis off the bench.
“The third guy who played really big for us was Sterling White Cow, our senior captain,” said Ereaux. “Sunburst is very tough.”
White Cow finished with 16 points and Tyson Shambo added 12 for the winners. The Thunderbirds advanced to semifinal game Friday afternoon at 5:30 against Belt, which cruised past Chinook 60-45 on Thursday.
Ereaux is a 1994 H-LP graduate who has been the head Thunderbirds’ coach for 10 years. His current team is young, with three sophomore starters, and finished runner-up at last week’s 9C.
The T-Birds are talented and, apparently, resilient. Sunburst led by nine at halftime and by seven after three quarters.
But the Refiners, a second-place team at the 10C, couldn’t quite hold on.
“We didn’t execute late in the game and Hays-Lodge Pole really came together and made some shots,” said Sunburst star Tyler Tharp, who scored 18 points. “They’re very athletic. A good team.”
Senior forward Austin Kimmet scored 19 points for the Refiners, who face loser-out action Friday morning at 11 against Chinook.
Belt 60, Chinook 45
Junior guard Koltin Haugrose poured in 23 points as the undefeated Huskies stretched their winning streak to 21.
“Our challenge for the kids was to not be complacement, especially after we saw maybe some teams (Wednesday night) that could have walked into some traps,” said Huskies’ coach Kyle Paulson. “Our intensity was good early. We were flying around and being pretty active.”
Belt led by eight after the first quarter and outscored the Sugarbeeters 22-11 in the second quarter. Sophomore guard Jaren Maki scored 11 and 6-3 senior Paxton Maki added 10.
“They started hot,” said Chinook standout guard Lane Seymour. “The first time I looked up, it was 10-1. They’re very quick, very athletic and they jump well. Plus they shoot the ball extremely well.
“That’s a very good team.”
The Belt defense was all over the Sugarbeeters.
“It was very suffocating,” Seymour said. “They switched all the top ball screens, and it was very difficult to get around.”
Seymour scored 14 points for Chinook, which meets Sunburst on Friday morning at 11 in a loser-out affair. No one else had more than 8 for the Sugarbeeters.