SPORTS

Box Elder boys handle Heart Butte

Steve Schreck
sschreck@greatfallstribune.com

The Box Elder boys’ basketball team is rolling, and much of the momentum can be traced back to its district championship victory last weekend, when it defeated Hays-Lodgepole for the 9C title.

“It was a huge confidence boost,” Box Elder head coach Jeremy MacDonald said of the victory over the Thunderbirds, an impressive team themselves who had beaten the Bears twice during the regular season.

That momentum carried over into their first-round matchup against Heart Butte on Wednesday night.

Trey Henderson and Dusty Weiss each scored 21 points as the Bears handled the Warriors 75-51 before a crowd of about 3,500 at Four Seasons Arena.

“I think we distributed the ball pretty well,” Henderson said. “We crashed the boards like we have been focusing on the past two weeks. We did that and limited the turnovers.”

Henderson said the Bears, which have won two out of the last three state titles, were out to prove themselves in that 9C title game vs. Hays-Lodgepole.

And that mindset has continued into this week.

“It helped us because we were looked at as the underdog after those two losses,” Henderson said. “We wanted to prove everybody wrong, that we aren’t no underdogs, no pushovers.”

Henderson was 8-for-15 from the field. He hit half of his four attempts from distance and hauled in a game-high 14 rebounds

“Well, Trey put in a lot of work in the summer,” MacDonald said. “He was in the weight room, that was a huge help for him. He was just ready to take his game to another level. He’s 6-7. He can attack the basket, he’s getting offensive rebounds and he hit a couple deep threes behind that white line. He’s got range and he has a really nice skillset. It’s his time to shine, and he’s stepping up and shining.”

Wednesday’s victory sets up a rematch with the Belt Huskies. Both teams faced off in last year’s Northern C title game, with the Bears earning the victory. This time around, though, it will be a semifinal contest, to be contested Friday afternoon at 4.

“I think it’s going to be a tough game for us,” Henderson said. “We have to focus on rebounding, limiting the turnovers and defense. Mostly the fundamentals.”

Heart Butte of head coach Kellen Hall will play Friday morning at 9:30 in a loser out game, against either Denton-Geyser-Stanford or Power.

As for Box Elder, it received 18 points from Tanner Parisian in the win.

But MacDonald named nearly his entire roster when assessing Wednesday’s game.

“The boys are stepping up,” he said. “Dusty had a fantastic game. Trey had a great game. Pernell (Morsette) is distributing the ball (10 assists). Tanner just has so much energy. And then Pete (Azure Jr.) is knocking down some shots. Wyatt (Caplette) is coming in strong off the bench. The boys are ready to go. Everything we’ve been doing all season is to get ready for tournament basketball. We hope we are peaking at the right time. We have huge test Friday night against a great basketball program.”

Box Elder 75, Heart Butte 51

Heart Butte 12 6 13 20 – 51

Box Elder 19 22 17 17 – 75

Heart Butte – Shylon Spoon Hunter 5, Chasen Kipp 10, Anthony Aimsback 4, Jamison Young Running Crane 2, Josiah Aimsback 2, Wendell Main 7, Riley Spoon Hunter 18, Deric Denney 1, John Guardipee 2. Totals: 20 8-15.

Heart Butte – Pernell Morsette 6, Pete Azure Jr. 6, Tanner Parisian 18, Wyatt Caplette 3, Trey Henderson 21, Dusty Weiss 21. Totals: 27 14-27.

3-pointers – Shylon Spoon Hunter, Main, Riley Spoon Hunter, Parisian 3, Henderson 2, Weiss 2.