Belt boys cruise past Power

Harry Green was in class Wednesday when he heard the score over the school’s speakers.

The Belt girls’ basketball team was leading their first-round game 59-10. At halftime.

That’s crazy, Green thought to himself. He said it again when the final score, even more lopsided, was announced later on.

“That’s great,” said Green, whose team overcame a slow start Wednesday to down Power 58-33 in a first-round game. “Both of us our successful. It’s a culture, really.”

It was a high standard to live up to – it’s been a high standard to live up to, the four state championships in the last five years for the girls – but the Belt boys tried their best. Belt head coach Kyle Paulson said both teams feed off each other, especially at this time of the year.

“Our kids are really tight,” he said. “And I think winning is just contagious. When they’re having success, it probably motivates our guys a little bit to have some success and vice-versa.”

The Pirates of head coach Griff Bye fell behind early but battled back to gain a one-point advantage when Logan Smoot scored with 4:33 remaining in the first half. The score was 18-17 in favor of Power.

Then the floodgates opened.

Both Jess Bodner and Jaren Maki scored 16 points each, Keagan Stroop managed 12, Troy Hennes chipped in 10 and the second half was all Huskies as they advanced into Friday’s semifinals. They will play the winner of Box Elder-Heart Butte at 4 in the afternoon Friday.

“We just started talking and got loose,” Green said. “We just played our game. We knew we were going to get comfortable, it was just a matter of time.”

The Huskies (18-4) won the state championship in 2015 and took third a year ago.

“Like coach Paulson told us before the game, us seniors (Green, Bodner, Maki, Taylor Olson) have probably been on this floor in divisionals more than any other team out here,” Green said. “So having that experience when we had Koltin Haugrose and Matt Metrione … it just carries over and we’ve been here and so we are confident.”

Power, which received 14 points from star Dominik Dunk, will play Denton-Geyser-Stanford Thursday at 4 p.m. to extend its season.

Belt 58, Power 33

Power 10 13 4 6 – 33

Belt 16 16 13 13 – 58

Power – Logan Smoot 2, JV Somerfeld 6, Andrew Jensen 8, Dominik Dunk 14, Peyton Hill 3. Totals: 14 2-2.

Belt – Keagan Stroop 12, Harry Green 2, Brendan Wing 1, Jess Bodner 16, Jaren Maki 16, Trey Heitzman 1, Troy Hennes 10. Totals: 24 7-11.

3-pointers – Dunk 2, Hill, Stroop, Bodner, Maki.