Crack, boom, pow went the thunder of feet stomping the bleachers when the Arlee Scarlets hooped their way into victory over St. Regis to take the 14C title crown for the second year in a row. After coming into the tournament with the number-one seed, the Scarlets had a bye into the semifinals, which gave them one less game to prepare. It didn’t matter in the Scarlet camp though as they easily toppled their opponents in the tournament’s two games.
The Scarlets showed playfulness when they took the court, a tactic that proved to be deadly to all other teams that came their way, masking their fierce competitive nature.
On Friday, the Scarlets toppled Superior 52-24; the same team that gave them a run in last year’s tournament. The Lady Bobcats couldn’t get anything past the Scarlets’ aggressive defense. On the scoring end, Alicia Camel came up big, scoring 15 points for the Scarlets. First-year Head Coach Bill Stockton was impressed with how well the girls were able to keep their opponents from getting to the hoop.
“Defense was good,” he said. “The girls came in focused and executed when they needed to.”
Saturday’s main event boasted the fullest house of the tournament, completely packing the Ronan Event Center. Locked and loaded, the Scarlets took the court with goal number two zeroed in: win Districts. Though the St. Regis Lady Tigers put up tough competition, the Scarlets stomped into victory, overcoming St. Regis, 58-40.
Camel once again led the team in points with 16 while Whitney Malatare and Violet Pablo came in right behind with 12. Morgan Malatare chipped in 10, including a three-pointer tossed in at the third quarter buzzer.
The Scarlets will move on to divisional play Feb. 26-Mar. 1 in Butte. They’ll take all they have learned throughout the season in hopes of completing another goal – divisional champs. They’ll bring their sense of work ethics, teamwork, and positive encouragement that can be heard from both the coaches and the bench at each and every game.
“If we go to divisionals with the same mindset, we will leave as champions,” he said. “I am super proud of all of them.”
Alicia Camel 15, Whitney Malatare 9, Becca Whitesell 8, Violet Pablo 6, Megan Shick 4, Bryndle Goyins 3, Morgan Malatare 3, Autumn Moran 2, Carly Hergett 1.
St. Regis 7 13 10 10 – 40
Alicia Camel 16, Whitney Malatare 12, Violet Pablo 12, Morgan Malatare 10, Alexis Shick 6, Meagan Shick 2.
Arlee Warriors secure divisional spot
RONAN – For a young team, the Arlee Warriors showed what it means to have heart. Going into the 14C District Tournament as the third seed team, the Warriors caused quite a stir when they took down second-seed Charlo, advancing them to the championship game that ended with a second place finish.
Head Coach Zanen Pitts couldn’t be happier with his team’s performance and commended every player on his team.
“It was definitely a battle,” he said. “Every boy has had his impact moments. It took all 19 to get us this far.”
On Thursday the Warriors opened the tournament with a game against Two Eagle River, easily grabbing the 73-33 win. Warrior Brad Brazill charged the court, grabbing 17 points for his team.
In game two on Friday, Arlee faced an old foe, the Charlo Vikings. Though pitted as the underdog, Arlee’s Warriors proved they would not lie down, toppling the Vikings 59-54. Tied going into half time and falling behind in the third, the Warriors busted out and outscored the Vikings by 10 points in the fourth, enough to net the win. Senior Josh Reed led in points, putting up 20. A breakout performance by Tyler Tanner added 17 points that helped put the Warriors on top.
In the Championship game on Saturday, the Warriors fought a fierce battle against number-one ranked Superior. Though the Warriors fought and kept it close throughout, they fell to the Bobcats 50-58. Reed scored 13 points for the Warriors and Patrick BigSam chipped in 12. It was a tough loss for Arlee, not only on the court, but also with the absence of key contributor Isaac Desjarlais due to medical reasons. For the tight-knit Warriors, missing a teammate played heavy in their hearts.
“It was tough for them to not have a brother there,” Pitts said. All in all Pitts was pleased with his team’s performance both on and off the court.
“They played a great championship game,” he said. “They kept their heads up and that was cool. I’m pretty proud of them.”
The Warriors will advance to the Divisional Tournament Feb. 26 – Mar. 1. Pitts is excited about the upcoming event and feels they have a good shot at grabbing another piece of hardware.
“We’re on a great side of the bracket,” he said. “And peaking at the right time.”
Results
Arlee 15 22 25 11 – 73
Two Eagle River 13 4 10 6 – 33
Brad Brazill 17, Tyler Tanner 10, Patrick BigSam 9, Justis Haynes 9, Josh Reed 7, Aaron Perry 6, Riley Rogers 5, Isaac Desjarlais 4, PJ Haynes 2, Zane Ligas 2, Dominic Burland 2.
Arlee 11 12 13 23 – 59
Charlo 12 11 18 13 – 54
Josh Reed 20, Tyler Tanner 17, Patrick BigSam 14, Dominic Burland 4, Justis Haynes 2 PJ Haynes 2.
Arlee 8 11 14 17 – 50
Superior 11 16 12 19 – 58
Josh Reed 13, Patrick BigSam 12, Tyler Tanner 8, Justis Haynes 6, Zane Ligas 4, PJ Haynes 3, Brad Brazill 2, Aaron Perry 2.
Lady Vikings fight for
divisional spot
RONAN – The Lady Vikings faced a long battle in the 14C District Tournament, playing four games and walking away with the third place plaque.
Thursday, day one of the tournament, the Lady Vikings took to the court with Noxon’s Lady Red Devils and secured the 56 -10 win with ease. Commanding a dominate 43-8 lead going into half time, the Lady Vikings “hit the bucket” more times than not with Aspen Runkel leading the way scoring 13 points. Sienna Brown and Shayna Nagy each added 11 with Brown swooshing it three times from the three point range.
On Friday the Lady Vikings fell 26-38 to tough St. Regis, who took second in the tournament. This game put Charlo in the losing bracker, which forced and extra game for the Lady Vikings. Shayna Nagy and Aspen Runkel led the Lady Vikings in points with Nagy netting 12 and Runkel adding 10.
It was do or die for the Lady Vikings in game three. A win would allow the girls to fight for the third place consolation; a loss would send them packing. The Lady Vikings brought cheers to the die-hard Charlo fans as they took out Hot Springs 53-22. Shayna Nagy tossed up 13 points for her team. Jordan Ludeman and Runkel each scored nine.
In the consolation game on Saturday, the Lady Vikings had to pull a win to secure third place and give them a chance to play in Monday’s game against 13C’s third place team, and a spot at divisionals. Taking that third place plaque was no problem for the Lady Vikings as they steamrolled right over Superior 47-25. Lady Viking tournament score leader Aspen Runkel came through once again for her team, scoring 16 points, while Cheyenne Nagy helped out with 10.
Although feeling the upset of the tournament, Coach Brett Thompson is pleased with how hard his Lady Vikings have worked. “I’m glad we came back and fought, they could have easily called it a season after that loss,” he said. “I’m proud of the girls.”
The Lady Vikings played District 13C’s Darby on Monday. (Results not available at press time; see results online at www.valleyjournal.net)
Charlo 21 22 8 5 – 56
Noxon 4 4 2 0 – 10
Aspen Runkel 13, Sienna Brown 11, Shayna Nagy 11, Jordan Ludeman 7, Cheyenne Nagy 6, Madison Foust 4, Skyler Frame 2, Abby Knight 2.
Charlo 4 7 9 6 – 26
St. Regis 9 8 7 14 – 38
Shayna Nagy 12, Aspen Runkel 10, Cheyenne Nagy 3, Jordan Ludeman 1.
Charlo 20 18 9 6 – 53
Hot Springs 7 2 9 4 – 22
Shayna Nagy 13, Aspen Runkel 9, Jordan Ludeman 9, Cheyenne Nagy 6, Mikaylan Royalnce 6, Skyler Frame 6, Sienna Brown 2, Mackenzie Foust 2.
Charlo 7 14 9 17 – 47
Superior 5 4 7 9 – 25
Aspen Runkel 16, Cheyenne Nagy 10, Shayna Nagy 9, Jordan Ludeman 8, Madison Foust 2, Mikaylan Roylance 1, Skylar Frame 1.
Vikings lose district
placement
RONAN – It was a tough week for the Vikings as second seeded Charlo failed to make a top three spot at the 14C District tournament and qualify for a Divisional road trip to Butte.
Game one on Thursday started with a bang at the Ronan Event Center as the Vikings dominated St. Regis 59-19. Kail Pope led the Vikings with 17 points.
On Friday, the Vikings took on rival Arlee Warriors in what might have been one of the loudest games of the tournament. Fans from both sides created a mini earthquake as the Vikings fell to Arlee, 54-59, locking them out of championship contention. Dalton Delaney led his Vikings with 20 points.
Saturday proved to be a busy day for the Vikings as they had to play an extra game to stay alive. Loser-out game three pitted Charlo against Noxon with the Vikings sending the Red Devils home, outscoring them 64-48. Kail Pope lit a fuse under his feet with 26 points for the Vikings. Dalton Delaney added 19.
Heading into the consolation game, the Vikings would need to pull a win from the Hot Springs Savage Heat to grab the third place prize and to compete for a spot at divisionals. Although the Vikings fought hard, even bringing it into overtime with key free-throw points to tie it up, Charlo ultimately fell to the Savage Heat 64-71. Pope, Charlo’s tournament point leader, netted 26 points and Tristan Santee logged 14.
Results
Charlo 23 11 19 6 – 59
St. Regis 0 5 8 6 – 19
Kail Pope 17, Tristan Santee 8, Tyler Delaney 7, Dalton Delaney 6, Kobe Cox 5, Jade Smith 4, Jesse Long 4, Greg Montgomery 3, Cody Couture 3, Dalton Delaney 2.
Charlo 11 12 18 13 – 54
Arlee 12 11 13 23 – 59
Dalton Delaney 20, Kail Pope 15, Jade Smith 10, Tristan Santee 6, Tyler Delaney 3.
Charlo 11 19 20 14 – 64
Noxon 14 13 10 11 – 48
Kail Pope 26, Dalton Delaney 19, Jade Smith 12, Tristan Santee 2, Kobe Cox 2, Jesse Long 2, Tyler Delaney 1.
Charlo 10 11 21 17 5 – 64
Hot Springs 12 18 17 12 12 – 71
Kail Pope 26, Tristan Santee 14, Tyler Delaney 10, Dalton Delaney 7, Jesse Long 5, Jade Smith 2.
Lady Eagles grab
Saturday play
RONAN – The Lady Eagles may not have made it to the finals, but they left a lasting impression of what might be in store for next season.
Bringing in one of the youngest teams in the 14C tournament, the Lady Eagles scored a well-played game over Noxon in the consolation bracket and showed they have the guff to bring home some hardware next year.
Game one on Thursday was a hard struggle for the Lady Eagles as they fell to St. Regis, 33-69. With 28 fouls, the Lady Eagles had a tough time keeping free throw points out of the Lady Tigers hands. Misty Mendoza and Cassidi Wunderlich led in points with Mendoza logging eight and Wunderlich adding seven.
On Friday the Lady Eagles came alive with an explosive fourth quarter and toppled Noxon’s Lady Red Devils 45-34. Wunderlich just might be the eighth world wonder, scoring an amazing 27 points for her team. Tyra Michel chipped in 10.
In the loser-out game before the consolation, the Lady Eagles fell to fourth place Superior in a nail biter, 39-41. The Lady Eagles held a lead until the fourth quarter when the Lady Bobcats took over and stomped to the win. Wunderlich again was the lead scorer for Two Eagle with 10 points.
Results
Two Eagle River 7 11 4 11 – 33
St. Regis 24 24 9 12 – 69
Misty Mendoza 8, Cassidi Wunderlich 7, Maklit Charlo 4, Ruby Saluskin 4, Tyra Michel 4, Gabrielle Bigbeaver 2, Olivia Nichols 2, Tyshina Whitworth 2.
Two Eagle River 2 6 11 26 – 45
Noxon 5 16 7 6 – 34
Cassidi Wunderlich 27, Tyra Michel 10, Shay-Lyn Andrew 2, Maklit Charlo 2, Olivia Nichols 2, Misty Mendoza 1, Ruby Saluskin 1.
Two Eagle River 12 10 9 8 – 39
Superior 8 9 6 18 – 41
Cassidi Wunderlich 10, Misty Mendoza 6, Tyra Michel 6, Olivia Nichols 6, Shay-Lyn Andrew 5, Gabrielle Bigbeaver 2, Ruby Saluskin 2, Maklit Charlo 2.
Eagles grab one
tournament win
RONAN – The Eagles showed they would not go out without a fight, posting a win in the 14C District tournament. Two Eagle River may not have the tallest team in town, but what they do have is a lot of heart and drive.
In game one on Thursday, the Eagles faced the Arlee Warriors, a team that ultimately took second-place honors at the tournament. Though the Eagles kept up with Warriors in the first quarter — only down by two points — they were eventually overcome by the Warriors, falling 33-73. Eugene Parker led his team with 15 points.
On Friday the Eagles played in a loser out game against the St. Regis Tigers, proving dominance in the 62-36 win. Parker again led the Eagles, netting 18 points while Robert Jansen added 10.
In Saturday’s semifinal before the consolation game, the Eagles fell to Hot Springs with only a five-point margin separating the final score of 45-50. Robert Jansen put up 14 points for the Eagles while Parker chipped in 11.
Results
Two Eagle River 13 4 10 6 – 33
Arlee 15 22 25 11 – 73
Eugene Parker 15, Robert Jansen 7, Byron Carpentier 6, DaShane Hewankorn 2, Quincy Bourdon-Courville 2, Julian Cutfinger 1.
Two Eagle River 7 22 20 13 – 62
St. Regis 9 5 11 11 – 36
Eugene Parker 18, Robert Jansen 10, DaShane Hewenkorn 7, Jaylin Ducharme 7, Dante McDougall 5, Byron Carpentier 5, Julian Cutfinger 4, Quincy Courdon-Courville 4, Chino Lira 2.
Two Eagle River 13 6 13 13 – 45
Hot Springs 9 12 12 17 – 50
Robert Jansen 14, Eugene Parker 11, Jaylin Ducharme 8, Byron Carpentier 6, DaShane Hewankorn 6.
