GREAT FALLS — Heart Butte and Box Elder each got hard-fought wins to kick off the Northern C boys basketball divisional tournament Wednesday at Four Seasons Arena. The Warriors started the day with a 71-56 win over Fort Benton, and the Bears followed with a 64-52 win over Roy-Winifred.
Heart Butte 71, Fort Benton 56
Heart Butte blew open a four-point game with Fort Benton Wednesday by scoring 26 points in the fourth quarter en route to a 71-56 win. Heart Butte and Belt will play at 5:30 p.m. Thursday with the winner advancing to Friday's semifinal round.
Heart Butte, the No. 3 seed out of District 10C, and Fort Benton, the No. 3 seed out of District 9C, were locked in a close game to kick off the Northern C divisional tournament, with the Warriors leading 31-30 at halftime and 45-41 after three quarters. But Shayde St. Goddard and Aden Wagner each scored eight points in the fourth quarter to help Heart Butte pull away.
St. Goddard finished with 20 points, 16 rebounds, six blocks and four steals, and Wagner, who made five 3-pointers in the game, had 17 points and four steals. Heart Butte's Peyton Racine led all scorers with 21 points to go along with 11 rebounds and five steals.
Eli Arganbright and Brett Evans each scored 12 points for Fort Benton, and Kellan Diekhans had five points and 15 rebounds. The Longhorns will next play Roy-Winifred in a loser-out game at 8 a.m. Thursday.
Box Elder 64, Roy-Winifred 52
Box Elder got all it could handle from Roy-Winifred in the first round of the Northern C divisional tournament Wednesday, but the undefeated Bears used a strong fourth quarter to earn a 64-52 win and advance to the semifinal round. Box Elder will next play at 4 p.m. Friday.
Roy-Winifred, the third seed from District 8C, held a 41-40 lead over Box Elder, District 9C's No. 1 seed, after three quarters. But the Bears, led by Tracen Jilot and Alex Four Colors, outscored the Outlaws 24-11 over the final eight minutes to pull away for the first-round win.
PHOTOS: BOX ELDER BOYS RALLY PAST ROY-WINIFRED AT NORTHERN C
Jilot had 38 points, making 6 of 13 3-point attempts, while Four Colors had 10 points and 21 rebounds. Box Elder improved to 21-0 with the win and will play either Cascade or Winnett-Grass Range in Friday's semifinal round.
Wyatt Wickens led Roy-Winifred with 24 points and 10 rebounds. The Outlaws will play Fort Benton in a loser-out game at 8 a.m. Thursday.
