SHELBY — The opening round of the Northern B divisional boys basketball tournament saw some impressive individual performances as Rocky Boy, Wolf Point, Poplar and Fairfield each advanced to Friday’s semifinal round.
Rocky Boy earned the first win of the tournament, downing Malta 52-39 behind Frankie Bacon’s 14 points, while Blake Cantrell added 10 points for the Northern Stars, which led 26-19 at halftime.
Tanner Smith had 14 points for Malta, which meets Choteau in a loser-out game Friday at 1 p.m.
The Bulldogs got 33 points from Carroll College commit Sayer Patton, including four 3-pointers, but couldn’t overcome 48 combined points from Joseph Williamson and Lance St. Germaine as Wolf Point edged Choteau 68-63. The Wolves scored 27 points in the fourth quarter to turn a one-point deficit into the five-point victory.
Williamson had 12 points at halftime for Wolf Point, which led 36-24, but Patton led a charge with 10 points in the third to give the Bulldogs a 42-41 advantage. St. Germaine scored seven points, Williamson nine points in the final quarter to lead Wolf Point to the semifinal round against Rocky Boy.
The Northern Stars and Wolves meet at 6:30 p.m. with a trip to the divisional championship on the line.
Poplar ran away from host Shelby 52-45, as Wynn Main and Kenny Smoker combined for 26 points for the Indians, which jumped to a 13-5 lead after the opening quarter. Poplar led 28-21 at halftime.
Tanner Parsons (15 points) and Logan Leck (13) brought the Coyotes to within five at the end of the third, but couldn’t overcome the sluggish first quarter. Poplar will face Fairfield in a Friday semifinal, while Shelby takes on Glasgow in the loser-out portion of the bracket.
Fairfield trounced Glasgow 68-40 in the final game Thursday evening, earning the right to meet Poplar in the 8 p.m. semifinal on Friday. Keeley Bake scored a game-high 22 points, 12 in the first half, to pace the Eagles, which led 20-10 after the first period.
Dawson Allen added 12 points, Ryder Meyer chipped in with nine and the Eagles’ defense harassed Glasgow’s offense throughout the contest. The Scotties were led by Tim Wageman’s 10 points, the lone Scottie to reach double figures.
Thursday’s results and Friday’s schedule can be found below.
Northern B divisional boys basketball tournament
Thursday scores
Rocky Boy 52, Malta 39
Wolf Point 68, Choteau 63
Poplar 52, Shelby 45
Fairfield 68, Glasgow 40
Friday schedule
Choteau vs. Malta, 1 p.m., loser-out
Glasgow vs. Shelby, 2:30 p.m., loser-out
Rocky Boy vs. Wolf Point, 6:30 p.m., semifinal
Poplar vs. Fairfield, 8 p.m., semifinal
