GREAT FALLS — It's semifinal Friday at the Northern C divisional tournament in Great Falls.
The Belt boys knocked off two-time defending champion Box Elder Bears to advance to Saturday's final. Chester-Joplin-Inverness pulled away from Cascade late in the other semifinal to set up a Husky-Hawk showdown in the Saturday's title game.
WATCH: Northern C boys semifinal highlights
Belt 58, Box Elder 32
Belt used a dominant middle stretch and suffocating defense to knock off two-time defending state champion Box Elder 58-32 on Friday afternoon in the Northern C Divisional semifinals at Four Seasons Arena.
The Huskies led 12-8 after the first quarter, and 24-18 at halftime. Belt continued build separation in the second half using a 14-0 run that spanned the third and fourth quarters, stretching the margin to as many as 26 points.
Michael Gaylord led Belt with 15 points, knocking down 4-of-10 from the field and 4-of-7 at the free throw line. Slater Lords added 12 points and went a perfect 4-for-4 at the line, while Kolin Halley chipped in nine points and pulled down a team-high 11 rebounds off the bench. Blake Waldner finished with eight points and Grahm Halley contributed six points, eight rebounds and five assists.
Belt forced 20 Box Elder turnovers. The Huskies also limited the Bears to 13-of-44 shooting (29.5%) and just 1-of-18 from three-point range.
Santana Wells Jr. led Box Elder with eight points, while Timmy Rossette Jr. added six. Kenny Helgeson, who scored 18 in the opening round, was held to four points on 1-of-8 shooting .
With the win, Belt advances to Saturday’s Northern C Divisional championship game. Box Elder drops into the consolation side of the bracket and will face 9C foe North Star on Saturday morning.
Chester-Joplin-Inverness 60, Cascade 43
Chester-Joplin-Inverness is headed to the Northern C Divisional championship game after a convincing 60-43 semifinal win over Cascade on Friday at Four Seasons Arena.
After trailing by six early in the opening quarter, the Hawks responded quickly. CJI closed the period on a surge to take a 16-10 lead after eight minutes and never trailed again . The advantage grew to double digits in the second half as the Hawks methodically pulled away.
Ryland St. John delivered a dominant all-around performance, finishing with 18 points on 7-of-10 shooting, along with 10 rebounds, five assists and four blocks . Kody Standiford added 11 points on an efficient 4-of-6 from the field, while Ryan Ramberg provided a spark off the bench with 10 points.
CJI shot 25-of-46 from the floor (54.3%) and controlled the paint throughout . The Hawks also held Cascade to 17-of-52 shooting (32.7%) and built a lead that reached 20 points.
Trent Lane led the Badgers with 13 points and six rebounds, while Kaden Jorgenson added 12 points .
