GREAT FALLS — The Northern C tournament continued Thursday with the remainder of the quarterfinal matchups. And though the field is missing perennial powers like Roy-Winifred, D-G-S-G, Winnett-Grass Range and Fort Benton, who are all playing in different divisions, the Northern C is still a dogfight.
Box Elder 68, Heart Butte 40
Box Elder showed why it remains the team to beat in the Northern C on Wednesday morning, pulling away from Heart Butte for a 68-40 first-round win.
WATCH: Box Elder boys top Heart Butte
The two-time defending state champions used a balanced attack and defensive pressure to take control early and never let go. Box Elder led 19-15 after one quarter and stretched the advantage to 33-20 by halftime. The Bears outscored the Warriors 35-20 in the second half to secure the 28-point victory.
Sophomore Kenny Helgeson led the way with 18 points, shooting 6 of 16 from the field and adding four rebounds and a team-high seven steals. Noah McDonald, an eighth grader, provided 13 points on 6-of-10 shooting, while Timmy Rossette Jr. finished with eight points and Jaiden Nault added four.
The Bears forced 27 Heart Butte turnovers.
Heart Butte was led by Noah Aimsback and Charles Shortman, who each scored eight points. Shortman also grabbed a game-high 13 rebounds, including nine on the defensive end. Stone LaRoque added six points and 10 rebounds for the Warriors.
Box Elder finished with a 40-31 rebounding advantage and built a lead that grew as large as 31 points. With the win, the Bears advance to the semifinals against Belt.
This article will be updated
