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Five Days of Basketball

By Marianne Addison

Ronan Senior Forward #44 Cameron Barber makes his presence felt with this dunk during the Consolation game vs. the Wildcats (Vaughn James, photo)

On Wednesday February 21, the Salish Kootenai College men's basketball team played Northwest Indian College from Bellingham, Washington at the Ronan Event Center. Both teams started out slow, sluggish, and scoreless for the first two minutes of the game. It looked to be a long night. "We started out slow and once we were passing the ball around we began scoring more. If we work the ball inside, our outside game will be okay," Coach Zach Camel said after the Salish Kootenai College victory, 107-91.

Northwest Indian College starters were Loren Cultee, Greg Mahle, David Maddock, Douglas Williams, and Ricky McKane. Key players off the bench for the Northwest Indian College Eagles were Steph Rockwell and Rudy Anaya.

A frenetically paced end of the first-half began with a spark named Howard Walker. After attempting a nice spin move to the basket, Walker seemed to tweak an ankle and checked out of the game. Upon his return to the lineup with about 13 minutes remaining in the half, Walker's flying defensive rebound and score on the offensive end of the court off a Joe Chartraw assist tied the game at 8-8 with 12:29 on the clock. Delbert Trombley's assist to Ed Running Rabbit for a three-pointer gave SKC one of their first leads of the game with the score 11-8. Upon the first three made by Running Rabbit, the crowd at the Event Center saw a three point storm as SKC swished four three pointers in three minutes.

However, NWIC's big man Ricky McKane was a force to be reckoned with as he scored all but four of his team's points in the first part of the half. He had an answer for every SKC point and carried his team. Baskets were matched as the teams battled back and forth for the rest of the half.

Walker, however, was a larger obstacle for NWIC to deal with as his consistent scoring lasted throughout the entire game. He didn't seem to miss a shot. At one point in the first half, Walker scored eight points in four minutes. Some high school teams struggle to score eight points in a quarter. With nine minutes left in the half the score was knotted at 23-22, SKC leading NWIC. Both teams combined to score 29 points in a vigorous finish for a halftime score of 48-44 with SKC ahead of the Eagles.

At the half, Walker had a stat line many would be proud to have for an entire game, as he had team highs with 18 points and five rebounds.

Ronan Junior #3 Moss Tanner was doubtful with an ankle sprain suffered in first round game against the Libby Loggers. However, Moss, seen here working his magic against the Lion defense, put to rest early any doubt about the strength of his ankle (Vaughn James, photo)

Walker also had one block. Joe Chartraw, a power forward, led the team in assists at the half with five. Andrew Zimmer, a center, led the team in steals with three at the half. Two of his steals were back to back and contributed to one of the many runs SKC had in the first half.

McKane had team highs for NWIC in points and rebounds with 16 points, five rebounds, and one block. His powerful presence in the paint was felt, as some of his rebounds were offensive rebounds leading to two points for him. David Maddock had eight points, two rebounds, and two assists. Maddock's athleticism and quickness contributed to the Eagles' offense. Steph Rockwell provided a boost off the bench as he had seven points, three rebounds, one assist, and three steals for a team high.

SKC led in every statistic, points: 48-44, rebounds: 14-13, assists: 11-10, steals: 5-4, turnovers: 8-4, and blocks: 3-2. At the start of the second-half, the Bison picked up where they left off in the first-half.

Walker was on a mission as he scored six of the team's first eight points in the second-half. However, with three fouls, he had to sub-out with about ten minutes left in the half.

After a ferocious scoring run in which Pius Takes Horse snapped one of his five three-pointers caused the frustrated NWIC coach to call a time-out. An applause of appreciation by the fans followed. Upon another immediate score by SKC after the time-out, the NWIC coach was called for a technical foul. After that technical, the NWIC Eagles seemed to have run out of gas. SKC went on a 16-2 run in four minutes to take a gigantic lead of 97-74.

Ronan Senior Guard #5 Billy Antoine played defense against #11 Jared Jimmerson of the Columbia Falls Wildcats. The Wildcats went on to edge the Ronan Chiefs 61-50 in Saturday nights. Consolation match up (Vaughn James, photo)

NWIC decided to try a full-court trap defense, which forced a Delbert Trombley turnover. Like a chain reaction, the Eagles ended their scoring drought with a three-pointer with 2:39 remaining in the game. The chain reaction continued to carry momentum as the Eagles went on a 14-4 run in the last two and a half minutes of the game. However, the run at the end of the game simply wasn't enough as the final score was 107-91 in favor of the SKC Bison.

According to Coach Zach Camel, the Eagles had a nine-hour bus ride and their legs were probably tired. Although SKC had more fouls and turnovers than NWIC, their overall versatility and height overwhelmed the Eagles as post players for SKC bring up the ball and pass as well as any point guard and a guard for SKC can lead in rebounds.

NWIC had no answer as to how to contain Howard Walker who simply dominated the game to finish the game with 31 points, seven rebounds, one assist, and one block. Joe Chartraw came alive in the second half as he scored 13 of his 16 points in the second half in addition to grabbing a six of his team high eight rebounds. Chartraw dished out a team high eight assists and contributed on the defensive end with three steals and one block. Reserve player Justin Tonasket, led the team in steals with four and was also one of the leaders in rebounds with seven. Other key contributors for the Bison were Delbert Trombley with 16 points, five assists, two rebounds, and one steal; Pius Takes Horse swished in five three-pointers for 15 points; and Andrew Zimmer hustled for 10 points, four rebounds, and three steals.

Truly the whole team was involved in this victory. "There's a month before AIHEC and it's looking good," Coach Camel said of his team.

Leaders for NWIC were McKane with 21 points, nine rebounds, two steals, and one block. Reserve Rudy Anaya scored 12 of his 16 points in the second-half, added three assists, and two rebounds. Maddock led the team with four assists, in addition to having 11 points, four rebounds, and two steals. Douglas Williams scored 16 points, grabbed two rebounds, and had one assist. Steph Rockwell was a consistent contributer off the bench to NWIC's offense as he scored 14 points, led the team in steals with three, grabbed three rebounds, and made one assist.

Northwest Indian College played aggressively and many of their points were as a result of a quick move towards the basket. The Eagles are more talented and their bench goes a lot deeper than last year's squad, but they simply didn't have the energy to stop the mighty Bison stampede.

Ronan Senior Forward #44 Cameron Barber fights off two Lion defenders to make the basket in loser out action Saturday morning. The Chiefs went on to claim victory 66-49 (Vaughn James, photo)

On Thursday, the number four seed in the Northwestern A Conference, the Ronan Chiefs, faced off against the number seven seeded Libby Loggers in the first round of the Northwestern Class A Divisional tournament in Whitefish, Montana. The Chiefs were predicted to be last place in the conference in the preseason previews and the Loggers were hyped to be one of the teams to beat in the conference. The Chiefs have been on a roll the last half of the season thanks to the addition of junior Moss Tanner to the team. Tanner averages about 14 points per game. Not only can he score, he is a great passer, smart defensive player, and very competitive. It is apparent that he can't stand to lose, as he will sometimes aggressively attack the basket when everything else has failed.

One of Ronan's other leading scorers is center Cameron Barber who is an unexpected presence in the key as he can jump to block shots, grab rebounds, or score on alley-oops. Starters for Ronan also include senior Gene Adams, junior Mike Fisher II, and sophomore Nolan Harris. Bench reserves Billy Antoine and Jordan St. Clair provide the Chiefs with a defensive spark that plays off the quickness and hustle on the pair of guards. The Chiefs turned heads going into the tournament as they beat Eureka Lions, the fourth-ranked team in the state, then followed with a convincing victory over Libby the next night. A week later, Ronan finished off the Bigfork Vikings, but fell to the Whitefish Bulldogs at Whitefish in their last game of the regular season. The two teams were tied for third place and with the Whitefish win they were on the same side of the bracket as Eureka. Meanwhile, Ronan's loss caused them to be on the same side of the bracket as foes and conference champions Columbia Falls, which would prove to be a fatal meeting for the Ronan Chiefs.

At the end of the first quarter, Ronan led 19-14. At the beginning of the second quarter, Ronan set up in a zone defense and didn't abandon it until the very last seconds of the game. The game was very promising for both teams, as Ronan and Libby traded baskets. Billy Antoine provided a much needed spark in the second quarter as Jim Mee from Libby was hitting three-pointers from all over the court, Mee ended up hitting three treys and scored 24 points in the game. Antoine's "in your face" defense limited Mee to just one shot made out of four. Antoine also fired in four points as soon as he went in the game. Ronan looked to be doing well after leading by five in the first quarter, but a swarm of Libby threes turned the tables.

However, Ronan's answer was Cameron Barber as he fought Libby defenders under the hoop and shot outside jumpers to score 17 points in the first half alone. Moss Tanner struggled early on but still scored six points in the first half. In the first seconds of the second half, a pass by Gene Adams to Barber led to the belief that Ronan was off to a good start. Yet, for every score made by Ronan, Libby answered.

Nolan Harris canned one of his six threes and Libby shot back. Moss Tanner had a sweet assist to Barber cutting through the middle of the key for a two-handed dunk. Tanner followed that assist up with one of his own acrobatic lay-ups through Libby Logger jam. Then, as Libby went to pass the ball in, Gene Adams stole the ball and made two more points for Ronan to take the lead 49-45 with 4:15 remaining in the third quarter.

Libby's coach called a time-out and the Loggers figured out a new game plan. Kyle Baker, Libby's big man in the middle, was the solution to the Ronan problem. Ronan's zone defense couldn't stop him. Where Mee exploded in the first half to lead Libby, Baker exploited the zone as he swished in turn-around jumpers and even made a three-pointer from the corner in the second-half to lead Libby.

Ronan's offensive tank, Barber, hit a slump after his dunk. Libby led 57-54 at the end of the third quarter. Coach Hollow attempted to box in Baker, which left the backside WIDE open and the Loggers took full advantage of the Ronan defense that was caught sleeping twice. Barber picked up his fourth foul, which was exactly what Libby wanted.

Tanner aggressively took charge after Barber's foul, which happened immediately after the start of the fourth quarter. Another acrobatic lay-up by Tanner kept Ronan close. Tanner attempted another daring move to the basket but he was hacked and the refs looked on.

Tanner lay on the floor in pain, but the game continued on. Shouts erupted from the Ronan crowd about calling the game both ways. At that point, Ronan had six fouls to Libby's two fouls. Barber and Mike Fisher II eventually fouled out. Free throws were a key factor in the defeat as Libby converted 18 of 23 free throws. The Loggers' lead and victory can be attributed to free throws alone. At the end of the game, the score was 74-64. Below the score it should have had the reason why, fouls: Ronan 10, Libby 3.

Barber played a "Heck of a game," according to Ronan fans as he scored 25 points, grabbed 13 rebounds, and had two blocks. Nolan Harris snapped six threes to have a total of 20 points. Tanner limped off the court hurt, then went back into the game. In obvious pain and still playing, Tanner tried to do all he could. Finally, Tanner's dad had to tell the coach to sit his son down. Tanner left the game with 10 points, five assists, two steals, and one block.

After the disappointing and heartbreaking game with Ronan and Libby, it was time to catch the Salish Kootenai College women's basketball team face the team from Stone Child College at the Ronan Event Center following the men's game versus Northwest Indian College.

Bobbi Woodworth spurred an SKC run in which she hustled after rebounds and scored on easy buckets in the paint. The Lady Bison had a very dramatic height advantage over Stone Child College. SKC employed a full court trap defense and didn't stop the press for the rest of the game. There was no mercy shown as the Lady Bison trampled over Stone Child College to post a 102-61 victory.

"We started out slow and sloppy in the first half. In the second half, we picked it up and played a lot better. It was a good effort considering we haven't played any games in a month. We got the rust off," Coach Juan Perez said after the game.

The only break SCC got was from the refs as SKC had more fouls than some players had points. SCC kept the game close in the first half as SCC looked to drive to the hole almost every possession. Meanwhile, Woodworth kept working on the glass on both ends of the court to wreak havoc for SCC.

At half time, the score was in favor of SKC 43-29. Angie Red Star snapped five three pointers to score 15 points. Racquel Little Plume found herself in the right places at the right times to score 20 easy points by simply being under the hoop to pick up an offensive rebound as she finished with seven rebounds or to receive a pass from a teammate. Rikki Ollinger was usually the one to find her teammates as she led the team with seven assists to add to her six points, three rebounds, and three steals. Phyllis Kipp scored 14 points, Carla McLean totaled 12 points and nine rebounds, and Genevieve Cochran scored eight points and added two rebounds, steals, and assists each. Not only did Woodworth contribute 20 points and 16 rebounds, she also added four steals and three assists.

Next stop for the SKC men's and women's teams was the Kyi-Yo Basketball Tournament held annually in Missoula at the University of Montana sponsored by the Kyi-yo Indian Club based out of the University of Montana. According to the Kyi-yo webpage, "The purpose of Kyi-Yo organization is to unify and provide for communication among Native American students, to foster a strong sense of cultural identity and to promote extra curricular activities that bridge the University of Montana-Missoula with the community of Missoula and its Native American residents." Hosting a basketball tournament showcasing some Native ballers from all over Indian Country is one of the ways Kyi-yo seeks to serve the club's purpose.

Fourteen men's teams and nine women's teams played for prizes such as Pendleton jackets for first place, windbreakers for second, and t-shirts for third place. In addition to that, players can also earn Most Valuable Player or All-Star honors and receive a prize for those as well.

This year, the SKC men's team cruised to a championship victory over Iron 5. Third place went to a team from Yakima, Washington called the Outlaws. A team called Box City consisting of former Lady Griz players and players from other colleges such as LeAnn Montes, Aimee Montes, Julie Deming, Katie Edwards, and Sami Walking Bear won the women's championship game as they beat a team led by former Lady Griz player Simarron Schildt from Browning called Noise. Third place went to a team called Cold Blue. Julie Deming and Delbert Trombley received Pendleton coats for being named the Most Valuable Player. Joe Chartraw of SKC received an All-Star award.

The Kyi-yo tournament was filled with a lot of running. The two teams that played for championship in the men's bracket were the two teams who had enough endurance to play over at least four or five games in a span of three days. Iron 5 earned the right to challenge SKC for championship after the Outlaws simply couldn't run in the last half of the game. Tired legs, sweat soaked shirts and jerseys clung to the players, and obvious fatigue was worn on the faces of the losing teams. Truly, to win in tournaments like these, players need to have a lot of strength, endurance, and stamina and SKC had all of that. The last time SKC won the Kyi-yo Tournament, local favorites JR Camel and Buzz Fyant led the team to the championship.

On Saturday, February 24, the University of Montana Griz Basketball team celebrated Senior Night. One of the seniors is Mike Chavez. With numerous skins already in Missoula for the Kyi-yo tourney, watching Chavez's last home game as a Montana Grizzly is an event to remember. Throughout the course of Chavez's college career, he has represented himself as best as he knew how. He endured struggles that other athletes don't have to endure simply because he is a Native American. Actually, he is Crow and Northern Cheyenne.

As fellow teammates and UM athletes are on the party scene, like any other young college students, Chavez was harshly criticized following a DUI conviction. Yes, DUI's are bad. However, Natives like Chavez aren't the only people who commit such crimes. Many people pointed fingers of ignorance, wrought with hate at Chavez and he gracefully accepted it. In fact, it doesn't seem to faze him. What happened to him at the Bobcat-Griz game in Bozeman was disrespectful and rude. Chanting "DUI" every time Chavez touched the ball or came into the game was just plain sick. Chavez smiles and says, "They never liked me in Bozeman because I'm a Montana kid."

The point is this, he may seem to shy away from attention given to him because of his achievements on the basketball court or actions off the court, but he is an inspiration to Native people. To see him play a few minutes is better than him not playing at all. The fact that he is in college, on a team, is an achievement in itself. I, personally, have always wanted to see him play more minutes, but that doesn't seem to becoming true. I accept that Mike's limited minutes are for a reason unknown to me and the many other fans that cheer loudly as Chavez gets ready to enter the game.

I haven't stopped hoping that maybe he'll get his chance to show everyone what he can do. I've seen him play, drop 30 points in high school games and known him to put down thunderous dunks since he was in the eighth grade. I've known him to be a point guard, forward, and center - all in one game. I saw him run the floor like a guard then send attempted field goals into the stands. I've seen Chavez pack gyms from the Central A tip-off in Havre to the State A tournament in Belgrade. I know what I saw in high school and I wish I could have saw it when he was in college too because a person who knows how to win and endure pressure like that is unique. Maybe Griz coach Wayne Tinkle didn't experience that atmosphere like I did and that is why Chavez remains on the bench, waiting for his chance to simply touch the ball, even for a second.

It was good to see Chavez start in his last home game as a senior and to hear the applause for him when they announced that he was starting. The Tongue River Singers from Lame Deer sang an Honor Song for Chavez. He played a lot, putting in 17 minutes on the court. He didn't make any shots, but he did other things that helped spark a Griz rally to overcome the Northern Colorado Bears. In the beginning of the game, the Griz were down by double digits at one point in the game. Using his ball handling abilities, Chavez was able to run the ball up the court breaking the Bears' full-court press defense and create scoring opportunities for his teammates. He grabbed crucial defensive rebounds to spark offense on the other end of the court. He blocked shots and recovered the ball to convert on offense. Most of all, he did what he had to do to help his team win.

Wrapping up five days of basketball, I saw levels and abilities of players from high school boys' basketball teams to NCAA Division I teams. The players I saw who knew how to win and did what they had to do to win made their whole teams better. Taking that one extra pass to ensure the best possible shot opportunity on offense and playing disciplined defense with no fouling were traits that winning teams had. Watching "rez ball" at the Kyi-yo tournament caused me to have a distorted view regarding the Griz game because it seemed so slow. Nobody was driving to the hole, which was a usual and expected occurrence in the tourney.

Defense seemed to be very soft, compared to the stiff and choking man-to-man defense employed in the tournament. Scoring points and outrunning the opposing team to win was the main focus in the tournament games and in the Griz game it seemed to be about planning and controlling the game to win. Instead of letting the game happen as it should or would, coaches on the high school and college teams attempted to run plays or set defenses to create scoring opportunities. It was more fun to watch the tournament games because when it was played the way it was supposed to be played, with players running non-stop and defending like crazy, the game flowed freely as it should. There were no jerky movements, uncertainty, hesitancy, or fear. The game looked easy and most of all it looked fun. Basketball players running the court almost effortlessly and instinctively looked like a full-court dance.

Coming up this weekend, SKC is hosting a tournament that will be taking place at the Ronan Event Center starting Friday and ending Sunday. SKC would like the community's support and the games are sure to be memorable and competitive.