Plenty Coups Warriors Win Division

                        
Fans crowd around the Plenty Coups Warriors as player Avery Bull Shows shows off the team's plaque and he and his teammates celebrate capturing the Southern C Crown. Click here to see a slide show of last weekend's Southern C tournament. Photo by Casey Kills Pretty Enemy.

By Leo Hudetz
CrowNews.Net

Billings' Shrine Auditorium was the place to be on Saturday night for basketball fans. Those lucky enough to get in saw Pryor's Plenty Coups Warriors beat the Wibaux Longhorns, 77-72.

Plenty Coups fans, hailing from every district on the reservation, filled the gym and some waited as long as three hours to get a seat. Many children grabbed court side seats -- on the floor. The game had an electric atmosphere with fans stomping in the bleachers, cheering on their team and rattling not only the auditorium but the Wibaux team, too. When a Wibaux player stepped to the free throw line for a crucial shot late in the fourth quarter, the basketball hoop shook.

The Warriors built a 15 point lead by the end of the third quarter before delivering a wild finish in the fourth quarter when Plenty Coups players drew two technical fouls and Wibaux was able to sink a couple of three pointers. Wibaux tied the game 72-72  with 16 seconds left to play.

The Plenty Coups team, which has a long tradition of winning nail-biters, kept its poise to pull out the win and earn a trip to the Class C state finals in Butte.

Here are the box scores from Saturday's game:

Plenty Coups 77, Wibaux 72

Wibaux 11 15 15 31 - 72

Plenty Coups 21 15 20 21 - 77

Wibaux - Jeremiah Garneau 3-8 0-1 7, Collin Harrell 0-0 0-0 0, Travis Bertelsen 10-25 9-13 29, Kai Hoagland 4-14 2-2 12, Justin Qualley 3-3 1-3 7, Jeff Bakken 4-15 7-10 17, Andrew Barthel 0-0 0-0 0, Miles Davis 0-0 0-0 0. Totals: 24-65 19-29 72. 3-point goals: 5-26 (Hoagland 2-9, Bakken 2-7, Garneau 1-4, Bertelsen 0-6). Fouls: 21. Fouled out: Qualley. Rebounds: 34 (Bertelsen 8). Turnovers: 19. Assists: 11 (Garneau 6). Steals: 12 (Hoagland 4).

Plenty Coups - Avery Bull Shows 0-6 1-3 1, Rumeal DeCrane 4-11 0-1 8, J.D. Blaine 6-8 3-3 19, Alton Smart Enemy 10-16 6-11 26, Buddy Door 3-6 0-0 6, Falon Goes Ahead 3-6 0-0 7, Sonny Bauyer 3-3 0-0 7, Joe Gutierrez 0-0 1-2 1, Lenny Bear Tusk 1-2 0-0 2. Totals: 30-58 11-20 77. 3-point goals: 6-14 (Blaine 4-6, Goes Ahead 1-2, Bauyer 1-1, DeCrane 0-4). Fouls: 23. Fouled out: Door, DeCrane. Rebounds: 45 (Smart Enemy 13). Turnovers: 26. Assists: 13 (Smart Enemy 5). Steals: 5 (DeCrane 3).