Vikings, Warriors both win two at Tip-Off

Vikings power past Tip-Off Tournament

Charlo began the season undefeated with two wins at the 13C Tip-Off Tournament in Hamilton on Dec. 6-7. On Saturday, the Vikings overcame a 22-9 deficit in the first quarter to claw back for a 51-47 victory against Philipsburg.

“Before tip-off we felt like our district was going to create a massive challenge for us to try and get wins,” Charlo Head Coach Reese Cox said. “We thought it was going to be a huge endeavor to make it out of districts and on to divisionals.”

Cox said the tip-off tournament showed there is, without a doubt, a top three in the district: St. Regis, Lincoln and Valley Christian.

“All the rest of us are gonna have to peak and put together some of our best basketball at the right time to steal that last spot to the divisional tournament,” Cox said.

Tasker Brown hit 12 field goals and scored 27 points, while Karsen Cox hit four three-pointers and was 5-for-6 from the free throw line and also finished with 27 points.

Kenyan DuMont was the third player in double digits with 14 points on 8-of-11 free throw shooting. Cox calls the point guard “our stretch-out-the-defense long-range shooter,” and predicts he could lead the league in three-pointers. “He has the green light for sure.”

Charlo tailed 31-20 at halftime but went on a 17-6 run in the third quarter to make it a game again.

Charlo opened the season with a bang, keeping Victor under double-digits until the fourth quarter on Friday. Brown led the Vikings with 27 points, while DuMont added 25 points.

In the first quarter, Charlo led 28-4 on its way to a 56-9 halftime lead. It then went on a 17-2 run in the third quarter.

Cox added 24 points with 10 field goals. In all Charlo had 34 field goals, while Victor had six field goals.

Coach Cox said that the Vikings had four starters graduate from last year, and while it may have seemed like a down year in 2025, the tip-off games showed Charlo is still a power.

“The next-guy-up mentality our boys have has really shown us we should do alright this year,” Cox said. “Punching that divisional ticket will still be a challenge, but we feel a lot better about our chances.”

Karson Cox is the lone returning starter and is already averaging 20 points per game and a double-double in rebounds. He also had a triple-double on Friday with assists.

Tasker Brown is the Vikings' big presence down low and has a chance to be the leading rebounder in the league.

AJ Kobilansky is a senior transfer who is a rookie in the game of basketball but has natural athleticism that will make him a tough defense and will be a steal machine this year.

“Our starting five wouldn't be complete without Sean Madden, our glue guy,” Cox said. “He is the man willing to do what it takes to fill any role we need and always finds himself in the right spot at the right time. He does the dirty work and seems to answer the call when it's needed.”

Coming off the bench will be freshman Ronson Hout, a long and lanky player with a great sense of the game. Brody Stinson also has unmatched athleticism that is well above everyone else's.

“We are really excited to take on the challenge of our newly expanded district,” Cox said. “It should cultivate great competition and develop our game of basketball to a higher level.”

At Hamilton

CHARLO 51, GRANITE 47

Charlo - 9 - 11 - 17 - 14 - 51

P-Burg - 22 - 9 - 6 - 10 - 47

CHARLO SCORING - Tasker Brown 27, Karsen Cox 27, Kenyan DuMont 14, Ronson Hout 5, J Kobilansky 3, Brody Stinson 2

CHARLO 79, VICTOR 12

Charlo - 28 - 28 - 17 - 6 - 79

Victor - 4 - 5 - 2 - 4 - 15

CHARLO SCORING - Tasker Brown 27, Kenyan DuMont 25, Karsen Cox 24, Sean Madden 2, Ronson Hout 1

Warriors win two at Tip-Off

Arlee wasted little time getting off to a strong start to the season, posting a 2-0 record at the 13C Tip-Off Tournament in Hamilton on Dec. 6-7. The Warriors defeated Hot Springs 60-42 on Saturday to move to 2-0 on the year.

In the second quarter, Arlee scored 21 points to go into halftime with a 34-17 lead. Marice Spotted Eagle scored 16 points, hitting two three-pointers. Darius Tewawina also hit two three-points and finished with 10 points, while Aiden Swab also scored 10 points.

Opening the tournament, Arlee downed Valley Christian 57-50 on Friday. The Warriors shook off some strong offense by the Eagles in the first half to lead 36-31 at halftime. In the second half, the offense was slower, but the Warriors just continued to pull away.

Josh Horn led the Warriors with eight field goals and 18 points. Darius Tewawina had 14 points while River Gray posted nine points.

At Hamilton

ARLEE 60, HOT SPRINGS 42

H.Spgs - 9 - 8 - 16 - 9 - 42

Arlee - 13 - 21 - 15 - 11 - 60

ARLEE SCORING - Marice Spotted Eagle 16, Darius Tewawina 10, Aiden Swab 10, Josh Horn 8, Dainian Marceau 5, Eliot Fiddler 3, Aiden Martel-Adams 2, River Gray 2, Gavyn Swaney 4

ARLEE 57, VALLEY CHRISTIAN 50

Arlee - 17 - 19 - 14 - 7 - 57

VllyC - 10 - 21 - 13 - 6 - 50

ARLEE SCORING - Josh Horn 18, Darius Tewawina 14, River Gray 9, Aiden Swab 7, Gavyn Swaney 4, Kade Dix 2, Aiden Martel-Adams 2, Marice Spotted Eagle 1