Poplar Earns Divisional Berth By Placing Third At District
The Poplar Indians were the surprised team at the District 2B boys’ basketball tournament. After finishing last in the regular-season standings, the Indians earned two victories and placed third during the tournament held in Glasgow.
“Everybody counted us out,” Poplar coach Gib Medicine Cloud said after the Indians’ third-place victory over Glasgow on Saturday, Feb. 19. “All year, we worked on coming together and we kept believing.”
He noted that bringing some of the team’s offensive plays back from the past few years helped turned the squad’s season around.
“Like I said at the beginning, our game was going to evolved and it did,” Medicine Cloud explained.
He credits assistant coaches Griffin Ricker and Brent Moore for being instrumental in the squad’s improvement.
“Every day that we’re in the gym, we know we have the capability,” Medicine Cloud said.
The Indians trailed by 10 points in the third quarter before coming back to down Glasgow, 55-51, on Saturday. Poplar’s full-court pressure defense created turnovers by the Scotties.
“Defensively, we changed how we were looking at things,” Medicine Cloud said of the comeback. “We changed our off-ball defense.”
Behind by a 37-27 margin, Poplar accounted for 12 of the last 14 points of the third quarter for a 39-39 deadlock. Three-pointers by Geordy Medicine Cloud and Delray Lilley highlighted the run.
With the score even at 41-41, Poplar gained the lead on two straight baskets by Joe Bear. A three-pointer and two free throws by Malcom Yellowhammer put the Indians up 48-43 with 4:33 remaining.
After a three-pointer by Bergen Miller pulled Glasgow to 48-47 at the 4:04 mark, Bear came through with a baseline shot and three-pointer for a 53-47 margin. Glasgow came as close as 53-51 on a jumper by Wyatt Babb and a coastto- coast drive by Miller, but Poplar’s defense stopped the Scotties the rest of the way.
Yellowhammer connected on two free throws with 35 seconds left for the 55-51 final.
Yellowhammer led the Indians with nine points. Adding eight points each were Medicine Cloud, Kaniel Ricker, Allen Russell and Dennis Red Eagle.
Top scorers for Glasgow were Babb with 18, Keigan Ingram with 11 and Smith with 10 points.
Glasgow led 19-13 at the end of the first quarter and held a 27-16 advantage until Poplar fought back on a drive by Bear, a basket by Red Eagle off a pass from Lilley and five points by Medicine Cloud. The Scotties held a 29-25 half-time lead.
Poplar will face Rocky Boy at 2:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 24, in the first round of the divisional tournament in Glasgow.
