North Dakota Class B State Tournament: Semifinal Preview
The Class B state tournament continued its tradition of strong competition in the first round as all four games Thursday were decided by nine points or less. All four games were hotly-contested throughout but in the end, all four of…
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Continue ReadingThe Class B state tournament continued its tradition of strong competition in the first round as all four games Thursday were decided by nine points or less. All four games were hotly-contested throughout but in the end, all four of the favorites advanced to the semifinal round.
Here is what to watch in the semifinal round
Game 1: No. 2 Shiloh Christian vs. No. 3 Richland
Shiloh Christian had a very Shiloh Christian game in its 54-46 win over Beulah, using exceptional defense and a strong performance from its frontcourt duo to beat the Miners. MaCauley Young was a force, scoring 17 points and hauling in 18 rebounds while Jaden Mitzel added 13 points. And the defense was terrific as the Skyhawks held Beulah’s top two scorers, Chad Morsette and Jonah Larson to just seven combined points.
Richland turned it up in the final quarter to mount a comeback against Powers Lake and saw four guys reach double figures in scoring to advance to this point.
This game will feature a stark contrast in styles as the Colts have a smallish but athletic group that wants to push the tempo while Shiloh is going to ideally play exclusively in the halfcourt if it has its way.
Neither team is going to use its bench a whole lot so it’ll be interesting to see how much gas both teams have in the tank. Richland is much more reliant on outside shooting but that also means the Colts also have a spurtability that Shiloh might not really have. Cole Meyers, Gavin Reiland and Carter Lingen can all take over a game with their shooting. Conversely, how does Richland try to slow down Mitzel and Young? Do the Colts pack the paint or do they try to use their speed and athleticism to apply pressure?
These are both legitimate top-five teams in the state and I’d be surprised if it weren’t extremely competitive. I lean towards favoring Shiloh’s veterans plus the Skyhawks’ defense allowing them to control the tempo of the game and win a bit of a slugfest.
Game 2: No. 1 Thompson vs. No. 4 Bishop Ryan
Thompson ratcheted up the defense, holding Ellendale to just 49 points while Cadyn Schwabe and Hayden Overby combined to score 37 in a 58-49 win. Bishop Ryan got 50 points from its rockstar duo of Ben Bohl and Mason Hedberg, on its way to a 62-56 win over New Rockford-Sheyenne.
The star duos figure to have their fingerprints all over this one too.
These teams should be familiar with one another given a bunch of them played a heavy dose of AAU together this past spring and summer and Thompson beat Bishop Ryan at the end of December in this same building.
If the first game was a slow-paced slugfest, this one might be a breath of fresh air as both teams could get up and down the floor a little more. Neither will fully uncork if only simply due to the nature of state tournament basketball but both teams have the athletes that can push the pace.
Both teams are veteran-laden. Bohl is a Mr. Basketball finalist. Hedberg’s an All-State guy in Class B. Overby will be on all-state teams. Schwabe probably would be had he not missed half the year.
It’s hard to pick against Thompson at this point given its been the best team in the state from start to finish and the Tommies seem to be on a mission to win a state title in basketball after winning football and baseball state titles in the last year.