North Dakota Games to Watch, February 24-29
***Photo Credit: Bismarck Tribune*** The postseason is right around the corner. With teams in the final week of the regular season and with district tournaments starting up, it’s all about getting ready for a potential postseason run. There are still…
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Continue Reading***Photo Credit: Bismarck Tribune***
The postseason is right around the corner. With teams in the final week of the regular season and with district tournaments starting up, it’s all about getting ready for a potential postseason run. There are still spots up for grabs in the EDC, WDA standings and region standings, but ultimately, teams are gearing up for their league tournaments after this week.
Here are some games to watch this week:
Bismarck at Bismarck Legacy, 7:30 p.m., Tuesday, February 25
Bismarck secured the No. 2 spot in the WDA, so the Demons don’t have much to play for when it comes to seeding, but this game is huge for Bismarck Legacy, which can potentially secure the No. 5 seed in the WDA – and earn a first-round bye in the league tournament. The Sabers need this game more than the Demons. If they win and Dickinson loses (unlikely), they finish fifth. It’s likely that they settle into that sixth or seventh spot in the league – which could very well set up a rematch with the Demons a week later.
Mandan at Jamestown, 7:30 p.m., Tuesday, February 25
Mandan and Jamestown have secured first round byes for the WDA Tournament, but this is a game that we could see as a region semifinal matchup. Mandan is surging heading into the postseason and a win over the top-ranked Bluejays could be one that builds the Braves up even more. Ultimately, this is just a matchup between top-six teams in the state, and outfits good enough to play two more times before the whole thing is done.
Enderlin at Kindred, 7:30 p.m., Thursday, February 27
This could be the first of two matchups between these two teams as both look poised for lengthy postseason runs. This one will decide which team earns the No. 1 seed in the region – which is important because Richland, for its inconsistencies, is a team nobody wants to play in a region semifinal game. The matchup between the Hurlburt brothers and Gavin Keller is one to watch, as all three guys are next-level prospects.
Fargo Davies at West Fargo Sheyenne, 7:30 p.m., Thursday, February 27
This is the game that will decide the EDC regular season title. The Eagles crushed the Mustangs in mid-January (in a packed Fargo Davies house) but followed it up with a loss to Grand Forks Central, thus opening the door for the Mustangs to secure a league title. Both teams have seemingly toyed with the rest of the league all winter. Last time out, the Eagles bullied the Mustangs on the glass, in the paint and even on the perimeter, overwhelming them with their size and athleticism despite getting practically nothing from Cole Hage and Cam Van Dam. Since that loss, Tyler Terhark, Jacksen Moni and Zion Dettman have picked their games up.
Thompson at Grafton/St. Thomas, 7:30 p.m., Friday, February 28
This game isn’t necessarily between two of the state’s elite, but both of these teams will go into the postseason with the talent and experience levels to advance deep into a loaded Region 2 Tournament. Thompson wins with top-notch defense and bullies people in the paint with Chance Danner and Clay Odenbach while the Spoilers have a terrific group of guards including Stevan Garza, Brandon Albrecht, Justin Garze and William Jiskra.
District Tournaments, Friday-Saturday
District tournaments (Region 3, 4, 5, 6 and 8) start up this Friday, creating some potentially interesting semifinal matchups should the games go a certain way.
-Dunseith could face St. John in Dunseith Saturday in the No. 2/No.3 game of District 8.
-Edgeley/Kulm/Montpelier will face the winner of No. 4 Oakes/No. 5 Barnes County North on Saturday, which is intriguing no matter which team wins.
-New Rockford-Sheyenne and Benson County are the Nos. 2-3 seeds in District 7 and could face off Saturday should both teams win in the district openers.
-If New Salem/Almont wins, the Holsteins will be playing against No. 2 Flasher in the District 10 semifinal. Both of those teams are good enough to win Region 5 because of the way both teams defend and control tempo.