Jamestown, ND (NewsDakota.com) – The semi-final round of the Region 3 Boys’ Basketball Tournament took place Tuesday evening at the Jamestown Civic Center, with two games played and two teams left standing at the end of the night.
The Linton-HMB Lions and Edgeley-Kulm-Montpelier Rebels won their respective games and will face off in the Region championship game Thursday night at 7 pm. That game can be heard on Thunder Country 98.3 fm.
The recap of the first day of the tournament can be found here.
Linton-HMB Lions 50 – LaMoure-Litchville-Marion Loboes 38
The first game of action started slow as both teams struggled to find a rhythm, finishing the first quarter tied at seven. The second quarter was a different story, especially for the Lions, who scored 17 points in the quarter, including three three-pointers.
The Loboes hit three triples in the quarter as well, but those were the only nine points they would score in the quarter, as they went into halftime trailing 24-16. Facing the prospect of the game getting out of hand if the third quarter was the same, the Loboes turned things around, stepping up their defense and making a comeback, trailing only 30-28 entering the fourth quarter.
In the end, the Lions proved to be too much and pulled away with a victory. Senior Lucas Schumacher was the only player from either team to score double-digit points, finishing with 23. Schumacher scored 10 points in the fourth quarter alone, helping the Lions put the game away.
The Lobo defense kept them in the game for the most part, allowing the other four Lions who scored to combine for only 27 points. The Lions returned the favor, holding the Loboes to 10 points or less in three of the four quarters. The Loboes were able to drive inside the three-point line, particularly juniors Corban Potts and Landon Piehl, but the Lions played excellent help defense, not allowing the Loboes to get to the basket uncontested.
Potts and freshman Max Musland led the Loboes with nine points each, while the Bowmans (Bowmen?), Charlie and Carter, each had eight. Sophomore Grant Bosch scored nine for the Lions, including a big three-pointer in the fourth quarter to extend their lead from six points to nine.
Edgeley-Kulm-Montpelier Rebels 69 – Oakes Tornadoes 68 in Overtime
In a game expected to come down to the final minutes, the Rebels and Tornadoes did not disappoint, battling to an overtime finish in a game in which neither team led by more than three points at the end of any quarter.
With a first quarter the opposite of the first game, the two teams were on point and in a groove to open the game, battling back-and-forth to a tie at 16 at the end of the quarter. Seniors Alex Huber and Chayse Entzi dominated inside early for the Rebels, scoring eight and six points, respectively, in the opening period.
The Tornadoes had a more balanced attack, with all five starters scoring between four and eight points in the first half. The four Tornado seniors who started went out with a bang in their final game, battling to the end against the Rebels. Garret Meehl led the Tornadoes in scoring with 20 points and added three assists, Steele Hansen had 19 points and 10 rebounds, Ashton Biesterfeld had 14 points and seven rebounds while dealing with foul trouble, and Dalton Schmit hit two three-pointers and finished with eight points and six rebounds.
Huber led all scorers with 23 points and added seven rebounds, and Entzi finished with 21 points and nine rebounds. Junior Dalton Madcke scored 12 points, including scoring five points and shooting 3-4 on free throws in the overtime period, and had a game-high four steals.
The Tornadoes led by three points at halftime and by one entering the fourth quarter, and the teams battled neck-and-neck through the entire final stretch. The Tornadoes had a chance to win the game at the end of regulation, but a Biesterfeld three-point attempt was off target, and the game went to the extra period. The Rebels took the lead early in overtime and were in control for most of the period as the Tornadoes stayed on their heals. Sophomore Joey Heim made a three-pointer at the buzzer for the Tornadoes to cut the final deficit from four points to one.