NEW ROCKFORD (NewsDakota)- Carrington senior guard Josh Bickett will be graduating in May.  And perhaps nobody will be happier about it than the New Rockford-Sheyenne boys basketball program.

Bickett sank a game winner for the second consecutive season against the Rockets, this time from the left elbow with 2.4 seconds remaining as the Cardinals (6-3) triumphed in a 72-70 win over the Rockets (6-1) in New Rockford on Thursday night.

The two teams wasted no time pushing the pace and scoring in bunches as Carrington led after one quarter 22-21 thanks to four three pointers.  The Cardinals had led 22-12 before a 20-0 run by New Rockford-Sheyenne gave them a double-digit lead.  But Taylen Mehring hit four threes in the second quarter alone and the Rockets lead was cut to 40-37 at halftime.

The second half was dominated by the Cardinals’ pick-and-roll game, with sophomore Alec Threadgold scoring twelve of his career-high fourteen after the break.  With under a minute left, Easton Simon, who scored a game-high 27 points, sank a game-tying three pointer to knot the game at 70.  With no shot clock, Bickett curled off a Threadgold screen and buried the sixteen footer before blocking a Thomas Allmaras three at the buzzer that would have won the game.

Carrington are back in action Friday, as part of the Stutsman County Shootout, as they take on Napoleon-GS with coverage on KDAK The Cardinal and the KDAK The Cardinal YouTube page beginning at 1:15 PM.

CHS            22            15            18            17                    72

NRS            21            19            11             19                    70

CARRINGTON (6-3): Josh Bickett 19; Taylen Mehring 15; Alec Threadgold 14; Maddox McIlonie 13; Tate Wolsky 8; Grady Idland 3

NEW ROCKFORD-SHEYENNE (6-1): Easton Simon 27; Bennett Meier 17; Easton Benz 9; Alex Weisenberger 6; Kailor Jacobson 5; Shaun Reimche 4; Thomas Allmaras 2

FULL GAME REPLAY: