JAMESTOWN – Both Jamestown Blue Jay basketball teams knew Saturday’s West Region play-in games would be tough and knew they would need to be tough to win them. Indeed, they both were.
Milan Martin hit a go-ahead three-point play with 13.9 seconds left as the Jamestown girls held off Minot North 59-57 at the Jamestown Civic Center. Then, the Blue Jay boys dominated overtime in a 77-65 win over St. Mary’s. Both teams will play Thursday at the Bismarck Event Center in the West Region quarterfinals.
Girls West Region Play-In: Jamestown 59, Minot North 57
After Kinzy Welstad hit her sixth three-pointer of the game for Minot North with 33 seconds to play, Martin drove to the right baseline, scored, was fouled and hit a go-ahead free throw to give Jamestown (8-13) a 58-57 lead. After a Minot North turnover, Hannah Attleson hit one of two free throws with 8.5 seconds to play. Minot North (6-17) couldn’t release a shot on their last possession.
Macey Neumiller led Jamestown with 19 points. Haley Attleson scored 14. Amelia Newman scored 11 off the bench. Her playing time, along with that of Martin, increased as senior post player Leah Trumbauer did not play due to an ankle injury.
Welstad scored 25 for Minot North. Elli Laskowski tallied 16 and hit four second half three-pointers.
Jamestown will meet top seed Minot in the quarterfinal round of the West Region tournament on Thursday at the Bismarck Event Center. Coverage will begin at 1:45 PM on Q101.
Boys West Region Play-In: Jamestown 77, St. Mary’s 65 (OT)
After an 0-13 start, Jamestown (5-17) has now won five of their last nine games, but this win needed four extra minutes.
It also required a Jamestown rally after the Blue Jays were down eight points to St. Mary’s (3-19), who ended the season on a 14-game losing streak. That rally started when Head Coach Luke Anderson pulled all five of his starters off the floor with just over 16 minutes remaining and Jamestown down six points at 32-26. Reserves, led by Edison Walters and Madden Skunberg, stayed on the floor over six and a half minutes. When the starters returned, Jamestown had a 44-43 lead.
St. Mary’s did acquire the lead again shortly after that and led 56-51 after a Trason Terry shot in the lane with just under five and a half minutes to play. Thomas Newman hit a three-pointer for Jamestown with 3:05 left to cut the Saints’ lead to 56-54.
Walters hit a three-pointer with 2:43 left and Jamestown led 57-56, but Jackson Barth hit a layup and free throw nine seconds later and St. Mary’s was on top 59-57.
Brooks Armstrong nailed a jumper with 2:01 left and increased the Saints’ lead to 61-57.
Newman hit two free throws for Jamestown to make the SM lead 61-59 lead with 1:48 to play. Barth restored the four-point lead at 63-59 for the Saints with 1:25 left with a layup.
Newman again hit two foul shots with 1:04 left in regulation for Jamestown, who then trailed 63-61. St. Mary’s then turned the ball over with 37.7 left, and Braxton Perkins tied the game at 63-63 for the Blue Jays on a baseline jumper with 27 seconds to go.
The Saints had one last possession in regulation, but Connor Schatz left a three-pointer short at the buzzer.
Skunberg scored first just over 20 seconds into overtime for Jamestown. Barth scored seconds later for St. Mary’s, but the Saints would not score again.
Jaxon Kolpin drove for a Jamestown layup with 2:52 left in the extra period and the Blue Jays led 67-65. Following that, Walters nailed a three-pointer, Newman hit a driving layup, Skunberg knocked in two free throws and Perkins hit one free throw and a layup as Jamestown outscored St. Mary’s 14-2 in overtime.
Newman scored 19, Kolpin had 16 and Walters scored 14. All of Walters’ points were in the second half.
Terry scored 16 for St. Mary’s, Armstrong scored 14 and Barth had 13.
On Thursday, Jamestown will meet top seed Century in the quarterfinal round. Coverage will begin at 2:45 PM on The Voice of the Blue Jays, Jamestown 107.1.
FULL REPLAY OF WEST REGION PLAY-IN GAMES: Jamestown – 2025 AA West Region Play-In Games