Kari Gibb/MDN
Westhope-Newburg senior Braden Bailey (3) goes up for a shot in action against Powers Lake-Burke Central on day one of the Dale Brown Hoopster Classic on Friday at the MSU Dome.
The seventh annual Dale Brown Hoopster Classic tipped off at the Minot State University (MSU) Dome on Friday with seven games played.
Of the 14 teams playing on day one, Bishop Ryan, Westhope-Newburg, Thompson, Velva and Our Redeemer’s Christian School are each ranked in the top ten of the latest Division B polls.
Four of the ranked teams were winners with one ranked team being victims of an upset on day one.
Our Redeemer’s 67, Hazen 49
Our Redeemer’s started strong out the gate and built a 6-1 lead before the first quarter was half over and continued that tempo to take an 18-10 lead into the second quarter of play.
While both teams were aggressive on both offense and defense, it was the accuracy on the three-point shooting and the higher percentage shots in the paint that aided Our Redeemer’s in building the lead over Hazen.
The Bison called timeout at the 3:57 mark of the second quarter as the Knights led 29-16 at that point. Hazen regrouped and started a short run to close the gap. The momentum shift was short, combined with Our Redeemer’s missing some attempted three-point shots narrowed the Knights lead to 31-24 with 1:21 to go in the half.
Both teams went into the half with a better idea of what would be needed to adjust with the 33-25 score to start the third quarter of play.
Methodical passing by the Bison to start third helped Hazen but too many missed shots allowed the Knights to keep and increase the lead. A 5-0 run for Knights to start the quarter ended up giving Our Redeemer’s the 54-37 lead going into the fourth quarter of play.
In the end, the Knights had too much rebounding and made the higher percentage of shots.
Nolan Schmidt had 17 points to lead the Knights. Jace Weekly was on his heels with 16 as well. Payten Lindbo added 11 in the win for Our Redeemer’s.
Westhope-Newburg 84, Powers Lake-Burke Central 51
The Westhope-Newburg Sioux were the preseason top ranked team and currently at number four in the last coaches polls. They demonstrated why they are popular at the top of the list with their strong effort in their first game at the Hoopster Classic.
The Sioux built a 15-9 lead in the first quarter of play on the way to a 21-14 lead to start the second quarter. The Ranchers struggled with the press defense used by Westhope-Newburg and had turnovers to go with missed shots, despite being strong on the rebounding side of the game. The Sioux built a 38-18 lead half way through the second quarter of play and took a 48-28 lead into halftime.
The tempo of the contest picked up to start the third quarter and Westhope-Newburg led 65-31 with 3:33 to go and held the 76-35 lead to start the fourth quarter of play.
The Sioux had four players in double figures for scoring. Walker Braaten led with 19 points in the game. Bailey hit for 18 on the night while Dayton Hawkins added 15 to the score. Hunter Tolstad scored 14 in the win for Westhope-Newburg.
Nate Evanson scored 12 for Powers Lake-Burke Central while Kyle Huseby added ten in the effort. Connor Lindberg and Jager Breding each added eight points in the game for the Ranchers.
Velva 75, North Prairie 38
The Velva Aggies have cracked the top ten as the eighth ranked team to start the Hoopster Classic. Both the Cougars and the Aggies struggled out the gate to find the scoring rhythm with Velva holding a 6-0 lead after four minutes of play and a North Prairie timeout.
When the Cougars called timeout again at the 1:39 mark of the first, Velva led 14-7 by that point as both teams began to shake the rust off. The Aggies led 18-9 at the end of the quarter.
Velva found their tempo and floored the machine to take a 45-18 lead into the half.
The Aggies would not look back as their lead grew to 62-29 by the end of the third quarter of play and 71-35 with less than two minutes to play.
Velva was led by Mason McPeak with 17 points in the game. Cooper Kittleson and Reggie Bruner each added 13 points in the win. Reese Steffen and Ben Schepp each hit for ten as well for the Aggies who had nine players score points in the game.
Kade Mitchell posted 15 points to lead the Cougars as the only player with double digit scoring in the effort.
Beulah 63, Rugby 49
The Panthers built a 15-11 lead after one quarter of play was over and the Miners had to dig out of the hole. Beulah lived up to their mascots name and tied the game at the 6:10 mark of the second quarter of play and took the lead shortly after that.
Beulah built up to a 21-16 lead with 3:45 left in the second and held a 30-21 lead going into the half.
Rugby closed the gap in the third quarter of play, outscoring the Miners 11-9 in the first six minutes of the third quarter. Beulah held a 39-33 lead and grabbed the momentum back to increase that to 43-36 going into the final quarter of play.
The Miners outscored the Panthers 20-13 to close out the game.
Four Winds-Minnewaukan 67, Dickinson Trinity 45
The Indians had little trouble with the Titans in the opening game for each team at the Dale Brown Hoopster Classic Friday at the MSU Dome.
Bishop Ryan 69, St John 28
The Lions, ranked second in the latest coaches polls, worked the Woodchucks on both ends of the court in the win on day one of the Hoopster Classic at the MSU Dome- nearly a home game for Bishop Ryan just across the street from their own school.
Des Lacs-Burlington 51, Thompson 49
The Tommies entered the Hoopster Classic as the fifth ranked team in the most recent coaches polls. The Lakers took the two point win in the end to rock the applecart on day one of the event.
Des Lacs-Burlington were 3-2 prior to the Hoopster Classic while Thompson was 3-0 to start the season.
