Kari Gibb/MDN Minot High senior Fischer Johnson (4) draws the foul in action late Friday evening, December 20, in a homecourt match against Bismarck High at the Minot High gym in WDA action.

After watching the Bismarck High girls basketball team play a very physical game against the Majettes, the Minot High boys team got to experience the same type of fast-paced, physical game against the Demons in a Western Dakota Association (WDA) showdown, resulting in the 83-66 win.

Minot battled to a 7-1 lead with solid shooting and opportunistic defense. Bismarck High rotated players at a high rate to keep the action moving. Their aggressive nature pulled the game into a 27-27 tie with just over six minutes to play in the first half.

Minot High again kept their tempo and game plan and pushed to a 44-34 halftime lead. The aggressive nature of the Demons was prevalent in the fouls by the end of the first half with Bismarck High at ten compared to Minot High with five.

The Magicians used 55-percent shooting from 2-point range and 33-percent shooting from 3-point range to build and maintain the lead from that point forward. Bismarck shot 48 and 25 percent respectively despite the high energy and hustle.

The Magicians had 22 points off turnovers as well, moving the ball with 19 assists compared to ten steals, four blocks and seven deflections on defense. Minot High outrebounded Bismarck 31-28 on the defensive end of the court.

Minot High was 24-37 from the freethrow line compared to 9-15 for Bismarck High.

Payton Schell had a stellar game with 29 points on 9-of-15 shooting. Aric Winczewski added 26 on 7-of-14 and 11-of-14 from the freethrow line. Landon Bell had 11 defensive rebounds and three offensive boards for the Magicians while Grayson Schaeffer added three boards and 14 points in the game.

With the win, Minot High sits tied with Manda, Dickinson, Bismarck Legacy and Bismarck Century at 2-0 in WDA games. Each of the 2-0 teams are either 4-0 or 5-0 in overall records as well.

Minot High will travel to Fargo Davies on December 17 for non-conference play before hosting Williston on January 3 to kick off the 2025 calendar year with their next WDA contest.