But Our Redeemer’s Christian School Knights didn’t buckle Thursday. After a sluggish first quarter, the Knights outscored Oakes 15-4 in the second, securing a 50-39 victory over the Tornadoes and advancing to the semifinal round, one step closer to a North Dakota Division B Boys Basketball State Championship.

Defense was the name of the game in the first quarter, with both teams playing 2-3 zone defenses. The Knights clung to a one-point lead, 7-6, at the end of the first. Nolan Schmidt scored all seven of the Knights’ points. For the Tornadoes, Eddie Garza had four points and Jyles Meier added two.

In the second quarter, Jace Weekley became Our Redeemer’s knight in shining armor, hitting three of four from behind the 3-point arc and scoring 11 of the team’s 15 points. Jace’s younger brother, Wyatt, added a 3-pointer of his own, and Nolan Schmidt made the front end of a pair of free throws for the Knights. Roddek Schmit and Garza each scored for Oakes in the second quarter.

The Knights built an 18-point lead in the third quarter, outscoring the Tornadoes 11-7. Andrew Eby scored six points, Bryce Vibeto hit a 3-pointer and Wyatt Weekley added two.

Oakes did not go away quietly in the fourth. A pair of Braysen Sagert free throws cut the Knights’ lead to eight points, 42-34, with three minutes remaining in the game.

But a hustle play by the Knights’ Eby, grabbing a loose ball off a missed Knights’ shot, followed by a quick timeout from Knights’ coach Brock Teets, stopped Oakes’ momentum with 2:53 remaining in the game. Our Redeemer’s ran one minute and nine seconds off the fourth-quarter clock before the Tornadoes collected their fifth team foul, sending the Knights to the line in the bonus. Wyatt Weekley hit a pair of free throws, putting the Knights up by 10 points with 1:44 remaining in the game. A pair of Garza free throws cut the Knights’ lead back to eight points, 44-36. In the final minute of the game, the Knights outscored the Tornadoes 6-3, with a basket from Jace Weekley and a pair of free throws each from Jayden Marshall and Schmidt.

Jace Weekley led all scorers with 17 points on 7-of-11 shooting, grabbing five rebounds and adding three blocked shots for Our Redeemer’s. Schmidt added 12 points, four rebounds, two assists and a steal. Wyatt Weekley scored 10 points, grabbed three rebounds, and added two assists, two steals and a block for the Knights.

“We’re a lot more experienced this year,” said Jace Weekley. “We had a lot of younger guys, graduated one senior last year, so we came back a full team. That is the biggest difference.”

For the Tornadoes, Sagert scored 13 points, adding one rebound, one assist and one steal. Beau Thorpe added 10 points, four rebounds and three assists. Schmit scored two points but grabbed 15 rebounds in the loss for Oakes.

Bishop Ryan 45,

Hankinson 26

The Minot State University Dome is approximately 400 feet from Bishop Ryan Catholic School. The Lions opened the quarterfinal round of the NDHSAA Division B Boys Basketball State Tournament against the Hankinson Pirates on Wednesday at the Dome, and they played like they were right at home.

Bishop Ryan played a stifling man-to-man defense and, on the offensive side of the ball, relied on its 6-foot-7 forward, Ramsey Walz, to advance to the semifinal round with a 45-26 victory over Hankinson.

Each team struggled to find its offensive rhythm in the opening minutes of the game. Walz put the Lions on the board first with the game’s first basket from the post. Pirates guard RasShaun Earl, who entered the game averaging 26 points and set a school record with 40 points in a game earlier this season, made the front end of a pair of free throws to cut the lead to 2-1. After Jett Lundeen’s steal and layup put the Lions up 4-1, Hankinson’s Gunnar Illg tied the game at 4-4.

Lundeen kicked his game into another gear offensively, scoring six additional points for a first-quarter total of eight. The Lions finished the quarter on an 8-3 run, with Hayden Seay adding two points to give Bishop Ryan a 12-6 lead. Earl scored the other Pirates’ points in the first quarter. Defensively, the Lions forced six turnovers, forcing the Pirates into contested shots throughout the quarter.

The Lions continued to build on their lead, outscoring the Pirates 13-8 in the second quarter. Walz finished the quarter with eight points, and Hayden Seay added five. For the Pirates, Earl had five points, Matthew Bladow added a basket, and Andrew Jean made the front end of a pair of free throws.

“Our kids are working really hard. I’m pretty proud of that,” said Bishop Ryan head coach Broderick Bosch coming out of the locker room after halftime. “We’re moving the ball pretty well, and I think we’ve settled for a couple of shots. But I think the biggest thing is we have to work harder at boxing out and getting more rebounds.”

After a tightly contested third quarter, with the Pirates outscoring the Lions 8-7, Hankinson’s Earl scored all eight points. For the Lions, Walz had four points and Izaac Strandlien hit a 3-pointer.

Bishop Ryan squashed any hopes of a Pirates’ fairytale ending with a dominant 13-4 fourth-quarter performance. Walz finished with five points in the fourth, Peyton Seay hit a late 3-pointer, Macksen Shean had three points, making his free throw on an and-one play and Hayden Seay added two points for the Lions.

Walz led all scorers with 19 points, 17 rebounds, six blocks, two steals and an assist for the Lions. Walz has committed to play basketball for Minot State next year. Hayden Seay finished with nine points, three steals, two assists and two rebounds. Lundeen finished with eight points, eight rebounds, two assists and a steal.

“I thought our team came together really well, especially this week at practice,” said Walz. “We knew that we just had to bring it. I think my teammates were giving me good looks and I could have finished a few more. But, yeah, it’s fun to get the first one out of the way.”

Earl was the only player to finish in double figures for the Pirates, with 16 points, nine rebounds and six steals. The Lions’ defensive guard play by Jack Passa, Hayden Seay and Lundeen kept the highly touted Pirates’ guard, Earl, in check.

With the win, the Lions set up a showdown and a fifth game against cross-town rival Our Redeemer’s Knights. The Lions and Knights have played four times this season, with the Lions winning the first two games and the Knights defeating Bishop Ryan in the region and district championship games, leading to both teams’ bids to the Division B state tournament. The fifth and final game of the season between the two teams will be for the ultimate prize: a trip to the state championship game.

“Yeah, I know all those guys and they’re all really good guys. We play football with them in the fall,” said Walz. “So, it’ll be really fun to match up for the fifth time. It’s the rubber match. It’s 2-2, so whoever wins that game wins the season series.”

Wilton-Wing Miners 69, New Rockford-Sheyenne Rockets 53

Top-seed Wilton-Wing Miners downed eighth-seed New Rockford-Sheyenne Rockets 69-53 to advance to the second semifinal game.

The teams ended the first quarter tied at 12 before the Miners took a three-point lead into halftime, 30-27. The Miners outscored the Rockets 39-26 in the second half to secure the win.

Bradon Wallace led all scorers for the Miners with 19 points and five rebounds. DonTaye Fetzer added 13 points and eight rebounds, and Teigen Earsley added 10 points, eight assists and six rebounds. Will Bergquist added four points and 10 rebounds in the win.

For the Rockets, Easton Simon scored 14 points and grabbed five rebounds. Kailer Jacobson added 12 points and six rebounds in the loss.

Wilton-Wing will play the winner of the North Border and Westhope/Newburg game. At press time Westhope was leading North Border, 56-31. Westhope/Newburg is the defending Class B champion but entered this year’s tournament as the fifth seed.