Outscored 24-7 in the third quarter and with pride on the line, the Lions used a big fourth quarter, fueled in part by two Ramsey Walz three-pointers to storm back for the win, 59-58.

“I thought we were gonna blow them out by like 20,” said Izaac Standlien. “They’re actually pretty good. They surprised me. We found a way to come back.”

Bishop Ryan fans packed the gymnasium to catch a final glimpse of the team that won state a week earlier, while also raising money for the assistant chaplain program at Bishop Ryan High School.

Bringing back the “Holy Hoops” game after over a decade was the brainchild of school chaplain, Rev. Josh Hill, with the goal of having a great community event.

Early on, it looked like the Lions were going to run away with the game, as they jumped out to a 22-11 lead after the first quarter. The Men in Black cut the lead to single digits by halftime, but nothing in the first half suggested the third quarter surge by the clergy, They used a suffocating defense to force turnovers and prevent any kind of uncontested shot. Back-to-back dunks by the 6’6″ Rev. Dvorak stole the crowd over to the clergy’s side, and pushed the lead out to 48-40 in the third quarter.

The teams were more evenly matched than one might think. In addition to the clergy, the Men in Black rostered Bishop Ryan and Minot State basketball alum Ben Bohl, who served as an assistant coach during the season; Bishop Ryan activities director and girls’ basketball coach Cole Edwards, who previously served as Director of Basketball Operations at Minot State; and Rev. Dvorak was a standout high school basketball player for Bismarck St. Mary’s.

In the end, the Lions started making threes in the fourth quarter, and that proved the difference, as they clawed back for the one-point victory.

Strandlien summarized what it took to win, “Just play basketball. Just have fun, because the more we had fun the more we’re gonna win the game.”

After the game, the two sides gathered at center court in prayer before posing for photos.

According to Bishop Ryan President Rev. Jayden Nelson, the assistant chaplain program was created nearly 20 years ago to help students become leaders within the school from the aspect of faith.

“They have an opportunity to work very closely with our school chaplain and provide leadership in the area of helping promote the liturgy, helping to facilitate prayer, helping to make all aspects of our faith life in our school vibrant,” said Rev. Nelson.

One of the assistant chaplains is senior Macksen Shean, and he spoke to the benefits it brought to the team during their season.

“We had a saying, “Fueled by Faith,” said Shean. “We had a little symbol of a mustard seed, because faith the size of a mustard seed can move mountains. We used that as our motive throughout tournament time.”

Prior to the game, Rev. Nelson spoke to how the past several years has matured the team and the student body in their faith, and shaped their success both on and off the court.

“They’ve had to wrestle with things at a level that I think sometimes people can skate through their twenties and not have to face some of the things that these kids have faced, and to be surrounded in the midst of all that by a community of faith has allowed them to really see deeply the mystery of the cross and the resurrection.”