LANGDON — For the first time since 2021, Langdon Area/Munich has won a district title in boys’ basketball.
Originally seeded No. 3 in the tournament, the Cardinals (12-10) edged No. 1 seed St. John (14-8) in a 42-40 defensive battle Tuesday at Langdon Area High School. They took their third straight win and secured the No. 1 seed from the district in next week’s Region 2 tournament.
“I’m just happy for the kids and happy for the town to get that championship under our belt,” LA/M head coach Tanner Groth said.
Just like in Monday’s semifinal, the win required a second-half comeback.
“We knew it was going to be a rock fight coming into this one,” Groth said. “It’s two hard-nosed teams. And you’re bouncing back from a tough one the night before. … We just found a way to squeak one out there at the end.”
Eastyn Schaefer, Monday’s star, hit a deep triple to get the Cardinals started on the right foot. After a basket by TJ Henderson, they led 5-0.
They did not score for the rest of the quarter.
“We were really focusing on our defensive side of the ball, and it felt like our offense kind of took a step backwards,” Groth said. “We weren’t playing two sides of the ball at 100%.”
St. John went on a 15-0 run, hitting a trio of threes along the way.
LA/M ended the scoring drought with 5:42 left in the first half. Maddux Stremick made two threes to help the Cardinals claw back to within five at the half, 22-17.
Levi Swanson had the first five points of the second half to tie it up.
“We had to come out and put the ball in the circle,” Henderson said, “and do our jobs and stay disciplined and stay to what’s true.”
St. John retook the lead, 29-22, fueled by 5-of-6 free throw shooting.
But the Woodchucks made just one field goal in the third quarter. They weren’t the first team to do that on Tuesday — No. 2 seed New Rockford-Sheyenne did the same thing in its loss to North Star.
“I’d love to say we can do that all the time, but that’s unrealistic,” Groth said. “But it just shows the grit that these guys have and the competitive fire that they bring to us inside the basketball game.”
Swanson hit another big triple to get the Cardinals close. Henderson made a layup, and Schaefer tied it with an off-balance shot. Tanner McDonald gave LA/M a 31-29 lead entering the fourth quarter.
The final eight minutes were a back-and-forth dogfight. Stremick and Schaefer made huge shots to keep LA/M in front, but St. John’s Gavin Malaterre responded to Schaefer’s three-point play with one of his own.
Up 39-38, Schaefer traveled on back-to-back possessions. St. John still had some life.
Schaefer made a jump-shot, and Madden Parisien promptly responded with a bucket that took a fortunate roll into the hoop.
With 15.2 seconds on the clock, Malaterre was charged with a foul. It put the ball back in LA/M’s hands.
The Woodchucks had fouls to work with. Eventually, with the clock down to 10.6, Schaefer went to the line and made 1-of-2.
St. John seemingly had just one possession left to make something happen. But Parisien drew a foul with 6.4 seconds left and went to the line. His free throws could have tied it.
He missed the first one. After St. John deliberated during a timeout, Parisien intentionally missed the second free throw — and the Cardinals came up with the rebound.
“We picked up our defense,” Henderson said. “Everybody stayed strong in what we had to do, and they did their jobs.”
The night ended in a swarm of Cardinals fans storming the court. The banner displayed in the Langdon Area gym — indicating the most recent district championship was in 2021 — will need some updating.
“The boys came out and finished the job,” Henderson said.
Schaefer ended up with a game-high 13 points. Stremick and Swanson had nine and eight, respectively, while Henderson and McDonald each scored six.
“Levi Swanson’s been our unheralded leader at the senior position with Tanner McDonald,” Groth said. “And then TJ Henderson working his butt off inside. Getting some big boards and just competing for us down low was huge for us to come out on top.”
Schaefer and Swanson were all-district selections for LA/M.
St. John’s Parisien and Tayden Longie made the team as well. Woodchucks head coach Chip Anderson was named the District 4 Coach of the Year.
The Cardinals will be the No. 1 seed from District 4 in the Region 2 tournament that begins Monday in Devils Lake.
“We’re going to ride this wave and keep on going,” Henderson said.
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