Ian Westlind navigates multiple Larimore guards. (Photo by Mojo Hill)
DEVILS LAKE — After winning the Ramsey County tournament two years ago, North Star boys’ basketball is headed back to the final.
The Bearcats (5-2) won 59-45 over Larimore (3-4) in the second semifinal game on Friday.
Still, a 9-0 Larimore run to end the night didn’t leave North Star head coach Jesse Vote with the best taste in his mouth.
“We didn’t feel like we finished the game like we needed to,” Vote said. “With the turnovers and kind of ‘one shot and done.’”
North Star started hot offensively, grabbing a 25-12 lead early in the second quarter. The Bearcats hit six triples in the first half. Seven players put points on the board, led by Ian Westlind’s 13 in the first half and 20 overall.
Westlind had nine points in the first quarter. He converted layups while also hitting a triple in each half.
“He’s really increased his ability on offense,” Vote said. “Pull-up jumpers, and hitting the three. And he’s finding ways to attack and shoot layups. We’re going to need that from him. Teams are going to start keying in on him, and then we’ll have some other guys hopefully step up as well.”
Westlind cooled off late in the game, but Kade Mitchell hit two threes in the second half after not scoring in the first.
“We’ve got guys that can fill it up in a hurry,” Vote said. “And we’ve got to make sure we’re finding those guys if they’re hot. And if they’re not, then they’ve got to understand we’ve got four other guys on the court that can play basketball as well.”
A day after holding Warwick to 30, North Star had Larimore still in the 30s around the middle of the fourth quarter. Baron Burns hit a pair of early threes, and Case Knudson got to the rim a few times in the second half. But the Bearcats were able to mostly contain a solid group of Polar Bear scorers.
“We had spurts where we got into our full-court press and turned up the effort a little bit a forced them to throw the ball away quite a bit,” Vote said. “So yeah, that was good to see. And I think our effort was maybe down a little bit tonight. … The kids don’t necessarily feel like we won that game. But you can’t take winning for granted.”
A 59-36 lead became a 59-45 final. North Star handled business to advance back to the Ramsey County championship.
The Bearcats will have a District 4 opponent in Nelson County waiting for them Saturday.
“We’re familiar with them, and they’re familiar with us,” Vote said. “And we’ve just got to come ready to go. And the effort’s got to be there.”
