Hunter Hagler reacts after a play during North Star’s state qualifier game against Edgeley/Kulm/Montpelier in Fargo. (Photo by Mojo Hill)
FARGO — Two years ago, Hunter Hagler played under the shadow of his older brother Dane.
Dane’s high school career ended in a state championship appearance.
“They got to see some success firsthand,” North Star head coach Jesse Vote said about the younger players.
Since then, it’s been a new era of North Star basketball. Different players, different roles and a lot less experience. Last year, an up-and-down season ended in the district tournament.
Hunter, now a senior, didn’t want Saturday to be his last basketball game.
“It was desperation or nothing,” he said. “That’s all it was. We had to play as hard as we can. The other guys knew that was possibly my last game, but they knew they didn’t want to quit, and they wanted to make it to state.”
Hagler and the Bearcats (20-6) grinded out a 55-48 win over Edgeley/Kulm/Montpelier (17-9) in a state qualifier at SCHEELS Arena in the Sanford Health Athletic Complex.
North Star is back in the Division B state tournament.
“Going back to my sophomore year, it just felt amazing winning the region, and now we have a second chance to get to state,” Hagler said. “And it feels just as good because we’re gonna be there, we’re gonna be the underdog team and we’re gonna go win it all.”
Hagler, the Bearcats’ lone all-region player, scored 21 points while playing his typical all-around game to lead the victory.
“I’m not gonna lie — I mean, I’m the top guy on this team,” Hagler said. “So I have to realize if I want to win a game, I have to be the top guy to go score. And then, we also have better shooters on this team, so I know that if there’s a guy at the three-point line, I can pass it to him and he’ll make that three.”
Added Vote: “We obviously wouldn’t be where we are without him. But he’s probably the first guy to say that it takes more than just him to get to where we are right now.”
North Star led 3-0 after an instant triple by Ian Westlind. But the Bearcats trailed for the rest of the first half. The Rebels hit four triples, including three from Brogan Young. Their lead was as large as five.
Westlind led the Bearcats with 10 points in the first half. Hagler hit a three to get them within one at the break, 25-24. North Star limited E/K/M to three field goals in the second quarter to stay in it.
North Star took over the lead with four straight points to begin the second half. In a game like this, a 4-0 run was massive.
The Bearcats were in the driver’s seat the rest of the way.
“We stepped up and we guarded,” Vote said. “There were a few nerves in that first half maybe. … But the boys stuck in there. We pounded the ball inside. We got some layups. Just got our energy up.”
Their lead was still as tight as 37-36 early in the fourth quarter. Westlind reached four fouls late in the third quarter, so he spent a chunk of the second half on the bench. He only scored two points after halftime.
“We had some guys that — next man up, you know?” Vote said. “[Westlind] was probably pretty upset with himself, but we had some guys step up. Obviously, you aren’t gonna get to a state tournament playing five guys.”
Kade Mitchell added 12 points, with six in each half. Kale Prouty and Rylen Anderson played some valuable defensive minutes.
The Bearcats leaned on their captain and No. 1 guy, Hagler. He commandeered just about every facet of the game. He got the free throw line frequently, going 6-for-10 in the second half and 7-for-11 overall. He hit one triple in each half. He was aggressive on defense.
“We were playing pretty passive in the first half, and our coach told us we had to be aggressive and just get to the hoop,” Hagler said. “And that’s what we did to win the game.”
Hagler scored nine of his points in the fourth quarter as North Star stretched its lead to two possessions in the final two minutes. Hagler and the team’s other senior, Levi Borstad, each had shots that kept the lead wide down the stretch.
“These kids have worked hard all year long,” Vote said. “I can’t be prouder of them right now.”
Naturally, Hagler was dribbling the ball when the final buzzer sounded.
“It’s amazing,” Hagler said. “I wouldn’t want to do it with another team.”
North Star clinched its sixth state appearance (2009, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2024, 2026). There were also four appearances when the team was simply known as Cando (1933, 1954, 1979, 2001). The only state championship from those years came in 2011. Bisbee-Egeland also won a title in 1989.
The next wave of Bearcats are writing their place in the history books.
“They’re just so close to each other,” Vote said. “They just battle. They do good things, they do bad things. We just try to get them to pick each other up. They’re friends on and off the court. But ultimately, they found a way to get it done.”
The state tournament is being held Thursday through Saturday at the Minot State Dome.
“Another week of basketball,” Vote said with a smile. “What more could you want? We can’t play baseball yet, so we might as well play some basketball.”
