Devils Lake and Grafton will officially compete in a rematch after winning their first-round contests in the Division A boys’ basketball state tournament.
The Firebirds and Spoilers split their two regular season meetings. Grafton is responsible for one of the two losses Devils Lake suffered this year, which ended a 13-game winning streak. The Spoilers lost to an underdog Thompson team in the Region 2 tournament, but eliminated Four Winds/Minnewaukan in the third-place game and won their state qualifier to get here.
Each of Devils Lake and Grafton spent substantial time ranked No. 2 in Division A during the regular season. On Friday, they’ll have a chance to settle which team is truly the better squad.
The Firebirds and Spoilers will get going at 6:30 p.m. at the Fargodome. The winner goes to the state championship, while the loser goes to the third-place game.
Highlights
Devils Lake beat Valley City 72-55 in the first game of the tournament. The team collected 12 three-pointers, including five by Wylee Delorme. For more on this game, read here.
Grafton played immediately after the Firebirds’ victory. The Spoilers beat Beulah 84-66. Kyler Droog led with 25 points and 11 rebounds. Beulah — a team that was ranked No. 5 in Division A for most of the season, and lost by 36 points to Devils Lake — actually led after each of the first two quarters. The Miners outscored the Spoilers 17-16 in the first quarter and 20-19 in the second quarter to take a 37-35 halftime lead. But Grafton outpaced Beulah by seven in each of the final two quarters. It led in rebounds, 34-19, and shot 51.7% compared to Beulah’s 44.6%.
Over in Minot, the North Star Bearcats kept their winning ways going as well, beginning the Division B state tournament with a 52-38 victory over LaMoure-Litchville/Marion. Dane Hagler led the scoring, per usual, with 18 points. Sixteen of those points came in the first half, however; he only had a pair of free throws in the second half. But both Simon brothers stepped up. Parker Simon scored 16 points, while Karsen Simon had 13. The highlight for the Loboes was Brayan Karlgaard, who had 15 points.
Other scores
Division A boys’ basketball tournament
Kindred 65, Killdeer 41
- Vikings improve to 24-0.
Des Lacs-Burlington 54, Shiloh Christian 74
Division B boys’ basketball tournament
Bowman County 55, Our Redeemer’s 42
Westhope/Newburg 67, Edgeley/Kulm/Montpelier 61
Bishop Ryan 58, Sargent County 44
What to watch
The day in Fargo will get started with a pair of consolation games at 1 and 2:45 p.m. Valley City will face Beulah, while Killdeer will play Des Lacs-Burlington.
Then Devils Lake and Grafton have the first evening game at 6:30 p.m. Kindred and Shiloh Christian play after, at approximately 8:15 p.m. If Devils Lake and Kindred win, they’ll face off in the final, which would be an intriguing matchup considering that the Vikings are undefeated but haven’t played Devils Lake yet this season.
North Star will play in the Division B semifinal against Bishop Ryan at 2:45 p.m. at the Minot State Dome. The winner advances to the final against the winner of Bowman County vs. Westhope/Newburg, which will commence at 1 p.m.
