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(NewsDakota.com)- The Bismarck Century girls basketball team came in as the unanimous No. 1 team in the state of North Dakota and they needed every bit of their arsenal to knock off the pesky Blue Jays. Jamestown took the Patriots down to the final possession before Julie Fuchs’ three skipped off the back rim to preserve a 61-58 win for Century.
The Patriots entered with a 15-1 record, their only loss coming outside of North Dakota. They built a nine-point lead late in the contest, but the Jays were able to climb back into the game, even pulling within one in the final minute.
Following a pair of free-throws from Hannah Jeske to extend Century’s lead to three, Jamestown still had 15 seconds to try to tie the game. They got a great look as Fuchs lined it up from the right wing, but it was just long.
“[Fuchs] got a great look, we ran a play with lots of movement and Julie popped open,” said Head Coach Andy Skunberg after the game. “When she let it go, I thought we had it.”
The shot would have sent the game into overtime. Kyra Dewald was not one of the three Blue Jays in double-figures, but she did have one of her best all-around games with nine points, eight rebounds, and four steals.
Paige Peterson who was back in the starting line-up since breaking her fingers in December had a double-double with 11 and 11. Kayla Thoele and Fuchs were the other Blue Jays in double-figures.
The Jays record falls to 7-10 (6-8 WDA).
The duo of Andre Maund and Tom Fraase was just too much down the stretch as the Patriots beat the Blue Jays. Jamestown has now dropped 6 of their last 7, after winning eight in-a-row.
Maund and Fraase combined for 44 of the 58 for Century in their 58-53 win.
The Patriots took a 24-19 lead into the half on the back of a 10-1 run. Jays went up 18-14 on a pair of triples from Dyllan Anderson, but a well placed time-out by Coach Darren Mattern killed the momentum.
Jamestown only scored one point the last 6:13 of the half.
Another run in the second-half gave the Patriots the lead for good after the Blue Jays built a 6-point advantage. Jamestown took that lead following a three minute stretch with five lead changes.
The 17-4 run in the middle of the half, flipped the score from Jays by six to Patriots by seven.
Century was able to close it out thanks to Fraase hitting his last six free throws.
Jamestown falls to 9-8 overall and 7-6 WDA.
Up next the two squads will travel to Bismarck High to battle the Demons. The girls will tip-off at 5:45, the boys to follow. KQDJ-AM 1400 will have all the action for you.