Jamestown, ND (NewsDakota.com) – The District 5 Girls’ Basketball Tournament kicked off Friday night from the Jamestown Civic Center, the first of three days of action. The tournament will continue Saturday and finish on Monday, with game times each day scheduled for 4:30, 6, and 7:30 pm. Every game can be heard on Q101, on the Q101 KQDJ app, and streaming live on newsdakota.com.
Below are the results of the first day of the tournament. The Carrington Cardinals received a bye as the #1 seed in the tournament, and they will play the winner of the first game from Friday:
(#4) Edgeley-Kulm-Montpelier Rebels 44 – (#5) Griggs-Midkota Titans 39
Junior Jenna Larson had a huge game for the Titans, but it wasn’t enough to overcome the EKM Rebels in the first game of the day. Larson finished with 22 points, 15 rebounds, and two blocked shots, all game-highs. No other Titan had more than six points.
The Rebels had a more balanced attack, with four players scoring at least seven points. Junior Emily Kinzler led the Rebels with 14 points, eight of which came in the third quarter. Sophomores Reagan Teske and Norah Entzi had nine and eight points, respectively, and freshman Mataeya Mathern added seven.
The game stayed close throughout, as the Rebels had a 13-9 lead after the first quarter and a 19-18 lead at halftime. The Rebels pulled ahead in the fourth quarter, leading by as many as nine, but the Titans made a small comeback that ultimately fell short.
The Rebels will move on to play Carrington in the second game on Saturday, scheduled for 6 pm. The Titans get a bye on Saturday and move to the Regional Qualifying game on Monday against the loser of Oakes and LaMoure-Litchville/Marion.
(#2) Oakes Tornadoes 66 – (#7) Barnes County North Bison 28
The Tornadoes got out to an early lead and cruised to an easy victory over the Bison in the second game of the day, ending the first quarter with a 19-6 lead. The score was 43-10 by the half, and the Tornadoes were ready to look ahead to a semi-final matchup in the main event Saturday night.
Senior Sadie Hansen hit two three-pointers in the opening minutes, and sophomore Laikyn Roney imposed her will inside early to help the Tornadoes jump ahead right away. Hansen and Roney led all scorers with 18 apiece, and Roney added 10 rebounds. Sophomore Emma Muggli had 10 points and 11 rebounds for the Tornadoes.
Senior Ashley McFadgen led the Bison with 12 points and had a game-high seven steals, as she fought foul trouble in the first half to make a difference defensively.
The Tornadoes move on to face the LaMoure-Litchville/Marion Loboes Saturday in the night cap, set to begin around 7:30 pm. The Bison will play an elimination game Saturday against the Ellendale Cardinals, the first game of the day, beginning at 4:30 pm.
(#3) LaMoure-Litchville/Marion Loboes 54 – (#6) Ellendale Cardinals 47
A matchup that looked like it might start getting out of hand at halftime, the Ellendale Cardinals put a scare into the LLM Loboes before ultimately falling in the last game of action Friday night. Senior Abby Molan had a big impact all over the court for the Cardinals, leading her team with 14 points, nine rebounds, and five steals.
After a close first half, the Loboes stretched their lead to 33-22 at halftime. The Cardinals came out ready in the second half, closing the gap and even taking the lead in the fourth quarter. Juniors Mollie Robbins and Molly Musland took over in the second half for the Loboes, scoring nine points each in the half and accounting for 18 of the Loboes’ 21 points.
Musland led all scorers with 19 points, while Robbins finished with 15. Sophomore Nateal Rodin did some of the dirty work for the Loboes, finishing with only two points but gathering seven rebounds, five of which were offensive boards.
The Loboes move to the semi-finals in the last game of the night Saturday, set to start around 7:30 pm. The Cardinals will play the first game of the day Saturday at 4:30 pm when they take on the BCN Bison in an elimination game.