Linton, ND (NewsDakota.com) – The Oakes Tornado boys’ basketball team traveled to Linton Thursday night to take on the Linton-HMB Lions in an instant classic that saw the Lions come out on top 77-76. Senior Lucas Schumacher hit a half-court shot as time expired, one of nine threes on the night, to give the Lions the victory.
It was a game of runs, as the teams alternated the lead at the end of each quarter. The Tornadoes took the early lead, getting seven first quarter points from senior Steele Hansen and five apiece from fellow seniors Ashton Biesterfeld and Garret Meehl.
The Lions came out with a huge second quarter, scoring 30 points to take a 45-37 lead into halftime. The Lions were kept alive by three-pointers, of which they had nine in the first half. Schumacher had 17 first half points (four three-pointers), and senior Carter Renz had 15 (three three-pointers).
The Tornadoes responded with a 24-10 third quarter, taking a six point lead into the fourth quarter. Biesterfeld had 10 third quarter points, and Hansen added 7. Coach Rod Kramer said he talked to his team at the half about going inside and not trying to out-shoot the Lions, and the Tornadoes responded by attacking the basket and getting the ball into the post.
The fourth quarter belonged to Schumacher, who scored 16 in the quarter to finish with a game-high 38. Schumacher had four of his nine three-pointers in the final quarter, including the dagger at the buzzer.
After a missed three-point attempt followed by an offensive rebound and missed shot by Schumacher, Hansen was sent to the line with the Tornadoes leading 75-74. Hansen made his first free-throw but missed the second, and the Lions got the rebound with 3.8 seconds left trailing by two.
The ball ended up in Schumacher’s hands, and he calmly dribbled to the right side of the half-court line and launched a shot. It looked on-line the entire way, and the ball banked off of the backboard and straight through the net, giving the Lions the victory.
The seniors did most of the heavy lifting for Oakes, as Hansen led the Tornadoes with 25 points, Biesterfeld had 19, Meehl had 11, and the final senior starter, Dalton Schmit, finished with 15, including three three-pointers.
Three-pointers were a major part of the game, as the Tornadoes had only Schmit’s three compared to 15 total for the Lions. Rentz had three from long distance, while three other Lions had one apiece. Renz finished with 18 points, and no other Lion had more than seven.
The Tornadoes finish their regular season on Saturday when they host Kindred. The Boys’ District 5 Tournament starts next Friday, February 26th, where the Tornadoes will take on the Barnes County North Bison in the first round. That tournament will be on Q101 KQDJ, and Tornado games will also be on KDDR 1220 am/95.9 fm.
The Region 3 Girls’ Basketball Tournament starts this coming Monday, the 22nd. The Tornado girls will play their first game Monday at 4:30 pm, the second game of the day, against the Napoleon-Gackle-Streeter Imperials. The Region 3 Tournament can be heard on Thunder 98.3 fm.