MAYVILLE (NewsDakota)- For one half, the underdog Carrington Cardinals had the senior-heavy Grafton Spoilers on the ropes.  But the favorite pulled away after halftime.

Grafton got 23 points, 10 rebounds, and 8 assists from Reggie Rice and 20 points and 13 rebounds from Brody Lillemoen to advance to a Region 2A semifinal with a 71-52 win over the Cardinals on Monday night inside the Lewy Lee Fieldhouse on the campus of Mayville State University.

Carrington (6-16) came out on fire, with Maddox McIlonie and Taylen Mehring each scoring six in the opening quarter, while Rice kept the Spoilers (16-5) within 20-17 through one quarter.  In the second, the shooting success continued for Grafton, with Aidan McMillan scoring ten points in a three minute span, but Mehring hit two of his five threes and the Cards trailed 32-28 at the break.

But after halftime, the second-seeded Spoilers heated up, with Lillemoen, who scored fifteen after the break, nailing a pair of contested threes, coupled with a cold spell of shooting from Carrington led to a 51-37 advantage after three.  In the fourth, Lillemoen and Rice combined for 14 points to put the game away despite Mehring’s 22 points.

Carrington will graduate Tate Wolsky and Maddox McIlonie in May.

CHS            20            8              9             15                    52

GHS            17            15            19            20                    71

CARRINGTON (6-16): Taylen Mehring 22; Maddox McIlonie 10; Alec Threadgold 10; Andrew Matt 6; Ewan Aberle 4

GRAFTON (16-5): Reggie Rice 23; Brody Lillemoen 20; Aidan McMillan 16; True Moberg 8; Tyan Storey 4

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