Minot, ND (NewsDakota.com) – The MPB Thunder started out strong however turnovers came back to bite them as the Central McLean Cougars advanced to their 1st State Title game as a co-op with a 51-44 victory.

The game started with MPB getting rolling early an taking a 11-6 lead through the first quarter of play. The Cougars would then begin to steal the ball away from the Thunder in the 2nd with MPB being turned over a total of 10 times in the first half of play. This allowed Central McLean get out in front late in the half and take a 25-20 lead going into the half.

The Thunder would continue to struggle with turnovers in the second half being turned over a total of 18 times on the game with Aiden Hanson being responsible for 10 steals. The Cougars would expand their lead to 40-31 after 3 quarters of play. Hanson would continue to dominate the rest of the game and Central McLean would bring home the 51-44 victory to punch their ticket to the Class B Championship game. Hanson would end the night with a triple-double with 22 points, 13 rebounds, and 10 steals.

The Thunder will now play the Ray Jays at 6:00 pm Saturday March 21st. You can catch all of the action on Thunder 98.3.