Clippers, Loboes shooting for title

Talk about it

Though both District 5 and 6 are a part of Region 3, the postseason tournaments that took place last week ended in completely different ways.

LaMoure-Litchville-Marion (18-2) won its semifinal over Pingree-Buchanan-Kensal by 23 points and dominated Ellendale 66-32 to capture the District 5 crown.

“We put a little bit of pressure on the perimeter in the couple of games that we had,” LLM coach Darren Thielges said. “I think our guys are moving the ball around pretty well and looking for each other.”

Strasburg-zeeland (19-2), on the other hand, used a pair of three-point victories to win the District 6 title. The Clippers beat South Border 55-52 in the semis and Linton-Hazelton-Moffit-Braddock 45-42 for the championship.

“It’s kind of wild whenever we get together like that,” S-Z coach Brent Kleinsasser said of the championship game against Linton-HMB. “When we’re both competitive, it’s just a wonderful night of basketball.”

The two conferences begin their annual clash when the Region 3 tournament starts today at the Jamestown Civic Center. Strasburg-Zeeland starts the action against District 5 No. 4 seed Pingree-Buchanan-Kensal at 3 p.m.

Both teams have spent time ranked, and LaMoure-L-M is the only team listed in the final Class B poll at 10th.

Kleinsasser said the Clippers weren’t sure about what they had at the start, but built confidence off of wins.

“I never dreamed we’d be 19-2,” he said. “We have a good bunch of kids who had a good summer. We knew they’d play well together. A couple of young kids played better and it all kind of snowballed.”

But it has come together for the Clippers, much like it has for the Loboes.

Despite the far-less competitive scores from District 5, Thielges said he’s not worried.

“I think every game you’re gonna be tested,” he said. “We knew the things that we’d have to be able to do to accomplish (our goals). We were fortunate enough to be able to keep doing that ... and just extend the margin.”

Region 4

Four Winds-Minnewaukan topped Carrington in the District 7 championship game to earn the No. 1 seed for the Region 4 tournament at Devils Lake.

No. 1-ranked North Star (20-1) is top-seeded from District 8. Carrington, a 2-seed, plays Munich-Starkweather in the second game of the day.

Region 1

Maple Valley came away from the District 2 tournament with the No. 3 seed to advance to the Region 1 tournament at the Fargo Civic Center.

The Eagles square off against Wyndmere-Lidgerwood at approximately 4:30 p.m. Milnor (D1) and Fargo Oak Grove (D2) are the top seeds.

Region 2

Griggs County Central fell in the District 3 title tilt and received a second seed for the Region 2 tournament at Betty Engelstad Arena in Grand Forks. The Cougars meet Drayton-Valley-Edinburg in the opening round.

Hillsboro-Central Valley (D3) and Grafton (D4) picked up the No. 1 seeds.

Sun sportswriter Chris Aarhus can be reached at (701) 952-8462 or by email at caarhus@jamestownsun.com

Tags: sports, basketball