Mustangs, Loboes meet for trip to state

Tenth-ranked LaMoure-Litchville-Marion and South Border meet tonight at the Civic Center with a trip to state on the line.

The two teams met back on Feb. 9 with the 21-2 Loboes winning 66-51. It’s also a rematch of the 2008 Region 3 title game. LaMoure won the meeting and went on to finish third at the state tournament.

It’s a matchup of the small Loboes and bigger Mustangs. LaMoure-L-M has just one player listed above 6-foot on its roster, while the Mustangs counter with versatile Michael Jacobson and Hunter Pinke. Jacobson is averaging over 25 points per game in the tournament.

“We’re obviously going to be giving up some size, and I’m sure, like (against Strasburg-Zeeland), they’ll try to go inside and try to establish Pinke early, and Jacobson can go outside and inside,” said Loboes coach Darren Thielges. “We’re just going to see what we can put together, go out and battle and see what we can do.”

South Border brings a record of 14-10 into the game, but that included an 0-5 start when Jacobson was sidelined early with an injury.

The third-place game kicks things off at 6 p.m. with District 6 foes Strasburg-Zeeland and Linton-Hazelton-Moffit-Braddock squaring off.

In Devils Lake, two of the top teams in the state square off with another trip to the Minot State Dome at stake.

No. 2-ranked North Star puts its 23-1 record on the line against fifth-ranked Four Winds-Minnewaukan (22-2).

It’s a highly-anticipated rematch. The two teams met in the Sports Center on Dec. 8 with the Bearcats prevailing 72-71.

North Star is led by senior standouts Jacob Hagler and Daniel Grande, while the high-powered Indians get points in bunches from a variety of players, usually led by freshman Trayvon McKay and juniors Hadley Smith and Collin Delorme.

Interestingly, the only other loss for either team is to No. 1-ranked and unbeaten Beulah.

Tags: class b, sports, basketball