Loboes make short work of Clippers

The LaMoure/Litchville-Marion High School boys basketball team was out for revenge Monday night and they got it in spades.

The Loboes defeated Strasburg/Zeeland 71-40 in the opening round of the Region 3 boys basketball tournament at the Jamestown Civic Center. LLM advanced to tomorrow's first semifinal game where they will face Linton/HMB. The game is slated to tip-off at 6 p.m.

"It felt great, especially since it was against the team that beat us last year in the first round of regionals," LLM junior Charlie Bowman said. "They're a pretty good team and we knew that we had to come out and play against them."

If the Clippers were good, the Loboes were great.

"The kids came in and did what they needed to do," LaMoure/LM head coach Darren Thielges said. "I thought we moved the ball well offensively and the guys weren't worried where points were going to come from, and when we got opportunities we took advantage of them."

Bowman and his younger brother, Carter, were big in the first half combining for 11 of the team's 34 first-half points. Carter nailed down 4 of 6 of his shots from the stripe and went 1 of 3 from the field. Bowman got his share of shots, putting one in from beyond the arc for five first-half points.

"We have chemistry, obviously, because we always play together outdoors, but it was definitely an adjustment from the beginning of the season," Carter said. "It's been fun."

Thielges said that the Bowman brothers, while not the top scorers, offer a clean, tough style of basketball that helped the Loboes out on both sides of the ball Monday night.

"We could take a whole team full of those two guys," Thielges said. "They play the right way. They are very unselfish players but at the same time, they are very competitive players. They both play good defense and they both contribute offensively as well. They are a good duo and we're glad we get them another year."

The tough defense is what kept the Clippers shooting below 50% from the field.

The Clippers had some trouble hanging onto the ball in the first half thanks to the Bowmans on defense. LLM forced 10 turnovers while the Clippers only made two takeaways. The Loboes' physical defense made for tough shooting for the Clippers. The Clippers were 7 of 16 from the field but managed to turn in a perfect 4 of 4 from the stripe before entering the second half.

"We knew that they were going to be a tough team on defense," Strasburg/Zeeland head coach Jacob Cline said. "They've got some good players and they came out and made more shots than us and we just turned the ball over too much."

Strasburg/Zeeland's Mac Kramer was a popular foul target as the Loboes' defense sent the senior to the line six times in the second half. Kramer knocked down 9 of 10 from the line and went 3 of 8 from the field and 2 of 5 from beyond the arc. Kramer outscored his teammates by at least 10 points.

The lack of scoring meant the Bowmans had a quiet third quarter, but Corban Potts managed to help the Loboes to a 20-8 scoring run. Potts nailed down four from the field and made two assists. The 20 third-quarter points put the Loboes up 16 at the end of three.

Bowman did not break any scoring records but he found an open look from beyond the arc to bring his total to nine points. Carter ended with six points and was big on the defensive front, nabbing seven at the boards and making two steals. The Loboes' lead scorer, Colton Ness, tallied 18 points, shooting 7 of 10 from the field and knocking down 4 of 6 from the stripe.

"Corban got in foul trouble (in the first quarter) but some of the other guys who are just steady and know their roles came in and they did their jobs," Thielges said. "That's kind of what you need at tournament time is during adversity someone else comes in and makes a play."

LaMoure/LM 71, Strasburg/Zeeland 40

S/Z 11 9 8 12 -- 40

LLM 19 15 20 15 -- 71

S/Z -- Kramer 21, Max VanderVorst 11, Ben Hulm 6, Isaac Dykema 2. Totals: 13-34 FG, 9-12 FT, 19 rebounds, 11 fouls, 6 assists, 16 turnovers, 4 steals. 3-pointers: VanderVorst 3, Kramer 2.

LLM -- Ness 18, Max Musland 11, Landon Piehl 11, Bowman 9, Corbin Potts 8, Carter Bowman 6, Anthony Hanson 4, Dane Lebahn 4. Totals: 26-50 FG, 11-16 FT, 27 rebounds, 12 fouls, 6 assists, 6 turnovers, 12 steals. 3-pointers: Piehl 3, Musland 3, Bowman 2.

Region 3 Boys Basketball Tournament

(Tournament seeding/records in parentheses)

At Jamestown Civic Center

March 8

G1: (D6-1) Linton/HMB 55, (D5-4) Ellendale 53

G2: (D5-2) LaMoure/LM 71, (D6-3) Strasburg/Zeeland 40

G3: (D5-1) Oakes 76, (D6-4) Napoleon/GS 51

G4: (D5-3) Edgeley/KM 67, (D6-2) Kidder Co. 55

March 9

G5: Linton/HMB (19-3) vs. LaMoure/LM (16-7), 6 p.m.

G6: Oakes (17-6) vs. Edgeley/KM (20-2), 7:30 p.m.

March 11

Championship: G5 winner vs. G6 winner, 7 p.m.