Say what one will about the Carrington boys' basketball team's season thus far, but one thing is for sure: They are never boring.
Down six with over half of the fourth quarter to go, Carrington made the plays down the stretch to take an emotional one-point thriller, 41-40, over the LaMoure/Litchville-Marion Loboes on the road Friday night, Janaury 27.
"It was a big win, as we get to control our destiny in the district and try and cinch up a number two seed with a win or two next week," Head Coach Tim Ranum said.
In the stretch run, Grady Shipman and Josh Bickett connected on clutch threes. Shipman would later get the equalizing basket on a putback to tie the game at 40-40.
On CHS' final possession, Jack Erickson got open on a backdoor cut, was fouled with around 12 seconds remaining, and hit one of two free throws to give the Cards their final lead.
One defensive stop later, and the Cards left the Loboes' den with a big win.
"We did a nice job executing at the end defensively, so I was pleased for us to pull it out despite not playing great offensively for stretches of the game," said Ranum.
Hudson Schmitz was the leading point-getter for the Cards (3-1 District 5) with 14 points, and secured the double-double with 12 rebounds. Erickson had nine points and Shipman eight.
In L-L-M's scoring column, senior forward Colton Ness led the Loboes (1-2 District 5, 6-6 overall) with a 13-point evening, and also was the top rebounder with eight and assist-man with two. Max Musland posted a solid boxscore with 10 points, five rebounds, and a team-high four steals.
"The standings are really muddled at this moment, but if we only finish with two district losses, we should end up in that second seed, which gives us a chance to make some noise in the postseason," Ranum said.
The drama didn't end at district play, however. In a nonregion contest from Tower City three nights later, the Cards pulled another rabbit out of their hat with a 56-55 thriller over the Raiders of Maple River (Hope-Page/Maple Valley) last Monday night.
Carrington trailed late into their final trip down the floor, 55-54, when Schmitz got a good look on a postup play and was fouled. He hit the foul shots to give the Cards the lead, and a deep three-ball from the Raiders fell short.
Schmitz's shots from the line capped a nearly-perfect night for the Cards, as they were 14-of-15 from the stripe to steal the win.
"They're a little bit of a back-and-forth team who's a lot better than their [2-9] record," said Ranum. "They're a well-coached group, and they did some different things to change pace. We couldn't seem to shake them at all."
Schmitz, along with Shipman, were co-leaders for the Cards with 16 points each, and Shipman had his top rebounding game of the season with 11 boards, 10 on the defensive end. He also stifled Maple River's inside attempts with three blocks, and had four assists. Erickson added 13 in the win.
Maple River's Caleb Kocka had 17 points, 15 of those via the three-ball. Wyatt Sylling also had 10 points in the narrow loss, and Carter Baasch nine.
"Good win, but we need to continue to improve as we head towards a really-challenging stretch of games in a week," said Ranum.
The Cards, now 9-5 on the campaign, hit the aforementioned home stretch of District 5 with a Tuesday night game in Oakes versus the Tornadoes, and return home to the East Gym Thursday night to tangle with the E-K-M Rebels.
District 5 Boys' Basketball
Carrington 41,
LaMoure/Litchville-Marion 40
at LaMoure
Cgtn. 7 14 7 13 41
L-L-M 8 5 14 13 40
Carrington: Hudson Schmitz 14, Jack Erickson 9, Grady Shipman 8, Josh Bickett 6, Jack Paulson 4. Totals: 17-39 FG, 3-8 FT, 10 fouls. Three-pointers: Shipman 2, Bickett 2.
LaMoure/L-M: Colton Ness 13, Max Musland 10, Blase Isaacson 9, Connor Johnson 3, Gunner Thielges 3, Tate Mart 2. Totals: 16-48 FG, 4-5 FT, 12 fouls. Three-pointers: Isaacson 2, Johnson, Thielges.
Carrington Additional Stats
Rebounds: Schmitz 12, McCoy Beckley, Erickson and Paulson 4, Shipman 3, J. Bickett 1.
Assists: J. Bickett, Erickson and Shipman 2, Beckley, Paulson and Schmitz 1.
Steals: J. Bickett and Shipman 2.
Blocks: Schmitz and Shipman 1.
LaMoure/L-M Additional Stats
Rebounds: Ness 8, Musland 5, Anthony Hanson and Mart 3, Thielges 2, Isaacson and Johnson 1.
Assists: Ness 2, Hanson, Mart and Musland 1.
Steals: Musland 4, Hanson and Ness 2, Isaacson and Mart 1.
Blocks: Hanson 1.
Nonregion Boys' Basketball
Carrington 56, Maple River 55
at Tower City
Cgtn. 11 14 18 13 56
MR 16 9 17 13 55
Carrington: Schmitz 16, Shipman 16, Erickson 13, J. Bickett 5, Paulson 4, Ryder Bickett 2. Totals: 19-47 FG, 14-15 FT, 8 fouls. Three-pointers: Shipman 2, Erickson, J. Bickett.
Maple River: Caleb Kocka 17, Wyatt Sylling 10, Carter Baasch 9, Clay Hovelson 8, Connor Dahl 6, Tee Sylling 5. Totals: 21-52 FG, 4-8 FT, 11 fouls. Three-pointers: Kocka 5, W. Sylling 2, Dahl 2.
Carrington Additional Stats
Rebounds: Shipman 11, Paulson and Schmitz 6, J. Bickett 4, Erickson 3, Beckley 2, R. Bickett 1.
Assists: Shipman 4, J. Bickett 3, Beckley, Erickson and Schmitz 1.
Steals: Shipman 1.
Blocks: Shipman 3, Erickson 2.