March sadness: CHS falls in Region 3 quarterfinals to M-P-B

For the first few minutes of the Region 3 quarterfinal round, the Carrington Cardinals were doing what they needed to do against District 6 winner Medina/Pingree-Buchanan, according to Coach Tim Ranum.

The Cards got out to a quick 4-0 lead, and briefly landed a punch on a slightly-discombobulated team before matching them basket for basket early in the opening eight minutes.

Then, the bottom fell out.

M-P-B senior Josh Moser got hot from the field, and Carrington couldn't buy a key bucket from then on out in a 58-41 loss at the Jamestown Civic Center Monday, March 6.

"We just didn't make enough shots in the second quarter, while allowing Moser to get it going from deep," Ranum said. "We tried a lot of different things to get them to turn the ball over and get us on a run, but to their credit, they had an answer for nearly everything we threw at them."

Moser, the 5'11" point guard, scored 16 of his 29 points in the first half, and shot a blistering 69 percent (11-for-16) from the field in the quarterfinal.

"I thought they came out and took it to us right away," said Thunder Coach Bob Young. "Then, Josh hit some big shots and calmed us down. We started to really play good defense and have each other's back, which turned the game."

The Thunder's defensive philosophy against CHS, according to Young, was to keep Cardinal sophomore guard Josh Bickett from getting the hot hand.

"He always seems to hit a barrage of threes on us," said Young.

M-P-B did just that, keeping Bickett and the Cardinal shooters 0-for-4 in limited perimeter shooting opportunities in the first half. Bickett would end up with seven points.

"Our boys did a great job containing him and dominating the boards, which was our goal, and we were able to make the next round," Young added.

The Thunder ended the game with a 31-18 advantage on the glass, led by eight boards from Moser.

Seniors Hudson Schmitz and Jack Erickson ended with 10 and nine points, respectively, in their final games on the floor for the Cards, and junior Grady Shipman added nine tallies in addition to that.

The Thunder got a strong afternoon in the paint from Adam McClellan, as he scored 10 points and grabbed four rebounds.

Rylen Wick, though he was held under his season scoring average, ended up with nine points, five rebounds, three steals and two blocks.

Even with the big lead, Young praised the Cards' tenacity to the end.

"I thought Carrington really battled and continued to cause us some anxiety," he said.

The sudden end of the season for the Cards was a tough one to swallow, said Ranum.

"Of course, we're disappointed because we felt we had a chance to win the region if we played well for three games," he said. "But, at the same time, styles create fights, and M-P-B's style out of all the other region teams was the toughest fight for us because of their size."

The win for the Thunder allowed them to advance to the Region 3 semifinal round, for a third date with District 6 foe Linton-HMB (see related article.) The Lions edged past LaMoure/Litchville-Marion in overtime, 51-50, for Head Coach Dan Carr's 800th career victory over 44 years on the bench.

The future for CHS

The Cards will lose All-District 5 performers Erickson and Schmitz to graduation, along with Jack Paulson and McCoy Beckley.

"Looking back to our seniors and their growth from their freshman year to now, it's a complete difference as to how they progressed as basketball players," said Ranum. "I'm proud of them for their dedication and work as well as their character, and that's a testament to them and their parents, as they're all outstanding young men."

The loss also brings an end to the Cards' time in Class B, which peaked with state championships in 1995 and 2010, as well as several other tournament appearances.

Beginning in 2023-24, Carrington moves to Division A, Region 2, with new league rivals Devils Lake, Four Winds-Minnewaukan, Grafton, Hillsboro/Central Valley and Thompson.

"I'm looking forward to the new opportunity, which will bring some challenges that we're going to face head-on," said Ranum. "I truly believe that because of the competition in this level, we will see the best version of this basketball team."

Ranum added that it will be fun to see Shipman, along with Josh Bickett and expected starter Ryder Bickett, "go against tough competition night in and night out," in his words.

"The goal is to get into the top three of the region on a consistent basis, which gives us a chance to get to the state tournament," he concluded.

Region 3 Boys' Basketball

Tournament, Jamestown

Quarterfinals

M-P-B 58, Carrington 41

Cgtn. 13 2 12 14 41

M-P-B 21 8 12 17 58

Carrington: Hudson Schmitz 10, Jack Erickson 9, Grady Shipman 9, Josh Bickett 7, McCoy Beckley 2, Ryder Bickett 2, Jack Paulson 2. Totals: 17-46 FG, 5-9 FT, 20 fouls. Three-pointers: Shipman, Bickett. Fouled out: Shipman.

M-P-B: Josh Moser 29, Adam McClellan 10, Rylen Wick 9, Gage Magstadt 5, Mark Thomas 3, Sawyer Wanzek 2. Totals: 21-40 FG, 11-18 FT, 9 fouls. Three-pointers: Moser 3, Wick, Thomas.

Carrington Additional Stats

Rebounds: Erickson 5, Schmitz 4, J. Bickett and Shipman 3, Beckley and Paulson 1.

Assists: J. Bickett and Schmitz 1.

Steals: Erickson and Shipman 2, Paulson 1.

Blocks: Erickson 2, J. Bickett and Schmitz 1.

M-P-B Additional Stats

Rebounds: Moser 8, Wanzek and Wick 5, Magstadt and McClellan 4, Thomas 2.

Assists: Wanzek 5, Moser and Wick 1.

Steals: Wick 3, Magstadt and Wanzek 1.

Blocks: Wick 2, Wanzek 1.