Shootout sweep

In the second year of the Carrington Shootout, held Friday-Saturday, Dec. 27-28, the Cardinal basketball teams decided to make it a weekend to remember.

CHS earned a four-game sweep in the varsity contests. The Carrington boys defeated the Nedrose Cardinals and Watford City Wolves, 69-37 and 62-49, while the girls did likewise with 48-24 and 65-37 victories against Hazen and Dickinson Trinity.

For the girls, fourth-ranked in Division A with a 7-1 record, it was their defense that made up for subpar shooting, especially in the opener with the Bison Friday afternoon.

The Cards allowed just one Hazen player in double figures, Macey Van Inwagen, with 10 points. Defensive pressure yielded just eight field goals and forced 18 Bison turnovers.

Freshman Marah Johnson had 12 points for CHS, and leading scorer Edyn Hoornaert ended the day with 11 for Carrington. Maara Kutz had seven rebounds, and Isabel Wendel had seven assists and five steals.

The loss dropped Hazen to 2-5, but they came back with a gritty effort in their Saturday game with a 45-39 win over Northern Cass.

The next day, the Cards broke open a three-point game at the half with a 26-7 third quarter outburst to leave the Titans in the dust.

Hoornaert had her shots falling this time, putting up 20 points. Kaydence VanRay poured in 11 points of her own, and Kutz, playing against 6-foot-2 Titan center Nevaeh Tormaschy, had eight points.

Even when not scoring, Wendel has been a statistical marvel for CHS this year, but in the Saturday contest, she buried the open looks she had against Trinity. She finished with eight points, including two three-pointers, and led the Cards in rebounds (six), assists (nine) and steals (five).

In the game, CHS went perfect from the foul line with 12-for-12, a facet of their arsenal that has been a problem for the Cards in the early portion of the season.

Bella Kovash led Trinity (2-5) with 12 points, with two trifectas in the mix. Tormaschy also had 11 points, and Annabel Scheeler scored seven.

The boys got their Shootout going with a positive showing against the same team that defeated them in overtime in the inaugural event in 2023.

Senior Josh Bickett delivered a big game off the dribble drive and aggressive plays at the hoop, leading Carrington with 22 points and five assists. Taylen Mehring made Nedrose pay for leaving him daylight to shoot, finishing with five treys and 21 points in another great outing.

Maddox McIlonie scored 12 points as well along with six rebounds, and Tate Wolsky ended numerous Nedrose possessions with seven rebounds and five steals.

Brayden Heigh and Jaydon Wills were co-leaders for the suburban Minot version of the Cardinals with 11 points. Nedrose was playing just their second game of the season following an opening loss to Hazen on Dec. 19.

Against Watford City, the Cards had to adjust to the more physical Wolves, and fell behind, 17-12, at the end of the first quarter. Carrington righted the ship with a big second quarter for a 30-26 halftime lead, and used a big third quarter run to put some distance between their foes from oil country.

The big three for the Cards showed up again, as Bickett had 20 points, five rebounds, five assists and a block. McIlonie added 16 and Mehring 13 in the victory, to help Carrington improve to 3-2 and already surpass last year's two-win season on the floor.

Thaydan Arnold and Landon Vetter led the Wolves (0-5) with 11 points apiece.

The Cardinal boys participated in the Ramsey County Tournament Jan. 2-4, and will be back in action Thursday night in New Rockford to take on Division B's number six-ranked and unbeaten NR-S Rockets. On Friday, CHS hosts Napoleon/Gackle-Streeter beginning around 3 p.m.

Carrington's girls had their second game of the season against HCV in Hillsboro on Jan. 3 in Region 2 play, and return home for a two-game non-region slate with Rugby on Tuesday, Jan. 7, and Lisbon Friday night, Jan. 10.

Carrington Shootout

Friday, December 27

Girls

Carrington 48, Hazen 24

Cgtn. 13 11 14 10 48

Hazen 5 6 8 5 24

Carrington: Marah Johnson 12, Edyn Hoornaert 11, Maara Kutz 8, Aniston Hoornaert 4, Brynn Smith 4, Kaydence VanRay 4, Harper Kollman 2, Sophie Spitzer 2, Kenadie Pazdernik 1. Totals: 20 FG, 5-8 FT, 16 fouls. Three-pointers: Johnson 2, E. Hoornaert.

Hazen: Macey Van Inwagen 10, Lauren Doll 5, Miranda Mosset 3, Ava Jungers 2, Emma Rasch 2, Macee Smith 2. Totals: 8 FG, 7-18 FT, 6 fouls. Three-pointer: Mosset.

Carrington Individual Statistics

Rebounds: Kutz 7, Isabel Wendel 6, E. Hoornaert and VanRay 5, Johnson 4, A. Hoornaert 3, H. Kollman 2, Josie Kollman, Pazdernik and Sienna Topp 1.

Assists: Wendel 7, Kutz 2, E. Hoornaert, Johnson and J. Kollman 1.

Steals: Wendel 5, E. Hoornaert and VanRay 2, Johnson and Smith 1.

Blocks: Johnson and Kutz 1.

Saturday, December 28

Carrington 65, Dickinson Trinity 37

Trinity 11 14 7 5 37

Cgtn. 16 12 26 11 65

Carrington: E. Hoornaert 20, VanRay 11, Kutz 8, Wendel 8, Kollman 4, Pazdernik 4, Smith 4, A. Hoornaert 2, Johnson 2, Topp 2. Totals: 24 FG, 12-12 FT, 14 fouls. Three-pointers: E. Hoornaert 2, Wendel 2, VanRay.

Trinity: Bella Kovash 12, Nevaeh Tormaschy 11, Annabel Scheeler 7, Myah Merry 3, Elly McAvoy 2, Madi Wegleitner 2. Totals: 13 FG, 8-13 FT, 15 fouls. Three-pointers: Kovash 2, Scheeler.

Carrington Individual Statistics

Rebounds: Wendel 6, VanRay 4, E. Hoornaert and Smith 3, H. Kollman, Kutz and Pazdernik 2, A. Hoornaert, Johnson, Sophie Spitzer and Topp 1.

Assists: Wendel 9, A. Hoornaert, E. Hoornaert and Kutz 2, Johnson, H. Kollman and J. Kollman 1.

Steals: Wendel 5, E. Hoornaert, VanRay, Pazdernik and Smith 1.

Blocks: VanRay 1.

Friday, December 27

Boys

Carrington 69, Nedrose 37

Cgtn. 19 11 20 19 69

Nedrose 12 5 17 3 37

Carrington: Josh Bickett 22, Taylen Mehring 21, Maddox McIlonie 12, Andrew Matt 6, Tate Wolsky 4, Grady Idland 2. Totals: 25 FG, 11-27 FT, 17 fouls. Three-pointers: Mehring 5, Bickett 2, McIlonie.

Nedrose: Brayden Heigh 11, Jaydon Wills 11, Kaleb Eggen 4, Derek Heinert 4, Kaedin Bader 3. Totals: 14 FG, 5-9 FT, 17 fouls. Three-pointers: Heigh 4. Fouled out: Bader.

Carrington Individual Statistics

Rebounds: Wolsky 7, Bickett and McIlonie 6, Matt 4, Threadgold 3, Idland and Jameson Kutz 1.

Assists: Bickett 5, McIlonie and Mehring 3, Idland 2, Kutz and Wolsky 1.

Steals: Wolsky 5, Bickett 4, Idland 3, McIlonie 2, Matt 1.

Blocks: Ewan Aberle, Bickett and Threadgold 1.

Saturday, December 28

Carrington 62, Watford City 49

WC 17 9 10 13 49

Cgtn. 12 18 14 18 62

Carrington: Bickett 20, McIlonie 16, Mehring 13, Matt 6, Threadgold 5. Totals: 21 FG, 10-15 FT, 10 fouls. Three-pointers: Mehring 2, Bickett.

Watford City: Thaydan Arnold 11, Landon Vetter 11, Trysten DeVries 8, Xavier McGorman 8, Carter Breitbach 3, Kyle Best 2, Dominic Latray 2, Sears Wiredu 2. Totals: 18 FG, 5-8 FT, 19 fouls. Three-pointers: Arnold, McGorman, Breitbach. Technical foul: Watford City bench.

Carrington Individual Statistics

Rebounds: Bickett and Wolsky 5, Threadgold 4, Mehring 3, Matt 2, Idland and McIlonie 1.

Assists: Bickett 5, Wolsky 4, Mehring and Threadgold 2, Idland 1.

Steals: Idland and McIlonie 3, Threadgold 2, Bickett and Wolsky 1.

Blocks: Bickett 1.