Official Newspaper of Eddy County since 1883
Official Newspaper of Eddy County since 1883
And that's a 3-pointer for the Rockets! Haydon Meier, Kaden Jensen (behind Meier), Koby Duda, Jorden Boehm, Porter Granger (behind Boehm), Keaton Cudworth and Connor Knatterud jump out of their seats after Easton Benz hit a 3-pointer in the second quarter against the Warwick Warriors on Feb. 4.
Bennett Meier goes up for a layup against the defense of the Warriors' Dalton Joramo.
Easton Benz goes to box out Warriors' Cayden Feather (32) and Dwight Hunt (2).
On a snowy Friday night in northeast Eddy County, the Warwick Warriors played host to the New Rockford-Sheyenne Rockets in another District 7 thriller.
Following a series of debilitating near-comeback losses for NR-S, their largest hurdle entering Warwick was merely staying afloat in the first quarter, and that's exactly what they did. The Warriors' Mark Fassett Jr. got the Warriors off to a strong start offensively, but Rockets' senior Nick Berglund was every bit as strong.
In the first eight minutes, both Berglund and Fassett scored more than 70 percent of their teams' first-quarter points. Regardless, NR-S seemed unable to break free from a one- to two-possession deficit for most of the first half. That was before a late second-quarter surge, however, which saw the Rockets open a two-possession lead of their own.
NR-S eighth grader Easton Benz, fresh off his impressive varsity debut just days prior, was among the team leaders in minutes played. Benz scored five points in the second quarter and took another tough charge later in the third.
Warwick briefly retook a small lead after halftime, but clutch shooting from Berglund and sophomore DJ Mudgett allowed the Rockets to quickly regain control. From that point forward, defense was the name of the game for NR-S.
After a turnover late in the third quarter, senior Kaden Jensen, who recently accepted a football scholarship to the University for Jamestown after their head coach witnessed his incredible verticality, leaped into the air to block a break-away layup attempt by the Warriors, bringing the NR-S bench to their feet in appreciation.
It was just the latest in a series of impressive stops by NR-S, which carried over into the fourth quarter. And that reliable defense was certainly needed, as the offense grew silent and suddenly caught a case of the turnovers, allowing Warwick to close the deficit to just one point with 20 seconds remaining in regulation.
In similar situations this season, the Rockets have struggled to overcome the pressure of nail-biting finishes. There was no such struggle on Friday, however, as Berglund rose to the occasion, hitting the necessary free-throws and securing a 52-48 win over the Warriors, the Rockets' first win of 2022.
With the season nearing its conclusion, there was no better time to defeat a district rival. The win was the Rockets' third of the year, and their first within District 7. Junior varsity, meanwhile, also notched another win in Warwick.
The JV team continues to spread the ball around effectively. Three players, Kailar Jacobson, Easton Simon and Porter Granger, scored in the double digits. It was Jacobson, however, that did the most damage. Jacobson emerged from halftime with the hottest hand on the court, dodging defenders and cashing in layup after layup for 19 total points, all but three of which were scored in the second half.
Jacobson's late surge propelled the Rockets to an 83-60 final score, showing once again how bright the future may be for NR-S basketball.
The Rockets game versus St. John the following day was postponed due to poor weather and has not been rescheduled as of press time. Their next game was at home against the 4-10 Rolette Comets.
Region 4 District 7
Boys' basketball
Friday, Feb. 4
NR-S 52, Warwick 48
at Warwick
NR-S 11 18 12 11 - 52
Warwick 12 12 13 11 - 48
NR-S: Nick Berglund 24, DJ Mudgett 11, Haydon Meier 5, Easton Benz 5, Koby Duda 3, Kaden Jensen 2, Bennett Meier 2. Totals: 19 FG, 7-14 FT, 8 fouls. 3-pointers: Meier 1, Berglund 1, Benz 1, Mudgett 1.
Warwick: Mark Fassett Jr. 17, Dorvan McKay Jr. 11, Dwight Hunt 9, Jason Lenoir 7, Dalton Joramo 2, Cayden Feather 2. Totals: 21 FG, 2-5 FT, 15 fouls. 3-pointers: Fassett Jr. 3, McKay Jr. 1.
B-Squad
Boys' basketball
NR-S 83, Warwick 60
Friday, Feb. 4
at Warwick
NR-S 14 20 30 19 - 83
Warwick 20 22 10 6 - 60
NR-S: Kailar Jacobson 19, Easton Simon 15, Porter Granger 13, Alex Weisenburger 7, Brody Weisenburger 6, Benz 4, Mudgett 4, Kendrick Hopfauf 4, Luke Yri 3, Kage Walford 3, Connor Knatterud 2, Keaton Cudworth 2, Lucas Laducer 1. Totals: 30 FG, 16-26 FT, 12 fouls. 3-pointers: B. Weisenburger 2, Simon 2, Walford 1, Granger 1.
Warwick: Elijah Feather Jr. 18, Hunt 13, D. Joramo 9, McKay Jr. 7, Anthony Touche 4, Randal Pearson Jr. 3, Marcus Joramo 2, Evan Black 2. Totals: 21 FG, 6-8 FT, 18 fouls. 3-pointers: Feather Jr. 6, D. Joramo 3.
