Rockets dispatch Woodchucks

On Monday, Jan. 8, the New Rockford-Sheyenne Rockets took on the St. John Woodchucks on the road.

The matchup between the two teams was the second this season, with the first one taking place during the annual CNDC Tournament in Harvey.

That first game was dominated by NR-S, who eventually advanced to the championship game of the tournament and won three of their next five games.

The Woodchucks, meanwhile, had won once in their previous five games entering their second game against the Rockets.

With all that being known, the Rockets couldn't have expected the first few minutes to unfold how they ultimately did.

Immediately the Woodchucks scored after the tip-off with an old-fashioned 3-point play, a couple of baskets later and they quickly had scored eight points.

The Rockets, meanwhile, had just one basket, and were facing an 8-2 deficit with just over three minutes remaining.

A 3-pointer from the Rockets' Luke Yri finally got their offense rolling a little, but it wouldn't be enough to win the quarter.

The first eight minutes came to an end with St. John holding a 13-8 advantage.

The Woodchucks were hoping that momentum might propel them to a big upset, and it certainly looked like it might as the second quarter dragged on.

Offense was simply hard to come by for the Rockets despite getting their hands on several offensive rebounds.

But eventually, in the final minutes of the first half, NR-S finally got things going enough to keep pace with and even catch up to their opponents.

A buzzer-beating jumper from senior Ashton Reimche tied the game at 19-19 going into halftime.

For comparison, at halftime of their first matchup this season, the Rockets enjoyed a 35-24 advantage.

Coming out of halftime, however, the Rockets looked like a completely different team, the same team one that had taken care of St. John fairly easily earlier this season.

In the first few minutes there was hardly a shot they didn't make, and they soon found themselves with a comfortable advantage.

By the end of the third quarter, the NR-S offense had more than doubled their point total from the first half, with 23 points, giving them a 42-33 lead entering the final frame.

And like the quarter before it, the Rockets continued to dominate offensively, and Yri continued to be accurate from beyond the arc.

The defense also tightened up, as St. John only managed to score five points in the entire fourth quarter.

The Rockets' defense and their return to form on offense after halftime ultimately resulted in a comfortable 61-47 final score.

With the win, the Rockets' overall record improved to 5-3 on the season, with their Region 2 record improving to 2-1.

NR-S played their next game on Saturday, Jan. 13 at Washburn, which was their last matchup before they begin taking on district opponents.

The Rockets' first District 4 game will take place on Thursday, Jan. 18 at Larimore.

Stats unavailable as of press time.