Rockets finish third in Region 2

POSTED: March 7, 2024 9:15 PM

The New Rockford-Sheyenne Rockets just won't go away.

Despite the best efforts of several teams this postseason, the Rocket boys still have another chance to qualify for the state tournament.

The latest team to try ending their season was the Langdon Area/Edmore/Munich Cardinals, who played the Rockets in a game for third place at the region tournament on Thursday, March 7.

Whichever team won would get a final play-in game to qualify for the state tournament, and for most of the first half of Thursday's game, it seemed the Rockets' hopes of making state had been all but quashed.

After putting up just 4 points in the first eight minutes, the Rockets had added just one more with 3:29 remaining before halftime. The Cardinal offense, meanwhile, had been humming along smoothly, having scored 20 points in that same time.

But as the Rockets have proven time and time again this season, they don't go down without a fight.

In the time remaining in the second quarter, the NR-S defense tightened up, and quickly rattled off 10 consecutive points, bringing the score to a far more manageable 15-20 at halftime.

The Rockets' 10-0 run also stole momentum away from the Cardinals, which they used to play at a much higher pace in the second half.

Kailar Jacobson and Bennett Meier in particular had strong third-quarter performances, propelling their team to a 15-point quarter and officially bringing what was a 15-point deficit all the way back to a tie game.

The score was 30-30 entering the final frame, and it all came down to the final seconds to determine whose season would come to an end.

With only 36 seconds left in regulation, NR-S was enjoying a relatively comfortable 4-point margin considering how little time was remaining.

But that changed when Cardinal sophomore Levi Swanson launched a contested jumper from beyond the arc, which hit its mark and brought the Cardinals to within a single point with 35.2 seconds remaining.

However, thanks to a string of incredibly clutch turnovers forced by the Rockets' defense, the Cardinals never again saw a solid opportunity to take the lead.

Instead, NR-S sophomore Easton Simon hit a few late free throws to close the game with a final score of 40-36, giving the Rockets third place in the Region 2 Tournament and securing one final opportunity to qualify for the state tournament.

The Rockets will take on Region 1 #2 LaMoure-Litchville/Marion in a state play-in game at 5 p.m. on Saturday, March 9 at the SCHEELS Center on the NDSU Campus in Fargo. The winner will advance to the State Class B Tournament in Minot on March 14-16.

All Region Team:

Rayce Worley, LA/E/M

Grant Cosley, North Border

Riley Robinson, Midway/Minto

Talan Devine, Cavalier

Jaxon Baumgarn, Nelson County

Parker Simon, North Star

Zach Gibson, Nelson County

Nate Tastad, North Prairie

Everett Fedje, Drayton-Valley/Edinburg

Karsen Simon, North Star

Marshall Judisch, MPCG

Dane Hagler, North Star

Jace Collison, Larimore

Zack Anderson, Cavalier

Bennett Meier, NR-S

Other special awards:

Senior Athlete of the Year: Dane Hagler, North Star

Coach of the Year: Jesse Vote, North Star

Region 2 Boys' Basketball Tournament

3rd Place

NR-S 40, LA/E/M 36

Thursday, March 7

in Devils Lake

NR-S: 4 11 15 10 - 40

LA/E/M: 11 9 10 6 - 36

NR-S: Bennett Meier 16, Kailar Jacobson 11, Luke Yri 6, Easton Simon 4, Kage Walford 2, Easton Benz 1. Totals: 14 FG, 12-22 FT, 13 fouls.

LA/E/M: Eastyn Schaefer 15, Rayce Worley 13, Levi Swanson 5, Nickolas Kingzett 3. Totals: 14 FG, 6-7 FT, 20 fouls. 3-pointers: Worley 1, Swanson 1. Fouled out: Kingzett.