Tommies defend home territory

The New Rockford-Sheyenne Rockets varsity boys' basketball team opened their season with a heartbreaking 56-53 loss to the Thompson Tommies on Saturday, Dec. 11.

The Rockets' star senior, Nick Berglund, opened up scoring with a towering hook shot on the game's first possession, just a taste of what was to come in the first half. Berglund scored 16 of the Rockets' 24 first-half points, and his presence under the basket kept NR-S in command of rebounds.

As the end of the first-half approached, the Rockets had been maintaining a two-possession lead for most of the game. However, a string of five consecutive turnovers midway through the second quarter allowed the Tommies to retaliate and take a two-possession lead of their own.

The Rockets managed to stem the bleeding and claw their way back, but entered halftime with just a 25-24 advantage.

As the second half got underway, the Rockets looked like a completely different team... in a good way. Rather than the one-man Berglund offense NR-S operated in the first half, multiple players were stepping up and hitting shots. Haydon Meier scored 12 in the second half, including six from beyond the arc, while Luke Yri, Koby Duda and Trevor Waldo contributed a few baskets of their own.

With just a few minutes left in the third quarter, NR-S had built an impressive 12-point advantage, their largest of the game. However, much like they did in the second quarter, the Tommies mounted a fierce comeback in the fourth, bringing the lead to within one possession just a few minutes after trailing by 12.

To make matters worse, the Rocket's lead scorer, Berglund, fouled out with three minutes remaining, followed quickly by Koby Duda roughly a minute later. Without two of their best players, NR-S found themselves struggling to keep pace with the Tommies, who outscored the Rockets 23-12 in the fourth quarter alone.

Regardless, with only 9.5 seconds remaining, the Rockets had possession and a chance to win. But a full-court pass attempt from Haydon Meier to Kaden Jensen, reminiscent of their connections on the football field, went awry, giving the ball straight back to the Tommy's.

Five seconds later, a 3-pointer was launched by Thompson's Drew Overby. As the buzzer went off, so, too, did the Thompson arena, as their team capped off an improbable comeback with the most exciting play in basketball - the buzzer beater.

The loss stings for a Rockets team hoping to kick off their season on the right foot. NR-S attempted to bounce back from the tough loss in Carrington the following Monday. So, too, did the junior varsity team, which fell by a score of 61-40 in Thompson.

Nondistrict Boys'

Basketball

Saturday, Dec. 11

NR-S 53, Thompson 56

at Thompson

NR-S 14 10 17 12

Thompson 10 15 8 23

NR-S: Nick Berglund 23, Haydon Meier 18, Koby Duda 7, Trevor Waldo 3, Luke Yri 2. Totals: 22 FG; 4-11 FT; 15 fouls. Three-pointers: Haydon Meier 4, Nick Berglund 1.

Thompson: Karter Peterson 23, Braydon Wolfgram 10, Kyle Odenbach 8, Drew Overby 8, Tyler Cunningham 5, Connor Welsh 2. Totals: 23 FG; 9-11 FT; 10 fouls. Three-pointers: Drew Overby 3, Braydon Wolfgram 2, Tyler Cunningham 1, Karter Peterson 1.

B Squad

NR-S 39, Thompson 61

NR-S 10 9 7 13 39

Thompson 23 15 10 14 61

NR-S: Porter Granger 9, DJ Mudgett 8, Connor Knatterud 4, Alex Weisenburger 4, Brody Weisenburger 3, Kage Walford 3, Luke Yri 3, Kendrick Hopfauf 2, Easton Simon 2, Bennett Meier 1. Totals: 8 FG, 5-14 FT, 7 fouls. Three pointers: Granger 3, B. Weisenburger 1, Yri 1, Walford 1.

Thompson: Drew Overby 18, Drew Odenbach 12, Jordan Gustafson 9, Gavin Krogstad 6, Thomas Schumacher 5, Braden Tyce 5, Brody Gibson 4, Easton Lovelace 2. Totals: 21 FG, 1-6 FT, 17 fouls. Three-pointers: Overby 4, Schumacher 1, Tyce 1.