Nuttin' they could do

On Tuesday, Dec. 28, the Central Cass Squirrels ran circles around the New Rockford-Sheyenne Rockets in Casselton, sending the Rockets home with a devastating 82-22 defeat.

The scoring began early and often for Central Cass as they methodically established an impressive lead. Most of their scoring in the first quarter came from inside the paint, and their balanced attack made clear that they were in full control. By the end of the first quarter, seven Central Cass Squirrels had contributed to their lead, compared to just two players for NR-S.

In the second quarter, Central Cass began launching shots from beyond-the-arc more frequently, and it worked. By the end of the half, the Squirrels had scored six three-pointers for 18 points, effectively providing the nail in the coffin as they walked into halftime with a 56-13 advantage.

The Rockets, meanwhile, were powerless to stop the scoring onslaught from Central Cass, and were incapable of mounting enough of their own offense to keep up. NR-S senior Nick Berglund was the only Rockets player capable of responding to the Squirrels attack, as he was responsible for 10 of the Rockets’ 13 first-half points.

The following two quarters were largely a formality, as both teams eventually turned to their bench players to wrap things up. When the dust settled, Central Cass had earned their season’s best mark in both points scored and points allowed.

With the loss, the New Rockford-Sheyenne Rockets moved to 2-5 overall. Central Cass, meanwhile, remained undefeated at a perfect 6-0. The Rockets’ younger teams also struggled, as the B-squad fell 82-29, and the C-squad fell by 37-25.

Despite the poor start to the season, the Rockets have yet to play an opponent within their district, but that changes soon. On Tuesday, Jan. 11, the Rockets will kick off inter-district competition as they travel to take on the Warwick Warriors, who were 3-2 overall as of Jan. 5.

Nondistrict Boys’ Basketball

Tuesday, Dec. 28

NR-S 22, Central Cass 82

at Casselton

NR-S 8 5 7 2 22

CC 25 31 20 6 82

NR-S: Nick Berglund 12, Koby Duda 7, Kaden Jensen 2, Luke Yri 1. Totals: 8 FG, 3-10 FT, eight fouls. Three-pointers: Nick Berglund 1.

Central Cass: Sam Kobbervig 21, Carter Vrchota 11, Eli Buhr 11, Myles Vance 10, Jacob Deutsch 6, Chase Bachmeier 5, Mason Bosse 4, Alex Everson 4, Carter Maasjo 4, Tyler Cruchet 4, Owen Wiersma 2. Totals: 27 FG, 4-7 FT, 14 fouls. Three-pointers: Eli Buhr 3, Myles Vance 2, Sam Kobbervig 1, Carter Vrchota 1, Chase Bachmeier 1.

B-Squad

NR-S 29, Central Cass 82

NR-S 11 3 4 11 29

CC 28 20 22 12 82

NR-S: Jorden Boehm 7, Easton Simon 6, Kailar Jacobson 6, Luke Yri 3, Brody Weisenburger 3, Kendrick Hopfauf 2, Alex Weisenburger 2. Totals: 7 FG, 11 fouls. Three-pointers: B. Weisenburger 2, Simon 2, Boehm 1, Yri 1.

Central Cass: Owen Wiersma 18, Jace Narum 10, Chase Bachmeier 9, Eli Bohr 8, Mason Bosse 8, Jayden Pavlicek 7, Mateo Chapa 5, Jacob Thompson 4, Carter Maasjo 4, Forest Sears 3, Kameren Baarsted 2, Brayden Mitchell 2, Brodie Runck 2. Totals: 29 FG, 9-13 FT, 5 fouls. Three-pointers: Pavlicek 2, Bohr 2, Bachmeier 1.

C-Squad

NR-S 25, Central Cass 37

NR-S 8 2 6 9 25

CC 5 10 9 12 37

NR-S: Alex Weisenburger 8, Kailar Jacobson 8, Easton Simon 4, Brody Weisenburger 3, Kendrick Hopfauf 2. Totals: 9 FG, 4-11 FT, 8 fouls. Three-pointer: B. Weisenburger 1.

Central Cass: Owen Nudell 7, Noah Sveryson 6, Jacob Thompson 5, Mateo Chapa 4, Owen Koetz 4, Brodie Runck 3, Forest Sears 2, Jayden Pavlicek 2, Brady Plantz 2, Kameren Baarsted 2. Totals: 14 FG, 3-11 FT, 10 fouls. Three-pointers: Thompson 1, Nudell 1.