Rockets end season with 1-point loss to Raiders

The New Rockford-Sheyenne Rockets and the Dakota Prairie Knights kicked off the first round of the 2022 District 7 boys' basketball tournament on Friday, Feb. 25.

With the Rockets recently taking an 11-point loss to the Knights, the Rockets knew they would have to play their hearts out to take this first round win.

And that is just what they did. Haydon Meier and DJ Mudgett stormed through the floodgates in the first quarter, securing 11 points for the Rockets. But this isn't the only time you will hear about Meier and Mudgett from this game. The Knights' Cade Stein swished two 3-pointers along with a field goal to keep a 1-point lead over the Rockets at the end of the first quarter.

With every given opportunity, Meier would be found taking a shot from just behind the arc. Meier swished his third 3-pointer of the night in the second quarter. Meier's younger brother, Bennett, also secured four points for the Rockets in the second quarter. NR-S senior Kaden Jensen stole the ball and broke away for the basket to score a field goal along with one free-throw. Stein drained his third and final 3-pointer of the night. Knights' center Garrett Syverson put his name on the board with two field goals and one free-throw shot.

The Rockets and Knights were now tied 21-21 at the half. Which team would move on to play the number one seed, the Four Winds/Minnewaukan Indians?

One can only imagine what happened in that locker room during halftime, but the Rockets came out and played better than ever in the second half, besides a few minor errors here and there.

Meier yet again swished another 3-pointer for the Rockets. He was on fire. The third quarter brought more than just a few Rockets' players scoring. Nick Berglund was able to add his name to the stat book after driving to the basket to secure two field goals along with a free-throw shot. Jensen added another field goal to his stats, along with Mudgett who scored on two field goals. After driving to the basket and missing his shot, Koby Duda was sent to the line to shoot two free-throws, swishing both.

Dakota Prairie senior Garrett Haakenson shot two field goals, swishing them both to add four points to the Knights score. Syverson drove to the basket to score a field goal and was sent to the line, only to miss both attempts. Nathan Gronaas swished a field goal, but it simply wasn't enough to catch the Rockets. The Knights trailed the Rockets 29-37 at the end of the third.

Meier and Mudgett came back in the fourth to take down the Knights once and for all. Meier swished his fifth 3-pointer along with a field goal, ending the game with 17 total points. Mudgett drained not one, not two, but five field goals in the fourth quarter, along with two free-throws. Mudgett led the Rockets in points, with a final count of 21, his season record for points per game. Mudgett excelled under the basket, as he should, and took every opportunity to put up a shot. 3-pointers from Syverson and Joramo just weren't enough to catch the Rockets. The Rockets defeated the Knights 54-39, securing a chance to compete against the Four Winds/Minnewaukan Indians.

Stein and Syverson each scored in the double digits for the Knights with 16 and 10 respectively. The Knights would move on to play in the Region Qualifier game on Monday, Feb. 28 against the loser of game 6.

Next up on the bracket were the Harvey/Wells County Hornets and the Benson County Wildcats. The Hornets took advantage of this game and dunked on the Wildcats, taking a 72-32 win. Macyn Olson led the Wildcats with 12 points, being the only Benson County player to score in double digits. Hornets' senior Tate Grossman held the most points with 20. Gabe Allmaras and Alex Erickson followed behind with 13 and 12 respectively.

The final game of the night consisted of the Lakota Raiders and the Warwick Warriors. This matchup was a completely different story than the game back on Jan. 20, where the Warriors took a 31-point loss. The Warriors came out and proved that they deserved to play in the semifinals against the Hornets. The Raiders were defeated 54-52. Warwick freshman Dwight Hunt led the Warriors with 21 total points. Mark Fassett Jr. also scored in double digits with 10 points. As for Lakota, Jaxon Baumgarn led the Raiders with 22 total points, with Zach Gibson following behind with 12.

District 7 Boys' Basketball Tournament

First Round

Friday, Feb. 25

NR-S 54, Dak. Prairie 39

at Devils Lake

NR-S 11 10 16 17 - 54

DP 12 9 8 10 - 39

NR-S: DJ Mudgett 21, Haydon Meier 17, Kaden Jensen 5, Nick Berglund 5, Bennett Meier 4, Koby Duda 2. Totals: 16 FG, 7-13 FT, 9 fouls. 3-pointers: H. Meier 5.

Dakota Prairie: Cade Stein 16, Garrett Syverson 10, Dylan Weber 4, Garrett Haakenson 4, Caden Joramo 3, Nathan Gronaas 2. Totals: 11 FG, 2-6 FT, 13 fouls. 3-pointers: Stein 3, Joramo 1, Syverson 1.

The Wildcats and Raiders started off day two of the District 7 boys' basketball tournament on Saturday, Feb. 26. The Raiders defeated the Wildcats 60-34, to earn a spot in the Region Qualifier game on Monday, Feb. 28 against the New Rockford-Sheyenne Rockets. Scoring in double digits for the Raiders were Zach Gibson with 17, Ross Thompson with 14 and Jaxon Baumgarn with 11. On the Wildcats side, no one scored above seven points. Paxton Neppl and Holdyn Jacobson led the team with seven each.

The second game of the day included the New Rockford-Sheyenne Rockets and the Four Winds/Minnewaukan Indians. This game was nothing like the game between the Rockets and the Knights.

The Rockets' players just didn't have one of their best games. The Rockets' knew it would be nearly impossible to beat the Indians, and it showed.

FW/M players Deng Deng, Dalen Leftbear and Jayden Yankton were fired up and ready to go. Yankton scored nine points in the first quarter, Leftbear scored seven and Deng scored four.

NR-S senior Nick Berglund scored the first points of the day for the Rockets, with a shot from behind the arc, adding three points to the scoreboard. Berglund drove to the basket not long after and swished a field goal along with Haydon Meier and DJ Mudgett. The Indians held an 11-point lead over the Rockets at the end of the first.

An 11-point deficit doesn't sound so bad does it? Unfortunately, the Indians excelled on both sides of the court in the second quarter, adding 32 points to the scoreboard. The Indians relied mainly on 3-pointers. In just the second quarter, Yankton and Pearson each hit two 3-pointers, along with one from Deng and Kylon Keja. That's six 3-pointers in one quarter. The Rockets just couldn't make their shots. Seven points were scored in the second quarter by the Rockets, with five coming from Mudgett and two coming from Duda.

The Indians led 52-16 at the half. The Rockets would need a miracle to come back out and make some shots.

There was no miracle for the Rockets. Mudgett swished a 3-pointer and a field goal, along with field goals from Berglund and B. Meier, but that only added nine points to the board for the Rockets.

Pearson hit yet another 3-pointer for the Indians and Deng, Leftbear and Yankton all scored three or more points each in the third. The Indians now held a 46-point lead over the Rockets.

Deng, Leftbear and Pearson all shot one more basket each in the fourth quarter and were taken out of the game for the non-starters to play. Underclassmen Marial Deng, Brayden Thomas, Ty Dauphinais, Kashton Keja Jr., Keilan Longie, Michael Alex and Keyshawn St. Pierre all had an opportunity to play, even if it was only for a few minutes. Dauphinais, St. Pierre and Keja Jr. were able to score some points for the Indians.

NR-S head coach Tyler Cook had the same game plan as the Indians. Trevor Waldo swished a 3-pointer and Berglund also drained a 3-pointer, along with a field goal. Once those shots were added to the board, the non-starters were given the opportunity to play. Luke Yri, Connor Knatterud, Keaton Cudworth, Jorden Boehm, Easton Benz and Porter Granger earned some varsity playing time. Among those non-starters, Cudworth was the only one to score after rebounding a shot from one of his fellow teammates.

The Rockets were defeated 83-35 by the Indians, sending the Rockets to play in the Region Qualifier against the Lakota Raiders. The Four Winds/Minnewaukan Indians would move on to play in the District 7 championship game.

Double digit scorers for the Rockets were Mudgett and Berglund, each with 12. As for the Indians, Yankton and Pearson led with 22 points each, with Deng and Leftbear following closely behind with 16 and 13 respectively.

The last game of the night included the Harvey/Wells County Hornets and the Warwick Warriors. This game was very intense. The Warriors fought hard against the Hornets, as they kept up with them for more than half of the game. The Hornets pulled away with a 65-52 win, earning a spot in the championship round against the Four Winds/Minnewaukan Indians. Hornets' senior Alex Erickson held the most points with 20. Gabe Allmaras trailed Erickson by one, scoring 19. Tate Grossman also scored in double digits for the Hornets with 10 total points.

Dwight Hunt led the Warriors with 17 total points, and Jason Lenoir and Mark Fassett Jr. followed behind with 12 and 10, respectively. The Warriors moved on to the Region Qualifier round against the Dakota Prairie Knights.

Semifinals

Saturday, Feb. 26

NR-S 35, FW/M 83

at Devils Lake

NR-S 9 7 9 10 - 35

FW/M 20 32 19 12 - 83

NR-S: DJ Mudgett 12, Nick Berglund 12, Trevor Waldo 3, Haydon Meier 2, Bennett Meier 2, Keaton Cudworth 2, Koby Duda 2. Totals: 10 FG 3-8 FT, 9 fouls. 3-pointers: Berglund 2, Mudgett 1, Waldo 1.

FW/M: Jayden Yankton 22, Jacolby Pearson 22, Deng Deng 16, Dalen Leftbear 13, Kylon Keja 3, Wade Nestell 2, Ty Dauphinais 2, Kashton Keja Jr. 2, Keyshawn St. Pierre 1. Totals: 24 FG, 5-8 FT, 8 fouls. 3-pointers: Pearson 4, Yankton 3, Deng 1, Leftbear 1, Ky. Keja 1.

The third and final day of the District 7 Tournament began on Monday, Feb. 28 with the New Rockford-Sheyenne Rockets and the Lakota Raiders.

After taking a big loss to the Raiders back on Jan. 28, the Rockets knew they would have to play like they have never played before. And that is just what they did.

Raiders guards' Jaxon Baumgarn and Zach Gibson pulled out of the gate strong, each draining a 3-pointer in the first quarter. But those six points weren't enough to hold a lead over the Rockets. NR-S forward's Nick Berglund and DJ Mudgett went to work under the basket to swish two field goals each to take a 1-point lead over the Raiders at the buzzer.

The second quarter was one to remember. Freshman Bennett Meier went shot-for-shot and rarely missed a beat. Meier scored eight points off four field goals for the Rockets. Other key points for the Rockets came from sophomore Luke Yri, as he took a shot from beyond the arc to swish a 3-pointer.

But the Raiders kept fighting back. With double trouble coming from Gibson and Baumgarn, each were able to put in two 3-pointers. The Rockets still held a 2-point lead over the Raiders at the half.

The second half of the game went in favor of the Raiders. 3-point shots were the name of the game for Lakota. Gibson was left wide open to drain another 3-pointer, followed by two more 3-pointers from Baumgarn. Lakota sophomore Ross Thompson fought his way into the basket for two shots, securing them both along with a bonus free-throw shot.

Berglund and Mudgett came back in the third quarter with field goals left and right. Mudgett swished two and Berglund swished four. NR-S senior Kaden Jensen stole the ball and broke away for the basket, adding two points to the board and drawing the foul. He was sent to the line to shoot two, but missed both attempts. The Raiders had finally acquired a 1-point lead over the Rockets at the end of the third.

The fourth quarter had many turnovers from bad passes. With those errors, the Rockets gave easy points to the Raiders. Baumgarn and Gibson swished their final 3-pointers of the day, and Thompson posted up to secure four points under the basket before fouling out.

With a dramatic fall from Jack Steffan during a free-throw shot by the Rockets, Haydon Meier received a foul sending the ball back to the Raiders with less than a minute left on the clock. The Rockets called a time out with four seconds on the clock to attempt to make one last shot to defeat the Raiders. Berglund pushed through the Raiders defense, but missed his attempt at a final field goal. The Raiders defeated the Rockets by merely one point to secure their first berth at the Region 4 Tournament in 14 years.

Rockets' athletes scoring in double digits were Berglund with 14, Mudgett with 11 and B. Meier with 10. Baumgarn led the Raiders with 23 total points, with Gibson and Thompson trailing behind with 16 and 13 respectively.

The next teams on the bracket were the Warwick Warriors and the Dakota Prairie Knights. The Warriors had some tricks up their sleeves, and were able to conquer the Knights 78-64 to move on to the Region 4 Tournament. Six athlete's for the Warriors scored in double digits against the Knights. Dwight Hunt led the team with 23 points, with Mark Fassett Jr. following with 12, Jason Lenoir, Marcus Joramo and Dorvan McKay Jr. each with 11 and Cayden Feather with 10 points. The last time the Warriors competed in the Region 4 tournament was back in 2012, with Mr. Basketball Melvin Langstaff Jr.

The final game of the night included the Harvey/Wells County Hornets and the Four Winds/Minnewaukan Indians. The first three quarters of the game, the Hornets kept up with the Indians, trailing by no more than 10 points. The Indians began an extremely full court press in the fourth quarter, which aided them in their 69-43 win over the Hornets. Jayden Yankton led the Indians with 23 total points. Also scoring in double digits for the Indians were Deng Deng with 13, Dalen Leftbear with 12, Kelson Keja with 11 and Jacolby Pearson with 10. This was the Indians final District 7 championship win, as Districts 7 and 8 will be combining to form Super-Region 4 in the 2022-23 school year.

The Indians will play the Rolla Bulldogs at 3 p.m. on March 7 in Devils Lake for the first round of the Region 4 Tournament. Warwick will follow at 4:30 p.m. against the Dunseith Dragons. The Lakota Raiders will compete against the District 8 champions, the North Star Bearcats at 6 p.m. The Hornets will take on the Woodchucks in the final game of the night at 7:30 p.m. Good luck to all the teams competing in the Region 4 Tournament!

Congrats to New Rockford-Sheyenne's Nick Berglund as he made the 2022 All District Team. Congrats to Nick, Kaden, Koby and Jorden on their final basketball season as a Rocket. Good luck in your future endeavors!

The 2022 All Tournament Team consisted of Tate Grossman, Harvey/Wells County; Dwight Hunt, Warwick; Jaxon Baumgarn, Lakota, Jayden Yankton and Jacolby Pearson, Four Winds/Minnewaukan.

Jayden Yankton was also awarded with the 2022 District 7 Athlete of the Year.

Four Winds/Minnewaukan head coach Rick Smith was awarded with District 7 Coach of the Year.

Region Qualifier

Monday, Feb. 28

NR-S 53, Lakota 54

at Devils Lake

NR-S 11 17 14 11 - 53

Lakota 10 15 18 11 - 54

NR-S: Nick Berglund 14, DJ Mudgett 11, Bennett Meier 10, Kaden Jensen 9, Haydon Meier 6, Luke Yri 3. Totals: 23 FG, 4-9 FT, 11 fouls. 3-pointer: Yri 1. Technical foul: Mudgett.

Lakota: Jaxon Baumgarn 23, Zach Gibson 16, Ross Thompson 13, Isaak Anthony 2. Totals: 9 FG, 3-7 FT, 14 fouls. 3-pointers: Baumgarn 6, Gibson 5. Fouled out: Thompson.