Young heroes
Kubik’s late shot, Binstock’s stop helps Trinity beat Ryan, reach semifinalsMINOT — If Jesse Kubik’s confidence was ever lacking before, it won’t be a problem now.
By: Chris Aarhus, Special to The Dickinson Press
- Dylan Fridrich
- Mason Schiff and Alex Klug
- Isiah Binstock
MINOT — If Jesse Kubik’s confidence was ever lacking before, it won’t be a problem now.
The 6-foot-6 Dickinson Trinity sophomore went baseline off the low block and scored with 29 seconds remaining, and sophomore center Isiah Binstock knocked away a Minot Ryan inbounds pass in the final 10 seconds to lift the Titans to a thrilling 37-36 victory Thursday at the Minot State University Dome.
The Class B state tournament quarterfinal win sends the Titans (18-6) into the semifinals where they meet No. 1-ranked and unbeaten North Star at 5:30 p.m. today. Ryan (21-4) faces Standing Rock at noon in consolation play.
Kubik, who tied teammates Jacob Volk and Mason Schiff with a team-high eight points, had his instincts kick in after receiving the ball, choosing to go baseline over a step toward the paint.
“I work on that move a lot,” Kubik said. “I can go the other way. ... When I get the ball, I have to find where the guy is.
“They believe in me, and I believe in myself.”
Kubik found him and converted.
“We wanted to get the ball into him and get him an opportunity to score,” Trinity coach Gregg Grinsteinner said. “He made a great move down there.”
Ryan brought the ball down and, after nearly turning it over at half-court, called a timeout. The Lions set up a play that featured a long inbounds pass, but Isiah Binstock tipped the pass into Volk’s hands to stifle the Lions’ plan and any championship hopes.
Ryan coach Scott Medalen said the game was about making shots.
“We couldn’t make baskets,” said Medalen, whose team finished 14 of 42 for 33 percent. “That was the biggest thing.”
The Lions suffered from long scoring droughts, the biggest of which was an 11-minute, 14-second stretch from the end of the first half to late in the third quarter.
The scoring absence was sandwiched by two Ben Magnuson 3-pointers. Magnuson finished with a game-high 17 points, draining five 3-pointers including one from the left wing that put Ryan ahead 36-35 with 1:01 remaining in the game.
“Ben Magnuson got his points,” Grinsteinner said. “Other than that, I thought the kids did a really nice job.”
Trinity had an eight-point lead going into the fourth quarter after baskets from Volk and Kubik. However, Ryan’s biggest offensive push came at the start of the fourth quarter when they hit the Titans with a 10-2 run, led by 3-pointers from freshman Austin Eggl and senior Adam Burckhard that tied the game at 31.
“We went with some full-court pressure and did some trapping and shifted momentum our way,” Medalen said.
Trinity came up with points when it counted, though, as late jumpers from Schiff and point guard Alex Klug gave the Titans a 35-31 advantage before Ryan’s final rally that preceded Kubiks’ heroics.
“Sometimes as a coach, you’ve got to go with your gut instinct,” Grinsteinner said. “Jesse’s been playing well and instead of shooting a 3, we thought we should go to Jesse or Isiah (Binstock). I thought we’d get a good look.”
The fundamental style of each team was never more evident than in the first half when Trinity muscled the ball inside to help the Titans to a 7-0 run after Magnuson started the game on a backdoor layup from John Landsiedel.
The Titans continued that into the second quarter, but couldn’t keep track of Magnuson, who drilled a trio of 3-pointers, the last of which put Ryan up 18-16 with 2:45 remaining. However, a pair of in-the-paint jumpers from Volk gave Trinity a 20-18 advantage at intermission.
Trinity is 4-0 against Ryan in state tournament games. The Titans improved to 19-6 all time in the tournament.
Trinity 12 20 29 37
Ryan 12 18 27 36
T: Jesse Kubik 8, Jacob Volk 8, Mason Schiff 8, Dylan Fridrich 6, Alex Klug 5, Isiah Binstock 2.
R: Ben Magnuson 17, Adam Burckhard 6, Will DeCoteau 4, Taylor Schwan 4, Austin Eggl 3, Aaron Kasper 2.
3-pointers: T 0, R 8 (Magnuson 5, Burckhard 2, Eggl 1). Free throws: T 5-11, R 0-2. Total fouls: T 5, R 12. Rebounds: R 22 (Kasper 6, DeCoteau 6), T 31 (Fridrich 7, Binstock 7, Schiff 6). Assists: T 6 (Klug 2), R 8 (Schwan 4). Turnovers: T 10, R 6.
Tags: class b state tournament, sports, titans, preps, basketball
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