DICKINSON - Beach came out nervous and Richardton-Taylor tried its best to match the Buccaneers' skittishness in the opening game of the Region 7 girls basketball tournament on Monday afternoon.
In a sloppy game that featured a combined 57 turnovers and 38 total fouls, the Buccaneers completed one of the simplest tasks when the game was on the line - they hit their free throws.
Beach shot 17 of 22 from the free-throw line in the second half and used its performance at the line to break open a game that had been close for its entirety in the closing minutes and come away with a 48-38 quarterfinal victory at Knights of Columbus Activities Center.
"They got to the free-throw line. They started making them," Raiders coach Bill Butterfield said.
Beach, the No. 3 seed from District 13, offset three quarters of sluggishness in the fourth and scored all but eight of its fourth-quarter points from the free-throw line. The Buccaneers were 14 of 18 at line in the fourth quarter and outscored Richardton-Taylor 22-13 in the final 8 minutes.
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"I don't know what we would have done if we wouldn't have made our free-throws," Beach coach Bob Waldal said.
Richardton-Taylor senior Mandy Naumann closed the gap to 42-38 with a 3-pointer from the right corner with 1:59 left in the fourth. The Raiders, who came in as the District 14's second seed, didn't score again.
Waldal was happy to get away with the win, but was unpleased about his team's inability to keep their hands on the ball.
Beach had 29 turnovers. By comparison, the Raiders had 28.
"It wasn't because of pressure. It was turnovers we did on our own, which is very uncharacteristic of us" Waldal said.
Raiders junior post Kaylee Stein took advantage of the Buccaneers' sloppiness in the early going, getting inside for easy buckets and forcing free-throw opportunities.
Stein scored a game-high 19 points and was 9 of 12 from the free-throw line.
"She has been stepping it up on the offensive end all year," Butterfield said.
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Raiders senior forward Katie Zent added eight points, eight rebounds, four steals and three assists for the Raiders, but fouled out with 2:20 left in the fourth.
Beach, meanwhile, overcame a 29 percent shooting performance with scoring balance.
Brittany Dietz scored 12 points and had four rebounds and Emily Hardy had nine points and 10 rebounds. Abby Weinreis scored seven points, had eight rebounds, three steals and two assists. Teal Waldal added eight points.
Weinreis said the turnovers, low-shooting percentage and overall lack of intensity was atypical of Beach's style.
"We didn't play as a team like we usually do. We didn't come out strong," Wienreis said. "It seemed like we were really sloppy. It seemed like we were hurrying."
Beach is scheduled to play Bowman County in the semifinals at 6 p.m. today.
Waldal said the Buccaneers will need to shake off the rough start if they hope to run with Bowman County in the semifinals.
"We just have to play hard," Waldal said. "The first game is over thank goodness."
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Beach 48, Richardton-Taylor 38
B 7 14 26 48
RT 8 15 25 38
B: Brittney Dietz 12, Emily Hardy 9, Teal Waldal 8, Jill Rising 7, Abby Weinreis 7, Kayla Dolyniuk 5.
RT: Kaylee Stein 19, Katie Zent 8, Kaitlyn Forster 6, Mandy Naumann 3, Libby Forster 2.
3-pointers: Waldal 2, Naumann. Free throws: B 22-31, RT 15-21. Total fouls: B 16, RT 22. Fouled out: Hardy, Zent. Rebounds: B 29 (Hardy 10), RT 28 (Zent 8). Assists: B 4 (Weinreis 2), RT 6 (Zent 3). Steals: B 14 (Weinreis 3, Rising 3), RT 13 (three players with 4). Turnovers: B 29, RT 28.
