As good as the Killdeer girls basketball team was against district opponents this season, coach Randy Binstock said it doesn't really matter.
"If you take a look at it, they've all been pretty good ball games," Binstock said. "I don't think it makes much of a difference winning or losing as long as your close."
It certainly matters now as the Cowboys take the top seed into the District 14 tournament on Friday at the Beulah High School gymnasium.
Killdeer and No. 2 seed Dickinson Trinity receive first round byes while No. 4 Beulah plays fifth-seeded Richardton-Taylor at 6 p.m. Third-seeded Hazen takes on No. 6 Hebron-Glen Ullin at 7:30 p.m.
According to Binstock, the district is as even as it has ever been.
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"We've been talking about it all along," Binstock said. "Put six names in a hat, draw out four and those are the four that go to regionals. It's that tight."
The Cowboys (13-6) are riding a four-game winning streak into districts.
"We're doing a pretty nice job," Binstock said. "We're rebounding well and that sets the tone for the night. If we take care of the boards and play our own game, we're usually in pretty good shape."
Richardton-Taylor coach Bill Butterfield agreed with Binstock's view of the district.
"I believe anybody in this district can beat anybody," he said. "It's anybody's ball game."
The Raiders, the fifth seed, recently lost on the road to top-seeded Killdeer by just five points.
"At this point in the season, you know what everybody's going to be doing," Butterfield said. "It's just a matter of going through the motions and going out there and executing."
Bulldogs favored in District 13
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Bowman County coach Kent Harding has simple expectations for the upcoming District 13 girls basketball tournament, which kicks off Friday at the Knights of Columbus Activities Center.
"We just want to continue to play well," Harding said. "Play hard and play well."
The third-ranked Bulldogs (18-1) won't have to even be there on Friday as they've earned a first-round bye and No. 1 seed.
Fourth-seeded New England plays No. 5 Mott-Regent at 4:30 p.m. No. 3 Heart River plays sixth-seeded Hettinger at 6 p.m. while the nightcap has No. 2 Beach (17-2) playing seventh-seeded Scranton at 7:30 p.m.
Harding noted a possible Beach-Heart River semifinal as one of the most exciting contests.
"If those two teams can advance, that could be an interesting matchup," Harding said. "That'd be a good game."
Harding said he likes to turn the tempo up at tournament time.
"In practice, we try to turn the level up a bit," Harding said. "At tournament time, the level of play has to go up. You've got to be able to handle the pressure. You work on the same things, but you do it at a higher level."
