The No. 6 seed Killdeer boys basketball team was having its way with Dickinson Trinity in the first half.
The No. 3-seeded Titans made sure it wouldn’t happen again.
Down 17-13 after a quick timeout, Trinity refocused and used its defensive efforts to muscle out the Cowboys for a 59-44 win in the quarterfinals of the Region 7 Tournament on Monday at Knights of Columbus Activities Center.
“First game as a coach, you’re always nervous because you’re not sure how your kids are going to respond,” Trinity head coach Gregg Grinsteinner said. “Killdeer came out with nothing to lose and played very loose and made it a tight game.
“At times we executed very well and other times we went through the motions and we talked, come tournament time, it’s a one-game season and you have to show up and play.”
Despite the win, the Titans were a little lackluster on offense. They shot 52 percent from the field in the first half but only hit on 31 percent of their shots in the second half. Trinity, normally a threat around the perimeter, was shut down from deep, going just 2 for 8 from 3-point range.
After a 26-point loss to Trinity in the final game of the season, the Cowboys came out firing on all cylinders and matched Trinity shot for shot for the first 12 minutes. Killdeer’s Bubba Roshau and Hayes LeMieux opened the second quarter with a 3-pointer and layup, respectively, to take the four-point lead. The Titans responded and outscored the Cowboys 17-6 to take a 30-23 halftime lead.
“Our defense was very good, our goal was to hold them to under 50 and we held them to 44," Trinity junior guard Willy Jahner said. "But our offense, we struggled at times. But should get better for tomorrow."
Killdeer continued to hang on in the third quarter and made it a one-possession game three times, twice on shots by LeMieux. Things began to slip away from the Cowboys and swing in favor of Trinity in the fourth quarter.
Jahner scored a game-high 15 points, which included two 3-pointers, and had two steals. Senior Joe Mayer followed with nine points and six rebounds, seniors Cole Wilhelmi and Brock Messer each supplied six points. Jon Volk finished with seven points, four rebounds and four steals. Shawn Stolz pulled down a game-high 11 rebounds and added six points.
“For the most part, we took care of the ball extremely well, won the battle on the glass," Grinsteinner said, "but we got to be a little more aggressive and got to be able to score the ball."
Despite the loss, Killdeer head coach Andy Murphy said he was proud of his team for competing from start to finish.
Seniors Tuff Kling and Lewis Dobitz scored 12 and 11 points, respectively, while Kling and senior Trenton Rohr each had six rebounds. LeMiuex and Roshau finished with eight points.
“Couldn’t be more proud of the boys,” Murphy said. “For the first time all season, for all 32 minutes, they played. And give credit to Trinity. They’re a good team. But our kids played very well tonight.”
Trinity has a tall task at hand in its semifinal game, playing No. 2 seed Heart River at 7 p.m. today. The Titans finished the regular season with two region losses, one of which was to the Cougars. Heart River edged Trinity in a 58-52 victory on Jan. 22.
“They play really hard and we got to match their intensity right of the bat,” Stoltz said.
Killdeer 12 23 34 44
Trinity 13 30 43 59
K: Tuff Kling 12, Lewis Dobtiz 11, Hayes LeMieux 8, Bubba Roshau 8, Alex Sadowsky 2, Trenton Rohr 2, Sean Tuhy 1.
T: Willy Jahner 15, Joe Mayer 9, Brock Messer 8, Cole Wilhelmi 8, Jon Volk 7, Shawn Stoltz 6, Lucas Jones 6.
3-pointers: K 3 (Roshau 2, Dobitz 1), T 2 (Jahner 2). Free throws: K 5-10, T 11-17. Total fouls: K 12, T 7. Rebounds: K 30 (Kling 6, Rohr 6), T 40 (Stoltz 11). Assists: K 7 (LeMieux 3), T 13 (Wilhelmi 7). Steals: K 6 (LeMieux 2), T 11 (Jon Volk 4). Blocks: K 1 (LeMieux), T 3 (Messer 2). Turnovers: K 11, T 6. Records: K 15-8, T 15-7.
