Region 7 Tournament: Raiders respect what Buccaneers are doing

Richardton-Taylor coach Dan Glasser said he has nothing but respect for the way Beach plays basketball.

"I could watch Beach play every night because of the effort they give," Glasser said. "They're a fun team to watch."

Nonetheless, Glasser wouldn't mind knocking off the District 13 champions when the teams wrap up the quarterfinal round at 7:30 p.m.

Beach (14-8) has used a full-court pressure defense to make a late-season surge after entering the District 13 tournament seeded fourth.

"We're peaking right at the right time," Beach first-year head coach Troy Hoffer said. "We're playing our best basketball. ... I feel good about where we're at. Sometimes I think we're playing a little bit above our head."

Other teams would likely argue that.

The Buccaneers are forcing 25 turnovers a game with their revamped defense, which troubled both top-seeded Bowman County and second-seeded Hettinger in the district tournament.

"Our full-court press, our full-court man, whatever you call it, they (the players) love it," Hoffer said.

Ironically, so does Glasser.

"Their whole team, they work so hard," Glasser said. "Every second of the game, they're working their hardest. That says a lot about coach Hoffer and what he's doing over there."

The Raiders (13-9), meanwhile, enter regionals with District 14's fourth seed after suffering a few key losses in the regular season.

Richardton-Taylor hopes to fight Beach's lock-down defense with a potent offense that has four seniors scoring in the mid-teens nightly.

Dylan Messer leads the way with 15 points and six assists. Kasey Naumann averages 14 points and 12 rebounds. Jadon Messer puts in 14 points while grabbing four steals a game and Lane Transtrom averages 14 points. All were starters on last year's team that took second at the region tournament.

However, a lack of depth as the tournament wears on would be a worry for the Raiders if they were to get past Beach.

"That really hurt us in the district tournament, playing back-to-back nights," Glasser said. "I think it is a big concern."

Beach Buccaneers

Head coach: Troy Hoffer

Starters: Jake Tescher, Sr., F; Derek Weinreis, Sr., G; Justin Maus, Jr., G; Nolan Niece, Jr., G; Lance Dykins, Jr., F.

Key reserves: Austin Bagley, Sr., G; Jordan Tescher, Jr., F.

Richardton-Taylor Raiders

Head coach: Dan Glasser

Starters: Dylan Messer, Sr., G; Jadon Messer, Sr., G; Kasey Naumann, Sr., C; Lane Transtrom, Sr., F; Carsen Colgrove, Sr., G.

Key reserves: Scott Remington, Sr., G.