New England head coach Luke Powers said the Region 7 championship game sums up Ty Nordby to a tee.
The 6-foot-3 senior forward fractured his nose after his teammate, sophomore forward Cody Holt, accidentally elbowed him while both players went up for a rebound during last Thursday’s title game.
Though there was blood rushing out of Nordby’s nose, he didn’t miss too much time on the court.
Nordby saw the trainer at Knights of Columbus Activities Center, shoved a pair of cotton swabs in his nostrils to stop the blood rushing and grabbed a new jersey from teammate Carter Stang since his normal No. 20 was covered in blood.
“I felt pretty bad about it,” Holt said after the title game. “It happens sometimes.”
But soon, Nordby was back on the court to help the No. 5-ranked Tigers win the region title and punch their ticket to the North Dakota Class B state tournament for the first time since 1997.
“I wanted to get back on the floor as soon as I could,” Nordby said. “That blood was kind of holding me back.”
“I definitely had to give Carter a big thank you,” he added with a smile.
Nordby finished the regional championship with 12 points and four boards.
Powers has stated on multiple occasions that Nordby is the team’s glue.
He said after Nordby’s Region 7 championship game performance he might be the team’s super glue.
“He’s the type of kid that’s going to go above and beyond,” Powers said. “He does everything for his teammates.”
Nordby is averaging 10.8 points and 10.7 rebounds per game.
However, Nordby’s biggest attribute is finding second-chance opportunities. He has grabbed more than 130 offensive rebounds in the past two seasons.
“When we get the ball in the post, you can watch him roaming around the free-throw line to see where the ball is going to come off and he’s going to soar above the rim to grab the ball,” Powers said.
Nordby’s numbers stand out, but Powers said the senior forward possesses a strong character that helps him bring quality senior leadership.
“More important than anything, he’s had the personality that attracts people, and he’s hilarious,” Powers said. “The kids gravitate toward him. He’s just a good kid and real fun to coach.”
The Tigers are averaging 61 points per game and allowing 42.9, which is the second-best in Class B. Rugby - the No. 2 seed in the state tournament - allows the fewest points per game (40.3).
New England - the tournament’s No. 4 seed - opens the Class B state tournament against LaMoure-Litchville-Marion at 7:15 p.m. Thursday at the Bismarck Event Center. New England has the state’s longest winning streak at 17.
Nordby said he is excited for the team opportunity to play in the state tournament.
“We definitely have the ability to do something special at the state tournament,” he said. “We just have to put together three good games. We just need to start rolling and keep rolling.”
Though this is the team’s first trip to the state tournament in nearly 20 years, New England doesn’t want to just settle.
The Tigers want to make some noise.
“It’s kind of amazing what we’ve done when you look at it,” Nordby said. “We are a small school and we are 41-7 in the last two years. That’s pretty amazing.”
