Class B-State Tournament-Semifinal Preview

<p>Day 1 is in the books for the opening day in Minot.</p> <p>Opening day results:</p> <p>#2 Grafton/St. Thomas 66 vs. Powers Lake 28</p> <p>#3 Edgeley/Kulm/Montpelier 67 vs. Rugby 63</p> <p>#1 Four Winds/Minnewaukan 68 vs. Shiloh Christian 52</p> <p>#4 Dickinson Trinity 43 vs. #5 Kindred 46</p> <p>Let us take a look at each matchup in the semifinals…</p> <p><strong>State Tournament Semifinal Games:</strong></p> <p><u>Friday, March 19th, 2021</u></p> <p>[6:30 start]<strong> #2 Grafton/St. Thomas (23-2) vs. #3 Edgeley/Kulm/Montpelier (23-2)</strong></p> <p>This is an intriguing matchup with both teams having a good showing on opening day. The Rebels from EKM have the size advantage and more power in the paint. The Spoilers have the backcourt advantage with a veteran group of guards. The Spoilers shot well from outside in their first game. BIG QUESTION FOR THE GAME? Will the inside presence for EKM win out or will the Grafton tough defense and versatile scoring prevail? The lead players for the Spoilers are [player_tooltip player_id="731907" first="Stevan" last="Garza"], [player_tooltip player_id="1046339" first="Justin" last="Garza"], Luis Balderas Jr., [player_tooltip player_id="1046345" first="Brandon" last="Albrecht"], and [player_tooltip player_id="1133067" first="William" last="Jiskra"]. The lead players for the Rebels are [player_tooltip player_id="750172" first="Alex" last="Huber"], Chayse Entzi, and Adam Nitschke. The winner will play in the State Championship on Saturday at 6:30.</p> <p>[9:00 start] <strong>#1 Four Winds/Minnewaukan (24-1) vs. #5 Kindred (18-4)</strong></p> <p>These are the two best defensive teams in North Dakota. The Indians are in your face, persistent and quick on recovering defense. They also have a 6’10” rim protector. The Vikings are extremely long and athletic. Kindred plays a great zone defense. They can also lock up for a great man-D. Four Winds has the skill advantage and Kindred has the size/athlete advantage. The top players for Four Winds are [player_tooltip player_id="750159" first="Bronson" last="Walter"], [player_tooltip player_id="750170" first="Jaeshaun" last="Shaw"], [player_tooltip player_id="1046356" first="Jayden" last="Yankton"], [player_tooltip player_id="1115603" first="Keldon" last="Keja"], [player_tooltip player_id="1115651" first="Caelen" last="Lohnes"], [player_tooltip player_id="1144580" first="Deng" last="Deng"], [player_tooltip player_id="1115652" first="Jonah" last="Jackson"], and Jacob LaRock. The lead players for the Vikings are [player_tooltip player_id="731867" first="Gavin" last="Keller"], Ethan McKenney, [player_tooltip player_id="1123711" first="Max" last="McQuillan"], [player_tooltip player_id="812227" first="Paul" last="Olson"], and [player_tooltip player_id="1123710" first="Jaiden" last="Peraza"]. The winner will play in the State Championship on Saturday at 6:30.</p>