Region 8 Championship: #3 Powers Lake vs. Stanley
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Williston, ND – The Region 8 Semifinals were pushed back from Tuesday night to Thursday because of poor weather. Therefore, the Championship game was played tonight. The tournament was played at Williston State College. The Powers Lake Ranchers and the Stanley…
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Continue ReadingWilliston, ND – The Region 8 Semifinals were pushed back from Tuesday night to Thursday because of poor weather. Therefore, the Championship game was played tonight. The tournament was played at Williston State College.
The Powers Lake Ranchers and the Stanley Blue Jays played in the big game tonight. Coming into this game the Ranchers were undefeated on the year. This was the 4th time these two teams have played this season. Powers Lake won the first 3 matchups. Powers Lake won the last meeting by 20+ in the District 16 Championship.
SCORES
1st Quarter – Powers Lake 10 Stanley 16
2nd Quarter – Powers Lake 19 Stanley 26
3rd Quarter – Powers Lake 36 Stanley 33
4th Quarter – Powers Lake 43 Stanley 53
Tonight’s contest was a game of runs. The Blue Jays won the first and the second quarter but the Ranchers stayed within striking distance. Powers Lake owned the 3rd quarter and led going into the 4th. It felt like the Ranchers had finally found their way and they were going to finish off the Blue Jays in the 4th. Instead, Stanley outplayed Powers Lake in the 4th quarter and came away with the big upset! There was plenty of emotion in this one. Congrats to the Blue Jays on punching your ticket to the State Tournament. At the same time, congrats to Powers Lake on a great season, they just came up one game short. This was the first loss of the season for the Ranchers. Read below to see who else will be in Minot for STATE and further below for tonight’s standout players.
State Qualifiers by Regions
- Kindred
- Hillsboro-Central Valley
- LaMoure-Litchville/Marion
- Four Winds/Minnewaukan
- Shiloh Christian
- Bishop Ryan
- Bowman County
- Stanley
Standout Players from the Region 8 Championship
Powers Lake Ranchers
Tyson Enget Tyson Enget 5'11" | PG Powers Lake-Burke Central | 2023 State ND (2023) |5-11 G|
He showed that he can score in a hurry and that he is a high-octane player. To start the game, Tyson had a tip steal. He scored early on a give-n-go and pulled up for a super tough jump shot with a hand in his face. Enget has very good handles, he is shifty, and he changes speeds well. Tyson drilled multiple 3-pointers in this game. He actually had some good looks but could not get enough of them to fall. It was very evident that Tyson has good mechanics and that he is a real deal shooter. Enget showed a beautiful floater in the 4th quarter. He is an exceptional rebounder for a player that is under 6-feet. Enget really stood out when he would grab a rebound and take the ball up to court by himself. He led the break and put a ton of pressure on the Blue Jay defense. This led to points for Enget. Tyson is at his best when the tempo is being pushed. He plays very hard. On defense he forced turnovers and on offense, he set up teammates for good shots. Tyson Enget Tyson Enget 5'11" | PG Powers Lake-Burke Central | 2023 State ND is a very talented basketball player.
Gracin Schroeder (2023) |6-0 G|
He fouled out in the fourth quarter. Schroeder had a nice little run of scoring late in the game before he picked up his 5th foul. Gracin showed a smooth 16-foot jump shot. Shroeder scored on a BLOB with a catch-n-shoot jumper that was high arcing and soft. He made a great adjustment on defense that allowed him to block a Blue Jay shot. Schroeder showed great hustle when battling for offensive rebounds. He showed a nice floater and he scored on an AND 1 finish.
Beau Kearsley (2023) |6-2 PF|
He stood out to me as a rebounder. Kearsley snagged multiple offensive rebounds throughout the game. He is a hard-nosed player. Beau also scored in transition.
Jaden Bullinger (2024) |5-11 G|
He looks to be a 3-point shooter. Billinger cashed in triples in the first and the second half. Jaden played hard and gave great effort.
Stanley Blue Jays
Josh Hetzel Josh Hetzel 6'2" | SG Stanley | 2024 State ND (2024) |5-11 G|
This youngster is an impressive shooter and a cool customer. Hetzel made multiple 3-pointers throughout the game and he nailed a ton of shots from the charity stripe. Josh is a great FT-shooter. He even shot technical foul FT’s in the 4th quarter. Josh made his triples in catch-n-shoot situations and off the dribble. He looked good in transition when threading the needle with a pass. Hetzel had an impressive steal in the 4th quarter that he finished with an AND 1. Josh was the Player of The Game in my opinion.
Trystan Johnson (2022) |5-10 G|
Like many of the other Blue Jays, Trystan grabbed O-boards. He had a putback to get the scoring going in this one. He showed great concentration with a tough shot in the first quarter. Johnson looks to be a smart cutter. Johnson nailed a big 3-pointer in the 4th quarter to take the lead back from the Ranchers. He also cashed in FT’s in the 4th to help seal the victory.
Cal Sorenson (2023) |5-11 G|
He stood out tonight as a defender. This kid can lock up! Sorenson made many hustle plays. He scored on an O-board putback. He forced a jump ball when a Rancher was going up for a shot. He grabbed many offensive rebounds. He dropped a dime to a cutting Blue Jay. I liked his basket on a BLOB play that he ended with a lefty push shot. I was impressed when he rejected a ball-screen from a teammate and drove the baseline for an open layup. It was a solid overall game from Sorenson.
Jackson Hynek Jackson Hynek 6'2" | SF Stanley | 2024 State ND (2024) |6-2 F|
He stood out tonight with his offensive rebounding. He gave the Blue Jays numerous extra possessions because of his effort on the O-glass. I liked his cutting and physical finishing. He looks to be a solid FT-shooter. When Stanley was making their comeback in the second half, Hynek tied the game up at 38-38 with two FT’s. On defense, he picked off a pass and he also drove and kicked to shooters for good looks.
Laramie Smith (2023) |6-4 F|
He is a physical player that had a nice night. Smith looked good grabbing O-boards and finishing around the basket. I liked his physical post-up, crab-dribble, and turn-around jumper after he absorbed the contact. Laramie impressed me with his ability to put in contested shots. He showed his strength with an AND 1 finish. He also blocked a shot when hustling back on defense.
Tristen Barstad (2024) |6-4 F|
He played well in the 4th quarter. Tristen had a steal that showed his anticipation skills. He also showed a nice post-up move. Barstad put in a baby hook shot with a man right on his hip.
Tucker Gorder (2023) |6-2 G/F|
He did not have a huge game number wise but he did drill a 3-ball. In a low-scoring game like this, every bucket was important. Gorder is a lefty with extended shooting range. He also blocked a shot on defense.