Four Winds/Minnewaukan vs. Beulah

Prep Hoops Dakotas watched a Class A showdown on Tuesday afternoon from Minot State University as Four Winds/Minnewaukan squared off with Beulah. With the Indians receiving votes in the state polls and the Miners ranked No. 2, this matchup featured two teams firmly planted in the upper echelon of Class A basketball.   The first half lived up to the billing, turning into a defensive battle that saw both teams grind for every look. Neither side gave much ground, and the game was deadlocked at 21–21 at halftime. The game swung coming out of the locker room as [player_tooltip player_id='1355919' first='Bennett' last='Larson'] and [player_tooltip player_id='2428677' first='Bensyn' last='Schirado'] delivered a big third quarter to give Beulah some separation, with [player_tooltip player_id='1363917' first='Marial' last='Deng'] also providing steady production. The Miners carried a five-point lead into the fourth quarter, but Four Winds/Minnewaukan never let the game get out of reach. The Indians stayed within striking distance and made timely plays down the stretch, with Deng at the center of it all. He knocked down the go-ahead shot with little time left on the clock, then sealed the win moments later by jumping an inbounds pass and hammering home a two-handed dunk as the buzzer sounded. It was an exclamation point finish. I was leaning toward [player_tooltip player_id='1355919' first='Bennett' last='Larson'] as the player of the game, but Deng's clutch playmaking late quickly changed those plans. [player_tooltip player_id='1363917' first='Marial' last='Deng'], PLAYER OF THE GAME!   SCORES   1st: Four Winds/Minnewaukan 15 Beulah 13   HALF: Four Winds/Minnewaukan 21 Beulah 21   3rd: Four Winds/Minnewaukan 36 Beulah 41   FINAL: Four Winds/Minnewaukan 55 Beulah 52   Numbers   FT's: Four Winds/Minnewaukan 13/15 Beulah 8/10   2FG's: Four Winds/Minnewaukan 21 Beulah 17   3FG's: Four Winds/Minnewaukan 0 Beulah 4   Below are player notes and standouts from a tightly contested matchup between two quality programs.   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><a href="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/12/PlayerNotes.jpg"><img src="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/12/PlayerNotes.jpg?w=865" alt="" class="wp-image-2302277" style="width:217px;height:auto" /></a></figure>   Indians    -25 points, 7/7 FT's   -Smart & effective helpside defense to cut off slashers   -Deadeye from the FT-line, nice looking shot from the charity stripe   -Great at attacking the hoop & drawing fouls   -Attack across the paint, smooth lefty layup   -Drilled a middy jump-shot   -Aggressive attack, fouled, hit both again   -Cut, catch, score on the right block   -Inside spin, fouled, cash from the line   -Attack, change of speeds, lefty AND1 scoop & score, AND1, hit FT, 3pt play   -Amazing body control   -Offensive rebound, putback bucket   -Inside score in the 4th to the lead down to 2 points   -Did a great job on defense when guarding [player_tooltip player_id='1355920' first='Braylen' last='Schirado']   -Drive late, impressive moves, spin-move, fall away J mid-paint, took the lead by 1 point, CLUTCH, tough shot   -On the next play, he stole the inbounds pass, went the other way & threw down a 2-handed hammer dunk as the buzzer sounded   -Put the team on his shoulders and won it down the stretch     -8 points   -Dribble drive, pull-up J for 2pts   -Left-hander   -Point blank score at the hoop, Alberts w/ the assist   -Slick spin-move & score from the lefty block   -Pickpocket steal, easy transition score     -6 points, 2/2 FT's   -Southpaw/lefty   -Put up 20 points on Monday, so we know he can score   -Played pesky on-ball defense   -Attack, between the legs shake, score at the cup   -Had 3 fouls early, played through it & made plays throughout the game   -O-board putback in the 2nd half   -Hit a quality middy J   -Lefty drive late with 36.1 secs on clock, hit both FT's, cut the lead to 1 point     -6 points, 2/4 FT's   -Foul trouble the entire game but played through it   -Drove & got to feet in the paint, nice body control to draw a foul   -Double in the post early, snagged a steal   -Righty slash across the paint, score at the hoop   -Took a charge when he had 3-fouls early, gutsy to step in & take the hit   -Middle drive, attracted help, great dish to Deng for a score, good eye   -Grabbed & O-board, drew foul, hit 1/2   -Clutch score late with 1:25 on the clock     -8 points   -Big kid with a good feel for the game   -Excellent rim run on a Miner miss, caught the long pass & scored w/ L-hand   -Help D steal, dropped to the level of the ball nicely   -O-board, strong putback, good positioning   -Awesome box-out to hold back the Miners & secure rebounds   -Had the ball in the short corner, sweet pass to the opposite block for a score   -Sikma-move, attack to the low post, power finish   -Post-up to start 2nd half, baseline jump-hook score, love the old school move     -Did work passing ahead in transtion   -Sneaky steal   -Forced another TO   -Huge on-ball tip late that caused a Miner TO, 24.3 secs, one of the biggest plays of the game    Miners    -12 points, 2/6 FT's   -TOUGH defense, caused a ton of problems   -Must have had double-digit rebounds   -Faked a DHO, attacked, 1-handed runner + the AND1, hit FT for a 3pt play   -BLOB score   -Point blank score, Schmidt with the assist   -Vertical cut, catch, running shot off the square for 2pts   -Had a huge 3rd quarter   -Patience D, didn't leave his feet, blocked a shot   -Did a great job of drawing contact & getting to the line   -Made strong & physical inside moves   -Tipped an O-board to Phil for a score   -Grabbed an O-board on his own miss, putback score   -He was too much to handle for a good portion of the game   -O-board, quick pass out to Bensyn for a 3-pointer   -Steal in the paint   -Threw a perfect elbow to block pass to Phil for a score   -BIG Country can pass   -AND1 power move through 2 defenders   -Interior score under 2 mins to help extend the lead   -Heard that he scored 16 points from another sources, certainly seemed like he had more than 12 in the game     -12 points, 2 triples   -Knocked down an NBA triple from the left wing, Schmidt with the assist   -Showed off the handles today, gifted with the rock   -Weaved through D, jump-stop, rose over the D, 1-handed J for 2pts   -I like how he changes speed and keeps the D off balance   -Another triple, inside-out pass from Larson (BIG Country)   -Amazing pass to Schmidt on the block, threaded the needle from the elbow to the opposite block     -16 points, 2 triples, 4/4 FT's   -The Indians guarded him closely   -Sweet looking pull-up J   -Drilled a deep 3-ball from the left wing   -Cashed triple from the R-corner, tough shot w/ D in face   -Technical foul on 4Winds, he went to the line & hit both   -Loose ball pickup, assist to Larson on a vertical cut   -Smart assist to Phil down low, good vision   -Drilled a jump shot just inside the arc in the 4th     -10 points   -Fouled out at the 2:24 mark in the 4th   -Strong inside seal, score at the iron   -Plays super hard, nose for the ball, gets good positioning   -Fast to get on the hardwood, hustler   -Tough kid   -O-board putback, 2nd chance points   -O-board bucket, Larson tipped him the ball   -Played hard on defense   -Carved out space down low, catch & score   -Great baseline cut/catch/score     -2 points   -Had the ball in his hands often as a lead guard, brought it up the court often   -Picked up a steal to start the game   -Smart kickout assist to Bensyn for a triple   -Blocked a shot, quick reactions   -Grabbed a tough O-board in traffic   -Quick to dive on the floor, hustler   -Unselfish extra pass to BIG Country for a score   -Point blank score, backdoor cut, Bensyn with the dime   -Cat-burglar steal   -Finished with several assists   -Does the little things, great glue guy    <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/12/ClassABasketball.jpg"><img src="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/12/ClassABasketball.jpg?w=865" alt="" class="wp-image-3178806" /></a></figure>

Prep Hoops Dakotas watched a Class A showdown on Tuesday afternoon from Minot State University as Four Winds/Minnewaukan squared off with Beulah. With the Indians receiving votes in the state polls and the Miners ranked No. 2, this matchup featured two teams firmly planted in the upper echelon of Class A basketball.