March 3, 2010

Watford downs New Town for District 15 boys basketball title

By Neal A. Shipman
Farmer Editor

With a 74-55 win over New Town in the District 15 Boys Basketball Tournament on Monday night, the Watford City Wolves, with a 19-3 season record, will be taking their No. 1 seed from the district tournament into the Region 8 Tournament, which gets underway on Monday, March 8 at Williston State College. The Mandaree Warriors will also be making the trip to the regional tournament following their 83-48 win over Stanley in play-in action on Monday afternoon.
In opening round action of the Region 8 Tournament, the Wolves will take on Powers Lake, the No. 4 seed from District 16, at 3 p.m. on Monday, March 8, while Mandaree will take on Divide County, the No. 2 seed from District 16, in the 6 p.m. game.

District 15 Tournament
Championship Game
Watford City 74, New Town 55

Watford City couldn’t have picked  a better night to have their best combined offensive and defensive game of the season as the Wolves absolutely dominated the New Town Eagles in the District 15 Tournament title game on Monday evening.
Earlier this season, the Wolves survived a double overtime win over the Eagles at New Town, but on Monday night Watford City didn’t really need its fourth quarter point production to seal the win.
After jumping out to a solid 17-9 first quarter lead, Watford City put together its best eight minute offensive performance of the season as the Wolves poured in 30 points to take the wind out of the Eagles’ sails.
Behind the 30-10 scoring spree, Watford City held a commanding 47-19 halftime lead and the Wolves pretty much coasted through the second half en route to the district title.
Four Watford City players scored in double figures with Trey Jacobson posting a game high 21 points, including two three-pointers, to lead both teams in scoring. Also netting double figures was Nick Liebel with 19 points, including a pair of three-pointers, followed by Reid Johnson with 10 points, including one three-pointer.
Also scoring for Watford City was Tyler Flatland with six points, Curtis Lohse with four points, and Chans Brown with two points.
Watford City    17    47    59    74
New Town         9    19    38    55


Region 8 Play-In Game
Mandaree 83, Stanley 48

Mandaree put on a shooting clinic as the Warriors drained 13 three-pointers en route to a resounding 83-48 win over Stanley in Monday night’s District 15 play-in game. With the win, the Warriors claimed a third place finish in the tournament and will advance to the Region 8 Basketball Tournament on Monday, March 8 at Williston State College.
The Warriors blasted the Jays 26-8 in the first quarter and then posted a 23-14 scoring advantage in the second quarter to hold a 49-22 halftime advantage.
The outcome of the game was never in question during the second half as Mandaree upped its lead to 70-34 going into the final eight minutes of play.
Devin Yellow Wolf led both teams  in scoring with a game high 31 points, including seven three-pointers, while Michael DeVille netted 22 points. Also scoring in double figures for Mandaree was David Dobbs, who netted six treys, for 18 points and Richard Hosie with 10 points.
Mandaree    26    49    70    83
Stanley           8    22    34    48


District 15 Tournament
Semifinal Action
New Town 59, Mandaree 54

After receiving a first round bye in the District 15 Boys Basketball Tournament, Mandaree, the No. 1 seed in the tournament, was upset by a very scrappy New Town team in semifinal action on Saturday evening.
Mandaree, who had a hard time getting its normally high-powered offense going, found themselves trailing the Eagles early in the game and trying to play catch-up for most of the evening.
The Warriors trailed New Town 15-9 at the end of the first quarter before they rallied as David Dobbs netted 10 of the Warriors’ 21 second quarter points to take a 30-28 halftime lead.
But New Town’s Alex Baker would silence Mandaree in the third quarter as he blistered the nets for 13 points, including three three-pointers to lead the Eagles on a 21-13 scoring run that put New Town on top 49-43 going into the final eight minutes of play.
While Mandaree would draw close to New Town on several occasions in the fourth quarter, the Eagles would hold on for the big win.
Three Mandaree players scored in double figures in the loss with David Dodds pacing the Eagles with 19 points, while Micahel Deville and Richard Hosie would net 12 and 11 points, respectively.
Rounding out the scoring for Mandaree was Devin Yellow Wolf with nine point while Colby Biston netted three points.
New Town     15    28    49    59
Mandaree        9    30    43    54


Watford City 57, Parshall 49
Behind a tenacious defense that limited Jaren Enochson, Parshall’s leading scorer, to just 11 points and a very balanced scoring attack that saw three Watford City players score in double figures, the Wolves, the No. 2 seed in the tournament, defeated the Braves 57-49 in semifinal action of the District 15 Boys Basketball Tournament on Saturday evening.
In a close game, the Wolves and the Braves played to an 11-11 first quarter tie before Watford City would hold a three-point, 25-22 lead going into the lockers at halftime.
While the Wolves would never give up the lead in the second half, neither team was able to put together a sustained offensive scoring run.
The Wolves held a 36-32 lead at the end of the third quarter and then outscored the Braves 21-17 in the fourth quarter to take the win and advance to the title game.
Reid Johnson had a game high 17 points, including two three-pointers, to pace Watford City in scoring, while Trey Jacobson and Nick Liebel would add 13 and 10 points, respectively in the win.
Rounding out the scoring for Watford City was Tyler Flatland with seven points, Shawn Fulwider with six points and Dillon Langerud with four points.
Watford City    11    25    36    57
Parshall           11    22    32    49

WATFORD CITY WEATHER