March 6, 2013

Watford boys take third at Region 8 Tournament

By Neal A. Shipman
Farmer Editor

After losing to Trenton 69-43 in the Region 8 semifinals last Tuesday, the Watford City varsity boys basketball team bounced back to defeat North Shore in the third place game to end their 2012-13 cage season with a 15-8 record.

Trenton 69, Watford City 43
Watford City’s hopes of making a return trip to the State Class B Boys Basketball Tournament were dashed last Tuesday as the Wolves fell victim to the Trenton Tigers in the Region 8 semifinal game.
Plagued by turnovers and poor shooting, the Wolves got behind the Tigers early and were never able to make a run.
The Tigers led the Wolves 14-8 at the end of the first quarter and by 22 points, 38-16, at halftime.
While Watford City was able to cut into the Trenton’s lead slightly in the third quarter, the Wolves were never able to establish any offensive rhythm.
Reid Brown paced Watford City in scoring with 21 points, while Tyler Bates netted 11 points.
The Wolves committed 17 turnovers in the game and only shot 37 percent from the field, hitting on just 18 of 49 attempts.
Rounding out the scoring for Watford City was Michael Schulz with four points, Dustin Kleppen with three points, while Shane Jorgenson and Logan Fettig netted two points each.
Watford City    8    16    27    43
Trenton          14    38    48    69


Watford City 71, North Shore 47
Watford City ended its 2012-13 cage season on a winning note as the Wolves defeated the North Shore-Plaza Wildcats 71-47 to take third place at the Region 8 Tournament.
Eleven Watford City players scored in the lopsided win as Randy Cranston, Wolves’ head coach, gave all the players a chance to get into the game.
The Wolves jumped out to a 16-7 lead and were never challenged by the Wildcats as Watford City extended its lead to nine points, 36-27, at the end of the first half.
Three Watford City players scored in double figures in the win with Tyler Bates pacing the Wolves with 17 points, while Reid Brown and Shane Jorgenson netted 11 and 10 points, respectively.
For the game, the Wolves connected on 28 of 54 attempts from the field for 52 percent and made five of nine three-point attempts.
Rounding out the scoring for the Wolves was Michael Schulz with nine points, Cole Rolfsrud with six points, Brandon Stoker with five points, Andrew Sampsel with four points, Mitchell Liebel with three points, while Dustin Kleppen, Bo Cook, and Logan Fettig ended the game with two points each.
Watford City    16    36    52    71
North Shore       7    27    36    47

WATFORD CITY WEATHER