Bison
The week started with the first of two top 25 matchups including NDSU wrestling. Iowa State came in on Wednesday night and won most of the matches against the Bison. Several came down to a single move by a Cyclone to get the win but bit by bit they built a huge advantage.
The second ranked showdown went off on Saturday as Pitt came to the SHAC. NDSU was able to eek out a couple more points on their side of the ledger but the Panthers still managed to finish with twice as many points. That likely end NDSU's top amongst the 25 best but considering the short time they've been in a power conference it's an impressive accomplishment that seems sure to be built upon.
Thursday & Friday each included games by the Basketball teams against Western Illinois. The guys got the first crack at the Leathernecks & didn't waste their chance at another conference win. Tyson Ward came away as the best player on the court but it Vinnie Shahid that once again most impressed me. He may be on the shorter side but he just has a knack for making plays because a bulldog mentality. It's something that this team has sorely lacked over the last couple of years and he seems to be bringing the remedy. All told, six of the Bison men get into double figures on Thursday.
The ladies didn't drop the ball in their chance to secure another Summit win either. Thanks to 29 by Michelle Gaislerova, the Bison came back from a five point halftime deficit to finish with an eight point lead. Second to that sterling performance was the fact that the gals got contributions from eight different players. That's still one player short of legitimate talk of team depth but it's another step in the right direction. Considering that they were just passed over by a local player for MSUM, positivity should not be short changed where it can be found realistically!
The week concluded with the "Thundering Herd Classic." The results for the men & women are available with a click of the links.
Dragons
The Dragons Basketball and Wrestling teams each had a pair of Friday/Saturday contests.
For the hoops it was visits by Bemidji State & Crookston. Megan Hintz once again lead the way on Friday while Jacky Volkert & Madi Green took the reigns on Saturday. Each can accurately be called team wins that pushed their latest winning streak to 12. The guys didn't slouch their way through the weekend. 23 points by Addison Park helped them survive against the Beavers 80 - 78. They followed that up with a balanced attack that got them their sixth win in a row, lead by Simon Irsfeld's 23 & Johnny Beeninga's 19.
Wrestling wasn't able to make it a clean Friday sweep as they fell to the University of Mary but they came back Saturday to best Minot State.
Saturday also brought participation by Track & Field in the "Thundering Herd Classic."
Cobbers
Concordia tipped off with a three spot of men's Basketball games, starting on Monday against Saint John's. A 39 point beat down later and they quickly looked forward to a Wednesday game against Hamline. Bryden Urie lead the way with 18 as Concordia was able to pull off a six point win. They followed that up with a hosting of Bethel that was close til the end but the Royals were just a little bit better.
Wednesday also included a face off between Hamline and Concordia on the ladies side. Grace Wolhowe's 13 was the most for the Cobbers but she got enough help to make up the difference created by Hamline's starting five. Concordia won the fourth quarter and won the game to go above .500 in the conference. The were thrown back to even as they also played Bethel on Saturday and were routed by 35 points.
Friday included a pair of games against Saint Mary's by the Hockey teams. The guy's got a pair from Joe Burgmeier on the way to a 5-3 win while the ladies finished with a tie thanks to Megan Mohr's third period score. In the rematches, each script was flipped on them. The men fell 7-2 while the ladies were defeated 2-1.
Which left the Wrestling team's participation in the "Cliff Keen-Mike Duroe Invite." The left Iowa with a fifth place finish but for more on that, check the results!
Timberwolves
The third era of Saunders is off to a winning start. It could have been a perfect 3 - 0 but the Mavs proved to be too much in crunch time. With injuries lingering in some of the best players the winning may not continue at even a 50% clip but Towns is doing all he can to keep the team in the playoff picture for as long as possible. A date with the 76ers on Tuesday has the makings of an interesting fourth game for the young coach and his young team. If they lose but Wiggins dunks on Butler it would be a win! Aside from a win, shutting him up and humiliating him would be a fine consolation!
High School Sports
A couple games that ended in one sided fashion, and another did not comprise this weeks high school action. First was a visit to Shanley by both of Moorhead's teams then came a Saturday afternoon girls game between Grand Forks Central & West Fargo. As always, both include photos & more from each game!