The wait for the weekend was paid off with a renewal of the inter-state rivalry. Game 1 went down to the wire but Jory Collins' squad survived a 25 point fourth quarter by UND to win 64-60. Reneya Hopkins had a game-high 14 while Sheyenne's own Maggie Manson matched that many off the bench for the Birds.
The men proved to be less amenable to a close contest. They rode a 17 point halftime lead into a 62-45 win with Jarius Cook & Grant Nelson tying for the team lead with 13, the latter doing so as a reserve.
Saturday went down to the wire as well. The women were pushed to extra time but thanks to a balanced attack were able to come away on top for the 10th time this season. Emily Dietz lead with 18 & 9 while Heaven Hamling added 14. Kadie Deaton scored 10 off the bench as part of a nine-person scoring day.
The men were also pushed into OT but were not able to turn Rocky Kreuser's career day into a victory. His 32 & 10 lead the way by a considerable margin and four of his teammates added double-figures but the six-man rotation ran out of gas in the end, 82-78.
Back at home on Saturday came the first Track & Field event of the new year. NDSU cleaned up the three-university field on the men's and women's side of the competitions.
Moorhead State started the week with a visit by nationally-ranked Upper Iowa. It started off well but skidded badly after the first match.
On Friday night Bemidji State's men were in Moorhead while the reserve is true on the women's side of the 🏀 teams. In Nemzek Lorenzo McGhee paced the way to a 70-50 win with 21 points. Bryce Irsfeld & Gavin Baumgartner contributed 11 & 10 respectively while Dane Zimmer had nine & nine.
Up north the women fell behind by 14 after the first quarter and were never able to dig out of the hole. Saturday wasn't much better as they went into the half down by 15 and finished by the same margin after trading 18-21 quarters over the third & fourth.
The home-cooking went well in the rematch as Moorhead scorched the hoop to the tune of 53-31. Jacob Beeninga had a team-high 17 off the bench while the Friday night trio had similar scoring nights on Saturday.
It also included a visit by Mankato at the pool. The Dragons had some success but overwhelmingly were unable to outperform their guests.
Similarly, the track & field took part in the Bison Cup and managed wins in three events.
The 2021 portion of the season is starting to feel cursed. The good news was that KAT & Okogie returned from their injuries. Re-adding those two wasn't enough to keep them from falling victim to one of the most dominant performances in the paint since Wilt's legendary game. Adding insult to disgrace, they got hit by the China Virus so they lost a chance for redemption against Memphis and now will be without Towns again for the immediate future. It may well be a new low for an organization with so many already!
Fargo did not enter the middle-portion of January well. Sandwiched between 5-2 losses on Thursday & Saturday came their one win against Tri-City. With one goal per period they were on their way to a comfortable victory but then TC got two by Brennan Boynton. The first goal by Fargo came from Hudson Thornton. Jacob Braccini was responsible for the second score while Cody Monds got the last offense for Fargo.
They have a Friday/Saturday pair against Des Moines in what may turnout to be a season-defining set of games.
The extra wait ended this week. Minnesota's high schools got back on the court and the ice! Moorhead started with a shot at the best in North Dakota on Thursday and showed some promise but they'll need some time to get fully into game-shape.
Then, on Saturday, the Oak Grove girls hosted Warwick in class B action between two teams with room for improvement.
In addition to those came more college commitments, something which continues to happen on a near weekly basis!
A significant step toward a 2021 season happened this past week. It was announced that they will host their annual scouting combine on Feb. 20. It will be held at the Sanford Power Center (2990 Seter Parkway) in Fargo.
Registration will begin at 9 a.m. Saturday, with a 9:30 start time. It will include seven different events. Upon arriving at the PC, all staff and participants will have their temperatures taken, will be screened for COVID-19 & given hand sanitizer prior to entry. Invaders staff will administer COVID-19 screening questions, and masks will be required at all times within the facility as well.
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