It isn't over selling to say that the visit by West Fargo to Sheyenne is most significant game of the season. Considering some of the contests that have been and will be, that's a high bar. But these teams lived up to it.
An early wrinkle developed as Carter Birrenkott & Dominic Dosmann each had to sub-out minutes after tipoff with two fouls a piece. Even without one of their core members, West Fargo quickly gained a 13-6 advantage. Powered by some unconscious shooting from beyond the arc by Michael Nhial, the Mustangs responded with a 9-0 run.
The cross-town rivals scrapped their way through most of the remaining time, until Sheyenne went on a 15-8 run from a 29-all tie over the last five minutes of the half.
That's hardly offensively-challenged basketball but both teams turned it up even more down the stretch. Sheyenne stretched their seven-point halftime lead to double-digits a few minutes into the resumption. Jacksen Moni got it to 11, appropriately, before a trio of scores at the rim by the visitors closed the gap to 62-58.
A Ben Manson three interrupted the comeback and sparked the Mustangs back to a 71-62 lead. After the teams traded 3s, Joel Pease slammed the ball home to make it 74-67. Jah'Heem Leake followed that with a short jumper to it a three-score game again.
Able to overcome the early foul-trouble, Birrenkott buried a fade-away to cut it to 5 with a minute left. Then forced to play the foul-game, Gage Anderson answered the bell to push the lead back to 87-78. Pease nailed one more from deep to complete the scoring but Sheyenne did enough to avenge the opening night defeat & knockoff the lone unbeaten in the state.
Barring a true March moment, a rubber-match seems likely!
Sheyenne 87, West Fargo 81
Sheyenne was lead by Gage Anderson with 21, 16 in the second-half. Nhial had all 19 of his points in the first half. Just behind was Leake with 16, Moni with 14 & Ben Manson with 12, all from deep. Dominic Dosmann rounded out the offense with five.
Joel Pease finished with a game-high 23 while Carson Hegerle, Brett Limke & Birrenkott went 17, 16, 15 while three others got into the score book.
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