An overwhelming overtime
BY JAMES C. FALCON
editors@bhgnews.com
March 7: Garrison vs. Flasher
The sixth-seeded Garrison Troopers knocked the Flasher Bulldogs out of the running at the Region 5 boys tournament in Bismarck.
At the quarterfinal match Monday evening, the Troopers sent the Bulldogs to the pound, taking away the bark and bite of their 18-3 record – and No. 3 seed – in a close 64-61 victory.
Flasher’s sophomore guard Javin Friesz lit up the scoreboard for the bulldogs with a bucket during the first minute of the game. There was a little back and forth between the schools until the 3:45 minute mark when Friesz tied the score 7-7 with a free-throw. The Troopers, however, wouldn’t take this and accelerated to an 11-point lead by the quarter’s end. In addition to Braxton Iglehart and TJ Syvertson, who brought the score up to 7, Brady Norenberg, Connor Kerzmann and Little Hail Perkins helped jump to 13. An errant ball thrown accidentally to Braxton Iglehart led to him speeding down the court, where he delivered a bucket. Kerzmann then followed tradition with a three-pointer, upping the score to 18-7.
A bucket streak from Flasher, at which time the team scored seven points, was interrupted by three-pointers from Bennett Kamp and Perkins. At this time, about halfway through the second quarter, the Troopers were ahead by 12, the largest berth between the teams that night. The Bulldogs bit back, scoring five points; it wasn’t enough to overtake the Troopers, but what continued showed the boys from Garrison that the team had teeth. Javin Friesz made back-to-back buckets, taking the ball and running down the court. Both times, he successfully deposited buckets and narrowed the deficit to four points. Norenberg, however, made a basket with two seconds left on the clock, giving the Troopers a six-point lead, 31-25.
