New Town moves into Region 8 championship
New Town moves into Region 8 championship
By MARVIN BAKER
EDITOR
It was a true team effort that lifted the New Town Eagles into the Region 8 championship Thursday night against the Mandaree Warriors. Solid wins on Monday night against Trenton and Tuesday night against Parshall took the Eagles to the title contest, a spot that has been dominated by Parshall and Watford City the past three years.
Look for full coverage of the championship in next week’s edition as the game was played after the newspaper went to press.
New Town 85, Parshall 64
Four players scored in double figures and another six got on the scoreboard as the Eagles routed the Parshall Braves Tuesday night at Williston State College.
Warmed up from Monday night, junior Mike Youngbird had a great night, leading all scorers with 23. Youngbird also led a defensive charge that sometimes rattled the Braves as the game progressed.
Not to be outdone, New Town guard Alex Baker with his swift moves toward the basket, added 16, center Preston Smith had 14 and Brandon Poitra hit double figures with 10. Jeremiah Wells, Chris Enno, Justin Many Ribs, David Miranda, Kota Lyson and William Baker also scored for the Eagles in the lopsided win.
For Parshall, Cole Hendrickson and Jaren Enockson put forth a great effort that fell short. Hendrickson hit 21 and Enockson, 18 in the losing cause.
Unlike Monday, New Town started out of the blocks on fire Tuesday night, outscoring the Braves 22-15 and opening up a comfortable lead to begin the game. The second was a mirror image as Youngbird, Baker and Smith kept the pressure on Parshall, going up at the half, 42-29.
Despite that 13-point lead, New Town wasn’t done as the Eagles poured it on again in the third with a 20-12 quarter, building a 62-41 lead and even though both teams played even in the fourth, it was a lead that Parshall couldn’t overcome.
The win set up the title game with Mandaree, a team that has been ranked in the Class B poll this season, but was considered an underdog in its Tuesday win over Watford City.
New Town 54, Trenton 35
Although the Tigers took a very early 4-2 lead, they were never in this game as New Town went on an 8-0 run to show they meant business opening night of the Region 8 tournament.
Preston Smith and Mike Youngbird blocked Trenton shots in the first half, Justin Many Ribs hit a big three-pointer with 2 minutes remaining and Smith blocked a second shot at the buzzer as the Eagles took a comma
