Plaza, White Shield advance to Regionals
Plaza, White Shield advance to Regionals
Teams will join Watford City, Parshall in Williston
By Jerry W. Kram
The White Shield Warriors were the surprise team of the District 15 Boys Basketball Tournament in New Town. The Warriors chalked up two wins to take fourth place in the tournament and secure a berth in the Region 8 tournament in Williston on Monday. The Warriors, who improved their record to 3-6, will face the eighth ranked, 19-2, Trenton Tigers in final game of the first day of the tournament.
The first game of the Regional Tournament, at 3 p.m., Feb. 25, will feature the 8-12 Wildcats of North Shore Plaza facing the 20-2 Powers Lake Ranchers. The Wildcats earned their place in the tournament with a victory over the New Town Eagles after an upset loss to White Shield.
In the opening game of the District 15 Tournament, White Shield played almost flawless defense to defeat the Wildcats 54-41. Jonathon Howling Wolf, a 6’3” senior and Alanson Connors, a 6’2” sophomore, combined to stifle North Shore Plaza’s formidable post play. The Wildcats’ standout junior, Costas Kok, was held to just 11 points in the game. Howling Wolf led all scorers with 19 points and Jeffery Bearstail added another 17 for the Warriors. Alec Lee led the Wildcats with 17 points and Jacob Edwards scored 10.
“We played a zone defense that night, and that worked out pretty well,” said Warriors Coach Daryl Bearstail. “That was the key, trying to keep the ball out of the middle and then closing and give each other help. I was pretty proud of the boys that night. One of our goals was to keep the ball out of (Kok’s) hands all night. Our big guy Alanson Connors was big. He’s not a big scorer, but he played excellent defense.”
