K-HEART SPORTS – SUNDAY – 12/03/23
MINOT, ND – Saturday scores:
High School Girls Basketball
Shootout On The Prairie – Minot Auditorium
Hatton-Northwood def. Velva, 49-35
Kenmare-Bowbells def. Bishop Ryan, 39-17
Bottineau def. Dickinson Trinity, 48-26
Thompson def. South Prairie-Max, 55-31
Wahpetion def. Stanley, 44-22
May-Port-CG def. Westhope-Newburg, 55-28
CNDC Tournament – Rugby High School
7th Place
Harvey-Wells County def. Drake-Anamoose, 51-36
5th Place
Minot North def. Glenburn, 48-42
3rd Place
St. John def. New Rockford-Sheyenne, 50-45
Championship
Rugby def. T-G-U, 59-57 OT
High School Girls Basketball
Class AA
#1 Minot High def. West Fargo Sheyenne, 79-48 (Soph. Leelee Bell surpassed 1000 career points)
#4 Bismarck Legacy def. Fargo North, 77-48
Bismarck High def. West Fargo, 64-49
Mandan def. Fargo Shanley, 94-50
Dickinson def. Dawson County MT, 56-50
Grand Forks Central def. East Grand Forks MN, 64-58
High School Boys Basketball
Class AA
#1 Fargo North def. Bismarck Legacy, 78-74
#3 Minot High def. West Fargo Sheyenne, 76-73
#5 Bismarck High def. West Fargo, 99-74
Grand Forks Central def. Minot North, 107-63
Mandan def. Fargo Shanley, 74-53
Dickinson def. Dawson County MT, 80-49
High School Girls Gymnastics
Bismarck Gymnastics Invite
1. Jamestown, 140.850
2. Bismarck Century, 137.050
3. Grand Forks, 124.100
4. Bismarck Legacy, 123.825
5. Bismarck High, 85.600
6. Breckenridge-Wahpeton, 83.750
All-Around Winner: Julia Skari of Jamestown, 36.7
High School Boys Hockey
Dickinson def Bottineau-Rugby, 5-2
Williston def. Bismarck High, 2-1 OT
Devils Lake def. Mandan, 5-2
Bismarck Legacy def. Fargo Davies, 6-5 OT
High School Girls Hockey
Grand Forks def. Minot High, 3-0
Williston def. Devils Lake, 4-2
West Fargo United def. Mandan, 2-0
Fargo North-South def. Dickinson, 5-0
High School Boys Wrestling
Sidney MT Wrestling Invite
10. Minot High, 85
High School Girls Wrestling
Bismarck Public Schools Wrestling Invite
4. Minot High, 134
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MINOTAUROS
MINOT, ND – The Minot Minotauros got goals from John Small in the first period and Colby Woogk in the third, but came up shot in Aberdeen as the Wings won 3-2 on Saturday. James Norton made 24 saves for Minot. The Tauros still lead the NAHL Central Division by 3 points over St. Cloud. Minot is on the road again next weekend at Austin.
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MSU MENS BASKETBALL
ST. CLOUD, Minn. (MSU) – The Minot State men’s basketball team shot 57.9 percent from deep on the way to an 85-70 win over the Saint Cloud State Huskies on the road Saturday in NSIC action. The Beavers (5-2 overall, 2-1 NSIC) had four players score in double figures, led by Connor Hollenbeck, who had 20 points, eight rebounds and three blocks. Khari Broadway added 18 points and Michael Jok helped out with 13 points. Hollenbeck pulled down four offensive rebounds to lead the Minot State offense which grabbed 10 boards and turned them into 14 second-chance points. The Minot State defense was a problem in Saturday’s game, forcing 14 Saint Cloud State turnovers while committing 12. Those takeaways turned into 20 points on the other end of the floor. Jaxon Gunville led the way individually for the Beavers with two steals. Minot State now returns home to host Valley City State on Wednesday night at 6 p.m., then in-state rival Mary on Saturday in a Beaver-Marauder tripleheader starting at 1:30 p.m.
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MSU WOMENS BASKETBALL
ST. CLOUD, Minn. (MSU) – The Minot State women’s basketball team got a 28-point performance from the bench, but fell 75-54 to the St. Cloud State Huskies on the road Saturday in NSIC action. Lorelei McIver led the Beavers (2-8 overall, 1-2 NSIC) with 14 points. Sydney Gustavsson also tacked on seven points and two steals and Cassidy King helped out with three points and six rebounds off of the bench. Minot State pulled down 31 rebounds in Saturday’s game compared to St. Cloud State’s 28, led by King’s six boards. Minot State now returns home to host Valley City State on Tuesday at 11:30 a.m.
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MSU MENS HOCKEY
MINOT, N.D. (MSU) – Everything was clicking tonight for the Minot State men’s hockey team and are back on track following a sweep over the weekend. The No. 2 Beavers (14-4-0) defeated Grand Canyon University (7-12-0) by a final score of 6-0 at Maysa Arena on Saturday night. There was no scoring for the first sixteen minutes of game time, until the Beavers broke the ice at 16:17 of the first period. After leading 1-0 at the end of the first, Minot State added two more in the second, including a power-play goal to make it 3-0 after 40 minutes. They went ahead and doubled their score in the third period when the Beavers tallied three more, once again on the power play and another shorthanded to finish the game at 6-0. Minot State played with the lead all game, as GCU never found the back of the net. This weekend was the only series both teams will meet during the regular season. The Jerome brothers combined forces for the opening goal, as Walker Jerome secured his fifth goal of the season assisted by Payton Jerome and Matthew Yakubowski. Brayden Pawluk would add one for the Beavers on the power play from Jay Buchholz and Reid Arnold. The second period would continue to be a good one for Arnold, as he followed up with his 10th goal this year from Josh Pederson. In the third period, the Beavers would pull away with goals coming from Colby Joseph, Reece Henry on the power play, and Logan Cya with a gift while shorthanded. Carter Barley registered two assists on the night as he continues to pace Minot State in total points. After getting the night off, Jake Anthony returned to the crease for the Beavers. He stopped all 13 shots that came his way as Minot State continued to play strong defensively over the weekend. The Beavers grab their second win to complete the sweep over the Grand Canyon Antelopes. It also marks their fifth victory all-time versus the Lopes’.
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MSU WOMENS HOCKEY
MINOT, N.D. (MSU) – Minot State women’s hockey returned to the Magic City and put on a show for the hometown crowd, scoring nine goals as they take care of business against the Lumberjacks of Dakota College at Bottineau. There was plenty of offense on display at Maysa Arena, with the No. 8 Beavers (8-9-0) getting the bulk of the load. Three total goals made up the first period, followed by an onslaught by Minot State in the second period with five, and two more Beaver tallies for good measure. The Lumberjacks (4-5-0) scored once in every period during regulation as they managed to net three themselves. Special teams were a huge factor, as the Beavers collected three short-handed goals and a power-play marker themselves. Bottineau also registered a shorty and power-play tally themselves. Minot State opens the weekend slate with a win after defeating Dakota College at Bottineau 9-3 on Friday in the first meeting between both teams since January 21. Both teams will battle again tomorrow in Bottineau at the Lumberdome for a 2:00 p.m. puck drop. The ice breaker belonged to Aspen Cooper at 5:49 of the first period, as she knotted her fifth goal of the season from Gillian Gervin. After Bottineau scored while being down a skater, Mia Mckee ended period one with the first of two goals on the night from Paige Kozak and Makena Welby. The Lumberjacks tied it midway through the second period, but it was all Beavers after that. Kaitlyn Snyder, Chloe Stewart, and Olivia Kirwan scored their first collegiate goals, with Snyder scoring again and both of her goals being shorthanded. Makenna Beard made a nice move to grab her first of the season also while the Beavers were down a skater. Makena Welby notched her second goal on Mia Mckee’s first assist of the young season. Also getting on the scoresheet was Payton Lang with her first assist of the year just like Mckee. Anna German also picked up a helper in the victory. Morgan Baker got the call to start in net for the Beavers, making 14 saves on 17 shots. The Beavers scored in bunches through all facets of the game. Even strength, shorthanded, power plays, you name it. They extended their winning streak to three games. Minot State moves ahead with a 1-0-0 record against Dakota College at Bottineau this season.
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MSU TRACK & FIELD
BISMARCK, N.D. (MSU) – What a way to set the tone for the season. Freshman Jasiah Hambira cleared 6 feet, 7.75 inches in his collegiate debut on Saturday, finishing second in the men’s high jump at the Marauder Indoor Opener and writing his name into the Minot State record books from day one. Hambira’s effort broke the NCAA Division II school record in the event and also is an NCAA national provisional qualifying mark, an impressive debut for Hambira. He broke the record of 6-7 set by Leif Nelson during the 2021-22 indoor season. But he wasn’t the only Beaver to impress on Saturday as the indoor track and field season got underway at the meet hosted by the University of Mary as returners Summer Krebsbach and Nathan Trujillo-Aragon broke their own school records on a great first day for Minot State. Krebsbach, a sophomore, was third in the women’s 60-meter dash in 7.95 seconds, but she shattered her own school record from last season of 8.0 seconds as she clocked a time of 7.89 in the 60-meter prelims Saturday. As for Trujillo-Aragon, a senior hurdler who set the D-II school record in the 60-meter hurdles of 8.46 last season, he broke that mark his first time out this winter as he finished second in the 60 hurdles in 8.39 seconds on Saturday. While that trio set the tone with record-setting performances, other Beavers excelled as well, starting with thrower Samuel Kreins who won the men’s shot put with a throw of 46-6.25, and nearly made it a sweep as he was second in the weight throw with a distance of 48-6. Junior transfer De’Andre Cornwall nearly added a school record in the women’s 60-meter hurdles as she was second on the day in 9.20, fractions of a second off the school record of 9.16 clocked by DelRay Audet in 2016. And the Minot State women’s 4×400 relay team of Emma Walker, Alyssia Trigleth, Krebsbach, and Sydney Wilson added a second-place finish on the day in 4:15.60 for Minot State, which now gets more than a month off for the holidays before returning to action on January 13 at the Bison Team Cup hosted by North Dakota State.
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MSU MENS WRESTLING
MINOT, N.D (MSU) – It might have been a bit more exciting than the Beavers hoped for, but in the end No. 25 Minot State prevailed. Minot State took control in the early matches, grabbing five wins and forging a 13-point lead, then hung on to beat visiting Southwest Minnesota State 16-15 – after both teams lost a team point – in NSIC men’s wrestling action Saturday at the MSU Dome. After splitting the weekend at home in NSIC dual action, the Beavers now hit the road for the Dragon Open tournament on Sunday at Minnesota State Moorhead. Saturday, the Beavers (3-1 duals, 1-1 NSIC) got things rolling after an opening-match setback, as Wayne Joint dominated in his 133-pound match, scoring a 20-2 technical fall victory to Minot State a 5-4 lead in the team total. And that total kept growing as Minot State won the next four in a row as Ethan Wonser got an early takedown and a second-round escape to edge out Hunter Pfantz for a 4-3 at 141 pounds, then Kasius Graham grabbed a 7-2 decision at 149 pounds, scoring a pair of takedowns in the match. Kelby Armstrong broke a scoreless tie in the second round of his 157-pound match with an escape and takedown and went on to a 5-2 decision, then Brendan Barnes capped the run of wins with a 2-1 decision as he and Ashton LaBelle traded escaped over seven minutes of action, and Barnes earned the win thanks to 1 minute, 10 seconds of riding time. That gave the Beavers a 17-4 lead before the Mustangs (0-2, 0-2) made their charge with four straight decisions for 12 points, that left the final margin a one-point Beaver victory.
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MSU WOMENS WRESTLING
JAMESTOWN, N.D. (MSU) – The Minot State women’s wrestling team racked up milestones last season but one thing they did not claim was an individual tournament title. Saturday, the Beavers claimed three. Freshmen Ari Korish, Bella Hernandez, and Haleigh Lematta each enjoyed a perfect day on the mats Saturday as each claimed their respective weight-class championship at the Jimmie Lady Knight Open hosted by Jamestown. Competing at 123 pounds, Korish won a pair of matches by pin in the round-robin tournament to claim her championship. Teammate Trinity Boivin finished third at 123 pounds. At 130 pounds, Hernandez also picked up a pair of wins by pin for the weight-class title in a field that was a Beaver sweep as Emily light was second and Keela Kary third. And at 143 pounds, Lematta also pinned two opponents for her title. Minot State also grabbed a pair of second-place finishes on the day as Julia Petryna was 2-1 at 116 pounds and Michelle Kelin went 1-1 at 171 pounds. Skye Shelmerdine added a third-place finish at 116 as she was 1-2. Riding the momentum of three tournament titles, the Beavers now head to South Dakota where they wrestle a dual at Dakota Wesleyan, then wrap up the pre-Christmas portion of their schedule at Chadron State on Dec. 10.
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UND HOCKEY
DENVER (UND) – No. 3 Denver struck 2:06 into overtime to defeat No. 2 North Dakota, 3-2, on Saturday night in Magness Arena in Denver, Colo. UND (12-3-1, 5-1-0 NCHC) finishes the weekend with four out of the possible six points in the league standings, but Carter King’s overtime winner snaps the winning streak at eight for the Fighting Hawks. North Dakota was able to start strong once again, using its special teams to take control of the play and eventually earn a 1-0 lead. Following a major penalty on Denver, Cameron Berg capitalized with his third goal of the weekend on a rocket shot through a Hunter Johannes screen to give the visitors the advantage after 20 minutes. It was Denver who came out with a push to begin the middle frame, knotting the game up at 1-1 on a goal from Aidan Thompson less than five minutes into the second period. UND started to generate some chances towards the end of the stanza, including a pair of strong opportunities from Louis Jamernik V, but the game remained deadlocked heading into the final period. North Dakota took the lead early in the third period when Johannes finished off a 3-on-2 rush to give the advantage back to the visitors, but Denver came back to tie it again on a shot through traffic by Zeev Buium to send the game into overtime knotted at 2-2. In the extra session, the Pioneers took the victory on a rebound goal just before the halfway point of the overtime period to nab the victory and snap UND’s winning streak at eight. North Dakota returns home to close out the home portion of the opening half against Colorado College beginning next Friday at 7:07 p.m. from Ralph Engelstad Arena.
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NDSU FOOTBALL
BOZEMAN, Mont. (NDSU) – Offensive lineman Hunter Poncius blocked Montana State’s point-after-touchdown kick in overtime to lift North Dakota State a 35-34 victory in the second round of the NCAA Division I Football Championship on Saturday, Dec. 2, before a crowd of 17,247 at Bobcat Stadium. The victory moved North Dakota State (10-3) into the FCS quarterfinals for the 14th straight year, where the Bison will play No. 3 seed South Dakota (10-2) next weekend at the DakotaDome in Vermillion. NDSU snapped No. 6 seed Montana State’s 26-game home winning streak and broke Georgia Southern’s record of 45 FCS playoff victories. The Bison are now 46-4 in the FCS playoffs since 2010. Neither team led by more than seven points all day. TK Marshall’s 29-yard touchdown run and Griffin Crosa’s PAT kick with 2:33 left tied the game at 28, and the Bison defense held after a 29-yard run by MSU quarterback Sean Chambers got the Bobcats to the Bison 36. Eli Mostaert stuffed a run for 0 yards and Jake Kava and Dylan Hendricks had back-to-back sacks to force a punt with 35 seconds left. NDSU had the first possession in overtime. TaMerik Williams and Cole Payton got the Bison two first downs rushing before Cam Miller’s 3-yard touchdown. Scottre Humphrey scored on a 25-yard run on MSU’s first play of overtime before the blocked PAT. Williams rushed 11 times for a career-high 162 yards including a pair of go-ahead touchdowns from 44 yards in the second quarter and 75 yards on the first play of the third quarter. Montana State quarterback Tommy Mellott ran 18 times for 151 yards and two touchdowns while completing 13 of 17 passes for 204 yards and two touchdowns before leaving the game with an injury in the fourth quarter. Cole Wisniewski made a team-high nine tackles for North Dakota State including one of NDSU’s eight tackles for loss and an interception on the final play of the first half.
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WOLVES-HORNETS
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Karl-Anthony Towns scored 28 points, Rudy Gobert had a season-high 26 and grabbed 12 rebounds, and the Minnesota Timberwolves finished strong to beat the Charlotte Hornets 123-117 on Saturday. Charlotte led by four with 4:53 remaining before Towns and Gobert combined to score eight points in a 13-3 surge that put the Timberwolves ahead 115-109 with 2:02 left. Charlotte would get no closer than three the rest of the way. Gobert, who was listed as questionable with a hip injury, hadn’t scored more than 17 points in a game this season. Minnesota improved the best record in the Western Conference to 15-4. Naz Reid scored 23 points and Mike Conley finished with 14 points and 10 assists. The Timberwolves host San Antonio on Wednesday.
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VIKINGS-FLORES
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Minnesota Vikings stumbled to an 0-3 start, endured seven games without superstar wide receiver Justin Jefferson and have started three different quarterbacks after king-of-durability Kirk Cousins went down with a season-ending injury. How, then, have they managed to maintain control of a spot in the playoffs with five games to go? That’s a tribute to Brian Flores, whose bold debut as Minnesota’s defensive coordinator will undoubtedly put him in the conversation for head coach vacancies around the NFL when the next hiring cycle begins. “I’m having a great time coaching this team. I am thankful for the opportunity to coach this group of guys,” Flores said. “It’s fun group to coach. They work hard. It’s important to them.” Flores has not only rejuvenated a defense that had been struggling for the last three years — and even through the first three weeks of this season — but served as a valuable confidant to head coach Kevin O’Connell as the Vikings have navigated a series of depth chart challenges they didn’t face in 2022. “That was, selfishly for me, one of the big reasons why I was excited about bringing Flo in here,” O’Connell said. “From a leadership standpoint, from a player-development standpoint, from his understanding of football, situational football.”
Hiring Ed Donatell as defensive coordinator became one of O’Connell’s rookie mistakes. Replacing him after one year with Flores has been one of his most important decisions since. “He is incredibly bright. He is somebody that I trust completely. That does not surprise me. That was my expectation when I brought him in here, that he would do what he has done with our defense, and he has surpassed what even I thought could be possible in year one,” O’Connell said. “Ultimately, that is not a surprise to me that the league is taking notice with the quality of a coach and man that he is.” The New York native, who was raised by Honduran parents in a rough part of Brooklyn and went on to play at Boston College, broke into the league as a scout with New England. He moved onto the coaching staff under Bill Belichick and spent 15 years with the Patriots with four Super Bowl titles along the way. He eventually ran the defense and in 2019 became Miami’s head coach. His career hit a snag when the Dolphins fired him after three years. He wound up suing the league and multiple clubs for racial discrimination in their hiring practices, a case that continues to plod through the court system and has become a flashpoint for the NFL’s long-lagging rate of minority head coaches. After resetting last season as an assistant with Pittsburgh, Flores accepted the job working for O’Connell.
One of the mottos Flores developed during his time in New England as both a scout and a coach was, “Don’t tell me what a player can’t do. Tell me what he can do.” He immediately went to work on maximizing the experience and skill of edge rusher Danielle Hunter and safety Harrison Smith, valuable veterans whose impact was stifled last year. He identified a talent in Josh Metellus, who was just a backup safety and a special teams contributor before thriving in a hybrid role in coverage, run stopping and rushing from multiple spots. He sought input from the players about the scheme and the calls. “It still all comes with an all-11 feel where it feels like they are all working together. The communication is clean. The operation is clean. Total credit to Flo and his staff and the way they have evolved throughout the season. I have really admired just taking something and making it better,” O’Connell said.
The Vikings have risen to eighth in the NFL in points allowed per game (20.2), after ranking 29th last season (25.1). They’re ninth in red zone touchdown rate against (50%), up from 21st last season (57.1%). They’re ninth in yards allowed per play (5.01), after finishing third-worst (5.91) in 2022. According to Sportradar data, their missed tackle rate (5.7%) is the second-best in the league. Beyond the numbers, the aesthetics show and anecdotes tell a story of improvement. Opponents have respectfully remarked about the challenge of facing the Flores-directed defense. Vikings offensive players and coaches were routinely confused during training camp by the unorthodox alignments and movements before and after the snap. There’s more swarming the ball, more disruption in the backfield and more joy apparent on the field. Flores has not spoken publicly about the lawsuit, nor has he wanted his head coaching aspirations to intrude on his current job running this Vikings defense. Last week, though, as the Thanksgiving holiday approached, he sounded a bit sentimental about a vital career stop that could end up being a short one. “You want to enjoy these moments with them,” Flores said, “because every year everything’s different.”
