A Titanic blast: G-M in field

If there ever was a team to get hot at the right time, the sixth-seeded Griggs/Midkota Titans might not have been high on the list of prospective Cinderellas at the District 5 Tournament in Jamestown.

To start the year, G-M lost their first six games out of the gate, and it would take some work to ensure that the 2021-22 campaign wouldn't spiral out of their control.

But at the conclusion of their Tuesday Region 3 qualifier against the Oakes Tornadoes, it was indeed rookie Head Coach Kyle Mehus's boys that earned the right to extend their campaign at least one more week on the calendar.

A fourth-quarter furious comeback against third seed Carrington came to fruition in a 58-55 shocker Saturday, February 26, in first round play. The Titans would then fall to eventual champion LaMoure/Litchville-Marion, 52-38 on Monday, before making use of a massive second quarter scoring binge in defeating the Tornadoes this past Tuesday, 63-54.

The triplicate of games for G-M (8-14 following the district round) ends with them taking on District 6 runner-up South Border (9-13) in a 4:30 p.m. game Monday in the Region 3 first round at the JCC.

In the win over Carrington, the Titans started out hot, leading 8-1, before the game settled into a close matchup for the latter half of the first quarter and much of the second.

The third quarter featured a big run from the Cards to take momentary control, leading by as much as double digits at one juncture.

However, the Titans would not be deterred, chipping and chipping away and denying the Cards the kill shot.

That set things up for freshman Brady Haugen to connect on his fourth three-pointer of the game, to finally give the Titans the lead at 56-55. G-M would stop CHS on the final few possessions for the win.

The Titans withstood 24 points from Lucas Hendrickson in earning the win. Senior Logan Topp, who scored his 1,000th point late in the season (see photo in this issue), had a great all-around energy effort with 16 points. Haugen, along with Carter Spitzer, had 14 points.

The District 5 tourney was a showcase for the junior guard, Spitzer, as he added 13 points in the loss to the Loboes and led Griggs/Midkota with 17 points. Along the way, he was deadly from long range with 10 three-balls in the three days.

Senior Jaxon Gronneberg also had two double-figure efforts against L-L-M (12 points) and Oakes (15), and Haugen proved that G-M's future could be in good hands with a 13-point night in the clincher.

LaMoure/L-M made use of the steady hands of All-District 5 team members Corban Potts, Max Musland and Charlie Bowman, who combined for 37 of the Loboes' 52 points.

Oakes' Trey Skoglund and Noah Sundby each finished with 13 points in defeat, and Eddie Garza added 11.

At the end of the tournament, Gronneberg was named as the Titans' All-District 5 team representative, along with Hendrickson for the Cards.

Ellendale center Scott Wagner was selected as the District 5 Senior Athlete of the Year, and LaMoure/L-M's Darren Thielges was the Coach of the Year honoree.

District 5 Boys' Basketball

Tournament, Jamestown

First Round

Griggs/Midkota 58,

Carrington 55

G-M 16 12 11 19 58

Cgtn. 13 15 20 7 55

Carrington: Lucas Hendrickson 24, Hudson Schmitz 8, Hudson Topp 8, Jack Erickson 5, Grady Shipman 5, Josh Bickett 3, Tate Larsen 2. Totals: 21 FG, 10-20 FT, 15 fouls. Three-pointers: Topp 2, Hendrickson.

Griggs/Midkota: Logan Topp 16, Brady Haugen 14, Carter Spitzer 14, Jaxon Gronneberg 5, Ashton Smith 4, Wyatt Spickler 3, Latrell Rainey 2. Totals: 21 FG, 6-10 FT, 16 fouls. Three-pointers: Haugen 4, Spitzer 4, Gronneberg, Spickler.

Semifinals

LaMoure/Litchville-Marion 52,

Griggs/Midkota 38

G-M 9 14 7 8 38

L-L-M 16 16 10 10 52

Griggs/Midkota: Spitzer 13, Gronneberg 12, Haugen 7, Spickler 3, Topp 3. Totals: 14 FG, 5-14 FT, 17 fouls. Three-pointers: Spitzer 3, Gronneberg, Haugen.

LaMoure/L-M: Corban Potts 15, Max Musland 12, Charlie Bowman 10, Colton Ness 6, Landon Piehl 5, Anthony Hanson 4. Totals: 20 FG, 9-13 FT, 12 fouls. Three-pointers: Musland 2, Bowman.

Region Qualifier

Griggs/Midkota 63, Oakes 54

Oakes 12 14 9 19 54

G-M 14 25 4 20 63

Griggs/Midkota: Spitzer 17, Gronneberg 15, Haugen 13, Topp 9, Smith 4, Dylan Johnson 3, Spickler 2. Totals: 22 FG, 14-19 FT, 18 fouls. Three-pointers: Spitzer 3, Gronneberg, Haugen. Fouled out: Topp.

Oakes: Trey Skoglund 13, Noah Sundby 13, Eddie Garza 11, Xavier Vossler 9, Adler Paeper 6, Andrew Wolff 2. Totals: 22 FG, 6-16 FT, 18 fouls. Three-pointers: Sundby 2, Skoglund, Paeper. Fouled out: Sundby.

All-District 5 Team

Carrington: Lucas Hendrickson

E-K-M: Dalton Madcke, Adam Nitschke

Ellendale: Riley Thorpe, Scott Wagner

Griggs/Midkota: Jaxon Gronneberg

LaMoure/L-M: Charlie Bowman, Max Musland, Corban Potts

Oakes: Trey Skoglund

District 5 Senior Athlete of the Year

Scott Wagner, Ellendale

District 5 Coach of the Year

Darren Thielges, LaMoure/L-M