CHS boys earn #2 seed, beat E-K-M

Save for one game, the Carrington Cardinals took care of business in the District 5 season.

A 47-39 win over Edgeley-Kulm-Montpelier in the East Gym on February 9 wasn't the most crisp performance by his team, but Coach Tim Ranum acknowledged the heightened urgency the late season games bring to the table.

More importantly, it secured the number two seed in the District 5 tourney for the Cards, who improved to 11-7 and 5-1 with the victory over the Rebels.

"It had kind of a postseason feel in that the pace was slow and deliberate, with both teams trying to maximize their looks in the half-court," said Ranum. "I thought our defense played its best game of the season, and we were able to get a strong start to the fourth quarter to get some separation."

Hudson Schmitz's buzzer-beating three-pointer on an entry pass with 0.5 seconds left gave the Cards much-needed momentum with a 24-23 lead at the halftime break.

Ranum also made note of the play of Ryder Bickett off the bench, as his five points provided some scoring oomph when it was most needed.

The third quarter featured numerous opportunities for each team to break the ice, but the Cards managed just six points and the Rebels five in a clunker of a period.

A run to start the fourth put the Cards up to stay. Schmitz would finish with 16 points and eight rebounds, and Grady Shipman submitted a great all-around stat line with a 12-point, 10-rebound double-double, to go along with five steals and four assists.

Jack Erickson also had 10 points for Carrington.

Forward Jacob Nitschke's 14 points led E-K-M (8-7, 3-3), and he also added eight rebounds and two steals. Dylan Carlson had nine points, which came via three perimeter shots.

"It was a nice win for us to get that two seed heading into what should be a very-competitive district tournament," Ranum said. "We'll need to continue to improve if we wish to advance to regions, though."

Last Thursday, the Cards took on the ninth-ranked Thompson Tommies in a non-region clash. The Tommies sat at 12-5 heading into their game at THS, with four of those five defeats coming against current top-10 Class B poll teams.

District 5 Boys' Basketball

Carrington 47,

Edgeley-Kulm-Montpelier 39

at Carrington

E-K-M 13 10 5 11 39

Cgtn. 11 13 6 17 47

Carrington: Hudson Schmitz 16, Grady Shipman 12, Jack Erickson 10, Ryder Bickett 5, Josh Bickett 4. Totals: 17-41 FG, 9-14 FT, 7 fouls. Three-pointers: Schmitz 2, Shipman 2.

E-K-M: Jacob Nitschke 14, Dylan Carlson 9, Joseph Kramlich 6, Braeden Kinzler 5, Austin Strobel 4, Jaxon Buckeye 1. Totals: 14-47 FG, 4-7 FT, 13 fouls. Three-pointers: Carlson 3, Kramlich 2, Nitschke, Kinzler. Fouled out: Carlson.

Carrington Additional Stats

Rebounds: Shipman 10, Schmitz 8, Erickson and Jack Paulson 2, McCoy Beckley, J. Bickett and R. Bickett 1.

Assists: Shipman 4, Paulson and Schmitz 2, Beckley, J. Bickett and R. Bickett 1.

Steals: Shipman 5, Schmitz 2, J. Bickett and R. Bickett 1.

Blocks: Schmitz 3, Erickson 1.

E-K-M Additional Statistics

Rebounds: Nitschke and Strobel 8, Buckeye 4, Carlson 3, Kinzler and Kramlich 1.

Assists: Kramlich 5, Carlson and Kinzler 2, Nitschke and Strobel 1.

Steals: Kinzler, Nitschke and Strobel 2, Carlson and Kramlich 1.

Blocks: Nitschke and Strobel 1.

Tuesday, February 7

Carrington 60, Oakes 44

at Oakes

Cgtn. 11 21 19 9 60

Oakes 4 15 15 10 44

Carrington: Schmitz 21, Erickson 16, Shipman 11, Beckley 8, R. Bickett 2, Paulson 2. Totals: 26-45 FG, 7-12 FT, 12 fouls. Three-pointer: Erickson.

Oakes: Trey Skoglund 16, Xavier Vossler 14, Andrew Wolff 6, Joseph Heim 4, Roddek Schmit 2, Jack Thorpe 2. Totals: 17-56 FG, 8-11 FT, 12 fouls. Three-pointers: Skoglund, Vossler.

Carrington Additional Stats

Rebounds: Shipman 12, J. Bickett 8, Schmitz 7, Paulson 4, Beckley 3, Erickson 2.

Assists: Erickson 4, J. Bickett 3, R. Bickett 2, Paulson, Schmitz and Shipman 1.

Steals: Erickson 2, Beckley, Schmitz and Shipman 1.

Oakes Additional Statistics

Rebounds: Vossler 5, Wolff 4, Skoglund and Max Walock 3, Heim, Schmit and Thorpe 1.

Assists: Heim 2, Skoglund and Vossler 1.

Steals: Heim 4, Skoglund 3, Vossler 1.