The Southern B boys divisional tournament tipped off Wednesday afternoon at First Interstate Arena at MetraPark with two quarterfinal matchups at the Metra. Here are the recaps and highlights in the video above:
Three Forks 70, Baker 57
In the first quarterfinal of the day, returning State champion Three Forks earned a hard fought 70-57 victory over the Baker Spartans. Three Forks only led 31-23 after a competitive first half but found the hot hand in the third quarter jumping out to a 54-36 lead heading into the final frame.
Baker didn't go down without a fight though. The Spartans put together a 9-0 run to begin the fourth quarter, cutting Three Fork's lead to single digits.
The Wolves flashed that championship pedigree down the stretch though. An and one bucket from Dylan Swenson with about 3 minutes remaining in the game slammed the door shut on a Spartan comeback, punching their ticket to the semifinals on Friday night at 7:30.
Swenson led all scorers with 21 points and also grabbed 10 rebounds. Three Forks also got help from Hunter Feddes with 11 points and Colten Hayder with 10.
Baker was led by Byrant O'Connor who pitched in 15 points and brought down 10 rebounds. Ethan Gundlach also added 11 points and nine rebounds for the Spartans. They will drop into the consolation bracket for a game Thursday at 6 p.m.
Columbus 82, Lodge Grass 65
The second quarterfinal of the day was an energetic matchup between the Columbus Cougars and the Lodge Grass Indians, in which the Cougars outscored the Indians in three of the four quarters to take an 82-65 victory.
After a tightly contested first quarter, Columbus held onto a four point lead over Lodge Grass, but the Cougars got hot in the second and extended their lead. A couple big dunks from Hayden Steffenson had to Cougars up 43-31 at halftime.
Lodge Grass hung around though. A deep two point shot from JJ Bends got the Indians within seven in the final frame, but that was as close as they came. The Cougars continued to score and pulled away to earn their place in the semifinals against Three Forks on Friday night.
Steffenson poured in 31 points along with nine rebounds for the Cougars, while Mason Meier put up 27 points as well. Lodge Grass was led by Myron Little Light and Lance Little Nest, who scored 24 and 22 points, respectively. Lodge Grass drops into a loser out game on Thursday.
Huntley Project 39, Jefferson 31
In the day's first contest, Huntley Project advanced with a 39-31 win over Jefferson. The Red Devils will face Lame Deer on Thursday at 2:30 p.m. Jefferson slipped into a loser-out contest against Baker at 6.
