Wolves Boys Basketball wins two home games, lose one on the road
Titus Stenberg
Farmer Sports Writer
It was a busy weekend for Watford City basketball. After losing a road game on Thursday at Dickinson Trinity, the Wolves bounced back with home wins on Friday against Divide County and Saturday against South Prairie-Max.
Dickinson Trinity 69,
Watford City 57
Watford City played their fifth Region 4 game of the year and had a competitive contest against the Dickinson Trinity Titans. The Wolves made three 3-pointers, and led by as many as six in a high-scoring first quarter. Both offenses cooled off in the second quarter. Watford City made 4-of-8 free throw attempts and led by as many as three. A 7-3 run by the Titans would give them a 30-29 lead going into halftime.
“During the first 3 quarters we played very good defense and were holding them close to our defensive goals,” said Watford City head coach, David Gumke. “We were continually changing the defense and were able to transition into each one very well. We were making shots at a high percentage.” The Wolves made 10-of-18 field goals in the first half and got 13 points from Xavier McGorman.
“We did not have a lot of empty possessions and were able to answer with made shot after one of theirs,” continued Coach Gumke. “I think that we gave them the feeling that ‘these guys came to play and are not going to back down and go away.’ In that fouth quarter they made a small run to extend their lead and made it difficult for us. We missed shots that we made in the first three quarters and did not meet our points-allowed-per-quarter goal. We let their two best shooters hit some shots and combine for 10 of their 24 points in the quarter. The fourth quarter, our defensive rebounding percentage was low, which allowed them to have multiple opportunities per possession. The guys continued to battle to the end, though. Very proud of them.”
Landon Knote led the Titans with 22 points and Emerson Simnioniw added 19. The win on Senior Night gave Dickinson Trinity a record of 12-6 overall and 4-1 in Region 4.
“Dickinson Trinity is very good in all phases of the game,” said Coach Gumke. “They are very fundamental. They are the standard in the league and are coached very well. Us going toe-to-toe with them was huge for our confidence as a team and as individual players. Our effort in that game showed our players what they can do if they bring that intensity and confidence to practices and games. We played together, and were not concerned about who scored. Fun basketball to watch and be a part of.”
1 2 3 4 Final
Dickinson 19 11 15 24 69
Watford City 21 8 14 14 57
Watford City scoring: Xavier McGorman, 19; Carter Breitbach, 13; Thaydan Arnold, 8; Trysten DeVries, 8; Dominic Latray, 6; Kyle Best, 2; Harper Moberg, 1
Watford City 65,
Divide County 48
Less than 24 hours after losing to Dickinson Trinity, the Wolves renewed an old-time rivalry and got a 17-point win over the Divide County Maroons. Again, Watford City shot well in the first quarter, making five 3-pointers.
“We played very solid defense the whole game and scored the ball at a high percentage,” said Coach Gumke. “Our guys were taking their shots within the offense and in rhythm. Every player contributed in some way. We had consistent scoring by quarter. Other than the first quarter, our defensive rebounding percentage was above our goal for the game. We had six blocked shots that were done with good fundamentals. We did all of the little things that make a huge difference in how the game goes.”
Divide County held a brief 10-8 lead in the first quarter, which was their only lead of the game. Watford City started the second quarter with a 14-4 run. The Maroons got back to within 33-26 at halftime and 39-36 in the third quarter. The Wolves ended the third with an 11-2 run and extended the lead to as many as 20 in the fourth on the way to their second win of the season.
“We continued the game plan that we did against Dickinson Trinity,” said Coach Gumke. “Changing the defense, mixing in zone and man. We met our quarter defensive points allowed goals.” Watford City won the rebound battle 34-30 with Landon Vetter grabbing seven of the rebounds. Carter Breitbach had four assists, Xavier McGorman had three steals, and Thaydan Arnold blocked three shots.
1 2 3 4 Final
Watford City 19 14 17 15 65
Divide County 15 11 12 10 48
Watford City scoring: Carter Breitbach, 20; Trysten DeVries, 17; Thaydan Arnold, 9; Xavier McGorman, 8; Dominic Latray, 5; Landon Vetter, 3; Kyle Best, 2; Harper Moberg, 1
Watford City 54,
South Prairie-Max 45
Watford City played their third game in three days and continued to impress. If fatigue was an issue, it did not appear like it as the Wolves blitzed South Prairie-Max with a 15-2 first quarter run after the Royals scored the first four points. Watford City got the lead into double digits in the second quarter and kept it there for much of the game.
“There are three guys in particular that have stepped up their game these last three games. Trysten DeVries, Xavier McGorman and Carter Breitbach,” said Coach Gumke. “They are all in attack mode and playing hard, smart, and bringing a lot of energy. Carter has had the task of bringing up the ball against very good pressure and then starting the offense. He has been playing very good defense and shooting the ball at a high percentage. He is playing exactly how we want him to play. He’s attacking downhill, getting to the basket, and finishing well and then taking his outside shot in rhythm within the offense. He has also stepped up his leadership skills along with the mental part of the game. He has been very focused on getting the team to play like we want them to play. He is leading the way in changing the thought process and approach to how we want to play the game. I am very proud of his progress from the beginning of the season until now. Carter is very locked into what we are wanting to do as a team.”
The win was Watford City’s third of the year and first one against a Division A opponent. The Wolves only committed five fouls, while they hit nine 3-pointers. Dominic Latray led Watford City with eight rebounds, Breitbach dished out four assists, and DeVries had four steals.
“It feels so good have a winning streak,” said Coach Gumke. “We played well for three games in a row. Our guys wanted to get that one to have two wins in a row. They knew how important it was for our program to get it. It gave them a goal of win ning that game and making sure that it happened. They were obviously very excited and pumped up when we went into the locker room after the game. We have some momentum going into next week’s matchup with a very good state-ranked Killdeer team. We feel that we are capable of competing with the teams in our region when we play like we played these last three games. We are looking forward to the challenge of our last two regular season games and the region tournament, which will be on our home court.”
1 2 3 4 Final
Watford City 18 14 8 14 54
South Prairie 12 8 10 15 45
Watford City scoring: Carter Breitbach, 19; Xavier McGorman, 11; Trysten DeVries, 10; Thaydan Arnold, 6; Dominic Latray, 5; Landon Vetter, 3
Visit www.watfordcitynd.com and subscribe to the McKenzie County Farmer today!