March 17, 2015

Wolves hold off Honkers to take third at Region 8

By Neal A. Shipman
Farmer Editor

Watford City held on against a fourth quarter charge by Kenmare to take third place in the Region 8 Tournament on Thursday evening.
With the 54-51 win, the Watford City varsity boys basketball team saw its season come to an end with a 14-11 record.
During the tournament awards, Logan Fettig and Seth Indergard were named to the Region 8 All-Tournament Team.

Region 8 Tournament
Third Place Game
Watford City 54, Kenmare 51

It wasn’t the prettiest finish for Watford City as the Wolves struggled offensively in the final minutes of the Region 8 third place game. But in spite of their fourth quarter shooting woes, Watford City was able to hold onto its lead and emerge with a 54-51 win over the Kenmare Honkers.
“It was a game that was hard to play after a big game that ended your season goals,” stated Randy Cranston, Wolves’ head coach. “But most of our kids came out and played pretty hard. It’s always nice to end with a win as it takes away a little of the pain of not making it to the regional championship.”
Watford City got off to a fast start against Kenmare as the Wolves led the Honkers, 19-9, after the first quarter of play. But Kenmare proved to be a tough opponent as the Honkers battled back to trail the Wolves, 32-27, at halftime.
With both teams netting 15 points in the third quarter, the stage was set for a fourth quarter battle to the finish.
The fourth quarter was a battle between the two teams. It was not a scoring battle as neither team broke double figures in scoring, but rather a battle of turnovers.
While Kenmare would cut Watford City’s lead to a single point in the final seconds of play, Logan Fettig would secure the 54-51 win for Watford City at the free-throw line.
Fettig and Bo Cook led the Wolves in scoring with 15 and 11 points, respectively, while David Kline and Cameron Runnels netted eight points each for Watford City.
Rounding out the scoring for the Wolves was Seth Indergard with five points, Korbin  Knutson with four points, while Dane Dixon ended the game with three points.
For the game, the Wolves hit on 18 of 51 from the field and made four of 16 from behind the three-point line. At the free-throw line, Watford City was good on 14 of 23 attempts.
Watford City    19    32    47    54
Kenmare            9    27    42    51

Watford City Stats: Rebounds: Seth Indergard, 8; Logan Fettig, 5; David Kline, 4; Cameron Runnels, 4; Bo Cook, 3; Korbin Knutson, 2; Cole McGorman, 1; Jarek Hogue, 1; Jayden Vaupel, 1. Assists: Kline, 3; Indergard, 2; McGorman, 1; Andrew Cummins, 1. Steals: Cook, 1; Runnels, 1. Blocks: Fettig, 1.

Region 8 Semifinals
Parshall 75, Watford City 66

When you are taking on the No. 1-seeded team in the Region 8 Tournament, a let-down in scoring can prove costly. And that is just what Watford City learned the hard way as the Wolves fell to the Parshall Braves, 75-66, in the regional semifinals on Tuesday, March 10.
After trailing the Braves by just one point, 18-17, after the first quarter of play, Watford City was outscored 22-9 in the second stanza. And against a very solid Parshall team, making up those 13 points would be an insurmountable task.
While Watford City would cut into Parshall’s lead in the third quarter to trail the Braves, 54-43, going into the final eight minutes of play, the Wolves had a long uphill road to climb.
“We started off very well,” stated Cranston. “However, the second quarter against Parshall again became the deciding factor in the game as we went into an offensive and defensive slump scoring only nine points and giving up 22.”
The Wolves would rally in the fourth quarter to cut Parshall’s lead to seven points, but the Braves responded to hold on for the win.
“We battled back and got back to a seven-point deficit,” stated Cranston. “However, Parshall found ways to score and did not panic.”
Watford City had very balanced scoring in the game with four players scoring in double figures. Seth Indergard and Cameron Runnels paced the Wolves in scoring with 15 points each, while Logan Fettig and David Kline netted 14 points each.
Rounding out the scoring for the Wolves was Bo Cook with seven points, while Cole McGorman ended the game with one point.
For the game, Watford City hit on 22 of 63 from the field and made five of 17 behind the three-point line. At the free-throw line, the Wolves connected on 17 of 23 attempts.
Watford City    17    26    43    66
Parshall            18    40    54    75

Watford City Stats: Rebounds: Logan Fettig, 11; David Kline, 5; Bo Cook, 4; Seth Indergard, 3; Cameron Runnels, 2; Cole McGorman, 1. Assists: Runnels, 4; Kline, 3; Indergard, 2; Cook, 1. Steals: Runnels, 1. Blocks: Runnels, 1.

Region 8 Opening Round
Watford City 70, Stanley 50

Watford City guaranteed itself two more games with a 70-50 win over Stanley in loser-out action of the  Region 8 Tournament on Monday, March 9.
After a close first quarter that saw the Blue Jays score the first eight points, before the Wolves would get on the scoreboard, Watford City would answer back as the Wolves went on a 21-0 scoring spree of their own to break the game wide open in the second quarter.
Stanley led the Wolves 12-8 at the end of the first quarter, but thanks to the 21-unanswered points, Watford City would take a 13-point, 36-23, advantage into the lockers at halftime.
“We got off to a slow start not scoring in the first four and a half minutes of play,” stated Cranston. “But we battled through the shooting woes early and then the shots started falling.”
Stanley would chip away at Watford City’s lead in the third quarter, but once again the Wolves would rally to outgun the Blue Jays 24-12 in the final eight minutes of play to seal the win.
The Wolves had three players scoring in double figures with Bo Cook leading Watford City with 19 points, while Cole McGorman and Seth Indergard netted 16 and 12 points, respectively.
Rounding out the scoring for Watford City was David Kline with eight points, Cameron Runnels with seven points, Logan Fettig had four points, while Jarek Hogue and Charlie Villanueva ended the game with two points each.
For the game, the Wolves hit on 27 of 66 attempts from the field and were good on four of 13 from three-point land. At the free-throw line, Watford City connected on 12 of 20 attempts.
Watford City    12    36    46    70
Stanley               8    23    38    50

Watford City Stats: Rebounds: David Kline, 9; Logan Fettig, 6; Seth Indergard, 6; Cole McGorman, 5; Bo Cook, 3; Jarek Hogue, 3; Cameron Runnels, 1. Assists: Kline, 2; Fettig, 1; Indergard, 1; Cook, 1; Runnels, 1; McGorman, 1; Korbin Knutson, 1; Hogue, 1. Steals: Kline, 2; Indergard, 1; Cook, 1; Runnels, 1; McGorman, 1. Blocks: Fettig, 1.

WATFORD CITY WEATHER