Magi best Spartans 83-67 to advance to state semifinals

MINOT, N.D. – The west’s top-seeded Minot entered the contest looking to continue a stretch of dominance it brought into the playoffs, having won 15 consecutive games dating back to its loss to Bismarck Jan. 8, its only defeat of the season. The Spartans entered the state quarterfinal matchup riding the high of two straight wins, but represented the eastern conference’s fourth seed with a 14-11 record overall.

Deonte’ Martinez has led the Magi to their impressive 21-1 record, averaging over 21 points per game, and Darik Dissette has proven to be a force on the glass with 5.6 rebounds per game. Ryan Manly has paced the Spartans with 11.5 points per game throughout their 14-win campaign.

The tale of the first half can best be told in, well, two halves. Minot asserted dominance over its lower-seeded opposition from the opening tipoff, when Michael Ross grabbed an offensive rebound and put a layup in for the game’s first two points of the game, and responded to a Spartans layup with Minot’s first triple of the game just under two minutes in.

Fargo North took its first lead of the game with four quick points from Manly and Carter Zeller with 15 minutes and 42 seconds to play, and the Magicians started to pull away as the clock ticked down closer to the 15-minute mark.

Minot unleashed an 18-2 run from that point to the 10 minute, 41 second mark, a stretch that saw seven different Magi score at least one point. Eric Wentz kicked off the run with a three-point shot, and RaShawn Wilcox forced a turnover and put up another layup.

Dissette drilled another three-pointer, which was followed by a Wentz triple to give Minot a 16-6 lead. Teagan Kinchen added another layup before the Spartans finally found the scoreboard again with a two-point field goal with just over 13 minutes left. Minot continued its stretch with five more points from Martinez and Kade Butz to put the Magicians up 23-8 before the Spartans turned the tables.

Fargo North ripped off a lengthy run of its own, a 21-3 stretch that saw Minot struggle mightily to find the inside of the netting. Zeller contributed five points during the run, and Minot’s inability to convert from the charity stripe was their Achilles’ heel during the period, missing seven times out of its 10 tries.

The Magi found themselves trailing 29-26 with three minutes to play, and ramped the intensity back up the remainder of the half on the strength of a 13-4 run to enter the locker room ahead 39-31.

Both teams furiously traded baskets to begin the second half, and Deonte’ Martinez’s five second-half points to that point led the Magi to a slim 51-49 advantage with 12 and a half minutes to play.

The Magicians were finally able to find the offense to put Fargo North away, the offense that eluded them in the first half, in the second part of the final half. Minot rattled off a 31-12 run, during which Wentz at one point scored six consecutive points, to close out the Spartans’ title hopes and move on by a 83-67 final score.

The Magi improved drastically from the foul line in the final 18 minutes, shooting 6-for-12 during the second half and finishing having shot 30-for-65 overall, including 14 three-point shots.

Five Magi hit double digits during the quarterfinal matchup, led by Martinez’s 18 points. Wentz’s 14, Ross’ 13, Dissette’s 12 and and Wilcox’s 10 rounded out the group. Carter Zeller carried the Spartans’ offense with 22 points on 8-of-12 shooting, and Manly also added 15 in the defeat.

With the win, the Magicians advanced to the state semifinals, again held at the Bismarck Event Center, Saturday night at 8 p.m. Minot’s opponent will be Fargo Davies Eagles.

Magi best Spartans 83-67 to advance to state semifinals

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Magi best Spartans 83-67 to advance to state semifinals

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