The Langford Area boys basketball team took a big body blow in the opening period, hung tough with a strong Northwestern ballclub in the second quarter, but then was overpowered in the second half as the Wildcats posted a 78-38 win in a Region 1B quarterfinal game last week Tuesday.
The Lions finished their season with a 4-17 mark, while Northwestern (16-5) met Faith last night Tuesday in a SoDak 16 contest with the winner advancing to the Class B state tournament in Aberdeen March 16-18.
Northwestern came out of the gate firing, scoring 28 points in the opening period to lead 28-7 at the break. The hosts followed with a 22-point second quarter effort but LA nearly battled the Wildcats point-for-point with 20 points of its owen to trail 50-27 at intermission. But then Northwestern put the game away with a 17-7 run in the third stanza.
Kassen Keough led the Lions with 12 points and five rebounds. Rennan Bruns added nine counters, and Jesse Keough had eight points, five rebounds, and five assists.
“Northwestern is a very good basketball team with a lot of size and length that creates problems for opposing teams in their gym,” said LA boss Brian Schuring. “We wanted to get off to a good start, however, NW dictated early that they were going to get after us full court and we were not able to overcome their size on the boards. We played really well the second quarter, which was a credit to our boys that they keep playing hard no matter the score.”
Schuring was proud of his club’s effort this season in his first year at the helm.
“I am very proud of the boys and the way they played for me all season long. It is always a transition when you have coaching changes, however, these boys welcomed me and treated me with respect, which I appreciated very much. I have always commented that these boys from Day 1 until the final game have always played hard in practice and games.
“When you have a tough season with wins and losses, it tends to get long and some might want to get the season over with, however, that was far from the truth with me as a coach,” concluded Schuring. “This season flew by and it is disappointing that the basketball season is over. I would like to thank Lion Nation for all the support they have given the team...much appreciated!”
LANGFORD AREA: Jackson Bahr 1 0-0 2, Jesse Keough 3 2-2 8, Kassen Keough 4 1-3 12, Keegan Schock 2 0-0 4, Rennan Bruns 3 0-0 9, Kalen Godel 0 3-3 3. Totals 13-46 6-8 38.
NORTHWESTERN: Jude Ortmeier 4 0-0 8, Lincoln Woodring 7 0-0 16, Quintin Fischbach 8 3-4 23, Nathan Melius 4 0-0 9, Chase Neiber 5 4-4 16, Gage Ratigan 0 1-2 1, Tanner Ewalt 1 11 3, Reilly Schmitt 1 0-0 2. Totals 30-61 9-11 78.
LA (4-17) 7 27 34 38 NW (16-5) 28 50 67 78 3-point goals - K. Keough 3, Bruns 3; Woodring 2, Fischbach 4, Melius, Neiber 2. Total fouls – LA 10, NW 12.
