MINOT -- The second half has not been good to Cavalier.
The Tornadoes saw Rugby pull away in the second half Friday to beat Cavalier 57-42 in the consolation semifinals of the North Dakota state Class B boys high school basketball tournament.
Cavalier was within 37-35 of Rugby late in the third quarter. But the Panthers broke the game open by going on a 14-2 run. On Thursday in the quarterfinal round, Cavalier was up by nine against Trenton late in the third quarter but wound up dropping a 54-52 decision.
"We didn't play with any energy in the second half," Cavalier coach Bryce Laxdal said. "They did. That was the difference. We rely on defense and turnovers. We're not getting a lot of those (forced turnovers) right now."
Ryan Chrest was the primary scoring threat for the Tornadoes. The junior accounted for half his team's points, scoring 21 on 8-of-17 shooting. Brock Robbins added 10 points.
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Kyle Lovcik and Bradley Heidlebaugh each had a double double for the Panthers, who led 14-13, 24-21 and 42-35 at the quarter stops. Lovcik had 20 points and 11 rebounds, while Heidlebaugh chipped in with 17 points and 11 boards. Joshua Michels added 11 points, hitting three treys.
"We've had pretty good third quarters all year," Rugby coach Mike Santjer said. "This was typical. It was pushing the ball. If we can get up and down the floor quickly, we can cause teams problems."
Dickinson Trinity 59, Shiloh Christian 51: Three players scored in double figures to lead Trinity to its consolation semifinal win.
Jacob Volk led the way with 21 points. Isiah Binstock and Jesse Kubik each contributed a double double, with Binstock getting 12 points and 16 rebounds and Kubik getting 13 points and 11 rebounds. Trinity led 15-9, 30-24 and 41-34 at the quarter stops.
Donavon Lambert scored 18 and Aaron Yellow Wolf 10 to lead Shiloh Christian.
