Bruins lose tourney opener

Fargo South played well for most of the game but couldn't get over the hump against the top seed from the west, Minot, in the Class A opener at Ralph Engelstad Arena on Thursday. The Majettes made all their important freethrows down the stretch and won 66-55. The Bruins would face Minot's big lineup who played an extended zone defense the entire game. South was able to get out and run against the Majettes though, as they scored on a number of good transition baskets. Mandy Rice, running the two spot, scored a couple of early baskets, and Melanie Hageman cleaned up inside to put four points up early also. The Majettes countered with the inside duo of Jami Glick and Ashley Mayer, who each scored 6 points inside. South trailed 16-14 at the quarter break. The second quarter was also a game of size vs speed as the Bruins continued to fast break, this time getting Jessica Trautwein some easy baskets inside as she beat the bigger Minot girls up the floor. The Bruins trailed 30-27 at halftime. The third quarter proved to be the undoing for South though. An inability to knock down shots from the perimeter against the zone hurt, meanwhile Mayer began to dominate inside, scoring 10 points in the period. With the Majettes scoring, it was hard for South to run. Minot built a 52-41 lead heading into the fourth quarter. South wouldn't quit though, and pulled to within 6 points on a three pointer by Mandy Rice midway through the final quarter, and had the ball on two different possessions, but couldn't score. Minot made their freethrows down the stretch and ended up posting the eleven point win. South drops into the afternoon bracket and will play Mandan. South is now 14-9 on the year. A historical note - this game was the first basketball game ever played in the new arena.

Boxscore:
Fargo South: Rice 8 0-0 18, Hageman 3 2-3 8, Trautwein 6 2-4 14, Calkins 4 0-0 9, Salzwedel 2 1-4 6; Totals: 23 5-11 55; Three point goals: Rice 2, Salzwedel, Calkins

Minot: Lizotte 1 0-1 3, Stefanovic 7 0-0 14, Helstadt 2 1-2 5, Langseth 0 2-3 2, Glick 6 4-6 16, Mayer 10 6-7 26; Totals: 26 13-19 66; Three point goals: Lizotte

Fouls: South 16, Minot 12; Fouled out: Lizotte; Rebounds: South 28(Trautwein 9), Minot 38(Helstedt 8); Assists: South 20(Calkins 7), Minot 14(Helstedt 6), Steals: South 12(Calkins 7) Turnovers: South 12, Minot 5

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