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Lewis & Clark-Berthold 66,

Velva 48

Key play: LC-B's Taylor Langan's 3-pointer to cap a 22-7 first quarter run.

Key player: Tournament MVP Matt Yale, game-high 19 points for the Bombers.

Key stat: LC-B outscores Velva 37-12 in the first half.

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VELVA - Coming into this season's Velva Invite, Lewis & Clark-Berthold head coach Brock Teets felt quick starts were the key to success for the No. 5 ranked Bombers.

He was right.

For the third-straight night, a quick start keyed a win as the Bombers capture the championship with a 66-48 win over host team Velva Saturday night at the Aggies gym.

LC-B's fast start Saturday came in the form of 22-7 first-quarter run that was capped by a Taylor Langan 3-pointer. It was the third straight game the Bombers scored 22 or more at the tournament.

"We talked about getting the fast start coming in and I thought we were able to do that," Teets said. "I also thought we did a great job rebounding the basketball, especially on the defensive end. That's kind of what sparks us and you have to rebound well to be successful."

LC-B's Matt Yale, who was named the Tournament's Most Valuable Player, helped spark the first-quarter run. Yale scored eight of his game-high 19 in the quarter, while Michael White hit four his 13 in the initial eight minutes.

"Those two were big on the boards for us as was Danny (Yale)," Teets said. "We have some kids that aren't scared to stick their noses in there and they all do a great job for us on the glass. Matt got MVP and honestly I didn't know who was going to get it because it could have went to a few guys. But Matt did a nice job and he earned it."

Velva had solid looks throughout the first quarter but it saw more than one shot roll off the rim.

"I don't what it was, just one of those nights I guess," Velva head coach Matt Weidler said. "Not much you can do. We didn't knock ours down and (LC-B) came right back down and hit theirs. They are a real good team it's like Dunseith' coach (Eric Morin) said if there is a better team in the state than these guys, let's see them."

The Bombers went on to outscore Velva 32-17 in the first half with Yale hitting for nine more in the second quarter. Daniel Yale added nine points, while Lyndon Bloms hit for eight, including a pair of 3-pointers for the Bombers.

Despte a solid tournament, and start to the season, Teets feels the Bombers need to maintain consistency while continuing to improve.

"We're off to a great start but we know that we have a long way to go," he said. "Consistency is a big thing and we also need to just continue to get better."

Velva was led in scoring on the night by Zach Podoll's 10 points, while Levi Anderson and Josh Sandy each added nine.

Weidler felt the game with LC-B is a stepping stone to getting to the next level for the Aggies.

"It's like I told the guys, we want to play against teams of this caliber because it will only make us better," he said. "We still have things we need to work on but I'm pretty pleased with our effort overall."

Third place

Rolette-Wolford 68, Our Redeemer's 57

Nic Pfeifer and Blake Nelson scored a combined 53 points to lead Rolette-Wolford to a third place finish with a 68-57 win over Our Redeemer's.

Pfeifer scored a game-high 27 points, which included a 10-point third quarter. Nelson scored eight in the fourth quarter to finish with 26 points for the Comets in the win.

Our Redeemer's was balanced in loss with Joel Deckert, Luke Sorum and Ethan Rostvedt and scoring in double figures.

Deckert led with 19 points, while Sorum had 16 and Rostvedt 13 in the loss. The Knights trailed R-W 30-25 at the half but were outscored 23-11 by the Comets in the third.

Fifth place

Westhope-Newburg 53, Surrey 44

Westhope-Newburg outscored Surrey 24-7 in the final eight minutes to earn a 53-44 win in the fifth place game.

Jake Tengesdal scored a game-high 15 points and Kodie Hancock added 10 to lead the Sioux, who overcame a 26-16 halftime deficit.

Surrey got off a quick start, outscoring W-N 18-7 in the second quarter but the Mustangs' scoring fell off in the second half.

Brent Burckhard had a team-high 13 points and Eric Aberle added nine for Surrey.

Seventh place

Dunseith 77,

Sawyer 37

A 24-point third quarter sparked a 43-16 Dunseith second-half run as the Dragons blew out Sawyer 77-37 to earn a seventh place finish.

The Dragons, who held a 34-21 lead at the half, were led in scoring by senior Evan Counts. Counts scored a game-high 19 points and was one of four Dunseith players in double digits. Frank St. Claire scored 13, Kalen Azure 10 and point guard Cole Marion added 10 for the Dragons.

Saywer was led in the loss by Ethan Forbes' 13 points and Aaron Hanson's 11.