When Fargo North sat in a zone at the onset of Minot High's 73-56 blistering of the Spartans on Friday night, the Magicians used their first few possessions to assert themselves inside.
After that, though, Minot exhibited its long-range touch, depth and transition scoring the remainder of the Class A season opener.
And the Magicians didn't need senior gunners Austin Frank and Dylan Jechort to do so.
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Adam Lawson/MDN
Minot High School junior Kyle Gerding drives to the hoop during the Magicians’ 73-56 win against Fargo North on Saturday at Magic City Campus.
Brian Bloms connected on 5-of-8 3-point attempts en route to a game-high 19 points for Minot, which shot an impressive 10 for 20 from behind the arc and 48 percent from the field.
Brandon Van Dusen had 16 for the Magicians, while guards Kyle Gerding (12 points) and Caleb Albertson (10) also reached double figures in the non-league triumph.
"My team made it pretty easy for me," said Bloms, who also hit a long jumper just short of the 3-point line. "We can put up points. All I had to do was catch it and shoot it."
Without Franks (suspension) and Jeschort (ankle injury) Minot's backcourt was still a load for Fargo North.
Early on, Minot went inside to 6-foot-5 junior Colter Hustad, who scored on three of his first four attempts. When the Spartans made a defensive adjustment, Minot's guards reaped the benefits.
"(Fargo North) came out in that zone and we attacked it," Minot coach Dean Winczewski said. "A lot of our guys were able to get open looks tonight and knocked them down."
Bloms and point guard Caleb Albertson did the early damage. Consecutive 3s by the pair sparked a 16-4 first-half run that proved to be the first of Minot's scoring flurries.
The short-handed Magicians, who had a 37-24 halftime advantage, led by as many 27 in the second half and had nine players reach the scoring column.
"To shoot like we did without (Frank and Jechort) was impressive," Winczewski said. "I was really impressed with our sophomores, too. They gave us quality minutes."
Dakota Halvorson and Noah Bosh, Minot's youngest lettermen, combined for nine points and played substantial minutes in their first varsity outing.
Fargo North's Isaac Rerick scored nine of his team-high 14 points in the first half. The Spartans' DeSean Thompson had all of his 10 points in the second stanza.
Fargo North had just three attempts from 3-point range and gave up 15 offensive rebounds.
"It was a good first game but we have a lot of improving to do," Winczewski said. "Especially on defense."
Van Dusen also had seven assists for Minot (1-0), which travels to Bismarck on Thursday.