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Region 6 tournament opens today with a trip to state on the line

Alex Eisen/MDN Our Redeemer's Morgan Olson (20) dribbles the ball in the District 12 championship game against Bishop Ryan on Feb. 11. Both teams advanced to the Region 6 tournament starting today at the Minot Auditorium.

At the start of district tournament action on Feb. 9, Region 6 had 15 teams vying for a spot in the Class B girls basketball state tournament.

That field has now nearly been reduced in half.

The remaining eight teams will open up Region 6 tournament action today at the Minot Municipal Auditorium, with the winner claiming a spot in the state tournament, which is set for March 2-4 in Grand Forks.

Bishop Ryan vs. Towner-Granville-Upham, 3 p.m.

The first game on tap for today will be Bishop Ryan (18-4), the District 12 champion, facing Towner-Granville-Upham (11-11), the fourth seed from District 11.

Mark Jones/MDN Lewis & Clark-Berthold junior Grace Simons (33) holds the ball in a District 12 semifinals game against Bishop Ryan on Feb. 10. The Bombers face District 11 No. 2-seeded Velva-Sawyer in the first round.

The Titans got to today’s regional contest with a 59-27 win over Nedrose in a region-qualifying contest on Feb. 11.

Meanwhile, the Lions got to regionals off a 59-48 win over Our Redeemer’s Christian School in the District 12 title game, also on Feb. 11. It’s Ryan’s sixth straight district tournament championship, with four of those victories coming at the hands of their cross-town rivals.

“The girls have been willing to push themselves and their teammates on a consistent basis all season” Ryan coach Julie Stewart said. “Mentally and physically, they’re in a good place and they understand the formula.”

The Titans opened District 11 tournament action with a 58-52 double overtime win over Bottineau. Angie Anderson had 21 points in the win for T-G-U, while Jaidyn Brummond had 20.

The winner will advance on to face the Velva-Sawyer and Lewis & Clark-Berthold winner in Tuesday’s semifinals.

Velva-Sawyer vs. Lewis & Clark-Berthold, 4:30 p.m.

Velva-Sawyer (18-3), the second seed from District 11, is coming off a 53-36 loss to Rugby in the District 11 tournament title game. The loss snapped a 16-game winning streak by the Aggies that dated back to Dec. 10.

“I think Rugby played with a lot of energy,” Velva-Sawyer coach Chris Braaten said. “They played great defense and it was hard for us to get into a rhythm. Hats off to (Rugby) coach (Jenn) Brossart, her staff and her team. The way they are playing right now they will be difficult to beat.”

The Bombers (10-12) are the third seed from District 12 having knocking off Mohall-Lansford-Sherwood 57-34 in a region-qualifying contest on Feb. 11.

Prior to the district tournament, the L&C-B had lost five of its final six regular-season contests. The Bombers are led on the season by sophomore Abby Simons, who is averaging double-figures in points.

Rugby vs. Glenburn, 6 p.m.

The third game of the day will be a matchup of the Panthers – Rugby and Glenburn.

Rugby (19-3), the District 11 champion, defeated Velva-Sawyer in the District 11 tournament title game. That win avenged a loss to the Aggies earlier in the season, in which Velva-Sawyer won 54-26.

“It was a matter of getting off the bus,” Rugby coach Jenn Brossart said of her team’s win over the Aggies in the district tournament title game. “Because we came ready to play, which wasn’t the case the first time (we played them).”

Glenburn (14-8) is the fourth seed from District 12. The Panthers won two of their three games in the district tournament, which included a 47-44 upset win of second-seeded Des Lacs-Burlington in a region-qualifying contest.

The two teams played on Dec. 2 in the CNDC tournament in Rugby, with Rugby coming away with a 42-36 win.

“They’ve got a little height and are scrappy,” Brossart said of today’s opponent. “And they like to mix it up with a little zone and a little man.”

Glenburn is led on the season by Randi Long, who scored 24 points in a district tournament win over South Prairie.

Our Redeemer’s vs. Westhope-Newburg, 7:30 p.m.

The final game of Monday’s four quarterfinal contests could prove to be the most entertaining one of the day.

ORCS (17-5) is the second seed from District 12, losing to Ryan in the tournament title game. Westhope-Newburg (15-7) is the third seed from District 11, defeating Bottineau in a region-qualifying contest on Feb. 11.

“They’ve got two girls that work really hard,” ORCS coach Scott Peterson said. “We’ve got to work hard on defense and come ready to play.”

The Sioux are led on the season by sophomore Abby Jiles, who recorded her 1,000th career point earlier this season. Jiles also had a 28-point effort against ORCS on Dec. 20, but the Knights got the upper hand with a 72-40 win.

“It’s going to come down to defense and rebounding,” Peterson said. “And trusting each other on offense.”

The four winners will advance to Tuesday’s semifinals. The third-place game and championship contests will be played Thursday.

Mark Jones covers high school sports and general assignments. Follow him on Twitter @MarkJones27_MDN.

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