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Second-half struggles

Magi basketball surrenders lead to Mandan in 72-70 loss

Justin Martinez/MDN Minot High junior Derry Lentz launches a three-point shot from the corner during the Magicians' home game against Mandan on Friday.

The Magicians needed just one free throw to rim out, but Mandan’s Trey Wiest had other plans.

The senior guard for the Braves (9-4) had ice in his veins Friday night, going 4-for-4 from the charity stripe in hostile territory down the stretch to secure Mandan’s 72-70 win over the Minot High School boys basketball team (7-4).

“We missed way too many opportunities and assignments for us to beat good teams,” MHS head coach Dean Winczewski said. “(Mandan) had veteran guys like Trey (Wiest) who made plays for them down the stretch, and that’s what it came down to.”

The Magi struck first in the opening half by launching a 17-3 run to take a 27-15 lead with 6:20 on the clock. Senior Alex Schimke feasted on Mandan’s defense for 15 points, and sophomore Deonte’ Martinez added nine points to give Minot a 39-35 lead at halftime.

“I think we had the right mindset defensively and just moved the ball around on offense,” Martinez said. “We were getting the right shots and opportunities to the open man.”

But the Magi struggled out of the gate in the second half, failing to score in the first six minutes.

Meanwhile, Mandan couldn’t miss. The Braves started the second half with a pair of converted and-one shots in what proved to be a 10-0 run to give them a 45-39 lead.

“I think we just lost ourselves in the first few minutes of the second half, honestly,” Martinez said. “I don’t think we put up the level of defensive energy that we should have. We really let it go.”

That’s when Martinez gave the Magi some life. The 5-foot-9 guard scored Minot’s first seven points to cut Mandan’s lead to 47-46 with 9:25 on the clock.

Now trailing 63-58 with just over three minutes left, Minot’s Tucker Olson drilled a much-needed triple to trim the deficit to just two. The swing in momentum only lasted a few seconds, though, as Mandan’s Keshawn Laframboise responded with a three of his own on the following possession.

After a made layup by Alex Schimke with 22.1 seconds left cut Mandan’s lead to 68-66, the Magi resorted to fouling. That strategy sent Wiest to the line, and the senior guard calmly knocked down both freebies to make it a 70-66 affair.

But the Magi didn’t throw in the towel. Martinez flashed his speed on the following play by taking the inbound and racing down the court for a layup with 14.5 seconds remaining. Once again, the Magi fouled Wiest.

With everyone in the gym desperately hollering, Wiest stayed composed and drilled both free throws to ice the game. Minot’s Derry Lentz sank a turnaround shot down low at the buzzer, but the Braves still escaped the Magic City with a 72-70 win.

Martinez finished with a team-high 20 points, while Schimke added 19 points. Jaxon Gunville and Lentz each had 10 points.

The Magi will have to shake off the tough loss quickly, as they now prepare to host top-ranked Jamestown today at 7:30 p.m.

“Whatever it is, we have to figure it out,” Winczewski said. “Our focus as we go into (the Jamestown game) has to be to not lose possessions and take better care of the basketball if we want to compete.”

Justin Martinez covers Minot High School sports and Class B high school sports. Follow him on Twitter @JTheSportsDude.

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