The Lions (4-4) had endured several slow starts prior to Tuesday’s rivalry game against the Aggies (5-3). In the end, timely shots and high-octane defense helped Ryan snatch the 49-47 victory at home.

“Our starts have killed us this year,” Ryan head coach Jeremy Feller said. “Almost every game we’ve lost this year, we’ve lost by 15 points or more. We were down double digits again in the first quarter. We had to find a way to fight our way back.”

Velva led 19-10 after the first quarter. Although the Aggies pounded the offensive glass early on, the Lions kicked up their intensity in the second quarter.

Ryan’s scoring outburst kept the Aggies on their heels. After a 22-point second frame, the Lions knotted up the score at 32-32.

Jimmy Lafakis/MDN Velva junior guard Gage Florence (5) evades Ryan junior guard Nick Sanders (21) in the first quarter of Tuesday's game. Florence finished with four points in the loss.

“Our biggest thing is finding a way to start a game,” Feller said. “We have to play a full 32 minutes of a game and not get ourselves in a such a hole. Then, we won’t have to worry about all the other problems later.”

Both squads’ offense ebbed and flowed. Velva pounded the paint early in the contest, but Ryan cleaned the glass in the second half.

With 2:18 remaining, Ryan junior guard Logan Merck knocked down one of the night’s biggest shots. Merck found some space near the left wing and drilled a 3-pointer.

That shot granted the Lions some breathing room. Velva couldn’t quite crack the 44-43 deficit, and Merck’s missile pushed the tally to 47-43.

“(Merck) is one of our few guys with experience stepping up and hitting a shot,” Feller said. “We’re going to need more of those guys to step up and hit shots for us throughout the season. We’ve had a different guy step up each night. Now, it’s about that midway point where we can find a guy consistently step up from the 3-point line for us.”

As the final seconds dwindled down, Velva earned one last crack. Junior guard Jersey Selzer found fellow junior guard Gage Florence for an open look at the top of the key..

Florence’s 3-point attempt glanced off the rim, and the Lions breathed sighs of relief. In turn, Velva’s five-game winning streak was snapped.

“If we do the little things right, we’re a really hard team to beat,” Ryan freshman forward Conner Thompson said.

Thompson and freshman forward Brady Feller both finished in double figures. Thompson scored a team-high 16 points, while Feller added 11.

Playing in his first Velva-Ryan varsity contest, Ryan’s leading scorer didn’t feel too much pressure.

“We just had to come into it normally and do the same stuff we always do,” Thompson said. “We just had to work on the fundamentals and do the little things.”

Velva sophomore center Kaden Chadwick scored a game-high 18 points. Junior forward Adam Schepp contributed 14.

As both teams went blow for blow, the gym’s intensity ratcheted up. In true Velva-Ryan fashion, Tuesday’s installment in the schools’ storied rivalry went down to the wire.

“If Bishop Ryan and Velva are playing chess, they’re going to get after each other,” Velva head coach Isaac Sondrol said. “It’s fun. It’s a tournament atmosphere early in the season. I thought it would be good for us…It’s fun playing in these atmospheres. This is how you get tournament-ready.”

Both teams will start district play on Friday evening. Ryan will travel to Des Lacs-Burlington (4-5) for a 7:15 p.m. contest, while Velva will head northeast for a 7:30 p.m. tip against Bottineau (2-6).

Jimmy Lafakis covers Minot High School sports and Class B high school sports. Follow him on Twitter @JJLII30.