Ryan Ladika/MDN Levi Weekley (33) attempts to block a potential Logan Merck shot during the first half of the Knights' Monday night win over Bishop Ryan.

With three convincing wins and their District 12 championship in the rear view mirror, the Our Redeemer’s Christian School Knights hit the hardwood at their home gymnasium this week to begin preparations for the Bottineau Braves, their first-round opponent in the regional tournament Monday afternoon.

The team is not changing much of the fundamentals that got them where they are, opting instead for fine-tuning and slight adjustments to its already-solid strategy and gameplan.

“The biggest thing is just tightening up a few things,” head coach Brock Teets said. “We got a little sloppy there Monday night with some things offensively, so we’re just working those things through. We just have to be focused like we were last week and defensively we just have to do some things a little differently and a little better.”

Teets was very impressed with his team’s performance throughout the District 12 tournament. His squad defeated the Glenburn Panthers in the quarterfinal, the Surrey Mustangs in the semifinal, and the Bishop Ryan Lions in the title game by a 163-96 aggregate score.

He pointed to the team’s defensive performance as an aspect he was especially pleased with, seeing his players hold the Panthers to just 19 points, for instance. Junior guard Zach Hendrickson noted after the win against the Lions Monday night that both teams are talented on the defensive side of the ball, and he knew coming in that the better performance in that regard would produce the win.

“The kids last weekend, they really focused,” Teets continued. “We talked a lot about that prior to the week of districts, we just have to be focused up and we got three really good games. I thought they did a really good job defensively too. That’s winning basketball, just focus on defense, and the region is wide open.”

He also praised the team-first mentality his players have exhibited throughout the season, something that will be even more important as the team enters the bigger games on the road to the state tournament.

The team boasts high scorers such as Hendrickson and William Sanders, but it has never been solely about them. Teets has seen great ball movement, smart possessions and selfless play from the whole squad, and with a little luck, he added, he hopes to see a deep run in the region tournament.

Looking ahead to the team’s Monday night date with Bottineau, Teets is aware of the threat the Braves pose, most notably that of their top three guards.

“The thing with Bottineau is they’ve got three electric scorers, they’ve got three really good guards,” he said. “Milan Davis is a really, really talented player, Jaden McCloud can shoot the lights out, and Carson Haerer just brings it at you. All three of them can shoot the three at a high percentage, drive the ball and pass. They’re just very talented at the guard position.”

The two squads’ upcoming contest will not be the first time they have met this season. The Knights prevailed over Bottineau’s dangerous trio 65-54 in a matchup at home Feb. 16, and they will try to make it two in a row Monday night.

“Everybody I talk to, other coaches, about Bottineau, they all say the same thing,” Teets remarked. “They can score the basketball. Defensively we just have to keep doing what we’re doing, handle our assignments, and be focused up for a big time task at hand.”

He is expecting the best out of his squad on both sides of the ball, and his overall message and mindset concerning the big games on tap in the Minot State Dome only reinforce it.

“You better be ready to play, because there are eight really good teams and it’s going to be an absolute dogfight next week.”