Sean Williams/MDN Ramsey Walz (42), Jett Lundeen (31), and Brett McKay (22) of Bishop Ryan celebrate on the court after Lundeen hit a pair of 3-pointers for the Lions

Wrapping up a busy three days at the Minot Auditorium were the Bishop Ryan Lions boys’ basketball team and the Des Lacs-Burlington Lakers as the two met in the District 12 Tournament championship game on Monday night.

Creating a unique situation with the three-class system on the horizon, Monday night marked the last District 12 Tournament in its current format, with the Lions looking to secure back-to-back district titles and the Lakers looking to earn their first district title since 2014.

After coming out of the gates to a back-and-forth affair, the Lions would propel themselves to a 58-42 victory, guided by 24 points from Brady Feller and a spark off the bench from Jett Lundeen.

“It’s good, coach is always telling us it’s the last one so we might as well go out on top. I think we did that well tonight. We played with a lot of energy and got the job done,” Lundeen said.

Both teams showed the makings of what would be a great game early on, as the Lakers and Lions traded baskets to begin the contest. Feller of the Lions scored four points immediately and he along with Ramsey Walz on both ends of the court provided a spark for Bishop Ryan to begin the battle.

Coming off the bench and providing an instant momentum boost was Lundeen, who hit consecutive 3-pointers to give Bishop Ryan a 15-6 lead. The run by Lundeen got the Lions fired up, as well as the packed Minot Auditorium as the Lakers were forced to take a timeout.

“That’s just my job, they got me on the bench for a reason. I have to come in and give these guys juice when they are tired. Just being able to do that and help my team be successful is my goal,” Lundeen said on his mentality heading into the game.

Following the timeout, the Lakers got going courtesy of a Rylan Olson offensive rebound and putback to make it a 15-8 deficit. Carson Yale followed by throwing home a slam dunk on a fastbreak, making it a 15-12 game after one.

Feller would continue his hot start to the game by scoring back-to-back buckets in the paint, extending Bishop Ryan’s lead to 19-12 to begin the second quarter. The game would take a rare quiet stretch from then on, until Paxton Ystaas scored with 4:32 left before the break. Olson scored on the Lakers’ next possession to give the team life again, as they trailed 19-16.

All the sudden, the teams would begin trading baskets again when Feller and Ian Johnson scored a quick five points for Bishop Ryan, then Ty Hughes answered on the other end for DLB. Feller would get one more basket in the first half on a mid-range jumper, bringing the game to its 26-18 total at the half in favor of Bishop Ryan.

Olson of the Lakers and Johnson of the Lions opened the second half going shot for shot, as the two provided all the offense for their teams, bringing the game to a 31-22 score in favor of the Lions.

Getting himself on the board in the third quarter was Yale, who was without a field goal for a moment but looked to get going again. Carson Merck of the Lions answered on the following possession, not letting the Lions’ lead slip away.

After the Lakers took a timeout, Lundeen once again gave his team a spark by nailing another 3-pointer and then finding Walz for a transition basket on a crisp pass to extend the Lions’ lead to 40-24. Feller scored on consecutive possessions shortly after, then a 3-pointer by Olson near the buzzer made it a 47-29 Lions’ lead with one quarter to play.

As they were closing in on consecutive District 12 titles, the Lions turned to Feller and Johnson offensively in the fourth quarter, as they remained on cruise control the rest of the way. They would get the job done, taking down the Lakers by a final of 58-42.

Feller scored 24 points to lead the Lions, followed by Lundeen with 13 points, Johnson with 12 points, Walz with seven points, and Merck with two points.

The Lakers were led by Olson with 16 points, followed by Yale with 11 points, Ystaas with six points, Hughes with four points, Jost with three points, and Schaefer with two points.

With his point total on the evening, Brady Feller has moved up to a tie for second on the all-time scoring list in Bishop Ryan history. Feller’s 1618 career point total is currently tied with Ben Bohl.

Even though Bishop Ryan is walking away as the District 12 champions, both teams will play in the Region 6 Tournament, which is set to begin on March 6 at the MSU Dome. Bishop Ryan and Bottineau will be the first matchup that day at 3 p.m.