Kari Gibb/MDN Bishop Ryan’s Ramsey Walz (42) controls the tip against North Star Bearcat Brett Dilley (1) in semifinal action. The Bearcats won 62-48 over the Lions and will face Westhope/Newburg in the title game while Bishop Ryan will face Bowman County in the third place match.

The second semifinal game looked like it would be a repeat of the first one; an upset by a hungry, lower seeded team over the higher ranked opponent. The North Star Bearcats used a very strong third quarter and three-point shooting to defeat the Bishop Ryan Lions 62-48 in the 2024 NDHSAA Division B Boys Basketball State Semifinals..

The Lions started the game with the power game underneath going well. Ball movement and passing built a 14-12 lead despite trailing early 6-0 to the Bearcats.

From the second quarter on, North Star began hitting more three point shots and applying pressure with double teams on Bishop Ryan junior Ramsey Walz. The score reflected the efforts with the Bearcats out scoring the Lions 13-6 to go into halftime with a 25-19 advantage.

The first half had both teams shooting just over 30% from the field, 50-60% from the free throw line but the Bearcats hit 36% from the three point range compared to 8% for the Lions.

The third quarter played out much the same as the second quarter ended. North Star outscored Bishop Ryan again 16-8 and the 41-27 lead was too much to overcome for the Lions.

Bishop Ryan had six players score. Walz had 18 points, six rebounds and two blocked shots. Sophomore Hayden Sealy scored 11 points with three rebounds and four assists while junior Jett Lundeen added nine points, five rebounds and a pair of steals and assists. The Lions were 20-50 from the field, 5-24 from three point range and 3-8 from the free throw line with 27 rebounds.

North Star had seven players score. Senior Dane Hagler led all scoring with 25 points, 11 rebounds and three assists. Fellow seniors Parker Simon had nine points with three rebounds while Garrett Westlind and sophomore Hunter Hagler each had seven points in the win. The Bearcats were 21-44 from the field, 10-21 from three point range and 10-14 from the free throw line with 30 rebounds.

North Star will face Westhope/Newburg in the title game while Bishop Ryan will face Bowman County in the third place match.