“I was so glad when I heard Ben was coaching for us this year,” said Walz. “I already had the intention to win the state championship, but with him on the staff and trying to get what he couldn’t do.”

The game was never in question, as the Lions jumped out to a 7-0 lead and extended it to 14-4 at the end of the first quarter, led by senior Jett Lundeen’s 10 points. The Lions defense stifled the Sioux all night, holding them to just 39.6% from the floor, while forcing 14 turnovers and recording three blocks and five steals.

Bishop Ryan led by10 points at the half, and outscored Westhope/Newburg 16-8 in the fourth quarter to seal the win. The Lions never trailed.

Walz, named tournament MVP, closed out his career with 11 points and 16 rebounds to pace the Lions. Lundeen led Bishop Ryan in scoring with 14 points, and senior Macksen Shean finished with 13. Jack Passa finished with 11 rebounds. Hayden Seay had eight points, while Passa scored four and Izaac Strandlien added two.

Adam Papin/MDN Ramsey Walz enters the court during player introductions ahead of the 2025 NDHSAA Boys Basketball Division B State Championship game on Saturday, March 22, 2025.

Walker Braaten, named the Division B Senior Athlete of the Year, led the Sioux with 18 points and nine rebounds, but few other Sioux players were able to break through the Lions defense.

“We haven’t won a state championship in basketball since 1994, so it’s just surreal,” said Walz.

Adding another year to the championship banner became a rallying cry all year with “’94 no more” becoming a manta.

“All I could think of was that dumb banner at Bishop Ryan and the last thing it says was ’94,” said Lundeen. “We had that as our screen saver for a long time because we wanted to change it.”

With all the Bishop Ryan has been through in the past several years, Walz acknowledged the larger impact the title run has had on rallying the Lions’ community.

Adam Papin/MDN Bishop Ryan’s Jett Lundeen shoots over Westhope/Newburg’s Walker Braaten during the final of the 2025 NDHSAA Boys Basketball Division B State Tournament on Saturday, March 22, 2025.

“The past two, three years have been tragic. We’ve had so many family members, and even students and teachers, either pass away or get hurt in a car crash. So it just means so much for the school to finally bring home something as surreal as a state championship, I’m so happy.”

Head coach Broderick Bosch spoke to the impact his senior class of Boden Erck, Lundeen, Sheen, Walz had on the program.

“This has been their goal,” said Bosch. “We thought we would do it a year or two earlier. Didn’t happen, but they kept grinding, kept working, so they really, really deserve this. With Ramsey, it’s not just scoring. I think he has over 50 rebounds through the state tournament, which is unbelievable. It’s crazy to have that many rebounds when you’re the focus point of every shot going up, and then you get boxed out. It just shows that he’s willing to do that dirty work.”

Bosch added that the win will give the younger players the itch.

“Whether it’s next year or five years, all the kids that saw what happened wants to do something like this. That’s the impact this has made.”

Adam Papin/MDN Bishop Ryan’s Macksen Shean embraces teammate Gryphen Leier-Wrangler following the Lions’ victory over Westhope/Newburg in the 2025 NDHSAA Boys Basketball Division B State Championship game on Saturday, March 22, 2025.

Bishop Ryan finished the season with a 27-3 record.

1 2 3 4 Total

Westhope Newburg 4 10 11 8 33

Bishop Ryan 14 10 12 16 52

Adam Papin/MDN Ramsey Walz cuts a piece of the net while teammates Izaac Strandlien, Boden Erck, Macksen Shean, and Justice Lundeen look on.

Adam Papin/MDN Bishop Ryan head coach Broderick Bosh addresses his team during a time out in the fourth quarter of the 2025 NDHSAA Boys Basketball Division B State Championship game, as assistant coach Ben Bohl looks on.

Adam Papin/MDN Bishop Ryan’s Hayden Seay drives past Westhope/Newburg’s Braden Bailey during the first half of the 2025 NDHSAA Boys Basketball Division B State Championship game. The Lions defeated the Sioux 52-33 to win their first state title since 1994.