Mike Kraft/MDN Hazen’s Keaton Batke floats up a shot amid a trio of Velva defenders during the Dale Brown Hoopster Classic at the Minot State University Dome on Saturday, Dec. 27.

No moment is too big for Hazen’s Keaton Batke.

That’s why the junior guard showed no signs of nerves as he stepped to the free-throw line in a tied game with just 32 seconds left in regulation and proceeded to knock down both with ease.

Moments later, Batke stepped up on the defensive end and picked off a pass from the baseline headed for the top of the 3-point arc, sending him back to the charity stripe, this time with a chance to ice the game with 10 seconds remaining. With ice in his veins, Batke did just that, once again hitting both free throws as Hazen held off Velva, 69-65, in the Dale Brown Hoopster Classic on Saturday, Dec. 27, at the Minot State University Dome.

“It’s all the hours I put in the gym,” Batke said. “My dad makes me shoot free throws a lot. I practice them a lot and step up in big moments.”

The Bison (5-0) never trailed in the second half, but also couldn’t put any real distance between themselves and the Aggies. Hazen’s biggest lead over the final 16 minutes was eight points, a feat it accomplished six times during the third quarter. A 3-pointer by Batke – his third of the contest – put Hazen in front 55-47, only to see the Aggies (2-2) close out the stanza on a 6-0 run. Reese Steffen converted an old fashion 3-point play, Kage Kambeitz hit 1 of 2 from the line and Makiah Heinze registered his only bucket in the final seconds as the Aggies cut Hazen’s lead to 55-53 headed into the fourth.

“It was a toss up,” Hazen coach Chad Marshall said. “There wasn’t a huge difference as far as teams go. I’ll give that team all the credit in the world. Velva is really well-coached and they play really hard.”

Batke and Jaran Reinhardt accounted for 12 of Hazen’s 14 fourth-quarter points. Brekson Kaylor had the only other basket. The Bison scored the first four points of the final frame to extend their lead to 59-53 with six minutes left. The Aggies went nearly the first four minutes without a point until Kason Larsen halted the drought with his lone scoring contribution.

“You can’t throw many things at Batke or Reinhardt or coach Marshall and their whole coaching staff,” Velva coach Isaac Sondrol said. “They’ve all seen a lot of ball. To try and catch them off guard was pretty hard. That Batke kid plays so much hoops that it’s hard to catch him off guard. It was hard to get him sideways and when we did we capitalized, but we didn’t capitalize enough.”

Hazen led by as many as five down the stretch, but Velva rallied in the final minutes to draw even at 65 with 57 seconds left. Baskets by Mason Kraft and Luke Setzler got Velva to within a point and Setzler went 1 of 2 from the line the next trip down the court to pull even before Batke scored the final four points via free throws to keep the Bison undefeated this season.

Batke finished with a game-high 29 points. Reinhardt joined him in double figures with 14. Batke’s 29 points set a new school record for most points scored at the Hoopster Classic, surpassing Talon Batke, who totaled 28 points against Westhope-Newburg in 2022.

“He’s a special player. He’s been that guy for us all year,” Marshall said. “Our season is going to be dictated on him and Jaran, who are our captains. They’re going to carry the load for us offensively and they did a nice job again for us tonight.”

Both teams got off to a slow start, with constant whistles stagnating both offenses. Neither team could find much of a rhythm offensively, as Hazen took a 15-10 lead after the first quarter.

The Bison won the battle of the offensive glass throughout the course of the game, earning more possessions, which also led to more fouls for the Aggies. As a result, Velva battled constant foul trouble. Cooper Kittleson drew his third foul with six minutes still left in the first half and would be whistled for his fourth at the same juncture of the fourth quarter before fouling out with 32 seconds left. Kittleson was effective when on the court, specifically in the second half. The Velva quarterback scored 10 of his 15 points in the second half.

“Getting an offensive rebound is just an effort play you’re making for your teammate, so we preach it hard,” Marshall said. “We’re sending a couple guys to the glass every possession. In Velva’s defense, they did a great job of pushing the ball back on us and getting some easy layups.”

Wes Nickelson and Selzler also found themselves in foul trouble. Selzler picked up his third foul soon after Kittleson and Nickelson got charged with his fourth with 4:12 left in the fourth. Neither fouled out.

“I don’t know what it is,” Sondrol said. “I don’t know if it’s our style of play or whatever, but we don’t seem to ever catch a break. We’ve been in foul trouble every night, so we’ll just keep trying to get better with that.”

Kraft was not one of those battling foul trouble and instead led the offense in the first half, where he tallied 13 of his 15 points. He did the bulk of his scoring in the second quarter, knocking down a 3-pointer and four other field goals.

“Mason Kraft has been really good the first four games this year,” Sondrol said. “I think he’s going to be our tempo-setter. He’s probably been our best rebounder, too. Mason Kraft is doing a good job and he may have to be the guy we lean on.”

Velva wraps up its showcase on Monday, Dec. 29, against North Prairie at 2:30 at the Minot Municipal Auditorium. The Bison have two more games, beginning Monday against Our Redeemer’s at 5:30 p.m. at the Minot Municipal Auditorium.