MDN FIle Photo Minot High junior Oakley Trueblood looks to pass the ball in a Magi’s past match up home game against Dickinson on Tuesday, Jan. 13.

The Minot High Magicians and Majettes traveled to Bismarck to take on the Legacy High School Sabers in a pair of tough matchups on Friday night, Jan. 23 to round out a week of strong opponents.

Magicians fall in single-possession loss 73-75

Both the Minot High and Legacy High boys’ basketball teams entered their Friday night game with a record of 7-4 on the season, and the two evenly ranked teams were evenly matched through both halves of the game.

The Magicians struck first in the early minutes of the first half. Senior Tayvin Archer found himself with the ball and was able to put it into the net surrounded by two Legacy defenders. The Magi made their way to an early lead at 4-0, but the Sabers fought back, keeping the score within a few points, taking the lead at 4-6. The two teams traded leads back and forth through the early portion of the first half. Minot widened one of their leads to 15-9 and kept a consistent lead through the next minutes of play. The Magi worked their way up to a nine-point deficit at 24-15. The Magi earned another ten points before the end of the half, but the Sabers found a foothold in the second part of the first half, working their way back to a two-point deficit at 34-32 at the end of the first half.

Senior Makiya Berryhill led the Sabers in scoring for the first half, earning the team nine points. Berryhill was one of five Sabers to score for Legacy in the first half. The Magi were led by junior Drew Jordan with his eight points, followed closely by junior Oakley Trueblood at seven points. The Magi started off strong on the free throw line in the beginning of the first half, but they struggled through the last parts of the half, missing their last five free-throws in a row to make them six for 11 in the first half.

The second half of Friday night’s game was just as competitive as the first. Both teams traded leads back and forth until the Sabers took a definitive lead at 44-46. The Sabers drove their lead up to eight points before the Magi fought back again. Minot High went on a short scoring run of their own until the teams were back to neck-and-neck at 54-54. The teams traded leads on possessions until the Sabers were able to widen the gap to two possessions, forcing the Magi to play catch-up. The Sabers maintained their lead through the second half, but the Magi were never more than two possessions behind. The Sabers drove their score up to 75 with the Magi still at 70 in the last minute of the ball game. Drew Jordan ended the night with possession of the ball, sinking a quick three-point shot to bring the Magi to 73 points, but the clock ran out before Minot had a chance to possess the ball again. The game ended with a close score of 73-75, giving Legacy the win over Minot on Friday night. Drew Jordan ended the night with the most points scored for the Magi with 22, including five made three-pointers. Tayvin Archer ended second with 13 points on the night. The Magi were nine for 15 from the free-throw line and scored nine three-point shots. The Magi fell to a record of 7-5 on the season and will return home for their next game as they take on St. Mary’s on Tuesday, Jan. 27.

Majettes continue win streak, take down Legacy 71-47

Both Minot teams ended the night with scores above 70 points, but the Majettes were able to take home a win for Minot in their game against Legacy High School’s girls basketball team.

The Majettes entered their Friday night game as the only undefeated Class AA girls basketball team and No. 1 in the state, and the hard work that earned them that feat was on full display in Bismarck. Out of the gate the Majettes were aggressive on the court, scoring nine straight points before the Sabers could put points on the board. Even then, Legay’s first score was a made free throw.

The Majettes kept the offensive and defensive pressure high through the first half, and with less than eight minutes remaining in the half, the Majettes went on a scoring run turning their seven point lead to a 21 point lead in less than four minutes of game time. The Sabers went on a short scoring run of their own, but the Majette’s double digit lead was too much for them to overcome before the first half ended. The buzzer signaling halftime sounded with the Majettes leading the Sabers 34-20.

Senior LeeLee Bell was the driving force behind the Majette’s dominant scoring in the first half as the only player to score double digits at that point in the game with 13 total to her name. Senior Maggie Fricke followed with six at that point in the night.

The Majettes took charge again quickly in the second half, never dropping below a double digit lead. Though Legacy was able to work their way to more than double their points in the first half, the Majette’s offense kept the pressure high, ending with their victory over the Sabers with a final score of 77-47.

LeeLee Bell ended the game with 25 points individually, with Maggie Fricke scoring 15. Their combined points made up more than half of the team’s total points, but they were accompanied by six other Majettes in scoring. The Majettes improved on their undefeated record to a new 14-0 record and will make their way back home on Tuesday, Jan. 27 to take on St. Mary’s in a double header.