Our Redeemer’s junior Owen Vibeto goes up for a layup during the first half of a District 6 quarterfinal round game against Drake-Anamoose on Friday, Feb. 27 at the Minot Municipal Auditorium Mike Kraft/MDN

It had been more than a week since the Our Redeemer’s boys basketball team last took the floor leading up to its District 6 Tournament quarterfinal matchup with Drake-Anamoose, but the Knights showed no signs of rust.

Top-seeded Our Redeemer’s came out of the gates on fire, connecting on its first six field goals and knocked down its first five 3-pointers as part of a 32-point opening quarter en route to an 88-40 victory over No. 8 seed Drake-Anamoose in its tournament opener on Friday, Feb. 27, at the Minot Municipal Auditorium.

The Knights wrapped up their regular season schedule with two road games in three days against Powers Lake-Burke Central and Wilton-Wing, with the latter contest on Feb. 19. Large gaps in the schedule was nothing new to the Knights, as it was the fourth time this season they have had seven or more days in between games. They won all four ensuing games by an average margin of 33.8 points, scoring 84.5 points per game.

The most recent seven-day layoff allowed the Knights a chance to get some rest before gearing up for what they hope is a long run into the postseason.

“It was kind of nice to have some time to rest,” Our Redeemer’s coach Brock Teets said. “You get off a regular season and we had a busy last week, but it was nice to have a little rest and we just worked on a lot of little things we needed to tone up on a little bit. The kids were ready tonight. I liked the energy right away. We made some shots early, but it’s always great to get here to the Auditorium at tournament time.”

Our Redeemer’s (19-1) felt right at home at the Minot Auditorium, knocking down shot after shot to start the game. Payten Lindbo hit a pair of 3s and Wyatt Weekly hit another to give the Knights a quick 9-0 lead. By the time the Knights missed their first shot of the contest, they already found themselves up 17-4.

Ethan Brown and Owen Vibeto hit back-to-back 3s midway through the first quarter, capping off a 5-for-5 start from behind the arc. Brown hits his second and the team’s sixth 3 before the end of the opening quarter.

“We were just playing with pace and moving the ball,” Lindbo said. “We got to get onto this big floor and have some extra space. It allows us to do a lot more on offense and get out in transition and run the stuff we want to run.”

While some teams struggle playing at the Minot Auditorium with the bigger and wider dimensions and the lack of a backdrop behind the basket, the Knights enjoy their time on that particular court. The court complements the uptempo style of play the Knights want to play.

“It’s definitely more open than most teams are used to playing,” Teets said. “We’re blessed at Our Redeemer’s. We have a pretty big gym. It’s not as big as this, but it’s close, so it really helps us spacing-wise offensively. It’s such a nice floor, such a nice facility for basketball.”

The Knights didn’t score at the same breakneck speed in the second quarter, but it was still enough to give them a 50-20 advantage heading into halftime. Jayden Marshall netted seven of his team-high 13 points in the second quarter.

“Getting out on the new floor, it’s important to settle down and get all the nerves out,” Marshall said. “We were just getting the ball out in transition and passing it really well.”

Ten players scored points in the opening half for Our Redeemer’s, opting to make the extra pass for a wide-open look either down in the paint or behind the 3-point line.

“That’s just the way we’ve been all year,” Teets said. “A lot of people look at Wyatt and Nolan (Schmidt) and this and that, but these are kids that are so unselfish. Wyatt’s a kid that could average mid-20s if he really wanted to. He passes up a lot of shots that he can take. He’s very unselfish and Nolan is one of the best passers in the state. He passes the ball really well and reads things really well. He just has an extremely high IQ. It’s nice to have a bigger forward that can pass the ball.”

Weekley and Schmidt primarily played the facilitator role, as they were not required to shoulder the offense load. The duo combined for 17 points.

The Knights continued to grow their lead in the third quarter, as even more of the team bench got involved in the stat sheet. With the game well in hand, the starting five spent the second half of most quarters cheering their teammates on from the bench. In total, 13 players scored for the Knights and four finished in double figures.

“The bench is there,” Teets said. “They deserve more time, but it’s difficult at times. Matchups play into that a little bit as well. Tonight, I wanted to get everybody in. That was my goal. We were running five guys in and it’s just fun. I just love how when my starters come out and they’re cheering all those guys on. It was a good game for us to break the ice a little bit, get everyone in and get accustomed to the facility.”

Along with Marshall, Brown (12), Lindbo (10) and Schmidt (10) also finished in double figures. Vibeto and Samuel Zaderaka each had seven points and Jake Altringer added six.

“I think we have the deepest team in the state,” Lindbo said. “This is the deepest team I’ve been on. We have 15 guys that can go out there and make an impact.”

The Knights continued their success in the district quarterfinals and have become a mainstay in the semifinal round. Our Redeemer’s hasn’t dropped a quarterfinal game at the district tournament since 2011. The Knights play Velva in the semifinals on Monday, March 2, at approximately 7:30 p.m. at the Minot Municipal Auditorium.

With the postseason comes postseason pressure. But despite being the No. 2 team in Class B, the No. 1 seed in the district tournament, the defending district and region champion and the third-place finisher at last year’s state tournament sporting a lot of familiar faces on the roster, they don’t feel that pressure.

“We’re just playing basketball,” Teets said. “We’re going to play our game and the rankings and all that stuff really don’t matter. The standings don’t even matter now. It’s tournament time. It’s a brand new season. We don’t feel any pressure. We don’t talk about it. We just go and play basketball and what happens happens.”

The Raiders were led by junior guard Brady Hauff. He finished with a game-high 14 points, knocking down a pair of 3-pointers.

Drake-Anamoose (9-12) had its most success at the end of the third quarter and the start of the fourth quarter, scoring 11 unanswered points. Taylen Sieg hit all three of the Raiders’ shots in the fourth quarter and finished with nine points.

The Raiders will look to extend their season another game when they play TGU in an elimination game on Monday, March 2, at 4:30 p.m. at the Minot Municipal Auditorium.