Gryphen Leier-Wangler and Bishop Ryan are the defending Class B state champions and return to the state tournament as the No. 6 seed. The Lions play No. 3 seed Our Redeemer’s in the quarterfinal round on Thursday, March, 19 at 2:45 p.m. at the MSU Dome. Mike Kraft/MDN

Three months of regular season games, district tournaments, region tournaments and state qualifiers has whittled the Class B field of 71 teams down to just eight.

When the dust settled, what emerged was a drastically different final eight compared to the year prior. Some teams are making their return after long droughts, some have become seasoned vets, while others are set to make their debut on the biggest of stages when the state tournament tips off on Thursday, March 19, at the MSU Dome.

Six new teams advanced to the final weekend of the winter sports calendar. Central McLean, Ray, Midway-Minto, Medina/Pingree-Buchanan, North Star and Nelson County fill the vacancies left by Oakes, Hankinson, Wilton-Wing, New Rockford-Sheyenne, Westhope-Newburg and North Border.

Only two teams are back in the state tournament from a year ago, but one of those teams is the defending state champion. Bishop Ryan returns to the state tournament for a third consecutive year and 20th overall. They have the most state tournament appearances amongst the eight teams by a wide margin. North Star is second with six.

The Lions (20-6) are the No. 6 seed and knocked off Wilton-Wing in a state qualifier in the final seconds to get a crack at defending their title. Bishop Ryan finished second in the District 6 standings during the regular season and the District 6 Tournament. They placed third in the Region 3 Tournament.

Defense carried the Lions over the course of the season, allowing 44.3 points per game, which ranks third among Class B. Offensively, the Lions put up 54.8 points per game, which is fewest amongst the tournament field. Hayden Seay and Jack Passa are the two senior leaders on the squad, and also receive key contributions on both ends of the court from Peyton Seay, Gryphen Leier-Wangler, Izaac Strandlien, Justice Lundeen and Cohen Schneider.

Bishop Ryan’s quarterfinal opponent is a familiar one and also the only other team in the field that participated last year: Our Redeemer’s. The Knights (24-2) are also making their third consecutive appearance at state and fourth overall. As the No. 3 seed, Our Redeemer’s is the highest ranked team among those who didn’t win their region tournament. The other three non-region champions represent the sixth, seventh and eighth seeds.

Our Redeemer’s had to win a state qualifier over Benson County to get into the tournament after winning the Region 3 Tournament a year ago. The Knights won the District 6 regular season and postseason title, but fell to Ray in the Region 3 championship, snapping a 22-game winning streak. The Knights’ only losses this season have come to Ray and Central McLean, the top two seeds in the tournament. Our Redeemer’s is 3-2 against the tournament field, with two wins coming against Bishop Ryan.

The Knights sport the second best offense in Class B (76.8 ppg) and second best defense (43.3 ppg). They are led by Wyatt Weekley, Nolan Schmidt and Jayden Marshall, but also have a deep bench. While Weekley, Schmidt and Marshall are their primary scoring threats, the Knights also find scoring in Payten Lindbo, Collin Swenson, Jake Altringer and Sam Zaderaka among others.

The tournament favorite is also the lone unbeaten in top-seeded Central McLean (25-0). The Cougars outscored opponents by more than 30 points per game this season, only playing three games decided by single digits. The District 8 and Region 4 champion has the top defense in Class B, allowing 41.6 points per game. They held six opponents under 40 points. They have eclipsed 80 points nine times this season and average 72.6 points per game, good for third across Class B.

Central McLean is making its first trip to the state tournament and has had success against the top seeds in the field. In a span of 11 days, the Cougars defeated Our Redeemer’s and Ray during the Our Redeemer’s Invitational Tournament and then routed Midway-Minto to the tune of 84-55 on another neutral court at Bismarck State. Central McLean is led by Aiden and Ethan Hanson.

There are two other teams making their first appearance in the tournament as co-op programs, one of which is Central McLean’s first round opponent. Nelson County (18-7) is both the No. 8 seed as well as the Cinderella. Nelson County is in its third season as a co-op of Lakota and Dakota Prairie. Dakota Prairie made a state tournament in 2009 and it’s been since 1976 since Lakota made it into the field.

The Chargers finished fifth in the District 4 standings, but defeated Benson County to get to the Region 2 Tournament, where it advanced to the title game with victories over Drayton/Valley-Endinburg and North Border before losing to Midway-Minto. They punched their ticket to state with a 62-47 victory over Linton-HMB in which they pitched a third-quarter shutout. Nelson County allows 47.7 points per game, fourth-best in the tournament field.

Midway-Minto is also making its state tournament debut as a co-op. Minto made the state tournament in 1974, advancing to the title game against Hillsboro. The fourth-seeded Mustangs (22-3) won the District 3 regular season title, but lost in the tournament semifinals to Drayton/Valley-Edinburg. They advanced to the Region 2 Tournament with a victory over Larimore and rode that wave of momentum to the region championship, beating fellow tournament participants North Star and Nelson County along the way. Midway-Minto is 4-1 against the field.

It’s not its first trip to the state tournament, but it’s been 26 years since the first and only time Ray has been in the tournament. The No. 2 seed is another one of the tournament favorites, entering its quarterfinal matchup with North Star on a 21-game winning streak. The Jays (24-1) own the top offensive unit in Class B at 78.9 points per game. They have scored 90-plus points on six occasions. Their lowest scoring output came their last time on the court when they scored 57 points in their Region 3 title game victory against Our Redeemer’s.

Ray’s lone loss came at the hands of Central McLean in the championship game of the Our Redeemer’s Invitational Tournament. They haven’t been bested since. The Jays won the District 5 regular season and postseason titles and then claimed the Region 3 crown.

Another second-timer is No. 5 seed Medina/Pingree-Buchanan. The Pirates (21-4) made their debut in the tournament in 2023, finishing seventh. Medina made the tournament in 1981.

It was a difficult trek for M/P-B. The Pirates finished fifth in the District 2 regular season and needed to win a region qualifier against Lamoure-Litchville-Marion to keep their season alive. They upset Hankinson in overtime in the Region 1 quarterfinals and proceeded to defeat Linton-HMB and Edgeley-Kulm-Montpelier to earn the auto bid.

M/P-B have plenty of experience playing in close games. The Pirates played 12 games decided by fewer than 10 points – most among the tournament field – and won nine. Their last five games have all been within eight points. They are the only team not to have played any of the tournament teams during the season.

Rounding out the group is the only team aside from Bishop Ryan with a title to its name. North Star – the No. 7 seed – won the program’s only state title in 2011. The Bearcats (20-6) played in two other championship games in 2012 and 2024. This is their sixth appearance in the tournament.

North Star placed fourth in District 4 and knocked off New Rockford-Sheyenne in a region qualifier to get to the Region 2 Tournament. The Bearcats took third and defeated Edgeley-Kulm-Montpelier, 55-48, in a state qualifier. North Star is one of three Region 2 teams represented in the state tournament.

Quarterfinal Schedule

MSU Dome

No. 2 Ray vs. No. 7 North Star, 1 p.m.

No. 3 Our Redeemer’s vs. No. 6 Bishop Ryan, 2:45 p.m.

No. 1 Central McLean vs. No. 8 Nelson County, 6:30 p.m.

No. 4 Midway-Minto vs. No. 5 Medina/Pingree-Buchanan, 8:15 p.m.