The Our Redeemer’s boys basketball team is the No. 3 seed in this year’s state tournament and plays crosstown rival Bishop Ryan in the quarterfinal round on Thursday, March 19, at the MSU Dome Mike Kraft/MDN

What used to be a once-in-a-blue-moon event has now become as commonplace as the sunrise.

For the third consecutive year, the Our Redeemer’s boys basketball team is back in the Class B state tournament, and they are hoping this is the year they can deliver the school its first state title.

The Knights are one of just two teams in this year’s tournament field that also participated the previous season. The only other team joining them for another go-around just happens to be both their quarterfinal opponent as well as the defending champion: Bishop Ryan. The crosstown rivals will square off on Thursday, March 19, at 2:45 p.m. at the MSU Dome in a rematch of last year’s state semifinal contest in which the Lions won in overtime.

“Every single play is an all-out play in the state tournament,” Our Redeemer’s junior Wyatt Weekley said. “Every team is going to play their best basketball. We have to play our best basketball and we have to stay together completely in these next games.”

The Knights (24-2) are in the midst of their most successful stretch of basketball in program history. In the last three years, Our Redeemer’s is 68-15 with two District 6 regular season titles, two District 6 Tournament titles, one Region 3 Tournament title and three trips to the state tournament. Our Redeemer’s finished sixth at state in 2025 and third in 2024.

“I’d say this time we’re more focused,” Our Redeemer’s junior Nolan Schmidt said. “The first couple of times you’re just excited to get there, but we have our eyes on the prize this time. We have to come ready to play. You have to be well-conditioned. You have three games in three days, so you have to bring it every single night and rest up well.”

Our Redeemer’s is the No. 3 seed in the field, the highest seed of any team that didn’t win its region tournament. The Knights won the District 6 Tournament and advanced to the Region 3 championship, but fell to Ray to snap a 22-game winning streak. They played their way into the tournament with a convincing victory over Bowman County in a state qualifier.

Our Redeemer’s coach Brock Teets has been around the game for a while and knows what it takes to make deep runs in the tournament.

“It takes poise, it takes discipline, it takes great defense,” Teets said. “We have to do those things next weekend and execute. We have a few days to tighten some things up and we’re a hungry team.”

The Knights have that defense that Teets alluded to, allowing just 43.3 points per game, second in Class B behind only Central McLean (41.6 ppg). They have held nine opponents under 40 points this season. Their best defensive outing came against Glenburn, when they yielded just 19 points.

The offense has been just as formidable, averaging 76.8 points per game, which also placed them second in the state. Only Ray scores at a higher clip at 78.9 points per game. Weekley, Schmidt and sophomore Jayden Marshall are the team’s top scorers this season, but the Knights have a large supporting cast to fill out the stat sheet. Throughout the season, the Knights have received contributions on both ends of the court from their entire bench, including seniors Peyton Lindbo and Collin Swenson and sophomores Jake Altringer and Sam Zaderaka among others.

“We have a few guys that have been around,” Teets said. “Wyatt and Nolan, this will be their third state tournament. They were freshmen our first year and I think they were our leading scorers as freshmen, so they’ve been around. We’ll be leaning on those guys, but we’re not just those two. We are a team. We have guys that contribute all over the place and we’ll hope that continues next week.”

Weekley and Schmidt have the most experience of anyone on the roster playing in the state tournament. Having been through it a couple times already, they are able to offer advice to their teammates who are about to get their feet wet for the first time.

“Just play your game,” Weekley said. “Play how you play every single game. It’s still basketball. It’s still the same game. Play how you play in practice or in a regular district game or a region game. Maybe a bigger crowd, but it’s all the same.”

The Knights enter the state tournament with just two losses, both coming against teams in the tournament field. Our Redeemer’s lost to top-seeded and undefeated Central McLean in the semifinal round of the Our Redeemer’s Invitational Tournament in December and No. 2 seed Ray in the Region 3 title game. They have a win over No. 7 seed North Star and two victories against No. 6 seed Bishop Ryan.

“I’d say it’s as strong as any,” Schmidt said. “There’s going to be good teams. It seems like a lot of times it’s in this Western part of the state up here, so it should be a fun tournament.”

This year’s tournament field features plenty of fresh faces. The Knights – with their four state tournament appearances – are one of the more senior teams in the field. Only Bishop Ryan (20) and North Star (6) have made it to state more than Our Redeemer’s. The Lions and Bearcats are the only teams in the field with state titles to their names. Central McLean and Nelson County are making their first trips, while Midway-Minto is doing the same as a co-op. It’s the second trip for both Ray and Medina/Pingree-Buchanan.

“It’s going to be a great field,” Teets said. “There’s a lot of talent in this tournament, a lot of great players, a lot of great teams, a lot of great coaches. The Class B tournament is always a battle. It doesn’t matter who you play or what night you play or whatever, you better show up and play your best basketball if you want to win a championship.”

While the district and region titles during this recent three-year run are nice, it’s the losses in the state tournament that have lingered the most in the back of the Knights’ mind.

“For me, that’s all I think about during the offseason is trying to get back there and finish the job,” Schmidt said.