PREP BOYS BASKETBALL: BHRA loses to Pence, SJO
Feb. 25—BISMARCK — The Bismarck-Henning/Rossville-Alvin boys basketball team had plans to continue its season with a regional title.
But St. Joseph-Ogden's Ty Pence had something to say about that.
The Illinois State committed player had 45 points as the Spartans beat the Blue Devils 74-51 in Friday's IHSA Class 2A regional championship game.
"They are an elite team with Ty Pence and they are a great team without them, so he makes them so better," BHRA coach Gary Tidwell said. "He had a special night and we didn't have an answer for them."
While Pence poured on the offense, Tidwell said that SJO's defense was just as instrumental in the loss.
"As good as they are offensively, I thought they were better defensively," Tidwell said. "They were pressuring our guards and it was tough to get into the lane. So with how Pence was hot like he was it was tough to answer him."
Brett Meidel led the Blue Devils with 12 points, while Hayden Rice had 11, Isiah Tidwell had 10, Micah Stanford and Ayden Ingram each had seven and Chaz Dubois added four.
Tanner Siems had 11 for St. Joseph-Ogden, while Tanner Jacob, Coy Taylor and McGwire Atwood each had five points.
The championship game ended an eventful regional for BHRA after getting past Unity 56-55 in overtime in Wednesday's semifinal.
"Unity has had our number and they knocked us out of a regional semifinal last year," Tidwell said. "It was a quality win for the program and one of the best wins we have had in a while. The guys showed a lot of resolve and we forced overtime and was able to get the win. We were glad to get into the championship. We wished we could have won, but Pence just had an extraordinary night. It is tough to compete against that."
With the loss, the Blue Devils end the season with a 27-7 record and it was the last game for Meidel, Isaiah Tidwell, Rice and Owen Miller.
"We had four seniors that had a great four years and they had very solid leadership potential," Tidwell said. "They worked hard and they set an example. I told them at the end of the game, they one one team can win their final game, so they can look back and see what a great team they were and be part of a Bismarck team that was one of the best from a wins standpoint.
We were 27-7 overall and we won the Topper Classic, the Bismarck tournament, the county tournament, beat Salt fork three times, we beat a Big 12 team in Bloomington at the WatchFire Shootout and Tolono Unity. It hurts tonight, but the guys will be proud of the season. We got there and gave it our best."
