Division “A” boys basketball will have a new state champion.
The seventh-seeded Valley City Hi-Liners entered Monday’s Region 1A Quarterfinal with a winless record in the region. The second-seeded Kindred Vikings entered the tournament without superstar point guard Brooks Bakko, as the 6-foot-6 point guard didn’t dress, dealing with a nagging ankle injury.
Valley City capitalized by feeding 6-foot-7 center Jack Dieterle, who finished with 31 points and 12 rebounds to deliver the biggest upset of the season as the Hi-Liners beat the Vikings, 65-56.
Valley City never trailed in the game, although Kindred cut the halftime lead to a single point at 27-26. The Hi-Liners stretched the lead to seven on multiple occasions, before putting the game away at the free-throw line.
Miken Mattson played with pace and poise, supplying 16 points while running the offense from his guard position. Finn Dockter added seven. Gabe Whipple led the Vikings with 24 points.
Valley City (4-17, 1-12 R1) advances to the semifinals and will face third-seeded Oak Grove (14-8, 9-3 R1) at approximately 7:45 p.m. Tuesday on KOVC. Kindred (15-7, 8-4 R1) closes the season on a 2-3 stretch following Bakko’s injury.