Wahpeton senior Brayden Steffens surveys the perimeter against Dunseith
Less than 24 hours removed from a heartbreaking 56-51 loss to Beulah in the Division “A” State Quarterfinals, fifth-seeded Wahpeton rebounded in vintage fashion Friday against eighth-seeded Dunseith, earning a 71-54 win in the consolation semifinals at the Fargodome.
Senior star Brayden Steffens played a brilliantly efficient game, scoring 21 points on 5-of-11 shooting. The all-state caliber guard forced his way inside to draw consistent contact, knocking down 8 of 9 shots at the free-throw line and controlling the pace throughout.
Sophomore guard Jack Gilbertson emerged as the game-high scorer with 28 points on 13-of-22 shooting. Gilbertson swiped a tournament-high seven steals, as Wahpeton turned the Dragons over 16 times. In contrast, the Huskies committed just two turnovers in each half.
Junior forward Rylan Flack scored five points in the opening half, including a corner three that stunted a brief Dunseith run. Sophomore forward Treyton King posted five points and six rebounds. Junior forward Aiden Bontjes drained his third triple of the tournament and closed with five points. Sophomore guard Cooper Koolmo added five points and a game-high three assists.
Dunseith was carried by Nelson DeCouteau, who entered the tournament averaging 24.5 points per game. The towering Dragon racked up 27 points and stepped outside for a pair of threes.
The victory gives Wahpeton 20 wins on the season and assures them a higher finish than last year, when they closed the state tourney as the seventh-place team. Wahpeton will play Four Winds-Minnewaukan in the fifth-place game at 11:45 a.m. Friday on AM 1450 KBMW. The matchup features an Indians squad that was ranked No. 1 in the final AP poll and a Huskies squad that came in at No. 4.
