Advance captures Woodland tournament

If you like fast-paced back-and-forth action, then Friday's championship game at the Woodland Invitational between top-seeded Advance and No. 3 Meadow Heights was for you.

The whistles were nearly silent, as the two teams went one shot and out nearly the entire game. In the end, Advance was able to make more of its opportunities en route to an 89-68 win.

"We played well. When you score 89 points, you ought not to complain," Advance coach Joe Shoemaker said.

Scores going into the 80-point range is typical of a game involving Meadow Heights game, which employs a wide-open offense. But unlike the semifinal game, in which the Panthers shot 11 of 19 from 3-point range, Meadow Heights' long-range shots on Friday were not falling with such frequency.

In the opening quarter, Meadow Heights managed just one 3-pointer, while the Hornets were nearly flawless from the field. Jeremy Limbaugh scored 10 points in the quarter, including a pair of 3s for the Hornets. James Masters added six in the opening period, as Advance led 26-17 after one quarter.

"When we penetrated, we did real well. When we shot the 3, it wasn't on," Meadow Heights coach Tom Brown said.

Despite not shooting well, the Panthers still were down only 10 points at the half.

Midway through the third quarter, though, the Hornets made their move. Ahead 51-41, Advance scored 12 consecutive points and pretty much buried the Panthers.

While neither team created many second-chance opportunities in the game, Advance got the better of the rebounding battle in the second half. Advance continually limited Meadow Heights to just one shot.

Brown said his team's inability to get rebounds in the second half was a key.

"The first half, we're within two rebounds; in the second half, they out-rebounded us 23-10," he said.

Shoemaker said the difference in the second half was the help his guards gave on long rebounds.

"I felt like we did a better job in the second half on the boards limiting them to one shot," he said.

In the fourth quarter, Advance led by as many as 24 points and cruised to the victory.

Masters led the Hornets with 19 points, Limbaugh had 17, Drew Sherman had 15, Daryl Wade added 17 and Tyler Bowman had 10.

"We lost last year. These guys wanted to come out and prove something," Shoemaker said. "I think they did a good job of doing that."

Terry Wagner led Meadow Heights with 24 points, including six 3-pointers. Heath Fulton and Brian Miinch added 11 points for the Panthers.

Brown said with only one senior on his roster, he is pleased with the progress of his team.

"With all our young kids we have, that makes any coach smile," he said. "I honestly believe we're only going to get better."

Advance also sports a young lineup, with a large junior class. With the tournament win Hornets coach Joe Shoemaker is off to a perfect start in his first year as varsity coach.

"This is definitely nice, especially as a young coach," Shoemaker said.

Advance will be back in action Tuesday against rival Bell City. Meadow Heights will play Bismarck on Friday.

Delta finished third in the tournament with a 66-60 win over host Woodland. Kevin Bartels led the No. 2 seed with 30 points, Brent Menz had 16, and Cody Crowden scored 10 for the Bobcats. Seth Gaines led Woodland with 27 points, and Cody McCraw scored 14.

In the consolation championship Leopold won 50-47. Victor Vandeven scored 24 points for the Wildcats.

Championship

Advance 89, Meadow Heights 68

MH 17 14 15 22 -- 68

Advance 26 15 27 21 -- 89

MEADOW HEIGHTS (68) -- Terry Wagner 24, Heath Fulton 11, Brian Miinch 11, Michael Collier 4, Nathan Revelle 7, Anthony Bollinger 8, Bryce Wallis 1, Joel Hahs 2. FG 27, FT 4-5, F 10 (3-pointers: Wagner 5, Fulton 3, Revelle 1. Fouled out: none)

ADVANCE (89) -- James Masters 19, Jeremy Limbaugh 17, Daryl Wade 17, Drew Sherman 15, Tyler Bowman 10, Jordan Seabaugh 3, Bryan Birkman 4. FG 37, FT 4-6, F 13 (3-pointers: Limbaugh 3, Wade 3, Bowman 1, Sherman 1. Fouled out: none)

Third-place game

Delta 66, Woodland 60

Woodland 8 17 19 16 -- 60

Delta 16 6 20 24 -- 66

WOODLAND (60) -- Kenny Massa 6, Seth Gaines 27, Chantz Barham 8, Cody McCraw 14, McKenzie Stearns 5. FG 24, FT 6-11, F 23 (3-pointers: Gaines 4, Barham 2. Fouled out: Massa, Gaines, McCraw)

DELTA (66) -- Jerry Seabaugh 3, Cody Crowden 10, Amon Seabaugh 2, Brent Menz 16, Kevin Bartels 30, Nathan Stroder 5. FG 24, FT 15-23, F 15 (3-pointers: J. Seabaugh 1, Menz 2. Fouled out: none)

Consolation championship

Leopold 50, Bloomfield 47

Bloomfield 11 11 8 17 -- 47

Leopold 14 11 13 12 -- 50

BLOOMFIELD (47) -- Tony Garnett 6, Dillon Rickman 5, Codie Smith 4, Chris Battles 8, Nick Roe 16, Johnathan Monroe 6, Kurt Dumey 2. FG 19, FT 6-15, F 16 (3-pointers: Roe 3. Fouled out: none)

LEOPOLD (50) -- Michael Vandeven 2, Victor Vandeven 24, David Thiele 4, Eric Seiler 9, Kelly Stause 9, Alfred VanGennip 2. FG 19, FT 8-22, F 15 (3-pointers: V. Vandeven 3, Stause 1. Fouled out: VanGennip)