Sports

Braaten leads Class B in all-star games

By Staff reports

07/22/2014

Hunter Braaten, a former three-sport high school star from Westhope-Newburg, helped lead the Class B team at last Thursday and Friday’s North Dakota Lions All-Star games.

The Class A all-stars won both meetings in the two-game set. The first game took place Thursday in Bismarck before Fargo played host to the rematch on Friday night.

Although the Class B team came away empty-handed from the two-game set, Braaten put in a pair of excellent performances.

The Minnesota State-Moorhead football recruit was stellar in his final two competitive games on the hardwood, lending a big hand offensively in both games.

Class A came away the winning team Thursday in what ended up as a very high-scoring affair at the Bismarck Civic Center. A new scoring record was set by the Class A all-stars in the game as it defeated Class B by a 119-94 count.

The previous record for scoring in the Lions all-star games was set by the 2002 Class A team, which scored 115 points in a game. That, too, came in a game in Bismarck.

On Thursday, Braaten played a key role for Class B. The departed Sioux basketball, football and golf star finished Game 1 with 10 points.

Robert Hutchins of Bismarck Century led both teams in scoring by accounting for 17 points.

Unfortunately for the Class B all-stars, they again faltered Friday at the Fargo Civic Center. Class A’s offense was even more dynamic in the rematch than in the first game, as Class B fell to a 123-91 defeat.

It had been a close game early on, tied 42-42 at one point in the first half. However, Class A ended the half on a 20-6 run and never trailed in the second half.

Tanner Kretchman, a former star for Fargo Davies playing in his last game at the high school level, led both teams in scoring with 21 points. Davies teammate Andrew Kozlowski was close behind with 18.

Braaten was even better in Game 2 than he was in Game 1, this time scoring 17 points.