Parshall Outguns North Border

Parshall 18 14 12 21 65
North Border 14 17 9 16 56

Parshall - Nathaniel Packineau 25, Rainbow Goodbear 2, Neil Packineau 17, Rudy Young Bird 17, Weston Smith 4
North Border - Michael Mathison 17, Mike Smith 4, Nick Chaput 16, Dustyn Chale 12, Tanner Carpenter 7

Championship - Parshall vs Dickinson Trinity
Third Place - North Border vs Minot Bishop Ryan


North Border's Nick Chaput (15), Tanner Carpenter (23), Mike Smith (11), Dustyn Chale (21) on defense as Parshall's Neil Packineau drives to the lane. Neon clad North Border fans cheer for their Eagles. Photo courtesy of NDHSAA








Keeping His Eyes on the Prize

Lou Babiarz Bismarck Tribune

Tanner Carpenter was a fifth-grader when unranked North Border - in its first season as a co-op - made a surprising run to a Class B boys basketball title, upsetting the No. 1 team in the state, unbeaten Cando, in the championship game.Carpenter was at the Minot State University Dome that night, the last time the Eagles played in the Class B state tournament."They were fun to watch," Carpenter said. "They were the underdogs a lot of times, but they won."

Having seen their handiwork up close, Carpenter understood the message members of the 2001 squad had for this year's Eagles after they topped Midway-Minto in the Region 4 championship, earning a berth in the state tournament.

"They said congratulations, but we've got to work hard," Carpenter said. "We can't stop here."

This year's Eagles have just two returning starters - senior Paul Meyer and Carpenter. As a result, Carpenter, a junior point guard, has been thrust into the position of team leader.

It's a role that suits Carpenter according to coach Dave "Cooter" Symington.
"He's a coach's son, so he's always been around the gym or on the football field," Symington said. "He's like a coach on the floor."

And Carpenter, who was an all-district selection as a sophomore, has delivered when it matters most.

Never was that more obvious than in the Region 2 tournament.

Carpenter, who was North Border's top scorer on the season at 12.7 per game, upped that number to 19.3 during the tournament, leading the Eagles in all three games.

More important, he came through when the Eagles needed him most.

North Border faced Midway-Minto, a team that had already beaten the Eagles twice and led for most of the region championship game.

But the Eagles kept it tight enough for Carpenter to hit three free throws in the final 10 seconds, sending the game into overtime.

Carpenter scored eight of his 27 points in the extra session as the Eagles pulled out a 58-56 win.Symington said the Eagles were confident they could finally find a way past the Mustangs.

In the District 4 championship, it was North Border that led most of the way, only to have Midway-Minto rally for the victory."We missed free throws and a couple of bunnies," Symington said. "We didn't finish the game. We were 3 of 14 from the free throw line in the fourth quarter.

We handed it to them."But Carpenter's poise in the regional rematch rubbed off on the rest of the Eagles. And the composure the squad has developed is one reason Carpenter thinks North Border has a chance to add to the legacy the 2001 team established."If we put a decent game together, we feel like we can play with anybody," Carpenter said.

The Eagles get their first chance to put their game together in the final quarterfinal today.

Bismarck Tribune Link

Eagles don't rebuild, they reload

By LOU BABIARZ, Tribune Sports Editor

The North Border boys basketball team had only two returning starters this season, but the thought of being in rebuilding mode never crossed anybody's mind.After all the Eagles knew reinforcements were coming from a junior varsity squad that had rattled off 40-plus consecutive victories.That's why it came as no surprise that the Eagles - regional finalists in 2005 and 2006 - took the next step despite their inexperience and qualified for this year's state tournament.

North Border (20-5) meets an even younger team, Shiloh Christian in a quarterfinal.

"The kids who played on the JV weren't playing varsity minutes, but they were playing a lot of big games," North Border coach Dave "Cooter" Symington said.

The Eagles did have a core to build around in 6-foot-4 senior forward Paul Meyer and 5-10 junior point guard Tanner Carpenter. Both were all-district picks last year.

Meyer has been a force inside, averaging 9.0 points and 11.8 rebounds a game.

"He leads by example," Symington said. "He works his butt off on offense and defense, diving for loose balls. The rest of the team looks to him."Joining Meyer inside is North Border's imposing presence in the middle - 6-10 senior center Michael Mathison. Mathison has been a major contributor, averaging 11.4 points, 8.8 rebounds and 2.1 blocks.

Carpenter heads up a three-guard lineup that has provided North Border with balance. Carpenter is the team's leading scorer at 12.7 points per game, with 5-11 junior Dustyn Chale (10.0 ppg) and 6-1 senior Nick Chaput (9.8 ppg) starting.

"We've got quite a bit of size and pretty good guards," Symington said. "We're quicker than last year and have a bit more depth."Sophomore Mike Smith, a 6-4 forward, has come off the bench to contribute 6.5 points and 9.3 rebounds per game. Other reserves who are regulars in the rotation include seniors Dan Gunderson, Byron Shablow and Marcus Ramsay.

The sum total is a team that Symington believes can hold its own defensively, but has yet to click on the other end, despite averaging 67.8 points per game. He's hoping the Eagles peak comes now.

"We need to execute better on offense," Symington said. "We've really struggled with that. We probably haven't put together our best offensive game yet. We haven't jelled yet in a game."

Bismarck Tribune Link