Lions fall to Knights in last regular season game
In their final regular season game of the season, the Bismarck Lions came up just short of victory to the Centerpoint Knights Friday at Holt Gymnasium in Bismarck.
The Knights’ hot shooting from behind the arc led to a double-digit lead in the first quarter that the Lions couldn’t overcome in the next three quarters to fall 3428 to their arch-rivals.
The Lions now enter the 3A-7 District Tournament as a fifth seed and will take on the eighth seeded Fouke Panthers.
In the first quarter of Friday’s game, the Knights were able to get out to a 4-0 lead before Bismarck’s Dawson King made a basket for the Lions. After that, the Knights made four, backto-back 3-pointers to take a 14-point, 16-2, lead over the Lions. Bismarck’s Ian Smith was able to hit a basket to bring the Lions back, but the Knights hit their fifth 3-pointer of the quarter with under three seconds remaining to lead 19-4.
At the start of the second quarter, King was able to lead the charge for the Lions with four points and Smith came back with a 3-pointer to cut the Knights lead to eight-points, 19-11. The Knights ended the Lions’ run with two free throws then added another basket to lead 23-11 with only 39 seconds left in the second quarter. Bismarck’s Collin Parrie ended the seconded quarter by making two free throws for the Lions. At halftime the Knights led the Lions by 10-points, 23-13.
In the third, both teams added seven points to keep the Knights in control by 10-points. The Lions had cut the lead to five at the start of the quarter when Smith scored, and King added a 3-pointer. But the Knights matched that with their own 3-pointer and basket to go back up by 10-points. In the final minutes of the quarter, King added a basket but was once again was matched by the Knights to go into the fourth quarter down 30-20.
Looking to make one final push in the fourth quarter, the Lions were able to outscore the Knights 8-4. The Knights scored a free throw and a basket from the paint to open the quarter before the Lions went on an eightpoint run to cut the lead to just five points with 25 seconds left. The Lions were unsuccessful though in their comeback attempt as the Knights added one last point to win the game, 34-28.
The Lions were led in scoring by Dawson King with 13 points. Smith was the next leading scorer with seven points. Also scoring for the Lions was Logan Bubulka, three points, Connor Corley and Collin Parrie, each with two points, and Beau Wesson with one point.