VALLEY CITY – The Valley City State men's basketball team is headed to the NSAA Final Four.
The No. 3-seeded Vikings jumped out to an early 21-9 lead and held Dickinson State at bay the rest of the game Wednesday night, winning 86-71 during a North Star Athletic Association quarterfinal matchup.
Cayden Rickard's diving save into the crowd gave Daevonte Munson a wide open 3-pointer with 12:44 remaining in the first half, capping an 8-0 run in less than 50 seconds that electrified the crowd and put the Vikings ahead 21-9. The Blue Hawks could get no closer than seven points the rest of the first half, and the Vikings held a double-digit lead the entire second half en route to the victory.
The victory comes just five days after a much closer 79-74 win over the Blue Hawks to end the regular season. VCSU head coach Ryan Montgomery said they didn't change much in the game plan, but the offense was more explosive Wednesday as the Vikings put up 50 first-half points.
"Our guys are very capable and very explosive, and when we're explosive it's very tough to beat us," he said. "This feels really, really good, but there's not much time to enjoy it now as we look forward to Saturday."
Valley City State improves to 18-10 overall and advances to the NSAA semifinal round for the second straight season. The Vikings will play No. 2 seed Bellevue, who defeated Presentation College on Saturday, 68-62. The Vikings and Bruins will play the second semifinal game at 8 p.m. Saturday during the NSAA Final Four at Watertown, S.D. The first semifinal will feature No. 5 Dakota State and No. 1 Viterbo University at 6 p.m. The NSAA championship will be Sunday at 4 p.m. All games will be played at the Watertown Civic Arena.
In Wednesday's quarterfinal round, the Vikings trailed just once – at 2-0. Dickinson State struggled to make outside shots – going just 4-for-27 on 3-pointers – and the Vikings took advantage as they built their biggest leads of 18 points in the first half and 20 points in the second half. The gym was especially electric in the first half as VCSU's offense shot 59 percent and put up 50 points.
"I can't thank the fans enough for the year they gave us, especially these last few games," said VCSU head coach Ryan Montgomery. "The atmosphere we had was great. To see all those students and the rest of the community come out and support these guys is huge."
Four different Vikings scored in double figures – and all four came off the bench on Wednesday night. Jalen Addison led the way with 15 points on 6-for-10 shooting. Cayden Rickard poured 11 points with three assists and two steals. Daevonte Munson finished with 11 points and three rebounds, and Uhana Ochan totaled 10 points off the bench. Kevin Schramm and Chris Thompson both scored nine points and Duoth Gach chipped in eight.
Dickinson State was led by 16 points off the bench from Aushanti Potts-Woods. Jalon Tinnin had 15 points and six assists, and Bryce Knox finished with 13 points and two steals.
The Vikings host 51 percent overall (27-53), 44 percent on 3's (7-16) and 76 percent on free throws (25-33). Dickinson State finishes at 40 percent overall (25-62), 15 percent on 3's (4-27) and 71 percent on free throws (17-24).
Dickinson State ends its season with a 9-20 overall record.
Up next: Valley City State plays Bellevue University in the NSAA semifinals Saturday in Watertown, S.D. Tip off is scheduled for 8 p.m. at the Watertown Civic Arena.
