North Dakota
Three games from around southwest North Dakota you won’t want to miss
DICKINSON — The North Dakota winter sports season is in full swing, with boys and girls basketball conference play well underway. With the girls district tournament officially less than one month away, The Dickinson Press takes a look at the biggest games of the week from around southwest North Dakota.
Trinity @ Watford City — Girls Basketball — Monday, Jan. 19
Carter Dooner / The Dickinson Press
The top of Region 4 remains relatively wide open, and Trinity and Watford City will battle for the second spot in the region behind Hazen.
The Titans nearly knocked off Hazen last week, but a strong closing stretch from the Bison allowed them to stake their claim as the top team in the region heading into the middle of January.
Trinity enters the matchup with a 5-1 region record, while Watford City sits right behind in third place at 3-1.
The Titans are beginning to find production outside of Dickinson State University commit Annabel Scheeler. In their 57-51 loss to Hazen, Kambree Fleck scored 20 points to lead the way and nearly willed the team to an upset victory.
Tip off is slated for Monday, January 19, at 6:30 p.m.
Belfield @ New England — Boys Basketball — Tuesday, Jan. 20
Carter Dooner / The Dickinson Press
Belfield will head to New England with a perfect District 7 record and will put it on the line against the Tigers.
For New England, Jordan Jung, Gage Madler, and Mark Fitterer form one of the most dangerous trios in the entire district, but production outside of that group has been limited at times this season.
Production for the Bantams has come from up and down the lineup. Carter Corneil and Shane Stroh will lead the way offensively, while emerging contributions from George Locket and Noah Obrigewitch have Belfield eyeing another Region 4 Tournament appearance.
Tipoff is slated for Tuesday, Jan. 20 at 7 p.m. at New England High School.
Bowman County @ Richardton-Talyor — Boys Basketball — Thursday, Jan. 22
Carter Dooner / The Dickinson Press
Bowman County has emerged as the hunted so far in District 7, sporting a perfect 2-0 record in district play. Jonah Njos and Cansas Duffield have led the way, helping the Bulldogs win three of their last four games.
The Richardton-Taylor Raiders have had a solid start to the season, placing third at the Roughrider Tournament and already matching their win total from last season before even playing their first home game.
Chase Christensen and Kyler Krank lead the way on offense, and they’ll have their hands full against a solid Bowman County defense that has held opponents under 50 points six times so far this season.
Tipoff is slated for Thursday, Jan. 22 at 7 p.m. at Richardton-Taylor High School.
Carter is a sports reporter for the Dickinson Press. Born and raised in Minneapolis, Minnesota, he graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2025 with a journalism degree.