North Dakota
West Fargo’s efforts fall just short as Bismarck Century returns to ND Division AA boys title game
BISMARCK — Down 14 points at halftime, West Fargo didn’t quit.
The Packers made Friday’s North Dakota Division AA boys basketball state tournament semifinal game against Bismarck Century interesting late, but were unable to complete the comeback in a 69-67 loss to the Patriots at the Bismarck Event Center.
“This is a great team over here that we just played,” said Century junior Gibson Kinnebrew, who finished with 25 points and 10 rebounds to lead the Patriots to the state title game for the second straight year. “We’ve been through this before, we just had to stay aggressive. We knew (West Fargo) was going to keep fighting. We just had to stay gritty, keep the aggressiveness up and play as a team.”
David Samson / The Forum
With the win, West No. 2 Century (22-4) will get a chance to defend its 2025 state title. The Patriots will play West No. 1 Bismarck (25-1) at 8 p.m. Saturday back at the Bismarck Event Center.
Century dealt Bismarck its lone defeat this season, a 73-64 result in January. The Demons won the other regular season contest over the Patriots, as well as last weekend’s West Region championship game.
“We’ve just got to talk on defense and keep our guys in front of us,” Kinnebrew said. “We’ve got to calm down on offense too, but we’ve just got to play solid.”
East No. 1 West Fargo (19-7) will play West No. 3 Dickinson (18-8) in the third-place game at 3:30 p.m. Saturday.
Down 38-24 at half, the Packers clawed away at the deficit over the final 18 minutes. With 1:19 left, an Aiden Samek bucket brought West Fargo as close as it had been all night — bringing the margin to just four at 65-61.
Later, AJ Brackins hit a late jumper to pull the Packers within two points at 69-67 with 0.7 seconds remaining on the clock.
On the ensuing Century inbound, the Patriots heaved the ball to half-court where West Fargo’s Beckett Pfau picked it off. One final desperation shot from Pfau was off the mark and, regardless, didn’t make it out of his hands before the final horn.
West Fargo shot just 27.6% in the first half and were unable to recover from an 11-0 Century run to open the game.
“You’ve got to make your layups, we were a little bit cold from 3, and we shot too many early ones,” West Fargo head coach Adam Palczewski said. “So the shot selection was rough, but sometimes they go in. I have 100% confidence in my guys and I’ll never not believe in those guys.”
David Samson / The Forum
Zavion Harildstad opened the scoring for Century with a two-point bucket. He was followed up by three consecutive triples from Braylon Aldinger, Kinnebrew and Aldinger again.
Brackins stopped the early bleeding for the Packers with a pair of free throws, but the Patriots utilized the momentum from the early scoring sequence and never relinquished the lead.
“We had a layup to start the game and we didn’t shoot it,” Palczewski said. “There was no shell shock (to start). We just didn’t make our shots.”
The Packers finished the night 23 of 59 (39%) from the floor including 7 of 23 (30.4%) from range.
Samek paced West Fargo with 18 points. Haakon Seymour had 13 points to go with seven rebounds. Brackins and Wyatt Knudsen each had 11 points and six boards while Stephon Booth led the Packers in rebounds with eight.
West Fargo’s roster consisted of nine seniors this season.
“They’re amazing,” Palczewski said. “They did everything and they expect nothing. I just don’t want to let those guys down. I’m so happy to coach those young men.”
David Samson / The Forum
Century finished 25 of 60 (41.7%) shooting including 8 of 25 (32%) from three. Kinnebrew’s double-double was followed up by 12 points from Garrett Nissley. Harildstad collected eight rebounds.
Halftime: Bismarck Century 38, West Fargo 24
BC: Kinnebrew 25, Nissley 12, Aldinger 8, Kraemer 7, Zakai Harildstad 7, Kraljic 6, Zavion Harildstad 2, Spears 2.
WF: Samek 18, Seymour 13, Brackins 11, Knudsen 11, Booth 8, Pfau 3, Glandt 3.
David Samson / The Forum
David Samson / The Forum
David Samson / The Forum
David Samson / The Forum
David Samson / The Forum
North Dakota
Bankruptcies for North Dakota and western Minnesota published July 4, 2026
Filed in U.S. Bankruptcy Court
North Dakota
Louis Michel Poeltl, Grand Forks, Chapter 13
Kaylen Rae Stanleyu, formerly known as Kaylen Bahl, Fargo, Chapter 7
Michelle Vasicek, formerly doing business as Luna Wolf Sales, Fargo, Chapter 7
Justin David Scheidt, Bismarck, Chapter 7
Barrett Van Wagner, Dickinson, Chapter 7
Carolyn Williams, Bismarck, Chapter 7
John Todd Ukkelberg, West Fargo, Chapter 7
Natasha Anne Lafrenz, Bismarck, Chapter 7
Daniel Peter Binstock Jr., Bismarck, Chapter 7
Rodney Nelson, Reeder, Chapter 7
Shawn Solberg, Dickinson, Chapter 7
Kansas Aime Yankton, also known as Kansas Cavanaugh, Devils Lakes, Chapter 7
Erica Lynn Truhlicka, Fargo, Chapter 7
Stephanie Renee Hagerott, formerly known as Renee Hehn, Bismarck, Chapter 7
Nathan Thomas Schneider, Lignite, Chapter 7
Daniel Scott Diehl, Dickinson, Chapter 7
Wayne Rynart Courchene, Williston, Chapter 13
David Emil Raymond, Grand Forks, Chapter 7
Krista Renee Reed, West Fargo, Chapter 7
Travis Cecil Tharp, Williston, Chapter 7
Tyrell Michael Ledoux, Bismarck, Chapter 7
William Joseph Horneman, Merrill, Wis., Chapter 13
Kaleb James Brockman, Gwinner, Chapter 7
Edgardo Luis Torres-Rivera, Williston, Chapter 7
Minnesota
Bankruptcy filings from the following counties: Becker, Clay, Douglas, Grant, Hubbard, Mahnomen, Norman, Otter Tail, Polk, Traverse, Wadena and Wilkin.
Alexander Rudkowski, New York Mills, Chapter 7
Brandon Nash and Kayla Lynne Korn, Alexandria, Chapter 7
Ronald G. and Cindy Jo Schmitz, formerly known as Cindy Mills, formerly doing business as Crystal Rock Healing, Pelican Rapids, Chapter 7
Michael James Jordan, formerly known as Michael James Block-Jordan, and Christina Rose Jordan, Wadena, Chapter 7
Darren Michael McClure, Alexandria, Chapter 7
Steven Madrid Torres, Perham, Chapter 7
Chapter 7 is a petition to liquidate assets and discharge debts.
Chapter 11 is a petition for protection from creditors and to reorganize.
Chapter 12 is a petition for family farmers to reorganize.
Chapter 13 is a petition for wage earners to readjust debts.
Our newsroom occasionally reports stories under a byline of “staff.” Often, the “staff” byline is used when rewriting basic news briefs that originate from official sources, such as a city press release about a road closure, and which require little or no reporting. At times, this byline is used when a news story includes numerous authors or when the story is formed by aggregating previously reported news from various sources. If outside sources are used, it is noted within the story.
North Dakota
1 dead in southwestern North Dakota crash Friday
BOWMAN COUNTY, N.D. — A 67-year-old Bowman, North Dakota, man is dead following a crash in southwestern North Dakota Friday morning, July 3.
According to a North Dakota Highway Patrol news release, at approximately 8:45 a.m. Friday, a 2019 Dodge Ram 1500, driven by the Bowman man, was traveling westbound on Highway 12 near mile marker 30, west of Bowman. The man experienced a suspected medical incident, causing the vehicle to leave the roadway to the left and enter the south ditch, the release said.
The vehicle continued westbound through the ditch, where the front of the vehicle struck a tree. After the impact, the vehicle traveled onto a gravel frontage road before coming to rest in the ditch. The man was transported by Bowman Ambulance Service to Bowman Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
The man was wearing his seat belt.
The crash remains under investigation by the North Dakota Highway Patrol.
Our newsroom occasionally reports stories under a byline of “staff.” Often, the “staff” byline is used when rewriting basic news briefs that originate from official sources, such as a city press release about a road closure, and which require little or no reporting. At times, this byline is used when a news story includes numerous authors or when the story is formed by aggregating previously reported news from various sources. If outside sources are used, it is noted within the story.
North Dakota
Pembina bridge closure, causing headaches for community members, close to short-term solution
PEMBINA, N.D. — The closure of the Stutsman Street bridge has put some residents in Pembina out of reach of certain recreation spots. Timelines for bridge construction remain unclear as proposals for temporary fixes have been denied by the North Dakota Department of Transportation, but a Wednesday, July 1, meeting has brought some clarity to the issue.
The bridge has been out since early June. Mainly, the Pembina Golf Course has seen its business suffer due to children and local members being unable to access the course. John Feldman, treasurer of the Pembina Golf Course, calls the bridge a “lifeline to part of the city,” and its complete closure has been causing problems.
“All of our young kids that we’re trying to groom into golfers are not golfing anymore. Our locals that used to drive their golf carts across the bridge can’t do that anymore. So, business is down immensely,” Feldman said.
Feldman is part of a committee formed to work to get the bridge opened temporarily to pedestrians and carts. The committee has expressed its concerns with the city and city leaders are hoping to meet with NDDOT to address those concerns.
The Pembina City Council has been discussing the bridge and has made efforts to get in contact with NDDOT. Council President Connor Snitker told the Herald the NDDOT reached out to the city and a special council session took place Wednesday night with NDDOT present.
In an effort to find a temporary solution, city engineers had previously inspected the bridge to confirm the original findings and put forth a proposal to open the north half of the bridge to a weight-bearing capacity of one ton or less. That proposal, along with an alternative, was originally denied by NDDOT, but at Wednesday’s meeting, NDDOT said it would review federal regulations to find a temporary solution for pedestrians.
“We’re still running down every alternative path we can right now, trying to figure out if there’s a way to reclassify the bridge or do something that would allow us to have flexibility to at least have it operating at our temporary capacity,” Snitker said.
The DOT says the critical issues with the bridge make a temporary solution for pedestrians a challenge, but language in those regulations will be reviewed. A solution could be found as soon as this weekend.
“Late Tuesday night we received word from the Federal Highway Administration that there was an option we could pass along to the city and I think that went over well,” engineer Derek Pfeifer said. “We’ve been working really hard to find a short-term solution for them to at least allow pedestrians to cross the bridge.”
A load analysis was expected to be done Thursday to assess whether pedestrians would be able to cross. NDDOT remains adamant that only pedestrians would be allowed access with a temporary solution, and golf carts would still be unable to access the bridge.
“As long as the bridge meets a certain standard, it could open to pedestrians,” Snitker said. “It’s a step in the right direction.”
Main issues with the bridge are spalling — or flaking of surface materials — found under the load bearings, stress cracks and splitting in some of the pedestals above the columns. At the east end of the bridge, there has been five inches of movement toward the south. As the bridge moved, it sheared the anchor rods.
Before the bridge’s closure, children would regularly play the course. Easy bridge access allowed for some to even come to the course twice in a day. Now, a six-mile detour has seen that business go away.
The detour makes its way through gravel roads, which is prohibitive to golf carts and those who were walking to the course.
“We need the bridge open, not just for the golf course, but for the kids to come and play in the playground over there to play baseball,” Feldman said. “It’s really a livelihood over there for the kids and for adults.”
Looking ahead to a permanent resolution to the bridge, Pfeifer and NDDOT are looking to the city and county to come to a decision in order for them to determine the next steps.
“Do they want to fix it? Do they want to replace it?” he said. “A structural engineer will need to do an analysis of those findings that were there and what kind of effort it’s going to take to fix it. So at this point, it’s up to the city and county to determine how they want to move forward.”
Digital Content Producer and Sports Reporter at the Grand Forks Herald since December of 2020. Maxwell can be contacted at mmarko@gfherald.com.
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