Fargo South pulled Fargo Shanley back to the rest of the Eastern Dakota Conference.
Ismail Kareem poured in a game-high 19 points to spark the Bruins to a 61-50 boys basketball victory Tuesday at the South gym.
"I think it was a great win for us," said Kareem, who hit 8 of 16 shots from the field. "We started out with great intensity and kept it going throughout the game."
Still in first place in the EDC, Shanley (9-3, 8-2 EDC) suffered its first conference loss since Dec. 19. South (8-6, 7-4) has won four of its past five games. The Bruins were tied for fourth place in the EDC entering the game and now are a game and a half out of first place.
"The thing about the EDC this year is it's a big jumbled mess," South coach Mike Hendrickson said. "Home court is so important to everybody."
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South built a 32-19 lead and led by as many as 20 points in the second half. Shanley shot 26 percent (7 of 27) from the field in the first half.
"We started slow, especially in the first half," Shanley coach Leon Knodel said. "Offensively, we didn't play well tonight."
South scored eight of the final 10 points in the first half to build its 13-point halftime lead. Dustin Herrmann scored all the points in that surge.
The Bruins then scored eight of the first nine points in the second half to quickly push the lead to 20 points. South outscored Shanley 16-3 during those two runs that were interrupted by halftime.
Kareem converted a transition layup with 15 minutes, 25 seconds remaining in the second half to stake South to a 40-20 lead, its largest advantage of the game. The Bruins built a 42-22 edge moments later.
"This is the way we are capable of playing," Hendrickson said. "We can also play the other way, too."
Shanley plays at West Fargo on Saturday with first place in the EDC at stake. The Packers are 8-3 in the conference.
"This happens," Knodel said. "But the big thing for us is how we bounce back Saturday against West Fargo."
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SHANLEY (9-3, 8-2 EDC): Elias 3 1-6 9, Bergerson 7 2-2 18, Jagim 5 0-3 10, Schmit 1 0-0 2, Schwankl 0 0-0 0, J. Johnson 2 2-2 7, Miller 0 0-0 0, Glogoza 1 1-4 4, Sornsin 0 0-1 0. Totals 19 6-18 50.
SOUTH (8-6, 7-4): Solum 0 0-0 0, Allard 3 0-0 6, Herrmann 7 0-0 14, Kareem 8 3-3 19, Utgaard 4 1-3 9, Jo. Seivert 0 0-0 0, Aanenson 5 0-0 10, Ju. Seivert 1 0-0 3. Totals 28 4-6 61.
Half: South 32, Shanley 19. 3-point goals: Elias 2, Bergerson 2, J. Johnson, Ju. Seivert. Total fouls: SH 12, FS 18. Fouled out: Allard. Rebounds: SH 41 (Bergerson 10), FS 40 (Herrmann 10). Turnovers: SH 15, FS 13.
Readers can reach Forum reporter Eric Peterson at (701) 241-5513.
Peterson's prep sports blog can be found at www.areavoices.com
