Zac Elgie is a sophomore.
Minot Magicians head coach Gene Manson is already finding the 6-foot-2 forward to be a dependable player.
"He's probably been our most consistent player so far," Manson said.
Elgie scored eight of his game-high 17 points in the fourth quarter, helping the Magicians to a 66-56 victory Wednesday against Fargo Shanley in the semifinals of the Shanley holiday boys basketball tournament.
"Just going anywhere and beating a team on their home court is huge," Elgie said. "We came down to this tournament looking for good competition."
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Minot (5-0) plays Minneapolis DeLaSalle (4-1) at 3:15 p.m. today in the title game. DeLaSalle is ranked No. 6 in Minnesota Class 3A.
"They are a great team," Manson said of DeLaSalle. "That is a great match for us. You have to play good teams or you don't get better."
Shanley (3-3) plays Richland - ranked No. 5 in North Dakota Class B - at 1:30 p.m. today for third place.
The Deacons held a two-point lead heading into the fourth quarter against Minot before Elgie and the Magicians took control.
"I thought both teams hustled really hard," said Shanley junior Miko Elias, who finished with a team-high 14 points. "We just couldn't find the basket in the fourth quarter."
Shanley had trouble scoring after halftime, collecting 19 points in the second half on the heels of 37 in the first half.
Minot, which played man-to-man defense in the first half, changed to a zone for the final two quarters. Part of it was out of necessity.
The Magicians dressed just eight players as their sophomore and junior varsity players were competing in another tournament.
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"We knew we were going to have to play a little bit of zone and it was effective," Manson said. "It took them out of their penetrating mode."
The move to zone helped Minot slow down Elias, who scored six points in the second half. The 5-10 point guard hit six of nine free throws in the first half. He didn't get to the foul line after halftime.
"They took away most of our penetration," Elias said. "We just couldn't find our outside shot."
Minot scored the first seven points in the fourth quarter and built a 51-46 lead. Elgie scored two inside baskets in the key run. Blake Wurgler capped the surge, hitting a layup with 6 minutes, 22 seconds in the fourth.
The Magicians scored 16 of their 22 fourth-quarter points in the paint.
"We missed a lot of easy ones in the first half," Elgie said. "Coach just told us to stick with it and they would fall."
Minot 13 35 44 66
Shanley 19 37 46 56
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MINOT: Wurgler 4 0-0 10, Baldwin 4 1-2 10, Mock 4 1-2 10, Elgie 8 0-2 17, Duchsherer 4 0-0 8, Legg 1 0-0 2, Hornecker 2 2-2 7, Veazey 1 0-0 2. Totals 28 4-8 66.
SHANLEY: Elias 4 6-9 14, Roehrich 1 0-0 3, O'Rourke 1 2-2 5, Bergerson 5 0-0 11, Geffre 2 0-0 5, Jagim 0 2-2 2, Volk 3 1-2 9, Tweiten 2 0-0 5. Totals 19 11-15 56.
3-point goals: Wurgler 2, Baldwin, Mock, Elgie, Hornecker, Roehrich, O'Rourke, Bergerson, Geffre, Volk 2, Tweiten. Total fouls: Minot 14, Shanley 11. Rebounds: Minot 35 (Duchsherer 9), Shanley 22 (Geffre 6). Turnovers: Minot 13, Shanley 15.
Readers can reach Forum reporter Eric Peterson at (701) 241-5513
