Kraft's work sinks Grovers: Sophomore leads Squirrels to district title

Calvin Kraft had the force of positive thinking on his side Monday night at the Fargo Civic Center.

"After I hit a couple, I started thinking they were all going to go in," the Central Cass sophomore said.

They almost all did go in from behind the 3-point arc.

Kraft drained 5 of 6 3-pointers -- including three in the third quarter -- lifting the Squirrels to a 58-56 victory against Fargo Oak Grove for the North Dakota Class B, District 2 boys basketball title.

"We want another shot at them," Oak Grove coach Steve Carnal said. "We're capable of beating them. We just have to put four quarters together. That's what we have to figure out."

Kraft finished with a team-high 21 points. Nine of those -- all on 3-pointers -- came in the pivotal third quarter. The Squirrels turned a three-point halftime deficit into an eight-point lead by the start of the fourth quarter.

A 6-foot-1 guard, Kraft started his

3-point barrage midway through the third quarter. He hit a 3-pointer from the left wing with 3:52 to play in the third that started a string of 10 consecutive Central Cass points.

Kraft also capped that rally, hitting another 3-point shot with 1:13 remaining in the third, staking Central Cass to a

41-33 lead. He added his final 3-pointer of the quarter with 35 seconds to play in the third.

"We just didn't get a hand in his face," Carnal said. "We were too busy trying to double team others. That third quarter was our downfall."

After trailing for most of the first half, Central Cass built a 46-38 lead entering the fourth quarter. The cushion proved to be the difference and was needed as Oak Grove made a furious rally late.

"You know with Oak Grove you are never safe with any type of lead," Central Cass coach Tim Kraft said.

The Grovers -- who trailed by as many as 10 points in the fourth quarter -- pulled within one point of the lead in the final minute with an 8-0 run.

Grovers senior guard Drew Erickson cut the Central Cass lead to 57-56 with 18 seconds to play after hitting a 17-foot pull-up jumper from the top of the key.

Oak Grove then stole the ensuing inbounds pass and the ball ended up back in Erickson's hands. However, he was called for a charge with 9 seconds to play as he was spinning to the basket for the potential go-ahead shot attempt.

Central Cass center Kevin Stutzman hit 1 of 2 free throws with 7 seconds to play for the final margin.

"We had a chance," Carnal said. "We could have used one more time out at the end."

Sophomore center Tom Ebert paced Oak Grove with 21 points, including six in the fourth quarter. He also grabbed a team-high nine rebounds.

"He's been coming on," Carnal said. "He's so steady. He'll go at you. He is such a competitor."

Oak Grove 16 28 38 56

Central Cass 11 25 46 58

OAK GROVE: Kading 2 2-4 7, Larson 1 0-0 3, Langseth 0 2-2 2, Vandevoort 2 2-2 6, Erickson 5 3-4 15, Berg 1 0-0 2, Ebert 8 4-5 21. Totals 19-56 13-17 56.

CENTRAL CASS: Freiborg 1 0-0 2, Sundquist 0 0-0 0, Wieland 2 0-2 4, Hagemeister 1 3-5 6, Kraft 6 4-4 21, Poulson 0 0-0 0, Smith 6 2-4 14, Stutzman 5 1-6 11, Boeder 0 0-0 0. Totals 21-41 10-21 58.

3-point goals: Kading, Larson, Erickson 2, Ebert, Hagemeister, Kraft 5. Total fouls: OG 21, CC 15. Technical fouls: Central Cass bench. Rebounds: OG 24 (Ebert 9), CC 29 (Smith 10). Turnovers: OG 9, CC 18.

Readers can reach Forum reporter Eric Peterson at (701) 241-5513