Six-game losing streaks and trips to the state tournament usually aren't contained in the same season. The Minot Ryan boys basketball team has done both this year.
The Lions (15-11) -- who had a 6-10 record at one point -- play Linton tonight in the first round of the Class B state tournament at the Fargodome.
"It was a big turnaround for us," first-year Minot Ryan coach Randy Nelson said. "The biggest thing is that we made strides with the kids believing in each other."
The Lions opened the season 6-4 before dropping six consecutive games.
With just four regular season games remaining, Nelson scheduled a team meeting to discuss where the team was headed.
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"Our short-term goal was to finish .500 for the regular season," said Nelson, also Ryan's head football coach. "And the kids really started to buy into the defense."
The Lions' short-term goal, which they achieved by winning each of their remaining regular season games, has been trumped by long-term success.
Minot Ryan won nine of its last 10 games -- including a 52-43 victory against Des Lacs-Burlington in the Region 6 championship -- to advance to its first state tourney since 2000, when the state tourney also was played in Fargo.
"We never really lost sight of what we were trying to accomplish," Nelson said.
Scoring leaders Tony Mueller and Sean Downes will be key if the Lions hope to remain successful at the state tournament.
Mueller, a 6-foot-2 senior guard, is averaging 16.7 points per game. Downes, a 6-4 post, chips in 14 points and 7.9 rebounds.
The biggest concern, however, could be finding someone to stop Linton standout Kyle Carr. The 6-5 junior leads Linton with 18.6 points, 8.2 rebounds, 7.5 assists and 3.6 steals per contest.
"I know that we're going to be playing a very disciplined basketball team," Nelson said. "We're on a much larger scale now. This is uncharted territory for the kids. But we're not going down there just happy to be there."
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Readers can reach Forum reporter Heath Hotzler at (701) 241-5562
