Dane Hagler takes over in second half as No. 1 North Star beats Warwick in region quarterfinals
Mar. 4—DEVILS LAKE — North Star wasn't happy with its shot selection in the first half Monday against Warwick.
The Bearcats, ranked No. 1 in the state, were struggling to put away the Warriors.
North Star got back on track in the second half. It helps when your leading scorer has more than 2,000 career points.
Dane Hagler, who passed 2,000 points during the District 3 championship game last week, scored 15 of his game-high 25 points in the third quarter as North Star pulled away from Warwick 70-41 in the Region 2 Division B boys basketball tournament quarterfinals.
North Star will play the winner of Nelson County and Langdon-Edmore-Munich in a region semifinal at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday.
"The first half was rough," Hagler said. "I have to use my athleticism some more. I can shoot, but I want to use my athleticism and get to the hoop."
Hagler, a 6-foot-5 senior who's committed to play college baseball at the University of Jamestown, hit six free throws in that third quarter as he attacked the basket. He finished 10-for-10 from the foul line.
"I felt like we came out with more energy," North Star coach Jesse Vote said. "We were about 4-for-18 shooting 3's in that first half. We needed to figure out that we can attack the basket. I felt we did a good job of that in the second half. We rebounded it well, pushed it down the court and wore them out."
Dane's sophomore brother Hunter Hagler added 13 points, while Karsen Simon had 14 points.
"A lot of our offense goes through (Dane)," Vote said. "In the second half, we said we're riding you. We're getting the ball to you, and you need to go to the basket. When he has that mentality, he's tough to stop. He's a 2,000-point scorer in North Dakota, so obviously he can score it."
North Star assistant coach Jacob Hagler, a cousin to Dane, also scored more than 2,000 career points in high school.
It's a family affair for the Bearcats, as Vote is a first cousin with both his assistant Hagler and his Hagler players.
Warwick was led by Marcus Joramo, who had 14 points. The Warriors trailed just 30-25 at halftime but the Bearcats used a 14-5 run to start the second half to build a comfortable lead.
Halftime: NS 30, W 25
North Star — Karsen Simon 14, Brett Dilley 5, Garrett Westlind 4, Parker Simon 7, Dane Hagler 25, Hunter Hagler 13, Brody Svir 2
Warwick — Randal Pearson Jr. 5, Marcus Joramo 10, Evan Black 4, Marcus Joramo 14, Elijah Feather Jr. 8
