Trinity clips Eagles' wings at home, 62-27

Jan. 10—DICKINSON — There's no place like home; there's no place like home ...

One could call it the 2023-24 North Dakota prep basketball season, but the road-warrior Trinity Titans didn't have a home-game in 2023, and the team finally got a chance to perform in front of the Knights of Columbus Activities Center crowd for the first time on Tuesday, Jan. 9 to the delight of Titans fans with a 62-27 victory over South Heart that featured suffocating defense and transition play that kept the game moving and showed just how much they've improved since the Roughrider Tournament in Bowman waaaaay back in early December of 2023.

The first half of the game was nothing short of astonishing, as the home-team stymied South Heart to the tune of 4 — yes, four — points in the first and second quarters on the way to a 38-8 halftime lead. Senior forward Ty Dassinger drained a 3-pointer and freshman standout Emerson Simnioniw dropped in a pair of his own off the bench on the way to 8 first-half points in the effort, as THS put up 17 points in the opening period and combined that with 21 in the second.

"I think the kids are coming into their own and getting some confidence with what's happening," Trinity head basketball coach Gregg Grinnsteiner said. "Obviously, our defensive effort set the tone for everything ... I give them credit because this is their first home-game all year and the kids were a little sky-high — and it takes you awhile to settle in — but I was happy with our effort tonight."

The Eagles (1-6) didn't give up, however, and senior forward Owen Stuber dropped in a pair of tres in the third, while senior center Landon Roller scored 4 of his 6 points in the third quarter.

"They're going to work hard, but obviously we've got a lot of things to work on and we're going to keep plugging away," South Heart head coach Erik Klein said.

But the Titans (6-4) kept up the pressure with a pair of exciting reverse-layups from senior guard Luke Shobe and 4-of-6 shooting from the free-throw line in the first eight minutes after the halftime break. Freshman callup Landon Knote came off the bench to sink a shot from behind the arc on his way to 6 points and Simnioniw scored another 4 of his game-high 17 points in the second half to pace the Titans, while Dassinger ended up with a double-digit total of 11 in the game.

Good news for the Titans: Luke's brother, Jake, should be on his way back to the starting lineup next week, as the wrist injury he suffered in the Division A North Dakota State Football Playoff final versus Kindred on Nov. 10 is mended and he's reportedly ready to hit the floor. Jake is the team's top-scorer from last season and should provide the team welcome relief upon his return.

Next-up for Trinity will be the Titan Shootout matchup with Stanley (6-1) at 4 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 13, followed by their Division A-Region 4 opener versus Hazen at home on Jan. 19, while South Heart will begin their Division B/Region 3-District 5 schedule with a home-game versus Grant Co./Mott-Regent on Jan. 12.

For more information about prep basketball in North Dakota, please keep reading your Dickinson Press and/or visit the websites at

https://ndhsaanow.com/teams/basketball-boys

and

https://ndhsaanow.com/teams/basketball-girls

.