The Baltic Bulldogs hosted the Tri-Valley Mustangs in the opening round of the Region 3A Tournament on Tuesday, March 3rd. The Bulldogs held off the Mustangs for a 51-45 victory to advance to the next round.
Each team held the lead in the opening quarter, but Baltic led 11-9 at the end of it. Tri-Valley went on a 5-0 run to take a 14-11 lead with 4:45 to play in the half. The Bulldogs ended the second quarter on a 14-2 advantage for a 25-16 lead at halftime. Baltic kept the Mustangs at bay in the third quarter and led 34-27 going into the fourth quarter. Tri-Valley got within four points, 39-35, with 4:35 left in the game, but the Bulldogs outscored the Mustangs 12-10 the rest of the way to hold for the win.
Baltic shot 43% (18-42) overall in the game, 31% (4-13) from three-point area, and 52% (11-21) from the free-throw line. Tri-Valley finished the game shooting 33% (16-48) from the field overall, 30% (6-20) on three-point attempts, and 70% (7-10) from the free-throw line.
Kelllen Artz finished with 25 points, 13 rebounds, three assists, and three blocked shots. Ben Erickson had 10 points and three rebounds. Trevor Cuperus ended with nine points and seven rebounds. Dylan Runestad had seven points and four rebounds.
The Bulldogs will play in Flandreau on Friday, March 6th at 7:00 p.m.
