Hillsboro-Central Valley at Grafton

Recap

It was a high-flying thrill ride Tuesday night as the Grafton Spoilers hosted the Hillsboro/Central Valley Burros in a key ND Division A Region Two Boys Basketball contest. Both teams had quality chances to pull out the victory, but ultimately, the home team prevailed, as the Spoilers secured a 65-56 victory.

Grafton had the early edge, holding the lead by as much as nine in the first half. Grafton took a 35-30 lead into halftime. HCV had the edge in the third quarter, flipping the script with as much as a five-point lead. Grafton responded right before the buzzer with a momentum shifting steal and dunk by Reggie Rice to close out the third, trimming the lead to two. In the fourth, Grafton senior Braylon Baldwin took control. Baldwin tallied twelve of his team leading 25 points in the final eight minutes. Baldwin’s dozen accounted for over half of Grafton’s fourth quarter offense. The Burros scored just nine in the final quarter, not nearly enough to pull off the upset.

Juan Villareal and Ryan Hanson also reached double figures for Grafton. Seniors Landon Olson and Jacob Brandt led HCV with 27 and 13 respectively. The Spoilers now lead Region Two with a region record of 4-1 and an overall record of 10-1. The Burros fall to 1-3 in the region and 4-6 overall. Grafton has a possible state tournament preview at Kindred on Friday night. The Burros are also in action Friday night as they host North Star.

comments from Grafton coach Riley Lillemoen