WEBSTER – Northwestern used an active zone defense to take Warner out of its comfort zone on offense Friday night at the Webster Armory.

The Wildcats rotated out to shooters, clogged the passing lanes and made points difficult to come by in a 63-38 win during Region 1B boys’ basketball action. As a result, Northwestern is heading to the SoDak 16 where it will take on Faith Tuesday night.

Northwestern set the tone early by forcing eight turnovers in the first five and a half minutes and allowing just eight points in the opening 10 minutes.

“We’re starting to kind of figure out what our strengths are, like having our arms wide and having our hands up,” said Northwestern coach Anthony Redman. “It makes it very difficult for the offense to score.”

With a defense focused on stopping Warner scoring leader Hunter Cramer, the Wildcats got out on the wings and surrounded Cramer whenever he touched the ball.

“We did our best. We really pushed the ball hard down the court. Defense was stellar,” said Northwestern senior Jude Ortmeier. “We got a lot of charges. We had a lot of guys pinching, stopping Cramer, because we knew he’d be driving, so we made sure to shut him down like no other.”

Cramer still led the Monarchs with 14 points, but managed just two in the opening half when Northwestern was opening a double-digit lead.

There were few open looks and few made baskets for the Monarchs throughout much of the contest because of the Northwestern defense.

“They’re long and they’re athletic,” said Warner coach Derek Hoellein. “It was just a tough night for us. We had a tough night shooting the basketball.”

The Wildcats always seemed to be at the right spot at the right time on defense.

“We’ve got a lot of fast guys all the way around,” Ortmeier said.

That includes Ortmeier himself, who helped to power the football team this past fall. The big man sprinted out to the perimeter to deny open looks at the hoop.

“That boy can dance on his feet, alright,” Redman said. “He can move for a big guy.”

On offense, Ortmeier muscled his way inside where he scored eight points in the opening quarter to give the Wildcats a lead they never lost.

“Jude’s been playing good the last three games,” Redman said. “He’s been in that attack mode. When he gets in the post, he’s trying to score. When he does that, it helps open a lot of things up.”

While Ortmeier scored early, it was Lincoln Woodring who put the game out of reach with nine points in the third period on the way to a team-leading 17 points. Ortmeier finished with 14, and Chase Neiber added 10.

“It’s not just one guy for them. It’s a collective group,” Hoellein said of the Wildcats. “You might slow one down, but they do a nice job of really sharing the ball. It’s tough to guard when they can move the ball and a lot of guys can do different things.”

Drew Bakeberg added 10 points to the Warner total. The Monarchs finished the season at 14-8.

Northwestern will take a 17-5 record into the SoDak 16. Redman knows the Wildcats still have work to do and each game will get more difficult in the postseason.

“Whatever we want is on the other side of hard,” Redman said. “That’s alright though. The harder it is, the sweeter the victory.”

WARNER (14-8): Hunter Cramer 7 0-8 14, Drew Bakeberg 4 0-0 10, Brodey Sauerwein 2 0-0 6, Levi Scepaniak 1 0-0 3, Tanner Wolberg 0 1-2 1, Zach Evans 1 0-0 2, Isaac Hoeft 1 0-0 2. Totals 16-47 1-10 38.

NORTHWESTERN (17-5): Lincoln Woodring 7 1-2 17, Nathan Melius 2 3-4 7, Jude Ortmeier 7 0-3 14, Quintin Fischbach 1 1-2 3, Chase Neiber 4 0-0 10, Tanner Ewalt 1 0-0 2, Reilly Schmitt 1 0-0 2, Dallas Stoltenberg 1 0-0 2, Gage Ratigan 1 0-0 3, Dawson Ward 1 0-1 2. Totals 26-56 5-12 63.

Warner 8 13 23 38

Northwestern 12 27 51 63

3-point field goals – Bakeberg 2, Sauerwein 2, Scepaniak; Woodring 2, Neiber 2, Ewalt, Ratigan. Total fouls – Warner 15; Northwestern 17. Rebounds – Warner 32 (Cramer 7, Scepaniak 6); Northwestern 30 (Schmitt 8). Turnovers – Warner 18; Northwestern 9.