This isn't how Jesse Kist would have scripted his senior year at all.

But he'll take it.

Kist, a 6-foot-2 senior, has averaged 4.4 points, 2.3 rebounds and 0.9 assists as a season-long starter for the Mandan Braves.Not much there to get excited about.

However, Mandan coach JasonHorner insists that Kist's value can't be ascertained by viewing the Braves' stat sheet. Horner will refer you to the standings, where Mandan stands 18-1. That record includes a 15-1 regional mark, good enough for the top seed in the West Region tournament, which begins today at the Civic Center.

"We have enough guys who can score," Horner pointed out. "… He's definitely out there to guard the other team's best player and you don't win games without guys like that. … Those are things that make a team successful."

Horner said it became evident early on that Kist, a slender 155-pounder, had a special talent for defense.

"We could see right away that Jesse is athletic, can move well and is smart. You tell him something one time and he gets it," Horner said. "He's determined.He wants that assignment most kids don't want. He relishes that stuff."

Kist said the season was in its infancy when Horner began sicking him on opposing teams' shooters.

"It probably started the third or fourth game of the season," Kist recalled. "We went over to Jamestown and (Andrew)Peterson had been averaging 18 points a game. Ithink he got six that night. … Now I'm used to it.I like it. I don't really need to score. We're winning and I know I'm doing my part."

Of course the contribution of a guy who averages fewer than four shots a game isn't as obvious as that of a Jordan Thilmony (14 points per game, 5 rebounds, 3.3 assists); Bryan Kielpinski (16.8 ppg, 7.6 rpg), or Jordan Maurer (12.7 ppg, 7.5 rpg, 3.1 apg).

"That really doesn't bother me," he said. "My teammates know. … The people who matter see it."

What's odd about the role Kist has carved out is that he's never developed a reputation as a defensive whiz in 13 years on the hardwood.

"It kind of is weird because up until this year I've always been more of a shooter and scorer," he said. "I know I can (contribute offensively), but Ihaven't had to yet."

His top offensive effort thus far is 11 points against Turtle Mountain.

Kist said his role has its ups and downs. Taking on a player like Dickinson's Joe Hanstad can make for a long night, but Kist tries not to get bogged down by a tough game."I'll do all Ican and he stills scores his 35 points," he said. "… The next game I'm just going to try and stop the next guy."

Horner said Kist has the tough hide and sturdy ego needed to bounce back after being lit up.

"He's smart enough to know if he's done everything he can there's nothing more he can do. … He's got that, 'I'll get the next one' mentality,"Horner said. "He doesn't get down. He tries to make it as tough as he can, which is all you can ask."

Kist's may be a first-year varsity starter, but he's been around Mandan basketball long enough to know nothing can be taken for granted at the regional tournament.

The Braves have advanced out of the regional tourney just twice in the last 10 seasons - in 1999 and 2005. Even the 2007 team, which spent time atop the Class Apoll during the regular season, was unable to advance.

The last time Mandan won a state championship was 1981, a decade before the current crop of players was born.

Bearing that in mind helps keep things in perspective for Kist. An 18-1 mark and the state'sNo. 1 ranking won't guarantee a thing when the Braves square off against Jamestown in the tourney opener at 3 p.m. today.

"We've beaten Jamestown (twice) buy by fewer than 20 points combined," Kist pointed out.

Qualifying for the state tournament has been a struggle for Mandan in recent years, but Kist said the Braves have greater ambitions than to merely squeak into the final eight.

"Our goal is definitely to go 3-0 and we're focusing on that," he said. For sure we want to get in as the No. 1 seed."

Consistency is the key to reaching that goal, Kist said.

"A lot of games we let go at halftime," he said. "… Mentally I think we've overcome that. We've evened that whole thing out."

Kist said the Braves seemed to maintain focus over the whole 36 minutes better after suffering their only setback. After a 15-0 start, Mandan dropped a 70-63, decision in mid-February at Minot. Mandan bounced back with victories over Bismarck,St. Mary's and Dickinson.

"That was a load off our shoulders," Kist said of the defeat. "… After it sank in I thought 'maybe this is not so bad.'"

Now the task is to turn the theoretical No. 1 ranking into a reality.

"We kind of want to show people we can live up to the hype,"Kist said.