Hi-Liner boys pick up first EDC win, girls win on the road
Boys: Valley City 70, West Fargo Horace 56
The last time Valley City and West Fargo Horace played in boys basketball, the Hawks won by one point, that was the closet the HiLiners have come to a win in the Eastern Dakota Conference, that is until now. The HiLiners played great defense and used a strong second half to pull out a win over the Hawks at the Hi-Liner Activity Center. It was the first EDC win for Coach Ty Terry’s crew.
In the first half, the Hawks took the upper hand early starting the game on an 11-3 run, including the first seven points. Brady Westphal hit a three-pointer 47 seconds into the game to start the scoring. Moustapha Diomande ended the run with a drive inside for two to make 11-3 exactly three minutes into the game.
Valley City would go on a 18-5 run, included in that was two 8-0 runs. The first tied the game at 11 when Zach Sykora hit two free throws with 12:00 to go in the half. Then Carson Eggert had a steal and a layup to make it 17-16 Valley City with 7:47 to go. Carver Pederson would add his own steal and layup nine seconds later to make it 19-16. Pederson then hit a turnaround jumper in the lane to cap the second 8-0 run to make 21-16 with 7:13 to go. The biggest lead in the first half for the Hi
Liners was six at 25-19 with 6:09 to go. Calahan Burchill scored inside off the in-bounds pass to give Valley City the six point lead.
The Hawks got it to one, 28-27. when Brycen Hoffer drove the lane for two with 2:14 to go. Neither team would score the remainder of the half. Valley City went 4:48 without a field goal and 3:15 without a point.
In the second half, Horace scored the first five points of the half to take a 32-29 lead. Hoffer’s steal and layup gave the Hawks the lead back at 29-28, 55 seconds into the second half. Carter Evanson hit a three-pointer from the top of the key to make it 32-28 Horace with 15:37 to go.
But Valley City would come back and go on a 11-0 run. Sykora started the run with a drive for two which ended the HiLiners scoring drought which lasted 6:21. They went nearly eight minutes without a field goal. The Hawks’ Hoffer would hit a three-pointer from the wing to make it 41-38 with 11:53 to go. That would be as close as Horace would get the rest of the night.
Calahan Burchill would drive the baseline to score to make it 43-38 Hi-Liners. That would start an 10-0 run for Valley City. Pederson’s three-point play would end the run and make it 51-38 with 8:57 to go.
Valley City would get back-to-back threepointers from Sykora to open up a 57-40 lead with 6:17 to go. That lead would grow to 20
on Pederson’s threepointer from the corner with 4:33 to go in the game. Carson Eggert and Sykora would go a combined 8-8 at the free throw line in the final 2:24 to put the game away.
Sykora ended with 29 points, 24 in the second half. He would add six rebounds. Carson Eggert and Pederson each had twelve. Eggert had five assists. Pederson would have seven rebounds. Burchill added eight points, Larson had six to go with six rebounds. Aiden Jacobson had just two points but added seven rebounds and five assists. Arie Bratrud would chip in a free throw,
The Hi-Liners are now 1-20 in the EDC and 2-18 overall.
Girls: Valley City 58, West Fargo Horace 52
The first half was back and forth. Six ties in the first half. Early on the game was tied at two and four. Valley City took a three point lead on a 6-1 run with Brooke Eggermont’s midrange jumper making it 8-5 Valley City with 13:23 to go in the half. Horace would score the next seven points to take the four point lead. Lilia Donnelly’s long three-pointer made it 10-8 Hawks, she would then get a steal and a layup. Her and her sister Lakyn scored all seven points in the run.
Valley City would use a 10-2 run to take a four point lead. Eggermont would drive and score to break a 12-12 tie. After a Jaiden Haile score for the Hawks tied the game at 14. Tesa Olson had a midrange jumper and Eggermont drove for two to make it 18-14 HiLiners with 8:01 to go in the half.
Horace would then go on a 16-4 run to open up an eight point lead. Lakyn Donnelly finished the fast break with a layup to break a 20-20 tie. Then Taylor Majkrzak would hit a three-pointer from the top of the key as the shot clock was winding down to make it 2520. After a Carly Goven putback bucket, the Donnelly sisters hit back-toback jumpers. Lilia for three and Lakyn for two to make it 30-22 with 2:42 remaining.
Haile would score inside with 7.3 seconds remaining for the Hawks biggest lead at nine 33-24 and that was the score at
half.
The second half belonged to the Hi-Liners. Valley City scored the first nine points of the half to tie the game. Carly started the scoring with a basket inside 51 seconds into the half. Eggermont’s turnaround jumper tied the game at 33 with 14:12 to go. After a Lakyn Donnelly baseline jumper and a Keelie Sunde free throw made it 36-33 Hawks, the HiLiners would score the next six points to take the lead those points were part of a 17-4 run. Eggermont’s free throw broke the 36-36 tie and Tesa Olson’s turnaround jumper made 39-36 HiLiners with 11:03 to go. They would not give up the lead again. The lead reached ten when Olson hit a jumper from the elbow to make it 50-40 with 4:17 remaining. The closest the Hawks would get would be five points with 17.8 seconds to go. Dakota Potratz two free throws with 8.7 seconds made it a three possession game and that would be it.
Carly Goven led the Hi-Liners with 16 points with five rebounds. Brooke Eggermont added 13 points and eight rebounds. Tesa Olson had twelve points, eight rebounds and three assists. Greta Goven had nine points, five rebounds, and six assists. Faith Peterson had five points, ten rebounds and three assists and Dacota Potratz added three points.
Valley City is now 6-15 in the Eastern Dakota Conference and 6-13 overall.