Linton, ND (NewsDakota.com) – The Oakes Tornado girls’ basketball team, in the middle of a brutal stretch of the schedule, dropped their second game of the week on Thursday night, falling to the Linton-HMB Lions 69-38.
The Lions came into the week ranked 5th in the state for Class B girls. The loss comes after the Tornadoes fell to the 2nd ranked Kindred Vikings Monday night. The Tornadoes next play Monday night, when they host the 1st ranked Central Cass Squirrels.
Thursday’s game was a back-and-forth affair in the first quarter, with the Tornadoes taking a 20-19 lead into the end of the first quarter. The Lions began taking control in the second quarter, however, as the Tornadoes began turning the ball over at a high rate. The Lions led 36-29 at halftime.
The lead grew from there as the Tornadoes continued to struggle, with the Lions having a 21-point lead after three quarters on the way to the easy victory. Junior JayCee Richter was the main culprit for the Lions, scoring 27 points as she continually got into the free-throw line and paint areas.
The Lions played a heavy man-to-man press most of the game that involved defenders looking to jump passing lanes and find double-teams. The strategy worked, as the Tornadoes continued to struggle to protect the basketball throughout the second half.
On top of Richter’s game-high 27, senior Erica Umber scored 17 for the Lions, all in the first three quarters. Senior Sadie Hansen led the Tornadoes with 17 points, and sophomore Laikyn Roney added 14. Hansen and Roney combined to score all 20 points in the first quarter for the Tornadoes (Roney with 11, Hansen with 9).
The loss drops the Tornadoes to 12-3, while the Lions improve to 15-2. Monday’s game against Central Cass will be the last regular season game for the Tornadoes, then the District 5 tournament starts Friday February 12th. The Tornadoes are the #2 seed in the tournament and will take on Barnes County North in their first game.
The next action on KDDR 1220 am/95.9 fm will be Friday night, when the Tornado boys travel to Ellendale to take on the Cardinals in the 75th edition of the annual Cowbell Game. Action will begin around 7:15 pm, also streaming live on newsdakota.com.