VALLEY CITY, N.D. (NewsDakota.com) – The Valley City Hi-Liner boys hosted the #1 ranked West Fargo Sheyenne Mustangs Tuesday night and played the entire first half neck-and-neck until the Mustangs were able to pull away in the second half and cruise to a 75-56 victory.  The score at halftime was 40-32 Mustangs, but the scored was tied within the last several minutes of the first half.

The Hi-Liners were balanced in the first half, as five players scored at least four points, but the Mustangs clamped down on defense in the second half.  Senior Peyton Zaun was the only Hi-Liner to score in the first 10 minutes of the second half (10 points) before fellow senior Derrek Diegel made a layup with 7:57 left to go in the game.  The Mustangs had taken a 20-point+ lead by that point, however, and the Hi-Liners did not have enough to come back, never making a serious run at the Mustangs.

Zaun led the Hi-Liners with 21 points, 13 of which came in the second half.  Sophomore Calahan Burchill pitched in 14, and junior Andrew Berntson hit three three-pointers in the first half to finish with nine.

Senior Jah-Heem Leake (listed at 6’9) finished with a game-high 30 points.  The Mustangs had a balanced secondary attack, as well, with five players scoring between seven and 11 points.

The top ranked Mustangs are now 19-1 in the EDC and 20-1 overall. The Hi-Liners are now 5-14 in the conference and 4-15 overall.

The Hi-Liner’s last regular season game is Thursday at West Fargo.  The play-in round of the EDC tournament is on Saturday.  The opponent and location of that game for the Hi-Liners will not be determined until all games have been played.