The Hi-Liners have just completed a stretch of four games in five days, and like most of their season, nothing came easy for the Valley City girls on Monday, as they had to slug their way past a game Oak Grove Grover squad.

The first half saw the vaunted Hi-Liner defense smother the Grover attack, holding Oak Grove to four points in the quarter, while a balanced effort led by Drew Potratz and Katie Burchill helped Valley City take an early 16-4 lead. Over the past few games, Burchill has become entrenched as the first player off the bench for Valley City, with the freshman providing an offensive and defensive spark.

The bench would shine for Valley City in the second quarter, as Burchill and Maddy  Anderson combined for 11 of the Hi-Liner’s 18 points in the quarter as the Grovers fell even further behind, trailing 34-15 at the halftime break. Hi-Liner Head Coach Jimmy Howard says being the hunted is a new experience for his squad, and the next eight minutes would see the Hi-Liners get the best shot that Oak Grove had to offer.

The Grovers would come out of the break attacking from all angles, splashing three-pointers and aggressively driving to the basket as they willed themselves back into the contest. The Grover defense also stepped up, smothering Valley City and forcing turnovers as the lead continued to be whittled down. After the dust settled, the Hi-Liners saw their once 19-point lead reduced to seven as they prepared for another close finish.

On a day where nothing came easy for Hi-Liner senior Tesa Olson, she set the tone in the opening moments of the fourth quarter by driving to the paint and drawing a shooting foul that would see her collect her first points of the game. Drew Potratz would seal things for the Hi-Liners, knocking down a pair of huge three-pointers as she tied for the team lead in points with 14 alongside Burchill. The defense also picked back up as the Grovers only mustered nine points in the final frame as the Hi-Liners picked up a 56-42 win.

The win for Valley City sees their overall record now move to 11-3 while also staying a perfect 7-0 in Region 1 play, with their next contest coming Thursday on the road against the Wahpeton Huskies at 6:00 pm. The next game you can hear on KOVC will be tomorrow at 7:30 pm as the Hi-Liner boys will host the Oak Grove Grovers.

 

Ivy Real Estate Group Player of the Game: Drew Potratz