The Valley City Hi-Liners put together a complete team effort as they cruised past the Grovers of Fargo Oak Grove 79-51 to pick up their first Region 1 win of the season.

Valley City started the game white hot from the outside, knocking down five three-pointers in the opening frame to open up a double-digit lead. The Hi-Liners were led in the opening frame by Carson Eggert, who splashed home three of the trifectas, as he finished with 12 of the 26 Hi-Liner points in the first quarter. Fargo Oak Grove’s game plan consisted of primarily going inside to their center, John DeJong, who would try to counteract the Hi-Liner three-point barrage with a steady stream of inside buckets.

Unfortunately for the Grovers, they could never establish that consistent stream of baskets as the Hi-Liner defense stood its ground and forced Oak Grove into a plethora of rushed and hurried shots. The second quarter would progress much like the first as the Hi-Liners rode good team play to a 42-30 lead at halftime.

The third quarter would see Valley City’s Carver Pederson and Oak Grove’s Kai Zabel go blow for blow, exchanging bucket after bucket as both waited for the other to fade away. This time, it would be the Hi-Liners who would keep up their hot shooting as the quarter saw Pederson, Zack Sykora, and Bryson Heck all crack into double digits for the game. Pederson would lead all scorers in the game, finishing with 22 points on the evening. The defense stood its ground again, as Valley City outscored Oak Grove 22-10 in the third to take a 64-40 lead into the final frame.

With both teams emptying their benches, Jack Dieterle poured in seven points in the final quarter to bring his total to ten points in the game, making him one of five Hi-Liners who finished in double figures. The Hi-Liners would finish off the Grovers winning 79-51, as they picked up their first region win of the season, with their overall record now improving to 3-5.

The next game for the Valley City boys will be game two of a doubleheader between the Hi-Liners and the Wahpeton Huskies on Thursday at 7:30 pm. That game will be on 1490 AM/ 96.3 FM KOVC, online at NewsDakota.com, and on YouTube at KOVC TV.

 

Ivy Real Estate Group Player of the Game: Carver Pederson