Needing a win to stay atop the Region 1 standings, the Hi-Liners would march into hostile territory and walk out with their 15th win of the season behind a strong defensive effort.

However, The first quarter gave no indication that this would become a defensive battle as both ran wild, seemingly at will, putting up fast break points. What followed became a trend as the Hi-Liner’s defense would clamp down and close out the first frame on a modest run to take a 22-14 lead into the first intermission.

The second quarter would feature an ominous start for Valley City as the Squirrels opened the quarter on a 7-1 run as they trimmed the Hi-Liner lead down to two points. The Hi-Liner offense would finally wake up closing out the quarter on an 8-0 run of their own as Dacota Potratz, Tesa Olson, and Katie Burchill each finished the quarter with seven points.

However, the leading scorer for Valley City at the break, Drew Potratz, found herself in foul trouble, and after a quick foul in the third quarter, she would be forced to sit until the final frame. The third would again see early fireworks with teams exchanging buckets, with neither side being able to create separation. At the end of three-quarters of play, Valley City would hold a 42-33 advantage.

The fourth would be a much slower pace as an early 4-0 surge by the Squirrels was met in kind by Valley City as Tesa Olson would lead the charge for Valley City, finishing with 18 points on the evening. Central Cass, while at times showing threatening potential, never strung together a big enough run to cut the lead to one possession as the Hi-Liners eventually ground out the 50-42 victory.

Valley City now improves to 15-5 overall and 9-2 in Region 1 play. Next up for the Hi-Liner girls will be a February 12th contest against the Northern Cass Jaguars to wrap up regular season play. The next game you can hear on KOVC will be Tuesday when the Hi-Liners boys take on the Central Cass Squirrels.

Ivy Real Estate Group Player of the Game: Tesa Olson