The Hi-Liners and the Huskies engaged in a contest that will go down in the books as one of the best of the newly founded three-division era of North Dakota High School Basketball. Valley City and Wahpeton exchanged blows for four quarters, with a late block for Valley City sealing a 62-60 win.

The quarterfinal round saw Valley City unable to get going early, but the semifinals would be the exact opposite story as the Hi-Liners raced out to an early 8-0 lead. However, a Wahpeton timeout would steady the ship as they closed the deficit to two points before chipping away and tying the game at 14-14 going into the second quarter.

The second quarter would see Valley City put together a clinical defensive performance in the second quarter, holding the Huskies to only eight points. Valley City would once again only put up 14 points, but a pair of timely three-pointers by Drew Potratz helped propel the Hi-Liners to a 28-22 going into the halftime break. Also contributing to the Hi-Liner’s success was the play of Katie Burchill, who had eight points at the half, making her first start since the second game of the season.

The third quarter would see the Hi-Liners establish an eight-point lead midway through the third quarter, with Burchill chipping in six more points and Drew Potratz adding another timely three-pointer. But the Hi-Liners would have to deal with another Huskies charge led by Scout Woods, who dominated the Hi-Liner defense late in the quarter, putting up 14 points alone in the third frame. The late Huskies run cut the Hi-Liner lead down to 44-42 as Valley City sat eight minutes away from a championship game berth.

The fourth quarter would see the game reach a series of false conclusions multiple times as the Hi-Liner established an eight and then a ten-point lead late in the game, only to watch both times evaporate into near nothingness. But both times, the Hi-Liner defense would stall the lead and never allow the Huskies to edge out in front. With five seconds to play, Burchill stepped in front of a driving Woods to draw a charge to flip possession to the Hi-Liners. After a Potratz free throw, Valley City led 62-60. A long pass sailed into the waiting arms of Woods, but Burchill would be there to stuff the shot and send Valley City to the Region 1 final against Northern Cass. Katie Burchill would lead the Hi-Liners with 26 points, with Scout Woods finishing with a tournament-high 41 points.

That game will be at approximately 7:45 pm, with the winner of the game moving on to the State Tournament in Minot, with the loser facing the winner of Carrington and Four Winds/Minnewaukan. That game can be heard live on 1490AM/96.3FM KOVC.

 

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