VALLEY CITY, N.D. – Missed free throws proved costly for the Valley City Hi-Liners, as they dropped their third straight game in a 62-56 overtime loss to the Lisbon Broncos.

The Hi-Liners started slowly on offense, similar to their struggles last week against Northern Cass. Lisbon’s duo of Lincoln Adair and Cameron Cordero led the charge early, combining for 19 of the Broncos’ 32 first-half points. Valley City’s Finn Dockter paced the Hi-Liners with eight points at the break, but they trailed 32-23 at halftime.

The second half saw Valley City tighten its defense, allowing the Hi-Liners to erase the deficit while maintaining a steady offensive pace. They took a four-point lead with two minutes remaining, but missed opportunities from beyond the arc allowed the Broncos to regain control. A clutch three-pointer by Jordyn Bittner and free throws from Adair put Lisbon back in front.

Trailing by three with 1.6 seconds left, Valley City found a miracle as Miken Mattson buried a three off an inbounds pass to force overtime at 52-52. However, Lisbon’s efficiency at the free-throw line ultimately sealed the Hi-Liners’ fate. While the Broncos went 10-for-13 from the stripe in the second half and overtime, Valley City struggled, shooting just 5-for-15 in that span.

Lisbon closed out the game at the line to secure the 62-56 victory.

Valley City will look to bounce back Tuesday against the Central Cass Squirrels. Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m., with the game available on 1490 AM, 96.3 FM, and online at NewsDakota.com.