VELVA, N.D. (NewsDakota.com) – The Carrington Cardinals ranked ninth in the Class B girls’ basketball polls that came out on Monday, and they lived up to that billing by beating the Velva Aggies 56-43 Tuesday afternoon.
Senior Hannah Hagel led all scorers with 18 points for the Cardinals, and junior Sydnie Grager chipped in 14 of her own while supplying defense and rebounding in the middle of the floor.
Carrington led 15-7 after the first quarter, with Hagel and Grager combining for nine points. The Aggies turned things around in the second quarter by outscoring the Cardinals 14-6 to take the game into the half tied at 21. Senior Jade Lohnes hit three three-pointers in the quarter for the Aggies who used the three-point shot to stay in the game.
The third quarter was nearly even, as they entered the fourth with Carrington leading 37-36. Senior Sophie Hackman led the attack for the Aggies in the second half, scoring all 16 of her points including three three-pointers of her own. In the fourth quarter, the Cardinals proved too much to handle, as they outscored the Aggies 19-7. Grager scored eight points in the final quarter, and the Cardinals sealed the deal by going 7-8 from the free throw line down the stretch.
Hackman picked up two fouls in the opening minutes of the game and struggled to find her footing until after halftime. Lohnes finished with 11 points for the Aggies to support Hackman, while sophomore Olivia Passa had eight points while dealing with foul trouble of her own. Overall, Carrington shot 16-25 from the free throw line, while Velva was only 5-9. Carrington improved to 4-0 on the season, while Velva fell to 3-2.