A day that started with much promise, with Valley City potentially being able to clinch the one seed in the upcoming Region 1 Tournament, ended in disappointment as Northern Cass cruised past the Hi-Liners 60-49.

The first quarter would see a steady stream of offense for both teams as both sides exchanged three-pointers and layups to start the game. Drew Potratz, the leading marksman for the Hi-Liners, splashed home a pair of three-pointers and an early six-point lead. But a late Jaguars surge capped off by an Addison Rust three cut the Hi-Liner advantage down to 17-16 as the first quarter ended.

The second quarter would, unfortunately, become a trend for the Hi-Liners throughout the rest of the game as the offense dried up while the defense had no answer for Haidyn Crockett’s scoring. Much like their first matchup, the Jaguars would lean heavily on Crockett to carry the scoring load as she finished with a game-high 28 points. As for the Hi-Liners offense, outside of a 7-8 performance from the stripe in the quarter, no consistency could be found as Valley City would trail 36-31 at the break.

The third would see the Hi-Liner defense round back into form as they would hold the Jaguars to only 13 points in the quarter. Unfortunately, the slow scoring would persist as Valley City only managed 7 points in the third frame as the offensive well turned completely dry.

Trailing by 11 going into the last quarter, the Hi-Liners needed a quick start offensively. Early on, the Hi-Liners rose to the challenge by attacking inside and drawing contact, but achieving mixed results, occasionally drawing fouls but mostly leaving empty-handed. The Jaguars would match Valley City’s score for a score to close out the game as both teams put up 11 fourth-quarter points as Northern Cass cruised to a 60-49 win.

For Valley City, their record drops to 15-6 overall and 9-3 in Region 1 play, with their next game likely coming Monday, February 19th, in the Region 1 Tournament. The next game you can hear on KOVC will be tomorrow as the Hi-Liner boys take on the Oak Grove Grovers, with the tip set for 7:30 pm. That game can be heard on KOVC and the KOVC TV YouTube channel.

 

Ivy Real Estate Group Player of the Game: Drew Potratz