In a rematch of their January 2nd clash, the Valley City Hi-Liners and the Carrington Cardinals met in Mayville to see who would move on to the State Tournament in Minot.

Both teams came into the game with matching 17-7 records, and after one-quarter of play, both teams would have matching 17-17 scores. The game would turn into the classic battle of efficiency vs. explosiveness, as Carrington’s barrage of three-pointers kept them in lockstep with Valley City, who pounded away inside. The Cardinals strike for three opening three-pointers in the first as Madison Jackson led all scorers with eight points. For Valley City, their lone three-pointer would belong to Drew Potratz, who led Valley City with five points at the first intermission.

The second quarter would be another battle as the Cardinals continued to bomb away from the outside as Valley City looked to maintain its efficient scoring. The Hi-Liners, led by Kailee Nielson and Katie Burchill, would outscore the Cardinals 14-12 in the second quarter as they clung to a narrow 31-29 lead going into halftime. The Cardinals only shot 10/31 from the field in the first half, but their five three-pointers and Valley City’s ten turnovers had kept them in the ballgame.

There would be no rest for either team in the third quarter, as both sides went back to trading buckets back and forth. The scoring output for both sides would not match the pace set in the first as both sides struggled to find their rhythm in the third. Tesa Olson and Burchill would combine for ten of the Hi-Liner’s 13 points in the quarter as Valley City took a 44-41 lead into the final frame.

The fourth quarter would belong to Katie Burchill, as she erupted for 12 points and would finish with a game-high 25 points on the day. For Carrington, a timely three-pointer by Isabel would cut the lead down to five with 1:28 to play. However, for Valley City, free throws and defense would let the Cardinals get no closer as they secured a 62-56 win.

For Valley City, their next game will be February 29th at the Minot State Dome in the first round of the state tournament. The next game you can hear on KOVC will be February 26th at 7:30 pm when the Hi-Liner boys wrap up their regular season against the Kindred Vikings.

 

Ivy Real Estate Group Player of the Game: Katie Burchill

 

Hi-Liner fans celebrate the win