The Hi-Liners shook off the disappointment from Tuesday’s defeat to produce perhaps their best game of the season, rolling to a comfortable 68-53 win over the Central Cass Squirrels.
In the first quarter, Carver Pederson and Talon Larson carried the early scoring load for Valley City, chipping in with six points each. The Squirrels countered with a heavy dose of senior Cole Holzer, who muscled his way to five points in the opening frame. But a singular free throw from Bryson Heck and a three-pointer by Carson Eggert would be the difference in the quarter as the Hi-Liners led 16-12 after one.
The second quarter would be a ruthless display of efficiency from Valley City’s Eggert and Larson as their two-man game combined for 17 points in the quarter. For the Squirrels, inefficiency would plague them in the quarter as they only managed three baskets from the field and went 3-6 from the foul line. The opportunistic Hi-Liners would take advantage of their rival’s struggles from the floor as they extended their lead to 36-23 heading into halftime.
The third quarter would see the emergence of Carter Vrchota for Central Cass, as the senior guard slashed his way to ten points in the quarter as he desperately tried to get his team back into the game. Any possible third-quarter comeback, though, for the Squirrels would have to occur without Holzer, who committed two quick fouls that sent him to the bench for much of the third quarter. Without Holzer’s defensive presence, the Hi-Liner guard tandem of Heck and Eggert would combine for 12 of their team’s 17 points in the quarter. As the third quarter ended, nobody had gained any ground on the other, as Valley City had a 53-40 lead going into the final quarter.
The fourth quarter would see an early surge by the Squirrels, cutting the Hi-Liner lead down to single digits as Holzer and Vrchota kept applying pressure to the Valley City defense. But a relentless effort by Eggert would see him finish with a game-high 26 points as he continued to gash the Squirrel’s defense inside. Talon Larson would also knock home a couple of free throws, giving him 19 points on the day as the Hi-Liners finished 17-25 from the stripe. Free throws and foul trouble would spell the end for Central Cass as Vrchota fouled out of the game with two minutes to go as the Hi-Liners cruised to the 68-53 win.
Valley City’s next game will be Saturday at 3:00 p.m., when they’ll take on the loser of the Region 2 Final between the Devils Lake Firebirds and the Thompson Tommies in the State Play-In Tournament. That game can be heard live on 1490AM/96.3FM KOVC and online at NewsDakota.com.
Ivy Real Estate Group Players of the Game: Carson Eggert & Talon Larson