After falling to the Devils Lake Firebirds in the first round of the Division A State Basketball Tournament, the Valley City Hi-Liners bounced back with a gritty 58-54 win over the Beulah Miners.

Valley City made up for yesterday’s slow offensive start by coming out guns blazing against the Miners, as seniors Zack Sykora and Talon Larson combined for 15 of the Hi-Liners’ 22 first-quarter points. Bryson Heck and Carver Pederson would also notch tallies, but senior guard Carson Eggert would find himself on the bench after picking up a pair of quick fouls. Beulah found themselves unable to match their hot start from yesterday’s loss to Grafton, as Valley City took a 22-11 lead into the second quarter.

The second quarter saw the emergence of Beulah Brayden Schriado. The sophomore guard sliced and diced his way to 13 points as Beulah’s Princeton offense puzzled the Hi-Liners defense. The Hi-Liners would go through a shooting slump of their own, only mustering ten points as they found themselves clinging to a 32-31 lead at halftime.

The third quarter would see the Hi-Liner defense crack Beulah’s Princeton puzzle, holding the Miners to ten points. The Hi-Liner offense would utilize a balanced team approach to snap out of their scoring slump as five different players scored in the quarter for Valley City. Jack Dieterle would continue his impressive showing at the state tournament as the sophomore center banged his way to 11 points off the bench. This rugged and balanced approach would staple Valley City to a 48-41 lead going into the fourth.

For much of the fourth quarter, both Valley City and Beulah exchanged more time between them than they did baskets, as the Hi-Liners had grown their lead to 11 with three minutes left to play in the game. The last three minutes of the game would belong to Beulah Trace Beauchamp, who single-handedly dragged his team back into the game, scoring the Miner’s last ten points. With under 20 seconds to play, the Miners would emerge from the timeout to tie the game with a three-pointer.

The Miners, however, spent much of the time standing in place as they appeared to be holding for the final shot. The ball found its way to Aidan O’Brien, whose last-second three-point shot was a touch to the right. Zach Sykora secured the rebound and sank one last free throw to give Valley City a 58-54 win.

The Hi-Liners will play at 11:15am tomorrow on 1490AM/96.3FM KOVC in the 5th place game against Killdeer.

 

Ivy Real Estate Group Player of the Game: Jack Dieterle