Girls: Valley City 69, Northern Cass 44
The Valley City Hi-Liners used a balanced offensive attack to roll past Northern Cass, placing four players in double figures in a dominant performance.
Valley City jumped out to a commanding lead in the first quarter, as Kadie Kocka knocked down a pair of 3-pointers and Katie Burchill controlled the paint. The Hi-Liners outscored the Jaguars 23-8 in the opening frame to seize early control. Northern Cass trimmed the deficit to 11 midway through the second quarter, but a well-timed timeout by head coach Jimmy Howard helped steady Valley City, which closed the half with a 19-point advantage.
The Hi-Liners continued to pour it on in the third quarter, outscoring the Jaguars 22-10 to trigger the running clock heading into the fourth. Burchill, Skye Nielson, Dacota Potratz and Maddy Frieze all reached double figures as Valley City improved to 7-1 on the season.
Boys: Northern Cass 59, Valley City 44
The boys game was a tale of two halves, as Valley City stayed within striking distance early before Northern Cass pulled away after halftime.
The first quarter was a low-scoring affair, with the Jaguars taking a 12-9 lead after back-to-back 3-pointers by Chase Evenson late in the period. Offense picked up in the second quarter, as Miken Mattson helped keep the Hi-Liners close by scoring 14 of Valley City’s 23 first-half points. Northern Cass carried a four-point lead into the break.
The third quarter proved decisive, as the Jaguars outscored Valley City 21-6 while catching fire from beyond the arc behind Hudson Rietschel and Brooks Crockett. The Hi-Liners spent much of the second half facing a deficit of 20 or more before a late surge by Mattson trimmed the margin slightly. Mattson finished with a game-high 32 points.
With the loss, Valley City fell to 3-4 on the season.
Both teams return to action Thursday, Jan. 15, against Oak Grove. The doubleheader begins at 6 p.m., with the boys game first, followed by the girls. Both contests will be broadcast on 1490 AM/96.3 FM KOVC, online at NewsDakota.com and on the KOVC Live YouTube channel.