Boys: Northern Cass 61, Valley City 50

Valley City turned in a much more spirited performance than its previous outing but was unable to snap its losing streak, which now stands at 10 games.

The Hi-Liners struggled early to contain Northern Cass guard Hudson Rietschel, who consistently found open looks and buried most of them, finishing with 13 points in the first half. Valley City stayed within striking distance behind 12 first-half points from Miken Mattson, along with contributions from Jack Dieterle and Finn Dockter, trailing 32-25 at halftime.

Valley City prevented the Jaguars from pulling away in the third quarter but missed several opportunities that could have shifted momentum. The Hi-Liners continued to hang around late, but a key missed chance proved costly.

Trailing 55-48 with just over two minutes remaining, Valley City came up empty on a 2-on-1 fast break, opting for a transition 3-pointer that rattled out instead of taking a layup. Northern Cass converted at the other end, then closed the game on a 6-2 run to seal the 61-50 victory.

Girls: Valley City 76, Northern Cass 40

The Valley City girls delivered a dominant Senior Day performance, rolling past Northern Cass to improve to 16-2 overall and remain unbeaten in Region One play at 11-0.

Northern Cass jumped out to an early 7-2 lead as Valley City started several senior reserves, but the Jaguars’ momentum was short-lived. Once the Hi-Liners returned to their regular lineup, they seized control, outscoring Northern Cass 35-13 to take a 37-20 halftime lead.

Carly Rider helped keep the Jaguars competitive early in the third quarter and finished as Northern Cass’ leading scorer with 13 points. However, the dynamic forward tandem of Katie Burchill and Skye Nielson proved too much to handle, with both finishing with at least 20 points.

Valley City closed the game with a dominant fourth quarter, outscoring the visitors 19-4. Five different Hi-Liners scored in the final frame, and all but one senior found the scoring column on Senior Day. Maddy Frieze, Dacota Potratz, Kailee Nielson, Kinlee Sufficool and Rylyn Johnson each scored in their final home game.