The Valley City girls basketball team delivered another impressive performance Tuesday, riding a suffocating defensive effort to a 68-40 win over Oak Grove.

Skye Nielson set the tone early, scoring eight points in the first quarter as the Hi-Liners built a 20-8 lead. Valley City also received scoring contributions from Maddy Frieze, Kinslee Glandt, Kadie Kocka and Katie Burchill during the opening frame.

Oak Grove’s most reliable weapon in the first half was its free-throw shooting. The Grovers went 8 of 9 from the line before halftime, and a strong second quarter from Sophie Geiger helped prevent Valley City from completely pulling away. Still, the quarter belonged to the Hi-Liners, who used a balanced offensive attack to stretch their lead to 35-16 at the break. Nielson led all scorers with 12 points in the first half.

Burchill began to find her rhythm in the third quarter, scoring five points in the frame to bring her total to eight. The quarter featured a fast pace and several turnovers on both sides, but Valley City maintained control and carried a 54-27 advantage into the fourth.

Oak Grove opened the final quarter with improved shooting, fueled by Geiger and McCall Johnson, and continued success at the free-throw line. The Grovers finished 17 of 21 from the stripe. However, they were unable to cut significantly into the deficit, and Valley City responded with a run of its own to secure the 68-40 victory.

Valley City will travel to Carrington on Friday, Feb. 13, for a matchup with the Carrington Cardinals in a rematch of last year’s state quarterfinal. Tipoff is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. The game can be heard on 1490 AM/96.3 FM KOVC, online at NewsDakota.com and on the KDAK YouTube channel.