Lions finish Cards in first round

For the first 16 minutes in their Region 3 Tournament opener, the Carrington girls' basketball team followed their previous year's script against Linton-HMB to the letter.

Keep the game close, hit a few early big shots, scrap for every possession, and get a little bit of luck along the way.

But the Lady Lions weren't about to repeat their heartbreak from the previous February's regional championship, and buried the Cards with a 19-5 third quarter and ended their season at 12-10 overall with a 47-35 loss Thursday, February 24, at the Jamestown Civic Center.

"The girls handled the press and cut down on the turnovers, but we went cold in the third and Linton hit some big threes to pull away," said Head Coach Andy Braaten.

It certainly appeared that the favored Lions (18-3) might have overlooked CHS' ability to shoot from the outside early.

Three early three-pointers from senior guard Emma Rindy in the first period allowed the Cards to take a 12-10 lead after eight minutes. The CHS shooting went a bit dry in the second, but Linton-HMB didn't do themselves any favors from the perimeter with a 1-for-14 performance in the first half.

One cold stretch was all it took for the Lions to establish a foothold, and District 6 (and eventual Region 3) Senior Athlete of the Year JayCee Richter helped get them going.

Richter would finish with 20 points and 14 rebounds, and Linton-HMB would get three trifectas combined from Teegan Scherr and Callie Hase in the second half.

Scherr would finish with 15 points and six rebounds, and center Kaylee Weninger was also a presence on the glass with 11 boards.

Carrington committed just 11 turnovers and allowed the Lady Lions to convert on only four steals in the loss.

However, any chance the Cards may have had to stay within striking distance disappeared with a 5-for-15 effort on the free-throw line.

"That was really part of our downfall," Braaten said.

Rindy's nine early points would be all she would score for the contest, and she grabbed eight rebounds along with Isabel Wendel.

Edyn Hoornaert sparked the Cards with nine points, and senior post Sydnie Grager had seven points, along with junior Haley Wolsky.

Linton-HMB would ultimately exorcise the demons of last year's 62-51 overtime loss to the Cards, taking wins over M-P-B in the semifinals (see related article) and LaMoure/Litchville-Marion in the championship, 48-32, to earn their first state tournament appearance since finishing as the Class B runner-up to Grafton in 2012.

For CHS, it marked the end of the careers of two seniors, Rindy and Grager, whose work ethic and contributions to the Cardinal program were greatly appreciated.

"Hats off to those two for all their efforts these past four years," said Braaten. "We will miss their talents and leadership."

The Cards, who finished a rare double-digit loss season in the 23-year Braaten coaching tenure, will have to make improvements in a few areas if they want to get back to where they expect to be in relation to District 5 and Region 3.

"It was a season that saw a lot of growth from our underclassmen," said Braaten, citing the play of freshmen Hoornaert and Wendel, and sophomore Madison Johnson. "We'll need to improve our shooting, as well as get physically stronger."

Region 3 Girls' Basketball

Tournament, Jamestown

Quarterfinals

Linton-HMB 47, Carrington 35

Cgtn. 12 6 5 12 35

LHMB 10 9 19 9 47

Carrington: Edyn Hoornaert 9, Emma Rindy 9, Sydnie Grager 7, Haley Wolsky 7, Kacie Rexin 2, Madison Johnson 1. Totals: 12-46 FG, 5-15 FT, 15 fouls. Three-pointers: Rindy 3, Hoornaert 2, Wolsky.

Linton-HMB: JayCee Richter 20, Teegan Scherr 15, Callie Hase 6, Kaylee Weninger 4, Emma Weiser 2. Totals: 18-56 FG, 7-11 FT, 12 fouls. Three-pointers: Scherr 2, Hase 2.

Carrington Additional Stats

Rebounds: Rindy and Isabel Wendel 8, Grager 5, Emma Hone, Hoornaert and Johnson 4, Wolsky 1.

Assists: Wolsky 3, Wendel 2, Grager, Hoornaert, Johnson and Rindy 1.

Steals: Johnson and Rindy 2, Grager, Hoornaert, Wendel and Wolsky 1.

Blocks: Grager 4.