Hornets win play-in; lose Region 4 opener

Lane Moellenkamp | Mar 06, 2023

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Harvey-Wells County did what they had to do to earn a trip to the Region 4 Girls Basketball Tournament.

A win in the play-in game against Dunseith gave the Hornets a chance to pull an upset in the regional tournament, but that was not to be, as they dropped the quarterfinal game to North Prairie 63-38, which ended their season.

The Hornets will lose seniors Larissa Arnold, Emma Dockter and Aubree Wolfe from a team that finished the year at 8-15 overall, but improved throughout the year.

HWC 55, Dunseith 34

HWC scored 12 unanswered points in the first quarter, and slowly increased the lead throughout, defeating Dunseith, 55-34 in a Region 4 play-in game Thursday, February 16, in Harvey.

The #7-seeded Hornets opened up with five quick points, and then finished the quarter on a 12-2 run with Rachel Neumiller scoring 10, as the Hornets led 17-6 after the first quarter over the #10-seeded Dragons.

Braylee Keller scored five of the first six for HWC in a 6-0 second quarter start, helping HWC take a 24-6 lead. Saige Longie and Mikenzie McCloud hit three pointers for the Dragons to cut the Hornet lead to 12, but four points from Neumiller to end the half moved the Hornet back to 16 at halftime.

McCloud scored the first six points of the second half, closing the lead to 10, but the Hornets answered with 10 of the final 12 points of the quarter to move the lead to 18 after three.

Longie and Arnold exchanged three pointers to open the fourth, but Neumiller and Dockter added field goals for a 48-25 lead. A Neumiller three-pointer gave HWC a 27-point lead late in the fourth. Dunseith scored seven of eight points, but the Hornet damage was done with the home team collecting a 21-point win.

Neumiller led the Hornets with 23 points, while Keller was also in double digits with 10 points. Longie led the Dragons with 14 points.

The Dragons finished their season at 2-18 overall.

North Prairie 63, HWC 38

Jenna Rosinski drained two threes and Morgan Leas scored six points, all in the first quarter, as the Cougars outscored the Hornets by 12 and went on for the 25-point victory in the quarterfinals of the Region 4 Tournament in Devils Lake on Monday, February 20.

The Cougars' top scorers were too much for HWC in the first quarter, as they combined for 14 of the Cougars' 21 points. The Hornets kept the game close early on, trailing only 9-6, but North Prairie finished the quarter on a 12-3 run to lead, 21-9.

HWC showed a little life early in the second, as Dockter connected on a three, Breanna Heilman made a field goal and Keller sank two free throws to cut the lead to 27-17 at the midway point. Lidia Motl scored six late points for the Cougars, as they finished the half on a 11-4 spree to lead, 38-21, at the break.

Elizabeth Smith and Motl made three-pointers early in the third quarter to move the lead to 23. A three from Neumiller and four quick points from Arnold cut the lead to 18, but North Prairie maintained a 20-point lead after three.

Smith scored six for North Prairie in the fourth quarter, as the Cougars maintained a comfortable margin. The North Prairie defense shut down the Hornets offense, allowing only six fourth quarter points.

Rosinski led all scorers on the night with 17 points, and was joined in double digits by three other Cougar players. Smith (13), Leas (12) and Motl (11), to help North Prairie to their 10th consecutive victory and their 16th win vs just six losses.

The Hornets were led by Neumiller's 13 points.

Region 4 Girls' Basketball

Tournament

Play-in Round, Harvey

HWC 55, Dunseith 34

Duns. 6 8 8 12 34

HWC 17 13 10 15 55

HWC: Rachel Neumiller 23, Braylee Keller 10, Larissa Arnold 7, Emma Dockter 7, Rylee Jones 4, Breanna Heilman 3, Brooklyn Dockter 1.

Dunseith: Saige Longie 14, Mikenzie McCloud 9, Chauneya Short 4, Halen Davis 3, Kayleigh Baker 2, Gracelynn Selburg 2.

Region 4 Girls' Basketball

Tournament, Devils Lake

Quarterfinals