Tale of three-point shots

The District 7 Girls Basketball Tournament in Maddock was certainly entertaining, as the Rocket girls played two very close games and kept themselves alive until the very end.

The first put the Rockets up against the Lakota Raiders in the quarterfinals on Friday, Feb. 9. The game was hard fought and close as New Rockford-Sheyenne defeated Lakota by a final score of 40-39.  

Each team had some trouble handling defensive pressure. The Rockets led 12-6 after one stanza, and 20-16 at halftime. Lakota led 28-27 after three, but the locals held a 13-11 scoring advantage in the fourth. Dani Bjerke's 3-point attempt in the last 10 seconds sealed the deal for the Rockets.

New Rockford-Sheyenne made 3 big treys in the fourth, two by Dani Bjerke and one more by Alli Dockter. Breanne Schmidt paced Lakota with 20 points, and Hannah Haley led the Rockets with a game high 21 points.  

The Raiders made 13 field goals, 12 of 17 free throws, had 7 fouls and committed 30 turnovers. The Rockets made 16 field goals, 2 of 5 free throws, had 16 fouls and committed 17 turnovers.

Scoring Summary

Lakota 6 10 12 11 =39

NR-S 12 8 7 13 =40

Lakota

Emily Bina 7, Stephanie Bartlett 6, Alex Anderson 2, Karlie Zacha 2, Briar Halberg 2.

NR-S

Dani Bjerke 8, Lauren Roscoe 6, Alli Dockter 5.

Indians roll past Rockets in semi-finals  

The game was close for three quarters, but Four Winds-Minnewaukan pulled away and defeated the locals by a final score of 76-47 in semifinal round action of the Girls District 7 Basketball tournament played at Maddock on Saturday, Feb. 10.

Four Winds-Minnewaukan led most of the way and at all quarter stops, 19-10, 30-21, 53-37, and again the Indians won by a final of 76-47. It was a hard fought game for three quarters.  

Latasha Bellile paced the Indians with a game high 24 points. Myona Dauphinais had 20 points. Hailee Keo added 13 and Riah Littleghost had 10. Carli Lies and Hannah Haley each had 13 for the locals.

Four Winds -Minnewaukan made 31 field goals, 8 of 14 free throws, had 15 fouls and committed 16 turnovers. The Rockets made 17 field goals, 10 of 16 free throws, had 16 fouls and committed 24 turnovers.

Region Qualifier: three point attempt by Haley nets 2 points and a loss

Neither team played all that well, but it was a close and hard fought game as Dakota Prairie defeated New Rockford-Sheyenne by a final score of 55-54 in a Region 4-qualifying game of the District 7 Girls Basketball tournament played at Maddock, on Monday, February 12.  

The Knights led 10-9 after one stanza, and the locals led 27-23 at the intermission, and 41-38 after three. Dakota Prairie held a 17-13 scoring advantage in the fourth and came away with a 55-54 win. Each team had some trouble handling defensive pressure. Hannah Haley was aware of the Rockets' three-point deficit and put up a shot as the buzzer rang. That shot was good for two, but not enough to win.

Paige Haakenson paced the Knights with a game high 17 points. Carly Lippert added 16 points. They made 21 field goals, 9 of 28 free throws, had 11 fouls and committed 22 turnovers.

The Rockets had good scoring balance. Lauren Roscoe led the way with 16 points. Alli Dockter had 14 points and Hannah Haley chipped in 12. New Rockford-Sheyenne made 23 field goals, 4 of 7 free throws, had 18 fouls and committed 17 turnovers. The Rockets close out the season at 8-14 overall.

New Rockford-Sheyenne will lose one Senior to graduation this year. Lauren Roscoe will be missed. However, next year could be quite good. Congratulations to the players. Head Coach Mandy Fandrich and Assistant Coach Craig Demester on a good overall. Thanks to the parents and fans for their support.

Scoring Summary

DP 10 13 15 17 =55

NR-S 9 18 14 13 =54

Dakota Prairie

Shaye Frederick 9, Brynn Kroke 6, Courtney Stein 4, Erika McPherson 3.

NR-S

Ashley Schuster 6, Dani Bjerke 4, Carli Lies 2.