Lady Wolves end regular season with a win and a loss
Titus Stenberg
Farmer Sports Writer
Watford City 54,
Killdeer 32
Watford City played their final home game of the season last Monday. They picked up an important Region 4 victory over Killdeer. The Wolves led from the very beginning of the game and the outcome was never in doubt. It was one of the complete games of the season for the Wolves as they led in nearly every statistical category. They had 17 assists, 18 points off of 17 Killdeer turnovers, and 19 second chance points. “We played well in all phases of the game,” said Watford City head coach, Tom Dwyer. “We played well on offense: moving the ball well, mostly taking good shots, and most importantly, making shots. We did a good job of playing team defense, being aware, communicating, and rotating when needed. And we rebounded very well too, especially in the first half. I was excited that we didn’t give up a single offensive rebound in the first half.”
Bailey Mattson, Harlee Jacobson and Fallon Sampsel all grabbed seven rebounds each. Mattson recorded five assists, while Jacobson had three steals and Sampsel blocked two shots. The win improved the Wolves overall record to 10-10 and their Region record to 3-3. “Getting to three wins against region opponents certainly helped us with seeding,” explained Coach Dwyer. “It guaranteed that we couldn’t finish worse than fifth and that we would most likely be in fourth place. There is a chance we could still finish in third place after that win. I think there is a good chance we could end up playing Killdeer again in the first round in the 4-vs.-5 Region Tournament game.”
The Division A Region 4 Girls Basketball Tournament will be played in Hazen on February 24, 25 and 27. The tournament champion will qualify for the State Tournament. The teams that finish in second and third place will play against an opponent from Region 3 in a State Qualifying Game on March 1.
1 2 3 4 Final
Watford City 18 17 13 6 54
Killdeer 3 11 9 9 32
Watford City scoring: Bailey Mattson, 13; Salil Shoemaker, 10; Lohgan Hanna, 10; Annabelle Bohn, 9; Fallon Sampsel, 8; Kally Sorenson, 3; Harlee Jacobson, 1
Minot North 66,
Watford City 37
Watford City ended their 2024-25 regular season with their first-ever trip to Minot North High School on Thursday. The Sentinels were the third AA opponent of the year for Watford City and the second to defeat them. The game was close for much of the first half, but Minot North ran away in the second half. Turnovers played a large role in this one as Minot North scored 33 points off of 28 Watford City turnovers. “I think we played mostly okay in the first half,” said Coach Dwyer. “We did give up too many offensive rebounds (I think 12 of them in that first half). Offensively, we just felt like we kept fumbling the ball. We had chances to make good passes or to get a steal but wouldn’t catch the ball cleanly and little things like that. In the second half though, it felt like we just got frustrated and stopped doing the things that were most important. We didn’t play with the energy we needed to. We didn’t play together as a team. We didn’t communicate. We made some mistakes but didn’t get focused on the next play and just let our frustration continue to build. It was a disappointing way to play considering it was the last game of the season.”
Watford City finished the year with a 1-2 record against AA opponents. They defeated Dickinson at home and lost road games at Williston and Minot North. “It felt like we could have beat them,” continued Coach Dwyer. “They were tough and certainly deserve credit for how they played and how they got us rattled and how we played. But we know we can compete with them as we showed in the first half. We need to continue to play for each other and as a team.”
Watford City finished the regular season with an overall record of 10-11. The postseason will start for the Wolves on Monday, February 24 with a quarterfinal matchup in the Region 4 Tournament in Hazen. Watford City’s seed and opponent have not been determined yet as other teams in Region 4 have not finished their season yet.
1 2 3 4 Final
Minot North 35 31 - - 66
Watford City 24 13 - - 37
Watford City scoring: Lohgan Hanna, 13; Kally Sorenson, 7; Fallon Sampsel, 5; Annabelle Bohn, 4; Salil Shoemaker, 4; Amelia Wisness, 2; Harlee Jacobson, 2
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