Lady Wolves win first Region 4 game of the season
Titus Stenberg
Farmer Sports Writer
Watford City had a three-game week, going 1-2. They split two Region 4 games, before losing a competitive battle to the only undefeated team left in the state of North Dakota.
Hazen 42,
Watford City 36
Watford City traveled to Hazen last Tuesday night, and lost by six to the Bison. The Lady Wolves led for almost the entire first half with a 21-13 halftime lead. Hazen chipped away at Watford City’s lead in the third quarter and then rallied for a 19-8 run to complete the comeback and earn the Region 4 win. “I think our offense was better in the first half,” said Watford City head coach, Tom Dwyer. “We moved the ball well and got some good looks. And in the second half, we struggled. Some of it was our passing and needing to read the defense. Hazen deserves some credit for their good defense in that second half.”
Watford City shot a higher percentage from the field, 37 percent to 25 percent. But Hazen had a big advantage from the free throw line, making 16-of-18 foul shots for a remarkable 89 percent compared to Watford City’s 2-of-4 from the line. Hazen recorded 20 points off of 27 Watford City turnovers.
All nine Wolves who saw the floor scored at least two points. Macey Van Inwagen led Hazen with 17 points, seven rebounds and six steals.
1 2 3 4 Final
Watford City 11 10 7 8 36
Hazen 8 5 10 19 42
Watford City scoring: Lohgan Hanna, 7; Bailey Mattson, 6; Adi Schaff, 5; Harlee Jacobson, 5; Annabelle Bohn, 5; Fallon Sampsel, 2; Amelia Wisness, 2; Kally Sorenson, 2; Mylee Rhone, 2
Watford City 50,
Beulah 18
Watford City picked up their first Region 4 win of the year with an impressive 32-point win over the Beulah Miners last Thursday night. The Wolves played their most complete defensive game of the season, allowing a season-low 18 points on 17 percent shooting. “I think we did a good job of contesting all their shots,” said Coach Dwyer. “We did give up some layups early on. I think they got to 11 points by maybe halfway through the second quarter. We made some adjustments on our ball screen defense and did a better job of not letting them get to the paint after that.”
Both teams were missing starters due to injuries. “It was exciting to see us have some balanced scoring. We had moments where we moved the ball well and created for teammates,” said Coach Dwyer. Adi Schaff had a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds. The Wolves outrebounded Beulah 38-29 and turned 21 Miners turnovers into 21 points.
1 2 3 4 Final
Beulah 5 6 2 5 18
Watford City 9 15 17 9 50
Watford City scoring: Adi Schaff, 13; Harlee Jacobson, 10; Lohgan Hanna, 8; Bailey Mattson, 7; Mylee Rhone, 5; Kally Sorenson, 4; Amelia Wisness, 2; Salil Shoemaker, 1
No. 1 South Prairie-Max 78,
Watford City 66
Watford City traveled to South Prairie to take on the No. 1 team in Division A, the undefeated South Prairie-Max Royals. Watford City found themselves in a huge 20-0 hole early in the first quarter. “We talked about their aggressive diamond-and-one press but it did take us a little bit to settle down and figure out how to handle it,” said Coach Dwyer. “Hopefully we can use that as a learning tool and make sure we start games with more focus. I was really pleased with our offense after that stretch.”
Watford City ended the first quarter on a 15-7 run. South Prairie-Max reclaimed the momentum in the second quarter. The Wolves outscored the Royals in both the third and fourth quarters, but their early deficit proved to be too much to overcome.
The 66 points was the second-most Watford City has scored in a game so far this year. Regarding his team’s offense, Coach Dwyer commented, “I think we just did a really good job of moving the ball to the open person. Making the easy passes while making their defense work. We attacked and created for each other. And it always helps when you make some outside shots.”
The Wolves made 10 three-pointers, 10 free throws and 12 two-pointers. Adi Schaff had her second consecutive double-double, this one with 17 points and 15 rebounds. Mylee Rhone dished out three assists and Bailey Mattson had three steals. The Wolves played without Annabelle Bohn and Fallon Sampsel for the second game in a row.
“We knew it would be tough playing against the number one team in the state,” said Coach Dwyer. “But it’s exciting to be challenged and be potentially the first team to give them a loss. Things didn’t look good after it was 20-0, but I was happy we fought back. We didn’t back down and kept attacking. After we got it to 52-40, I was hoping we could close the gap a little more and give them a run for their money. But it is always fun to watch really talented players and South Prairie has quite a few of them.”
Skotti Beck scored 19 to lead the Royals while Rylee Routledge had 13 points and 11 rebounds. South Prairie-Max improved to 15-0 with the win. Watford City’s record fell to 8-9 with four regular season games remaining on their schedule.
1 2 3 4 Final
Watford City 15 11 15 25 66
Sp-Max 27 17 13 21 78
Watford City scoring: Bailey Mattson, 18; Adi Schaff, 17; Lohgan Hanna, 16; Harlee Jacobson, 13; Mylee Rhone, 2
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