The Henning boys basketball team had its season came to an end on Saturday night, but not before capping off a successful 14 win season and runner up finish in the Park Region Conference. 

The Hornets opened their playoffs with a 62-40 win over Hillcrest on Thursday night, before falling to New York Mills for the third time this season in the sub section semi-finals.

Henning wrapped up its season with a 14-6 record and will lose just two seniors from this year’s squad, post players Joe Angell and Ethan Houselog, while bringing back a large number of underclassmen next season.

Thursday

Henning got its playoff season underway on Thursday night as the third seeded Hornets defeated sixth seeded Lake Park-Audubon by a score of 62-40. 

The Hornets led by a 30-17 margin at halftime thanks, in large part, to the slick shooting of Tyson Misegades who finished with 27 points. Misegades hit eight 3-pointers in the first half alone and nine for the game to help the Hornets get off to a fast start.

“We struggled against the LPA zone as a whole, but Tyson Misegades carried us in the first as he got it going from deep. Tyson made eight triples in first half, including one at the halftime buzzer. That gave us a lot of momentum going into the locker room,” said head coach Randy Misegades.

In the second half the Hornets were able to spread the ball around a bit more as Mason Hammer finished with 16 points and 6 rebounds, Tanner Arndt scored 10 points and had 8 assists, while Joe Angell scored 8 points to go along with 9 rebounds. 

Keegan Shaw rounded out the scoring for Henning with a late free throw to finish with 1 point. 

As a team the Hornets shot 44 percent from the field and hit nine 3-pointers in the game. 

Tyson Misegades 27, Mason Hammer 16, Tanner Arndt 10, Joe Angell 8, Keegan Shaw 1

ASSISTS- Tanner Arndt 8, Kale Misegades 2, Mason Hammer 2, Calvin Stueve 2, Tyson Misegades 1

REBOUNDS- Joe Angell 9, Mason Hammer 6, Ethan Houselog 3, Tyson Misegades 3, Dawson Misegades 2, Tanner Arndt 1, Lane Dilly 1, Calvin Stueve 1

STEALS- Tyson Misegades 2, Mason Hammer 2, Joe Angell 1, Calvin Stueve 1

BLOCKS- Mason Hammer 1

Saturday

In a game with an atmosphere that rivaled the pre-COVID-19 days, Henning made the trek north to New York Mills on Saturday night to take on the second seeded Eagles. In front of a raucous crowd, the Hornets trailed just 29-26 at halftime thanks to their defensive presence. 

Unfortunately, the Eagles were able to wear down the Hornets in the second half a bit as they used an early run in the final 18 minutes of action to put the game out of reach. Henning eventually fell by a score of 71-44 as the Eagles advanced to the sub section finals against top seeded Mahnomen/Waubun.

“Tough way to end our season. New York Mills forced us into a lot of mistakes with their defense and made us play faster than we were comfortable. Their defense was also a big reason we shot so poorly. We have to give a lot of credit to them,” said head coach Randy Misegades.

Mason Hammer led the way offensively for the Hornets with 13 points, while Kale Misegades finished with 9 points and Tanner Arndt and Calvin Stueve each finished the game with 7 points. Joe Angell scored 6 and Tyson Misegades rounded out the scoring with 2 points.

Following back-to-back section championships, including a state title in 2019, the Hornets’ team in 2020-21 featured a number of fresh faces in the line up. Despite an inexperienced line up to start the season, Henning finished with a record of 14-6 overall and finished in second place in the Park Region Conference. Misegades said he was proud of the way the team played this season and is excited for the upcoming year. 

“We are proud of the effort our team gave not only tonight, but all season. No one outside of our locker room expected a team with very little varsity experience to finish 14-6 and in second place in the Park Region Conference. Three of those six losses came to NY Mills,” he said. “We have some positive things to build upon and we will be back in 2021-22 with a hard working group with a lot of potential. The off-season will be very important for the development of our team.”

The loss means the end of the high school basketball careers for seniors Joe Angell and Ethan Houselog. Misegades said they will be missed next year and credited their leadership skills on and off the court. 

“I want to thank seniors Joe Angell and Ethan Houselog. Those two guys are team leaders, tremendous young men, and were part of some very successful basketball teams throughout their career.  They will be missed, but will always remain a part of our program,” he said. 

POINTS- Mason Hammer 13, Kale Misegades 9, Tanner Arndt 7, Calvin Stueve 7, Joe Angell 6, Tyson Misegades 2

ASSISTS- Tanner Arndt 3, Tyson Misegades 3, Mason Hammer 2, Calvin Stueve 2

REBOUNDS- Joe Angell 7, Mason Hammer 6, Tanner Arndt 4, Ethan Houselog 4, Tyson Misegades 3, Calvin Stueve 2

STEALS- Tyson Misegades 3, Kale Misegades 1, Joe Angell 1, Calvin Stueve 1

BLOCKS- Mason Hammer 4, Tanner Arndt 2, Tyson Misegades 1