Henning falls to sixth ranked NYM in overtime

Just when Henning looked destined to suffer their first loss of the season on Tuesday night, the seventh ranked Hornets clawed their way back into the game against also undefeated New York Mills. Trailing by as much as 24 points in the second half against the sixth ranked and senior laden team in NY Mills, the young Hornet squad forced overtime by hitting a number of big shots late in the second half. 

While the Hornets went on to suffer their first loss of the season in overtime, by a score of 58-56, they once again proved that they can never be counted out of a game until the final buzzer rings through the air.

In addition to their game against NY Mills, the Hornets defeated Bertha-Hewitt by a score of 84-39 and Hawley by a score of 67-59 in the Crossover Classic in Perham on Saturday.

The Hornets improved to 11-1 overall and are 5-1 in the conference. They are currently ranked seventh in the state and will take on Lake Park-Audubon on the road on Tuesday night and Menahga at home on Thursday night in a pair of games this week. 

Tuesday

Trailing by as much as 24 points midway through the second half, Henning was able to force a number of quick turnovers and converted those opportunities into fast break points on their end of the court. Henning hit a couple of key shots late in front of a packed gym in Henning to force the game into overtime. 

“After playing very poorly on both ends of the floor for a majority of the game, we made a furious comeback to force overtime. We trailed by as many as 24 points in the second half,” said head coach Randy Misegades.

The Eagles took an early lead in overtime, but the Hornets were able to get the ball back with under 15 seconds and trailing by just 1 points. Unfortunately, the Eagles were able to force a turnover and hit a late free throw to come away with a 58-56 overtime win. 

“I am proud of our guys for never quitting, but we simply need to be more disciplined and play better. New York Mills is a very good team and they deserve credit,” said Misegades.

The Hornets struggled from the field for much of the first half and the start of the second half as they shot just 32 percent from the field. 

Mason Hammer led the way offensively with 21 points, including a pair of big 3-pointers in the game. He also led the team with 3 blocked shots. 

Tyson Misegades kept the Hornets in the game for much of the first half as he hit four 3-pointers and scored 17 points, while also pulling down 5 rebounds. Tanner Arndt scored 8 points, while also leading the team with 6 assists. Carter Dilly scored 6 points, Kale Misegades scored 2 points and pulled down a team-high 6 rebounds and Calvin Stueve finished with 2 points. 

Thursday

On Thursday night the Hornets flexed their muscles a bit as seven players scored at least 7 points as Henning defeated Bertha-Hewitt by a score of 84-39. The Hornets led by a commanding 52-24 margin at halftime and continued to outscore the Bears in the second half as a number of reserves were able to get some extended playing time in the second half. 

“Our guys completed hard on both ends tonight,” said head coach Randy Misegades. “We did a nice job sharing the ball on the offensive end. A number of guys got involved in that end of the floor.”

As a team the Hornets shot a blistering 54 percent from the field and went 33-52 from inside the 3-point line. They also had just 7 turnovers and had assists on 25 of their 37 shots from the field.

Mason Hammer had a big day for the Hornets as he led the team with 25 points off of just 10-18 shooting. Calvin Stueve went 6-9 from the field to finish with 13 points and Kale Misegades scored 11 points. 

Carter Dilly recorded a double-double as he went 6-8 from the field for 12 points and pulled down a team high 10 rebounds. Tyson Misegades scored 8 points and Tanner Arndt scored 8 points to go along with 6 assists and 6 rebounds. Lane Dilly rounded out the scoring with 7 points. 

Saturday

Henning led early and held on in a back-and-forth second half against one of the better Class AA teams in the area on Saturday at the Crossover Classic in Perham. Hawley came into the game with a record of 8-1, with their lone loss coming to Pelican Rapids earlier in the week.

The Hornets led 30-23 at halftime and went on to defeat the Nuggets by a score of 67-59. 

“This was a great win for our team.  Hawley is very talented and they present a lot of challenges on both ends of the floor. Our guys fought and battled all night and held on down the stretch,” said head coach Randy Misegades.

As a team, the Hornets shot 50 percent from the field and were led by Tanner Arndt who scored 26 points and pulled down 11 rebounds. He also finished with 4 assists.

Fellow senior Calvin Stueve joined Arndt in double figures with 14 points, while Tyson Misegades scored 13 points to go along with 5 assists. 

Kale Misegades scored 7 points, while Mason Hammer scored 3, Lane Dilly scored 2 and Carter Dilly rounded out the scoring with 2 points.