Henning to face second ranked NYM on Tuesday for sub section championship

Mason Hammer leads a group of Norman County East/Ulen-Hitterdal players on a fast break during Thursday’s sub section opener in Henning. The Hornets defeated the Titans, as well as Hillcrest last week to advance to Tuesday’s sub section finals against New York Mills.

The Henning Hornets are heading back to the sub section championship game after picking up a pair of tough wins last week. The Hornets defeated Norman County East/Ulen-Hitterdal on Thursday, before edging another 20-win team in Hillcrest on Saturday to advance to Tuesday’s sub section title game. The game will be held on Tuesday night at Perham High School and will start at 7 p.m.

On Tuesday night the Hornets will take on a familiar opponent in New York Mills in the sub section championship game. Henning comes into the game with a record of 23-5, while second ranked NY Mills comes into the game with a record of 27-1. The Eagles defeated Park Christian and Battle Lake last week. 

Tyson Misegades takes a shot over a pair of Titan defenders on Thursday night.

The teams have played twice already this season with the Eagles defeating the Hornets 58-56 in overtime on Jan. 11 and 77-66 on Feb. 8.

The winner of Tuesdays game will take on either fourth ranked Hancock or fifth ranked Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa in the Section 6A championship game on Friday night. The championship game is set for 7 p.m. at Fergus Falls High School.

BBE advanced to the south sub section finals after defeating Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg by a score of 71-67 on Saturday, while Hancock defeated Ashby by a score of 53-50.

Thursday

The second seeded Henning Hornets held off an upset minded seventh seeded Norman County East/Ulen-Hitterdal on Thursday night. The Hornets shot 45 percent from the field and went an impressive 22-28 from the free throw line. A tough Henning defensive presence forced 13 steals and led to a number of fast break points throughout the game. 

“We expected this game to be a war, and it was. The Titans came out and were very physical with our guys. We battled and survived to play another day,” said head coach Randy Misegades. 

The Hornets led by a score of 30-20 at halftime and were led offensively by their lone senior Tanner Arndt. He scored 26 points on 7-11 shooting with 4 assists, 5 rebounds and a pair of steals. 

Lane Dilly defends a Norman County East/Ulen-Hitterdal player during last week’s game against the Titans in Henning.

“In his last game on our home floor,  Tanner Arndt showed his maturity and leadership on both ends of the floor tonight,” said Misegades. 

Mason Hammer also reached double figures with 20 points off of 6-10 shooting and a pair of 3-pointers. Tyson Misegades joined the pair in double figures with 10 points and 3 steals.

Kale Misegades scored 9 points and came away with a team high 5 steals to round out the scoring. 

Saturday

With a combined record of 43-11, the second seeded Hornets took on the third seeded Hillcrest Comets on Saturday afternoon in Perham. The Rockets came into the game with a record of 21-6 overall, while the Hornets were 22-5 on the season. 

Henning took a 31-21 lead at halftime and was able to hold on for a 77-63 win over a feisty Comet team.

“Tremendous win for our guys this afternoon. Every single guy, both on the floor and on the bench, was engaged in the game. We were so pleased with how our team brought the fight,” said head coach Randy Misegades.

One of the big challenges for the Hornets throughout the night was navigating a bigger Hillcrest team that was also not afraid to shoot the ball from well behind the 3-point line. Henning was able to get several Comet players in foul trouble to help them go on several runs that proved to be the difference in the game.

Tanner Arndt scored 26 points off of just 7-11 shooting in his final home game in Henning on Thursday night. The Hornets won both of their games last week to advance to the sub section championship game.

“Hillcrest presented some challenges for us defensively with their size and ability to shoot the ball,” said Misegades. 

Throughout the game the Hornets were able to make the most of their trips to the free throw line. Henning went an impressive 29-33 from the free throw line to keep the Comets at an arms length away all night long. 

“On the offensive end, we didn’t shoot a great percentage, but we took excellent care of the ball, and made 29-33 free throws against an aggressive and physical Comet team,” said Misegades. 

Tanner Arndt once again led the Hornets as the senior scored 27 points after going 11-12 from the free throw line. He also finished with 3 assists, 6 rebounds and 3 steals.

Mason Hammer recorded a double-double in the win after scoring 16 points to go along with 10 rebounds, 7 assists, 4 blocks and 1 steal.

Kale Misegades scored 14 points and Tyson Misegades also reached double figures with 12 points. Lane Dilly scored 5 points and Carter Dilly rounded out the scoring with 3 points.