Henning to host Bertha-Hewitt on Friday night

By Chad Koenen

Publisher

The Henning Hornets improved to 13-2 overall and 6-0 in the Park Region Conference with three wins last week. 

After securing a win over Browerville on Tuesday night, the Hornets picked up their sixth straight Park Region Conference win of the season as they defeated Verndale by a score of 75-59.

On Friday the Hornets cruised to a 67-45 win over Battle Lake in non-conference action.

This week the fourth ranked Hornets will host New York Mills on Tuesday and Bertha-Hewitt on Friday night as part of a boys-girls doubleheader. 

Tuesday

Henning trailed Browerville 33-32 at the halftime break, but powered through a tough Tiger team in the second half on their way to a 72-59 non-conference win on Tuesday night. 

“This was a really important win after our loss on Saturday to Nevis. Browerville-Eagle Valley and Nevis are the best two teams in Section 5 so we we’ve really been tested in the last couple games. B-EV has two of the best individual players we’ll see all season,” said head coach Randy Misegades. 

After trailing at the halftime break, the Hornets came out of the break with a big push to not only take the lead but put Browerville on their heels early in the second half. 

“We made a nice spurt to close the gap before halftime after trailing by seven. Then we threw the first punch coming out of the locker room to start the second half and take control,” said Misegades. 

The Hornets were led offensively by Teigan Bjerke and Logan Kostelecky who both scored 20 points in the win. Bjerke went 10-14 from the field to finish with 20 points and 11 rebounds, while Kostelecky also recorded a double-double with 20 points and 10 rebounds. Eli Reinbold joined them in double figures with 15 points, while Noah Umland scored 10 points in the win. 

Todd Bjerke scored three points, while Ryan Despard and Dawson Misegades provided a spark to finish with two points apiece.

“I thought Ryan Despard and Dawson Misegades were really instrumental with their energy and hustle tonight,” said Misegades. 

POINTS: Bjerke 20, Despard 2, Reinbold 15, Umland 10, Kostelecky 20, Bjerke 3, Misegades 2

ASSISTS: Bjerke 4, Despard 1, Reinbold 2, Kostelecky 2, Bjerke 4, Misegades 1

REBOUNDS: Bjerke 11, Despard 1, Reinbold 7, Umland 2, Kostelecky 10, Misegades 1

STEALS: Bjerke 3, Despard 1, Reinbold 2, Umland 1, Kostelecky 1, Misegades 2

BLOCKS: Bjerke 2, Kostelecky 2, Misegades 3

Thursday

Teigan Bjerke had a monster game with 33 points and 12 rebounds as the Henning Hornets powered past Verndale by a score of 75-59 on Thursday night. The Hornets led 37-18 at halftime and shot a blistering 48 percent from the field.

“This was a nice conference win on the road. We played a really solid first half defensively,” said head coach Randy Misegades. “We stretched our lead to 26 at one point, but didn’t finish the game like we should. 

In addition to his team-high 33 points, Bjerke recorded a double-double by adding 12 rebounds. Logan Kostelecky and Eli Reinbold both finished with 11 points, while Noah Umland reached double figures with 10 points of his own. Ryan Despard and Todd Bjerke each scored three points and Zach Wiederich rounded out the scoring with two points.

Misegades said Teigan Bjerke did a good job in the middle against Verndale’s zone, while Reinbold had a solid night on the defensive end of the court. 

“Eli Reinbold had a fabulous night defensively. Not only did he hold Verndale’s best shooter to zero field goals, he didn’t allow him to attempt a single three point shot in the game,” said Misegades. 

POINTS: Bjerke 33, Despard 3, Reinbold 11, Umland 10, Kostelecky 11,  Bjerke 3, Wiederich 2, Misegades  2

ASSISTS: Bjerke 2, Despard 3, Reinbold 2, Umland 2, Kostelecky 3, Misegades  4

REBOUNDS: Bushman 1, Bjerke 12, Despard 1, Reinbold 3, Umland 4, Bjerke 1, Misegades  9 STEALS: Bjerke 2, Despard 1, Reinbold 2, Umland 5, Kostelecky 1, Misegades  1

BLOCKS: Bjerke 2, Samuelson 1

Friday

Henning took an early lead and never looked back as the Hornets overpowered Battle Lake 67-45 on Friday night. The Hornets led 67-45 at halftime and continued to find success on the offensive end of the court in the final 18 minutes of action.

“It is always a battle regardless of record when Henning and Battle Lake get together. Battle Lake is much more talented than their record indicates,” said head coach Randy Misegades. 

While the Hornets played well throughout the game, Misegades said Henning relaxed a bit after jumping out to an early lead, which let Battle Lake stay in the game in the second half. Misegades said a series of 3-pointers by Logan Kostelecky in the second half ultimately put the game out of reach. 

“For the second straight night, we relaxed after establishing a comfortable margin and allowed the other team to hang around,” he said. 

The Hornets were led offensively by Kostelecky who finished with 18 points and nine rebounds, while Eli Reinbold finished with 17 points on just 7-8 shooting and a team-high eight assists. Teigan Bjerke scored 14 points to go along with nine rebounds, while Noah Umland scored eight points in the win. Ryan Despard scored six points and Dawson Misegades rounded out the scoring with four points.

After a busy week of action in which the varsity, JV and C-squad teams all finished  combined 9-0, Misegades said the Hornets were looking for a few days off over the weekend before getting back into the thick of their schedule this week. 

POINTS: Bjerke 14, Despard 6, Reinbold 17, Umland 8, Kostelecky 18, , Misegades  4

ASSISTS: Bjerke 5, Despard 1, Reinbold 8, Kostelecky 3, Bjerke 1, Misegades  1

REBOUNDS: Bjerke 9, Despard 1, Reinbold 5, Umland 3, Kostelecky 9, Samuelson 1, Misegades  6 STEALS: Bjerke 3, Despard 1, Reinbold 1, Umland 2, Samuelson 1, Misegades  6

BLOCKS: Bjerke 1