Henning to face Park Christian in Breakdown Classic on Saturday

By Chad Koenen

Publisher

On his first basket of the night, Henning High School senior Kale Misegades became the first male basketball player in school history to break the 2,000 career point barrier. Coming into the game Misegades had 1,999 points and joined Ellie Dague who scored her 2,000th career point in 2020 as the only two people in Henning history to score 2,000 points.

“Congrats to Kale Misegades who eclipsed 2,000 career points with his first bucket today. I have seen first hand the hours in the gym and weight room, along with the struggles. Kale has earned everything along the way,” said head coach Randy Misegades.

The accomplishment came on the opening day of the Fergus Falls Holiday Tournament against Wahpeton as the Hornets defeated the Huskies by a score of 82-57. Henning would go on to defeat Class AAA Fergus Falls 75-70 two days later to capture first place in the tournament.

This week the second ranked and 8-0 Hornets will have a busy slate of games as they travel to Sebeka on Tuesday, before hosting Wadena-Deer Creek on Friday night in a pair of Park Region Conference games.

On Saturday the Hornets will participate in the annual Breakdown Classic in Perham and take on one of the top teams in Section 6A in Park Christian. The Falcons come into the week with a 7-1 record overall with their lone loss coming against Perham by a score of 56-54. 

Monday

Henning shot a blistering 65 percent from the floor, including 14-27 from behind the 3-point line on their way to an 82-57 win over the Wahpeton Huskies during the opening round of the Fergus Falls Holiday Tournament on Monday afternoon.

“We are happy to get another win against a quality opponent from North Dakota. Wahpeton has two very dynamic, play making guards and a solid program overall,” said head coach Randy Misegades. “We got contributions from all of the guys again tonight on both ends of the floor.”

The Hornets went 30-46 from the floor, but turned it over 19 times in the game, which kept the Huskies in the game early on.

Misegades led the way with 27 points on just 11-18 shooting. He recorded a double-double by adding 11 rebounds and tied Todd Bjerke with a team-high seven assists.

Zack Wiederich went 5-7 from the floor as he finished with 16 points, while Dawson Bushman knocked down three 3-pointers on his way to 12 points and Ryan Despard scored 12 points after knocking down three 3-pointers of his own. 

Todd Bjerke finished with six points and seven assists, while Beck Thorson scored six points and Easton Misegades rounded out the scoring with four points of his own.

In addition to the win against Wahpeton, Misegades and Despard won the annual Fergus Falls Holiday Tournament 3-point contest. 

Henning vs. Wahpeton

POINTS: Misegades 4, Wiederich 16, Bushman 12, Bjerke 6, Despard 11, Thorson 6, Misegades 27

ASSISTS: Wiederich 2, Bushman 1, Bjerke 7, Despard 3, Thorson 1, Misegades 7

REBOUNDS: Wiederich 4, Bushman 4, Bjerke 5, Despard 3, Thorson 2, Misegades 11

STEALS: Bushman 1, Bjerke 1, Despard 2, Thorson 1, Misegades 2

BLOCKS: Bjerke 2

Wednesday

The Henning Hornets had one of their toughest tests of the 2025 portion of their schedule on Wednesday when the Hornets took on the winless, but Class AAA Fergus Falls Otters on their home court during the annual Fergus Falls Holiday Tournament. 

Head coach Randy Misegades said he was proud of how the Hornets played and were able to grind out a tough win against a Class AAA school.

“Proud of the guys this afternoon grinding out a really tough win against a quality Fergus Falls team on their home floor to claim the championship of the Otter Holiday Tournament,” said Misegades. “We have a ton of respect for Matt Johnson and the Otter program and we appreciate their hospitality this week. Fergus Falls is very well coached and play an incredibly tough schedule.”

The game was anything but easy for the Hornets who trailed by double digits in the first half, only to hit a few shots down the stretch to tie the game at 34-34 just before halftime. They would go on to outscore the Otters 41-36 in the second half to come away with the 75-70 win.

“After falling behind by double digits early, we were able to claw back to even at the half. We hit a few shots in the second half to open up a slight margin, but never were able to pull away. We made just enough plays to close it out,” said Misegades.

The Hornets shot 45 percent from the floor, including an impressive 15-21 from the free throw line.

Kale Misegades finished with his second 40 point game of the season on Wednesday as the senior scored 40 points to go along with 18 rebounds and five assists. 

Ryan Despard finished with 14 points and Zack Wiederich scored 11 points, with six of those coming from the free throw line in the win. 

Five Hornets were named to the all-tournament team, including JV all-tournament team members Elliot Severson and Easton Misegades; as well as varsity all-tournament team members Kale Misegades, Ryan Despard and Zack Wiederich. 

Henning vs. Fergus Falls

POINTS: Wiederich 11, Bushman 4, Bjerke 4, Despard 14, Thorson 2, Misegades 40

ASSISTS: Wiederich 2, Bushman 1, Bjerke 2, Despard 3, Misegades 5

REBOUNDS: Wiederich 5, Bushman 6, Bjerke 1, Despard 3, Thorson 1, Misegades 18

STEALS: Wiederich 1, Despard 1, Thorson 1, Misdegades 4

BLOCKS: Widerich 1, Misegades 1