Hornets to host Eagles, Bears this week

By Chad Koenen

Publisher

The Henning Hornets improved to 7-6 overall and 3-3 in the Park Region Conference with a pair of wins and a tough loss to Lake Park-Audubon on the road. 

This week the Hornets will kick off a three game homestand against New York Mills on Tuesday night, as well as Bertha-Hewitt on Friday night in a pair of conference games. On Tuesday, Jan. 20 the Hornets will return home to host the Menahga Braves in another PRC showdown in Henning. 

Tuesday

The Henning Hornets picked up what could be an important Section 6A win by defeating the Norman County East/Ulen-Hitterdal Titans by a score of 60-40 on Tuesday night. The Hornets took an early lead in the game, but NCE/UH charged back midway through the first half, before Henning went on a big run to close out the final minutes of the first half to take a 35-18 lead going into the break.

“This was a solid section win for us. Once we started knocking down some shots, we went on a run and built a cushion heading into halftime,” said head coach Ryan Emter. 

The Hornets continued to lead by double digits throughout the final 18 minutes of action by using a tough defensive presence that led to 23 Titan turnovers and just 28.8 percent shooting from the floor. Meanwhile, the Hornets shot 36.5 percent from the floor and knocked down seven 3-pointers to go along with a 32-20 advantage in scoring in the paint. 

“The girls applied strong defensive pressure all night, and Addison Bode did a great job limiting their leading scorer. She creates a lot of her offense off steals and set the tone defensively,” said Emter. “Bella Olson and Lily Grieger continue to battle inside against bigger opponents and are showing steady growth.” 

After starting a bit slow on the offensive end of the court to start the game, Henning was able to make a few adjustments and found quite a bit of success down the stretch. 

“Offensively, we didn’t finish well early, but after a few adjustments and creating more space, we began generating easier scoring opportunities. Stella Iliff and Alivia Emter continue to work well together and both had strong scoring nights for us,” said Emter. 

The Hornets were led offensively by Alivia Emter who scored 19 points and had seven pass deflections, as well as Stella Iliff who scored 14 points and pulled down five rebounds and Addison Bode who scored 12 points and finished with seven pass deflections of her own. 

Also scoring for the Hornets was Callie Thompson with eight points, Bella Olson and Abbi Godding with three points apiece and Lily Grieger with one point. 

Henning vs. Norman County East-Ulen-Hitterdal

POINTS: Callie Thompson 8, Alivia Emter 19, Lily Grieger 1, Addison Bode 12, Bella Olson 3, Abbigale Godding 3, Stella Iliff 14

ASSISTS: Alivia Emter 5, Addison Bode 4, Abbigale Godding 2, Stella Iliff 2

REBOUNDS: Callie Thompson 5, Alivia Emter 4, Lily Grieger 2, Addison Bode 6, Bella Olson 8, Abbigale Godding 4, Stella Iliff 5

STEALS: Callie Thompson 2, Alivia Emter 5, Lily Grieger 1, Addison Bode 3, Bella Olson 1, Stella Iliff 1

BLOCKS: 

Thursday

Henning picked up its fourth straight win and fifth in the past six games with a commanding 80-40 win over Verndale on senior/parents night. 

“It was senior/parent night tonight. Isabelle Godding and Monica Hansen highlighted the night as seniors. They have been outstanding leaders and tremendous support for me in my first year,” said head coach Ryan Emter. “Isabelle contributed significant minutes, and although Monica suffered a season-ending injury, we were able to put her on the court and properly show our gratitude for everything she has meant to our program.” 

With all of the events for the night, the Hornets struggled to get into a rhythm until the second half when they began to pick things up on both the offensive and defensive end of the court. Henning led 38-23 at the break, but the game was fairly close until near the end of the first half. 

“Coming out of halftime, we picked up our press and created numerous turnovers that led to points and helped us build a comfortable lead. It was fun to watch the girls cut loose and let the ball fly. As a coach you always appreciate all those people that come out on a night like this,” said Emter. 

As a team the Hornets shot nearly 44 percent from the floor and held a commanding 48-14 advantage in points in the paint. They also forced 33 Pirate turnovers that led to a 31-4 advantage in points off of turnovers. 

The Hornets were led offensively by a balanced scoring attack that included 21 points from Alivia Emter, who also finished with eight steals. Addison Bode went 8-9 from the floor to finish with 19 points, Callie Thompson scored 14 points to go along with six steals and 10 deflections, Stella Iliff scored 11 points, Lily Grieger scored seven, Bella Olson and Abbi Godding each scored three and Isabelle Godding rounded out the scoring with two points. 

Henning vs. Verndale

POINTS: Callie Thompson 14, Alivia Emter 21, Lily Grieger 7, Addison Bode 19, Bella Olson 3, Abbigale Godding 3, Isabella Godding 2, Stella Iliff 11

ASSISTS: Callie Thompson 2, Brooklynn Geyer 1, Lily Grieger 1, Addison Bode 1, Abbigale Godding 2

REBOUNDS: Callie Thompson 4, Alivia Emter 4, Lily Grieger 6, Addison Bode 6, Bella Olson 1, Abbigale Godding 3, Isabelle Godding 3, Stella Iliff 6

STEALS: Callie Thompson 6, Alivia Emter 8, Brooklynn Geyer 1, Lily Grieger 2, Addison Bode 3, Bella Olson 1, Isabella Godding 1

BLOCKS:

Friday

Henning came out on the short end of a 75-37 win over an experienced Lake Park-Audubon Raider team on the road on Friday night. 

The loss snapped the four game winning streak for the Hornets as head coach Ryan Emter said the Raiders were able to force the young Hornet squad into making a number of early turnovers in the game that led to a hole Henning couldn’t get out of down the stretch. 

“It was a tough night for us. Early turnovers put us in a hole, and our inexperience showed at times with decision-making,” said head coach Ryan Emter. “We were able to put together a small run in the first half, but LPA is a senior-led team that did a good job of preventing us from gaining momentum. They applied pressure all night, which provided us with valuable experience and opportunities for growth. We hope to build on that as we move forward.”

LP-A took a 50-21 lead at halftime and forced 36 Henning turnovers in the game. The Hornets shot just over 39 percent from the floor, but were unable to overcome the early turnovers to fall to 7-6 on the season.

The Hornets were led offensively by Alivia Emter with 10 points, while Callie Thompson and Addison Bode each scored seven points. Stella Iliff scored six points, Lily Grieger scored four points and Bella Olson rounded out the scoring with three points.

Henning vs. Lake Park-Audubon

POINTS: Callie Thompson 7, Alivia Emter 10, Lily Grieger 4, Addison Bode 7, Bella Olson 3, Stella Iliff 6

ASSISTS: Callie Thompson 3, Alivia Emter 1, Bella Olson 3, Abbigale Godding 1, Stella Iliff 1

REBOUNDS: Callie Thompson 4, Alivia Emter 4, Addison Bode 5, Isabelle Godding 1, Stella Iliff 4

STEALS: Callie Thompson 2, Alivia Emter 1, Lily Grieger 2, Addison Bode 4, Bella Olson 1

BLOCKS: