Henning improves to 11-0 overall

By Chad Koenen

Publisher

The Henning Hornets continued their strong start to the season with three impressive wins last week, including a tough 75-56 win over one of the favorites in Section 6A in Park Christian. The win over the Falcons was the 11th straight to start the season for the Hornets and came in front of a large crowd at the Breakdown Classic in Perham. 

The Hornets, who are ranked between first and third in Class A depending on the state poll, will get back into action on Tuesday when they travel to Browerville, before hosting Verndale on Thursday night. 

Monday

The Henning defense forced 22 Sebeka turnovers and held the Trojans to just 19 points in the first half and 43 points in the game on their way to a commanding 82-43 win on the road on Monday night. The Hornets got contributions from nine players who got into the scoring column, while all 11 players who got into the game got at least one shot off in the Park Region Conference victory.

The Hornets led 44-19 at halftime, but the game was fairly close until the midway point of the first half when Henning began to pull away for good. 

“After a bit of a slow start, we were able to make a nice run to end the first half and open things up. I thought we locked in defensively midway through the first half and made it difficult for Sebeka to get good looks at the basket,” said head coach Randy Misegades. “It was a good night to get our bench guys a lot of playing time in the second half.”

The Hornets turned the ball over just four times in the game and had 24 assists on 33 made shots from the field. They also shot 52 percent from the field and made an impressive 14-29 from behind the 3-point line.

Henning was led offensively by senior Kale Misegades who scored 30 points on just 13-22 shooting. He went 4-7 from behind the 3-point line and also added six assists and seven rebounds in the win.

Ryan Despard also reached double figures with 14 points, while Todd Bjerke scored 11 points, Zack Wiederich scored seven, Andrew Suchy and Easton Misegades both knocked down a  pair of 3-pointers to finish with six points each, Dawson Bushman scored four points and Teghan Wiirre and Elliot Severson rounded out the scoring with two points apiece. 

Henning vs. Sebeka

POINTS: Misegades 6, Wiederich 7, Bushman 4, Bjerke 11, Despard 14, Misegades 30, Wiirre 2, Severson 2, Suchy 6

ASSISTS: Misegades 1, Bushman 5, Bjerke 6, Despard 2, Thorson 3, Misegades 6, Grabe 1

REBOUNDS: Misegades 2, Wiederich 3, Bushman 2, Bjerke 2, Despard 4, Thorson 2, Misegades 7, Arndt 1, Severson 1, Suchy 1

STEALS: Wiederich 1, Bushman 4, Bjerke 3, Despard 4, Thorson 1, Misegades 1, Arndt 1

BLOCKS: 

Friday

The Henning defense once again proved to be a tough nut to crack on Friday night as the Hornets picked up their fifth conference win of the season with a 65-20 win over the visiting Wadena-Deer Creek Wolverines on Friday night. The Hornets held WDC to just 11 percent shooting from the floor and forced 25 turnovers in the game. 

The Hornets led 30-12 at halftime, but were unable to knock down a number of shots in the first half to keep the Wolverines in the contest early on.

“Not a lot of flow in the game tonight as we fouled too much and struggled to knock down shots early on. WDC was down a couple guys due to injury/illness so that made things difficult for them,” said head coach Randy Misegades. 

As a team the Hornets ended up shooting 48 percent from the floor, but went just 10-28 from behind the 3-point line. They also turned the ball over 10 times, while committing 17 fouls in the game.

The Hornets were led offensively by Ryan Despard who scored 19 points on just 8-14 shooting, while Kale Misegades recorded his first triple-double of the season with 18 points, 10 assists and 11 rebounds in the game. He also finished the game with a team-high seven steals.

Zack Wiederich also reached double figures 12 points, while Dawson Bushman and Todd Bjerke each scored five points and Beck Thorson and Bradon Grabe rounded out the scoring with three points apiece. 

Henning vs. Wadena-Deer Creek

POINTS: Wiederich 12, Bushman 5, Bjerke 5, Despard 19, Thorson 3, Misegades 18, Grabe 3

ASSISTS: Wiederich 2, Bushman 1, Bjerke 1, Thorson 2, Misegades 10, Wiirre 1

REBOUNDS: Misegades 1, Wiederich 2, Bushman 4, Bjerke 1, Despard 4, Thorson 2, Misegades 11, Suchy 1

STEALS: Wiederich 1, Bushman 2, Bjerke 3, Despard 2, Misegades 7, Arndt 1

BLOCKS: 

Saturday

In a game that featured two teams near the top of the rankings in Class A, the Henning Hornets topped the Park Christian Falcons 75-56 at the Breakdown Classic in Perham on Saturday afternoon. The two teams are among the favorites in a loaded Section 6A tournament this year. 

“Quite a battle at the Breakdown Crossover Classic in Perham. We appreciate the hospitality of Perham High School and always enjoy the opportunity to play in a top notch facility,” said head coach Randy Misegades. “We have a lot of respect for the Falcons and they are going to be a tough out come March in a loaded Section 6A.”

After jumping out to a 45-26 lead at halftime, Henning held an advantage for much of the second half, despite several runs by the Falcons to cut the lead to single digits in the second half. 

The Hornets, who are ranked between first and third in Class A depending on the state poll, shot a blistering 58 percent from the field and were able to do quite a bit of damage inside the 3-point line as they went 21-34 from inside the arc. 

Misegades said Park Christian’s guards created a matchup issue throughout the night, but credited Henning’s ability to hit key shots to keep the Falcons at bay when they began to mount a bit of a comeback. 

“Park Christian is really talented and creates some matchup issues with their athleticism and guard play. Our guys really battled on the defensive end of the floor in a physical game. And multiple guys hit timely buckets in some big spots,” said Misegades. 

The Hornets were once again led by Kale Misegades who recored his second triple-double in a span of 24 hours as the senior finished with 33 points, 10 assists and 17 rebounds. Ryan Despard finished a perfect 4-4 from behind the 3-point line to finish with 18 points, while Zack Wiederich also reached double figures with 12 points in the win. 

Dawson Bushman scored six points, Todd Bjerke scored four points and Beck Thorson rounded out the scoring with two points in the win.

Henning vs. Park Christian

POINTS: Wiederich 12, Bushman 6, Bjerke 4, Despard 18, Thorson 2, Misegades 33

ASSISTS: Wiederich 1, Bushman 1, Bjerke 3, Thorson 2, Misegades 10

REBOUNDS: Wiederich 2, Bushman 4, Bjerke 4, Despard 3, Thorson 3, Misegades 17

STEALS: Wiederich 1, Misegades 2

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