Henning is tied for third in Park Region Conference

The Henning Hornets split a pair of games in the Park Region Conference last week and are now in a three way tie for third place in the conference. After defeating New York Mills with a tough 51-49 win on Tuesday night, the Hornets fell to Bertha-Hewitt 58-43 in a rematch from a game earlier this season.

Henning is currently tied with NY Mills and Bertha-Hewitt in third place in the conference with a record of 4-4, while Menahga is 8-0 and Wadena-Deer Creek is 6-1. 

This week the Hornets will host undefeated Menahga (14-0 overall and 8-0 in the conference) on Tuesday night, before heading to Long Prairie-Grey Eagle on Monday night in a non-conference match up.

Tuesday

Henning built a strong first half lead and held on down the stretch to earn a hard-fought 51–49 victory over New York Mills on Tuesday night.

The Hornets came out aggressive early, taking control with a 33–19 halftime advantage behind balanced scoring and strong defensive efforts. The Hornets attacked the paint and capitalized at the free-throw line,
which proved crucial as New York Mills mounted a comeback in the second half.

The Eagles came out hot in the second half and took the lead midway through the half. The Hornets were forced to battle back from a six-point deficit late in the game. With under a minute remaining, eighth-grader Lily Grieger came up with two huge buckets, first tying the game and then giving Henning the go-ahead lead. New York Mills had chances in the closing moments, but their shots were unable to fall.  

Alivia Emter led Henning with 14 points, while Lily Grieger added 12, Addison Bode chipped in 10, and Callie Thompson had nine. Stella Iliff continues to facilitate things while adding six points. 

“I was really proud of how the girls competed from start to finish. It was a true team effort in a game that had a lot of momentum swings. Our defensive pressure was outstanding, and players like Bella Olson and Lily Grieger were huge for us in helping make up for our lack of size down low,” said head coach Ryan Emter. 

Friday

After defeating Bertha-Hewitt by a score of 61-58 in a thrilling come-from-behind win the first time around, Henning was looking to complete a two game sweep over the Bears at home on Friday night. Unfortunately, the Hornets had a bit of an off night from the field as they fell to Bertha-Hewitt 58-43.

The Hornets trailed just 28-24 at halftime and were within striking distance until late in the second half when Bertha-Hewitt began to pull away. Henning shot just 25 percent from the floor, but went 11-17 from the free throw line. Henning also committed 22 turnovers, compared to 19 for the Bears.

“We had a tough match up with Bertha’s length, and they did a great job contesting our shots all night. The girls battled hard, but we didn’t shoot it well enough over the top to stay in the game. Addison Bode and Stella Iliff led us in scoring, and it felt like we were right there until late in the second half when we just couldn’t get one to go down,” said head coach Ryan Emter.

  The Hornets were led offensively by Addison Bode with 14 points and eight rebounds, while Stella Iliff finished with 11 points. Callie Thompson and Alivia Emter each scored seven, Abbi Godding scored three and Bella Olson rounded out the scoring with one point in the loss. 

POINTS: Callie Thompson 7, Alivia Emter 7, Addison Bode 14, Bella Olson 1, Abbigale Godding 3, Stella Iliff 11

ASSISTS: Callie Thompson 2, Alivia Emter 2, Lily Grieger 1, Addison Bode 2

REBOUNDS: Callie Thompson 5, Alivia Emter 4, Lily Grieger 1, Addison Bode 8, Bella Olson 4, Abbigale Godding 5, Stella Iliff 5

STEALS: Callie Thompson 1, Alivia Emter 1, Lily Grieger 1, Addison Bode 3, Bella Olson 1, Stella Iliff 4

BLOCKS: Lily Grieger 1