Benson County overcame a 12 point first quarter deficit and outscored HWC 31-10 in the second and fourth quarters to steal a Region 4 victory from the Hornets in Fessenden on Tuesday, January 17.
Rachel Neumiller got the Hornets off and running in the first quarter, as the freshman tallied nine points in an early 12-4 lead. Braylee Keller and Emma Dockter added field goals as the Hornets had their largest lead of the night at 16-4. Another freshman, Aubrey Kenner scored the final five points of the quarter for Benson County as the Hornets led, 16-9, after one.
The second quarter was an absolute opposite of the first, as the Wildcats dominated the quarter, 15-5. Kaitlyn Maddock scored seven as Benson County finished off the comeback which saw them down 12 points in the first quarter to take the lead with a 15-2 run. The Wildcats, who had nine turnovers in the first, turned the table on HWC forcing them into 10 first half turnovers and grabbing a 24-21 lead at halftime.
The Hornets were in for another nice quarter coming out of halftime. Three pointers by Benson County's Ella Fossen and Maddock opened up a 30-21 lead, but the Hornets responded nicely with some solid defense, causing several quick turnovers.
Larissa Arnold started a 8-0 run with a field goal, and Neumiller scored six straight to pull HWC to within one. Emma Dockter and Neumiller connected on three pointers for the Hornets, as they retook the lead, 35-32, midway through the quarter. Four in a row by Benson County gave them a three-point lead, but Braylee Keller's four points and a bucket from Aubree Wolfe helped HWC lead, 41-40, after three.
The tale of even-numbered quarters was not in the Hornets' favor. The HWC scoring well went dry early in the fourth, and the Wildcats took complete control of the game. Lacie Fautsch dominated the boards with eight fourth- quarter points, and Kenner had two driving layups that left HWC defenders in her tracks. Benson County would outscore HWC, 16-5, in the fourth to claim the 57-46 win.
Leading the way for the Wildcats was Maddock with 16 points, while Kenner and Fautsch added 13 and 10 respectively.
The Hornets were led in scoring by Neumiller, who had game high honors with 22 points. Eighth grader Braylee Keller was also in doubles with 10 points.
Benson County improved to 2-1 in Region 4 play and 5-8 overall while HWC dropped to 1-2 in regional action and 3-8 overall.