The Raider girls’ basketball team started the week 6-4 with games on the schedule against Simley (2-8) on Jan. 7, Owatonna (8-4) on Jan. 9 and at North St. Paul (7-3) on Jan. 10. The Raiders dominated the Spartans 61-29. Against the Huskies, the Raiders fell 55-46 but they rebounded nicely against the Polars, winning 69-45.
Versus Simley
Hosting the Spartans, the Raider defense put on a show right along with the offense. Hastings jumped out to an early lead and never looked back, led by Haley Strain with 15 and Piper Brockman with 12. By the time the buzzer sounded for the halftime break, Hastings was up 32-19.
The second half for Simley was even more difficult with the Spartans only scoring 10 second half points. Hastings took the opportunity to empty the bench with 15 players making it to the floor. Of the 15, 10 logged points enroute to a 61-29 blowout victory.
Strain also led with 10 rebounds, Kate Ruder logged eight rebounds and Jillian McTague six. McTague and McVicker scored eight points each and Kayleigh Giesen rounded out the top five scorers with five points.
Versus Owatonna
Both teams struggled to find much of an offensive rhythm for most of the game with the Huskies tallying a few more baskets than the Raiders. Owatonna had a 26-22 lead at the intermission, frustrating the Raider offense. Hastings did some frustrating on their own end creating turnovers and stymying shooters. The back and forth continued throughout the game with the Raiders falling short in the loss, 55-46.
Strain led the Raiders offense with 13 points and 18 rebounds. Violet Schult dropped 12 of her own followed by McVicker with nine.
Versus North St. Paul
The game against the Polars was a polar opposite of the game against the Huskies. Hastings could not seem to miss a shot for the first half and the defense kept North St. Paul baffled most of the game. The Raiders had full control of the floor the entire first half holding the Polars to just 17 points while tallying 35 offensively.
Hastings rotated in their depth players in the second half with 14 different players logging minutes for the Raiders. Of those 14, 10 Raiders put points on the board. McVicker led the Raiders with 18 points while logging eight rebounds, Strain earned 18 rebounds accompanied by 16 points. Jillian McTague scored 10 points with two rebounds, Schult and Piper Brockman both scored six in the win.
Up Next
The Raiders started the second half of the 26-game regular season with a trip to Buffalo on Jan. 13, details of that will be in next week’s edition. After the long road trip on Monday, the girls earn a three-day break before heading to Tartan on Jan 17. They return home to face South St. Pail on Jan 21, both games are scheduled for a 6:30 p.m. tip.