By Mike Schlottman

Friday night was senior night for the Raider Girls Basketball team and it is a night where the seniors are recognized for their commitment to the program and to each other. This year features five seniors who have been playing basketball together since third grade. Brooke Jackson, Avery Daley, Hannah Schultz, Linnea Hanson and Shea Levos have shared many ups and downs on the hardwood throughout the years and have shown adversity and commitment to still be together on this night.

“This senior night meant actually getting a season and being able to finish it off with the team I love and grew up with,” said Daley. “At the beginning of the season I didn’t know if I would get a season, let alone a senior night, but I’m very grateful I got both.”

Of course, Daley is talking about the uncertainty that everyone has faced this past year regarding Covid-19 and all the restrictions and challenges that have gone along with that. But with the bleachers lined with blue and gold balloons and streamers, senior banners hanging up and a solid fan turnout, including a throng of students occupying a student section that has been vacant all year, things seemed about as close to normal as it’s been all year. Of course, everyone in attendance was wearing masks to remind us all that, yes, we are still in the midst of a global pandemic, but the energy was high and the Raiders looked ready to go, especially after a huge win last Friday against St. Croix Lutheran.

All five seniors started the game and probably the biggest highlight from the girls getting announced was the abundance of “Hannah heads on-a-stick” coming from the Schultz family. All of the seniors were given a large ovation as they were announced.

The Raiders faced the DeLaSalle Islanders and they are another big time 3A team that was going to be a tough challenge. The Islanders are led by junior guard Sydney Runsewe who is averaging 18 points per game and has had some division one offers.

The game started off slowly as both teams struggled to make shots. DeLaSalle slowly started to pull away with some big shots and suffocating zone defense. At the half, the Raiders were down 34-24, with 15 of those points coming from junior forward Lilly Nuytten. However, after their latest victory over St. Croix Lutheran, hopes were still high that Hastings could pull out an upset.

The second half was a much faster pace as shots started to fall for both teams. However, the Raiders were never able to get closer than six points and the Islanders ended up winning 61-51. For the last minute and a half, though, Head Coach Scott Addyman put all the seniors back in to play together. After the game some tears were shed, hugs were given and pictures were taken as the seniors were all recognized with their parents at mid-court. It was truly a great moment for the seniors since they have been playing together for so long.

Senior Brooke Jackson had this to say about what she’s going to miss most about this group of girls, “I’m definitely going to miss how much fun it is and all the laughs we have together. We always know when to cheer each other up and motivate while having fun.”

Nuytten grabbed another double-double with 21 points and 13 rebounds. Levos dropped in 15 points and Schultz had six points with eight rebounds. For DeLaSalle, Runsewe ended with 28 points and I’Tianna Salaam added 13.

Raiders Fall to Henry Sibley

By Mike Schlottman

The Hastings Raiders finished their regular season with a 59-43 loss to Henry Sibley at home. Lilly Nuytten led the Raiders with 19 points and Shea Levos put in 10. Hastings ended up 5-9 on the season and 4-8 in the conference which put them at fifth overall.

The section seeding meeting was held Saturday morning before the Henry Sibley game so that game had no bearing on the seed the Raiders got for the playoffs. Over the weekend, the seeding committee for the section awarded Hastings the number seven seed which puts them at Lakeville North on Wednesday, March 17th. Unfortunately for the girls, late breaking news was released Monday night that the season was officially over due to COVID.

Listed below are the final point totals for the girls according to Minnesota Girls Basketball Hub.

Lilly Nuytten: 217, 15.5 ppg. Shea Levos: 131, 9.4 ppg. Keagan McVicker: 87, 6.2 ppg. Emma Bakker: 53, 3.8 ppg. Maggie Schlottman: 41, 3.2 ppg. Hannah Schultz: 41, 3.2 ppg. Avery Daley: 33, 2.5 ppg. Linnea Hanson: 16, 1.3 ppg. Brooke Jackson: 6, 0.5 ppg. Natalie Caflisch: 3 points. Lindsey Wagner: 2 points. Abby Doffing: 2 points.

For the first time all year, HHS Students have been able to attend a Girls Basketball game in person. Student Athletes from nordic ski, boys basketball and boys hockey were in attendance cheering on their fellow Raiders. It was so awesome to have students in the stands and they brought an enrgy to the room that has been missing all year. Photo by Bruce Karnick