Photo taken and used with permission by Sara Stadem
The Tri-Valley Mustangs (10-10) finished their 2022-2023 regular season at home against the McCook Central/Montrose Fighting Cougars on Monday, February 13th. Tri-Valley ended the regular season strong with a 63-44 victory.
The Mustangs took control of the game late in the first quarter and rode the momentum all game long. Tri-Valley held a 15-11 lead after the first quarter and then pushed that lead to 30-19 at halftime. The roll continued throughout the second half. The Mustangs led 48-31 heading into the final quarter.
Tri-Valley shot 48% (25-52) overall, 33% (6-18) on three-point attempts, and 64% (7-11) from the free-throw line. The Fighting Cougars were 34% (14-41) shooting overall, 33% (4-12) from three-point area, and 63% (12-19) from the free-throw line. The Mustangs forced 15 McCook Central/Montrose turnovers and turned those turnovers into 17 points. Tri-Valley was also strong on the offensive boards, getting nine offensive rebounds with 16 second-chance points.
Three players finished in double figures. Lauren Grinde had 23 points and two rebounds. Madelyn Wenzel had 13 points, three assists, and two blocked shots. Hailey Sorenson added 10 points. Emery Pearson ended with five points and five rebounds. Steph Buchmann had five points and four rebounds. Ava Pearson had two points, two rebounds, and four blocked shots.
Tri-Valley has won three in a row and five of their last six games heading into region play. The Region 3A tournament will start on Tuesday, February 21st.
