Last season, Hettinger-Scranton finished 24-3 and took fourth at the 2018-19 Class B girls state tournament. After defeating Trenton 48-44 in overtime of their quarterfinals contest, the Night Hawks lost to Rugby and Thompson by a combined 13 points.
But Kelly Pierce's squad returned two student-athletes that made All-State teams last season in junior Samantha Oase and senior Alyssa Andress. Both Oase and Andress have eclipsed the 1,000-point career mark and are two-time All-Region 7 players.
Oase dealt with a knee injury earlier this season, which put a restriction cap on her minutes but in the last 15 games she's averaged 20.3 points per game and 12.4 rebounds per game. She scored 69 points and hauled down 49 rebounds in three Region 7 tournament games. Her ability to get to the basket and willingness to fight throw traffic to get rebounds is what makes her such a dominate player in Class B.
Andress is one of Hettinger-Scranton's three seniors and played a huge role in the Night Hawks Region 7 championship win over Beach with 19 points. She's a quick guard that can find holes inside the 3-point line. Andress is also one of the better passers in Class B and averages just under four assists a game. For a 5-foot-7 guard, Andress has the ability to haul down rebounds and is second on the team with 4.8 per game.
Not many teams are lucky enough to bring back one All-State performer from the previous season but with Oase and Andress back in the lineup along with Hettinger-Scranton's depth that's enough to pull off an upset this weekend.
The Night Hawks have one of the top Class B underclassmen in Bailee Pierce. The 5-foot-7 sophomore guard has averaged 10 points per game in 24 games and has made 34 percent of her 3-point shots. But something clicked in the Region 7 tournament for Bailee Pierce. In three games against New England, Beulah and Beach she averaged 17 points per game. And Hettinger-Scranton hopes her strong offensive play continues at the state tournament.
However, Bailee Pierce isn't the Night Hawks only threat beyond the arc. Senior Quinn Mellmer went 3 for 3 from deep against Beach and finished with 13 points. As a team, Hettinger-Scranton shoots 27.5 percent from 3-point land.
The Night Hawks bring juniors Casitee Miller and Beth Lien off the bench. Both student-athletes average just under two points per game. Miller is also an underrated rebounder for Hettinger-Scranton.
The Night Hawks have been playing this season for senior Carolyn Schultz. She suffered a knee injury in the opening round of the state tournament a year ago and Hettinger-Scranton went 0-2 in those games without Schultz. So, she is eager to get back to state and show Class B basketball fans what they missed out on last year with her on the sidelines. Schultz has averaged 4 points per game and 3.6 rebounds per game in her final season along with 75.9 percent from the free throw line.
Interesting note: I spent a few months in South Dakota this past winter and was able to watch a few teams. One team I watched more then once was the Faith Lady Longhorns, who Hettinger-Scranton beat 49-33 on Feb. 14. Faith is one game away from going to the South Dakota Class B state tournament and they have a good shot at winning state if they can get there. Just interesting to see how Hettinger-Scranton went to Faith and beat them by 16 — a team that could very well win a state championship in South Dakota.
State tournament prediction: This team has the stars to win a state championship. Two 1,000-point scorers, a lineup full of student-athletes who have been to state before and they have a head coach in Kelly Pierce who is one of the brightest minds in Class B. The Night Hawks also don't know what it's like to play three games at state with Schultz but that changes this year. Oase and Andress are one of the best one-two punches in all of Class B. This team has everything but I am worried about Hettinger-Scranton's depth. Coming off the bench isn't a whole lot of scoring but again the Night Hawks starting five does most of their damage. I think Hettinger-Scranton will lose Thursday against Langdon Area-Edmore-Munich in a close game but they'll win its next two.
Starting lineup
Carolyn Schultz | Sr. | G | 5-foot-5
Bailee Pierce | So. | G | 5-foot-7
Quinn Mellmer | Sr. | G | 5-foot-6
Alyssa Andress | Sr. | G | 5-foot-7
Samantha Oase | Jr. | F | 6-foot-0
But Kelly Pierce's squad returned two student-athletes that made All-State teams last season in junior Samantha Oase and senior Alyssa Andress. Both Oase and Andress have eclipsed the 1,000-point career mark and are two-time All-Region 7 players.
Oase dealt with a knee injury earlier this season, which put a restriction cap on her minutes but in the last 15 games she's averaged 20.3 points per game and 12.4 rebounds per game. She scored 69 points and hauled down 49 rebounds in three Region 7 tournament games. Her ability to get to the basket and willingness to fight throw traffic to get rebounds is what makes her such a dominate player in Class B.
And she dominated the first two regional games as well, and despite struggling during the championship game, was clutch from the free throw line— steckmoneyrecords (@steckmoneyreco1) March 3, 2020
She is the best post I’ve seen in class B girls basketball in a long time. Very athletic, knows how to angle her defensive player, great footwork, and is also an elite defender.— Adam Palczewski (@HeadBallCoachWF) March 3, 2020
Andress is one of Hettinger-Scranton's three seniors and played a huge role in the Night Hawks Region 7 championship win over Beach with 19 points. She's a quick guard that can find holes inside the 3-point line. Andress is also one of the better passers in Class B and averages just under four assists a game. For a 5-foot-7 guard, Andress has the ability to haul down rebounds and is second on the team with 4.8 per game.
Not many teams are lucky enough to bring back one All-State performer from the previous season but with Oase and Andress back in the lineup along with Hettinger-Scranton's depth that's enough to pull off an upset this weekend.
The Night Hawks have one of the top Class B underclassmen in Bailee Pierce. The 5-foot-7 sophomore guard has averaged 10 points per game in 24 games and has made 34 percent of her 3-point shots. But something clicked in the Region 7 tournament for Bailee Pierce. In three games against New England, Beulah and Beach she averaged 17 points per game. And Hettinger-Scranton hopes her strong offensive play continues at the state tournament.
However, Bailee Pierce isn't the Night Hawks only threat beyond the arc. Senior Quinn Mellmer went 3 for 3 from deep against Beach and finished with 13 points. As a team, Hettinger-Scranton shoots 27.5 percent from 3-point land.
The Night Hawks bring juniors Casitee Miller and Beth Lien off the bench. Both student-athletes average just under two points per game. Miller is also an underrated rebounder for Hettinger-Scranton.
The Night Hawks have been playing this season for senior Carolyn Schultz. She suffered a knee injury in the opening round of the state tournament a year ago and Hettinger-Scranton went 0-2 in those games without Schultz. So, she is eager to get back to state and show Class B basketball fans what they missed out on last year with her on the sidelines. Schultz has averaged 4 points per game and 3.6 rebounds per game in her final season along with 75.9 percent from the free throw line.
Interesting note: I spent a few months in South Dakota this past winter and was able to watch a few teams. One team I watched more then once was the Faith Lady Longhorns, who Hettinger-Scranton beat 49-33 on Feb. 14. Faith is one game away from going to the South Dakota Class B state tournament and they have a good shot at winning state if they can get there. Just interesting to see how Hettinger-Scranton went to Faith and beat them by 16 — a team that could very well win a state championship in South Dakota.
State tournament prediction: This team has the stars to win a state championship. Two 1,000-point scorers, a lineup full of student-athletes who have been to state before and they have a head coach in Kelly Pierce who is one of the brightest minds in Class B. The Night Hawks also don't know what it's like to play three games at state with Schultz but that changes this year. Oase and Andress are one of the best one-two punches in all of Class B. This team has everything but I am worried about Hettinger-Scranton's depth. Coming off the bench isn't a whole lot of scoring but again the Night Hawks starting five does most of their damage. I think Hettinger-Scranton will lose Thursday against Langdon Area-Edmore-Munich in a close game but they'll win its next two.
Starting lineup
Carolyn Schultz | Sr. | G | 5-foot-5
Bailee Pierce | So. | G | 5-foot-7
Quinn Mellmer | Sr. | G | 5-foot-6
Alyssa Andress | Sr. | G | 5-foot-7
Samantha Oase | Jr. | F | 6-foot-0
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