Herauf helps Midgets beat Minot

• Brigette Uttech

Press Photo by Chris Aarhus Dickinson High senior Brigette Uttech, left, goes to the hoop against Minot High senior Jessica Hanson on Saturday afternoon during a West Region girls basketball game.

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Things weren’t so bad for the Minot High girls basketball team until Dickinson sophomore Jess Herauf took over.

Herauf reeled off her own 7-0 run late in the second half and finished with team highs of 17 points and 12 rebounds in the Midgets’ 51-44 West Region win Saturday at the Dickinson High gymnasium.

“I think (Dickinson) coach (Greg) Jung challenged her in the second half,” Minot coach Todd Magnuson said. “Give Dickinson credit. They played a great second half.”

Minot took a 41-40 lead on a pair of free throws from senior Brianna Kraft with 6 minutes, 28 seconds remaining in the game. Soon after, Dickinson junior guard Ashley Jahner made two free throws to give the Midgets a one-point lead.

Then, Herauf stole the show.

The 5-foot-9 forward capped a three-point play with a free throw and followed with a fast-break layup and a jumper in the lane to put Dickinson up 49-41. Sophomore Brie Lynch put the finishing touches on the 11-0 run with a long jumper and with 2:22 to go, the Midgets had a 10-point lead.

“Jess gave us a real big lift offensively,” Jung said.

Minot managed three points in the final minute, but couldn’t muster any more offense.

Dickinson struggled offensively in the first half as Minot held a firm 30-21 lead at halftime thanks to a 12-point effort from Kraft, who finished with a game-high 18 points. She also had 10 rebounds.

“Minot hit some shots and played very well offensively in the first half,” Jung said.

However, Dickinson came out with a 19-6 run that saw the Midgets go up 40-36. The Majettes answered with a three-point play by Minot senior Nicole Hanson and Kraft hit her two free throws leading up to Dickinson’s game-winning run.

Magnuson expressed his disappointment with the Majettes’ offense in the second half.

“We quit shooting the ball,” Magnuson said. “We gave up easy shots inside and only scored 14 points in the second half.”

Conversely, Jung was extremely pleased with the defensive effort.

“Our defense was outstanding in the second half,” Jung said. “I really like what this team is doing defensively.”

Jahner finished with 11 points for Dickinson, which shot 32 percent for the game. Minot shot 33 percent. The two teams combined for 55 turnovers.

Because of foul trouble, Magnuson went deep into his bench. Nine players saw time with each of them scoring at least two points.

“We had to play a lot of kids due to foul trouble, but that’s no excuse,” Magnuson added.

M: Brianna Kraft 18, Whitney Mayer 7, Tori Witowic 6, Nicole Hanson 3, Mickayla Nagel 2, Ashley Bauer 2, Katelyn Larson 2, Mackenzie Nagel 2, Jessica Hanson 2, Kendra Klimpel 2.

D: Jess Herauf 17, Ashley Jahner 11, Brie Lynch 7, Brigette Uttech 6, Justine Braunagel 5, Alyssa Stroh 4, Kaitlin Ridl 1.

Halftime: Minot 30, Dickinson 21. Free throws: M 11-20, D 17-26. Total fouls: M 22, D 20. Fouled out: M, Bauer. D, Uttech. Rebounds: M 37 (Kraft 10), D 41 (12). Assists: M 8 (Mayer 2, Bauer 2), D 10 (Herauf 3). Steals: M 13 (Mayer 3), D 14 (Lynch 3, Jahner 3). Blocks: M 3 (Hanson 2), D 1 (Herauf 1). Turnovers: M 28, D 27.

Tags: preps, dickinson, midgets, minot, majettes, jess, herauf