BEULAH -- A lights-out performance from Hebron-Glen Ullin senior Kylee Bittner sank Hazen's semifinal hopes.
Behind 35 points from Kylee Bittner, the sixth-seeded Bearcats knocked off third-seeded Hazen 47-41 in first round action of the District 14 girls basketball tournament Friday at the Beulah High School gymnasium.
Hazen plays Dickinson Trinity at 7:30 p.m. today.
Hazen held a 37-35 lead going into the fourth quarter, but Hebron-Glen Ullin outscored the Bison 12-4 in the fourth to come away with the upset.
Bittner finished 13 of 27 on the night including 5 of 6 from 3-point range. She also went 4 of 4 from the charity stripe and had seven rebounds.
ADVERTISEMENT
Despite falling victim to Bittner and her hot shooting hand, Hazen out-rebounded the Bearcats 37-23 including a 13-3 edge in offensive boards, evident by the 10-0 advantage Hazen held on second-chance points.
The Bison had a 12-11 first quarter lead, but trailed by five at halftime. There were just 11 turnovers in the game.
Richardton-Taylor 34, Beulah 30
The Raiders pulled off the first upset of the day by downing Beulah in a low-scoring affair.
Behind 19-9 at halftime, Richardton-Taylor upped its defensive effort and held Beulah to two points in the third quarter while scoring 12 of its own to knot the game at 21 apiece going into the fourth.
The Raiders forced 27 Beulah turnovers and held a 15-9 advantage in points off turnovers.
Beulah had a 10-5 lead after the first quarter and an even bigger advantage at halftime thanks to a defense that held the Raiders' offense to a dismal 12-percent shooting.
The Miners shot 36 percent in the first half, but dropped off to 29 percent in the second while Richardton-Taylor skyrocketed to 42 percent.
ADVERTISEMENT
Richardton-Taylor was led in scoring by Kaitlyn Forster's game-high 15 points.
Beulah's Kelsey Kraft had a team-high 10 points and a game-high 12 rebounds.