Dickinson High senior forward Jess Herauf couldn't help but be disheartened at how Saturday afternoon's girls basketball game against Minot High ended.
"We definitely let this one slip away," Herauf said. "I know we can beat them. We really should have had this game."
The back-and-forth game was decided in the final minutes as the Majettes scored eight unanswered points to escape the Dickinson High School gymnasium with a 57-51 West Region victory.
It was, at times, a battle.
It was also a game Minot head coach Todd Magnuson was very happy to walk away from a winner.
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"Our kids persevered," Magnuson said.
Dickinson shot 14 of 20 from the free-throw line in the first half to keep Minot's lead to 26-24 at halftime, then battled back from a seven-point deficit to take a lead and force a fight for the win.
Finally, Minot gained an edge on back-to-back shots in the post from junior Holly Johnson and sophomore Alex Bolinske, whose flailing hook shot with 3:25 remaining put the Majettes (9-5, 7-4 West) ahead 51-46 and made Dickinson play more than five points behind the rest of the way.
Johnson led Minot with 20 points, seven rebounds and four steals. Andie Hankla added 15 points and Teresa Vetter had 10.
"We just have to keep our composure," said Herauf, who led the Midgets with 20 points and 16 rebounds. "We've just got to concentrate on slowing it down and running the plays, and not having so many mental turnovers."
Turnovers and a poor night from the field haunted the Midgets (2-11, 2-9 West).
While Dickinson was strong from the free-throw line throughout the game -- it shot 24 of 34 -- and outrebounded the Majettes 54-33, the number 23 seemed to be the Midgets' curse.
Dickinson had 23 turnovers and shot 23 percent (13 of 56) from the field.
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Nevertheless, Dickinson head coach Dan Pender was pleased with his team's effort. Especially considering the Midgets were coming off back-to-back wins after starting the season with 10 consecutive losses.
Dickinson junior Leslie Beaudoin came off the bench and added 10 points and nine rebounds.
"We're a better team," Pender said. "We shoot 23 percent and we lose by six? We need to continue to work on the little things. The girls are working hard, we just don't retain stuff."
Magnuson agreed, saying the Midgets are a much-improved team from when Minot defeated them 59-45 on Dec. 18.
"I don't know if I'd want to meet them again in the next couple weeks," Magnuson said.
M: Holly Johnson 20, Andie Hankla 15, Teresa Vetter 10, Alex Bolinske 4, Jayd Eggert 4, Loni Bryantt 2, Makale Duttenhefer 1, Sierra Duttenhefer 1.
D: Jess Herauf 20, Leslie Beaudoin 10, Ali Moody 7, Ally Hoffman 5, Rachel Schroeder 4, Taylor Cooper 3, Katie Hewson 2.
Halftime: Minot 26-24. 3-pointers: M 1 (Vetter), D 1 (Moody 1). Free throws: M 22-37, D 24-34. Total fouls: M 29, D 24. Fouled out: M, L'Tayna Flythe, Eggert; D, Moody. Rebounds: D 54 (Herauf 16), M 33 (Johnson 7). Assists: M 13 (Vetter 3), D 5 (Paige Biederstedt 2, Herauf 2). Steals: M 12 (Johnson 4), D 12 (Cooper 6). Blocks: M 1 (Eggert), D 1 (Herauf). Turnovers: M 19, D 23.
