Gackle, ND (NewsDakota.com) – The Oakes Tornadoes girls’ basketball team withstood a scare Monday night from the Napoleon-Gackle-Streeter Imperials to hold on for a 54-50 win in overtime. The game was close throughout, with neither squad able to take a double-digit lead, and the teams went into the half tied at 22.
The Tornadoes turned the ball over 12 times in the first half, while the Imperials only had 5 turnovers. Both teams had a sloppy third quarter, with the Imperials winning the turnover battle 6-8, and NGS went into the fourth quarter with a 33-28 lead. Overall, the Tornadoes had 26 turnovers and the Imperials had 18.
Tuesday night. The win moved the Tornadoes to 4-0 on the season.
Oakes started the game by bringing pressure and pace at the Rebels, breaking through the Rebels’ full-court press for layups while applying a press of their own. The result was a 21-13 lead after the first quarter, including 11 points from sophomore Laikyn Roney.
The second quarter started a lot the same, with senior Sadie Hansen taking over the scoring duties (12 points in the second quarter), until a flurry before halftime brought the Rebels back within shouting distance. Sophomore Kiara Jangula hit three three-pointers in the second quarter, including two in the final minutes of the half, to bring the halftime score to 40-28.