This battle of the Alyssas goes to Hummel.
West Fargo center Alyssa Hummel outscored Fargo North's Alyssa Dehne 20-18 to help the Packers slip past the Spartans 57-46 in Eastern Dakota Conference girls basketball Tuesday at the Spartandome.
"This was Alyssa Hummel's best game of the year for us," West Fargo coach Barb Metcalf said. "We had a talk yesterday. I just told her to enjoy the spotlight. Sometimes she was in such a rush to turn around and shoot it. Tonight, she took her time and enjoyed the spotlight."
A 6-foot senior, Hummel played a major role in helping the Packers outlast North.
She was nearly unstoppable in the second half, scoring 14 points in the paint to help West Fargo pull away.
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The Packers used an 8-0 run to take a 40-30 lead with 8 minutes, 12 seconds remaining.
The Spartans never recovered.
"We weathered the storm," Metcalf said. "With girls, it's doesn't matter if they are sophomores or seniors, it's all about weathering the storm."
Both teams relied on unconventional inside games throughout the first half.
Guard Jessie Gust scored five of the Packers' first seven points off put-backs of teammate misses in the paint.
Fargo North (3-7, 2-4) held a 13-11 advantage with 6:32 remaining in the first half as guard Alyssa Dehne used her speed to get to the basket.
Gust and Hummel combined for eight points in the paint in the final four minutes to help the Packers to a 21-18 halftime lead.
"This was a big game for us," Metcalf said. "... We felt like tonight we took a big step in shoring up our defense."
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WEST FARGO: Jones 3 2-2 9, Hummel 10 0-1 20, Holland 4 0-3 9, Gust 5 5-5 15, Selisker 1 0-0 2, Becher 0 2-2 2. Totals: 23 9-14 57.
NORTH: Scherer 2 1-1 5, Teschendorf 3 1-2 7, Wixo 0 0-1 0, A. Dehne 8 1-2 18, Larson 2 2-6 6, Waller 4 0-0 8, M. Dehne 0 2-2 2. Totals: 19 7-14 46.
Halftime: WF 21, FN 18. 3-pointers: Jones, Holland, A. Dehne. Total fouls: WF 15, FN 18. Fouled out: Jones. Rebounds: WF 34 (Jones, Hummel 8), FN 16 (Larson 5).
Readers can reach Forum reporter Heath Hotzler at (701) 241-5562. Hotzler's blogs can be found at www.areavoices.com
