FARGO — The West Fargo Sheyenne Mustangs are the Eastern Dakota Conference girl's basketball champions.
The Mustangs defeated the West Fargo Packers 69-56 in the EDC championship game on Saturday at the Sanford Health and Athletic Complex.
In a tightly contested and physical matchup, Sheyennne's late offensive push made the difference.
Maya Metcalf proved to be one of the game's most impactful players, finishing with 19 points with 12 rebounds. She splashed a 3-pointer with seven minutes left in the second half to reach 1,000 career points.
Considering her dominance in the game, it was no surprise Metcalf was named to the All-EDC team during the award ceremony, and her feelings were palpable.
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"Mostly excitement, both for me and the team," Metcalf said.
Mustangs' head coach Kenyon Wingenbach said Metcalf is about as humble as they come and he noted that she has rarely left the floor in the last few games.
"She didn't even know she was a 1,000 point scorer," Wingenbach said. "She doesn't care a lot about the individual stuff. She's probably one of the best teammates I've ever coached."
The Mustangs grabbed their first lead of the game 20-19 with 5:37 left in the first half but West Fargo regained the lead late the first half and led 31-29 at halftime.
The lead changed hands several times in the second half and the scoring was plentiful, which Wingenbach didn't expect given the teams' rivalry.
"I'm surprised it was so high scoring," Wingenbach said. "When you know each other that well and already played each other twice. Usually that score isn't that high. Both teams just played really, really well."
The Mustangs shot 25 for 63 from the field, including 10 3-pointers, and 9 for 10 from the free throw line.
Breidenbach had 14 points, eight steals and seven assists. Kaitlyn Haas also scored 14 and Brenna Dick had 10.
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West Fargo went 21 for 58 in field goals and 9 for 12 from the line.
The Packers' Miriley Simon earned a double-double with 17 points and 11 rebounds. Chloe Pfau had 15 points and seven rebounds. Taylor Van Winkle finished with nine points.
Sheyenne's Dick and Metcalf and West Fargo's Simon, Pfau and Van Winkle were named to the All-EDC team.
Simon was also named East Region Athlete of the Year. Head coach Mike Benson said that both Simon and Pfau were finalists for the award.
"In my six years, that is the first time we have had two finalists on the same team," Benson said. "Credit to (Pfau) as well. I'm very happy for Simon. She's very deserving of that honor."
The key for the Packers heading into the state tournament will be the ability to remain resilient, Benson said.
"We just have to make sure we line up, prepare as well as we can and try not to let things rattle us," Benson said. "There's going to be some peaks and valleys and we have to be able to climb our way out.
The Mustangs enter the state tournament as the No. 1 team out of the EDC and will attempt to bring their championship energy with them, Metcalf said.
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"I hope we can bring the same excitement and passion into the next week," Metcalf said.
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