The luck of the draw hasn't been good to Meghan Jorgenson and her teammates.
Twice in the past three seasons -- with Benson County last season and with Minnewaukan-Leeds in 2010 -- Jorgenson's team lost in the Region 4 girls high school basketball tournament to teams that went on to win the regional.
"They went on to represent our region well at state,'' said Jorgenson, a senior at Leeds High School and a fourth-year basketball starter. "You're happy for them. But you wondered that if you had worked harder, what could have happened, if that could have been us going to state.''
That wonder is gone. The senior-dominated Wildcats won the Region 4 tournament last week to qualify for the North Dakota state Class B tournament. Benson County meets Minot Ryan in an 8:15 p.m. quarterfinal game Thursday at the Fargodome.
"For us six seniors, it was our last chance to get to state,'' Jorgenson said. "And we felt we had a good chance.''
ADVERTISEMENT
Kent Neppl, coach of the third-year co-op involving Leeds and Maddock, said the frustrating elimination losses in the region tournaments the past few seasons have been motivators for the team.
"These girls played 30-some games at seven team camps last summer,'' Neppl said, "as well as their league play. They were pretty driven. It was a lot of self-motivation.
"We told the girls after last year to remember how it ended because they didn't want to feel that way again after their senior season.''
Benson County takes a 24-1 record to state and is an overtime loss away from being perfect. But Neppl said the one setback, to North Star, has turned out to be a positive.
"I think that loss woke the whole team up,'' Neppl said. "It was a reality check. We didn't play well that night. We're a better team because of it.''
Growing together
The Wildcats are a veteran team that has grown together on the court. All five regulars are multi-year starters.
In its first year as a co-op, Benson County went 9-14. That starting lineup included current seniors Jorgenson, Katelynn Engh and Sara Schwanke. The Wildcats were 16-7 last season, with senior Becca Eberle and sophomore Annie Jorgenson joining the lineup.
ADVERTISEMENT
"It's the same kids in the lineup,'' Neppl said. "We play the same way. But it is amazing how they've matured on the court.
"They used to struggle trying to handle pressure defenses. Now they not only handle the pressure, but they put on good halfcourt pressure. And we're shooting over 50 percent from the field, better than each of the last two seasons.''
Schwanke and Eberle lead the way. Schwanke, a 5-8 guard, averages 15.6 points a game. Eberle, a 6-foot forward, averages 12.5 points. But they don't have to carry the offensive load -- there's balance with Engh (9.2 ppg), Meghan Jorgenson (7.7 ppg) and Andrea Jorgenson (7.6 ppg).
"Sara and Becca are athletic kids,'' Neppl said. "Becca is a post player and Sara is a wing. But they both can go hit shots from the outside or post up.
"But we are balanced. It seems like it is different kids every night who helped the scoring with big games. It's the same thing with moving the ball and playing defense -- we have four girls who average three assists or better and three who average more than two steals.''
That balance showed in last week's Region 4 tournament. All five starters, as well as reserve Katherine Sears, had at least one game with eight points or more. Only Schwanke had eight or more points in all three games. The highest single-game point total was 19 by Andrea Jorgenson.
For Andrea Jorgenson, the state tournament will be a parting of the ways. The sophomore is the lone non-senior among the seven who play regularly.
"I've played with these seniors all my life,'' she said. "It's kind of sad, the last time we play together. But to get to state with them, that's pretty special.''
ADVERTISEMENT
DeVillers reports on sports. Call him at (701) 780-1128; (800) 477-6572, ext. 1128; or send e-mail to gdevillers@gfherald.com .
