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CROFTON — The Hartington-Newcastle Lady Wildcats sandwiched a win over Creighton between losses to Laurel-Concord-Coleridge and Crofton during the past week, moving to 6-11 on the season.
Hartington-Newcastle traveled to Crofton on Jan. 23, where the Lady Warriors pulled away for a 63-34 victory. Crofton led 19-3 after the first quarter. HNS found more offense in the second quarter, but Crofton still added to the margin for a 34-15 halftime lead. The Lady Warriors put the game out of reach in the second half.
Vayda Lippert, who enjoyed a strong scoring week, led HNS with 24 points. Karissa Bruning added six points and 14 rebounds, while Ella Eickhoff chipped in four points. Ziva Stratman recorded three assists, and Lippert had two steals.
Creighton visited Hartington on Jan. 22, and the Lady Wildcats used a strong fourth quarter to secure a 61-45 win. The score was 27-24 at halftime and 44-38 after three quarters before HNS outscored the Lady Bulldogs 17-7 in the final period.
Lippert poured in 33 points, including a 10-of-12 effort from the free-throw line. Bruning added six points and 11 rebounds. Lippert, Nora Lange and Hadley Grutsch each recorded three steals.
Hartington-Newcastle opened the week with a 67-42 loss to Laurel-Concord-Coleridge on Jan. 20. The Lady Bears led 18-10 after one quarter and 36-21 at halftime, then extended the advantage in the third quarter.
Lippert scored 21 points in that game, while Eickhoff reached double figures with 10. Lippert grabbed nine rebounds, Bruning had eight boards, and Grutsch contributed three assists and three steals.
HNS was set to host Plainview on Jan. 27 before the Greater Northeast Activities Conference Tournament begins Feb. 3.
H-N (6-11) 3 12 8 11 - 34 CRO (14-4) 19 15 8 21 - 63 HNS: Vayda Lippert 7-21 6-9 24; Nora Lange 0-1 0-0 0; Karissa Bruning 2-6 2-2 6; Hadley Grutsch 0-3 0-0 0; Ella Eickhoff 1-5 1-2 4; Ziva Stratman 0-3 0-0 0. CRE (5-10) 13 11 14 7 - 45 H-N (6-11) 17 10 17 17 - 61 HNS: Lippert 10-19 10-12 33; Lange 3-8 0-2 7; Bruning 1-3 1-2 3; Grutsch 0-2 0-0 0; Eickhoff 5-11 5-6 15; Stratman 1-3 0-0 3.
