Kari Gibb/MDN Nedrose senior Maecey McKibbin (14) drives with the ball as Hazen junior Ava Jungers (12) guards her in a Region 3 vs Region 4 Division A girls basketball game on Monday at Nedrose High School.

The Hazen girls basketball team made the trip to Minot to take on the Nedrose girls in a Region 3 (Cardinals) versus Region 4 (Bison) matchup that showcased potential playoff possibilities as both teams are in battles within their respective region standings.

In the end, home court advantage, combined with more accurate shooting, gave Nedrose the 52-50 win in the last seconds of play.

The first quarter of play was all about the Bison rebounding and the Cardinals shooting run. Despite outrebounded the hosts, Hazen was not able to convert second chance baskets into points at the rate the hosts found the net. Nedrose held the 18-8 lead going into the second quarter of play.

The second quarter of play was a shift in momentum with the Lady Bison making a 15-8 run to narrow the Cardinal lead to 26-23 at the half.

Nedrose warmed again in the third quarter and with 5:17 left, the Lady Cardinals increased that gap to 35-25 with a 9-2 run. The Lady Bison picked up where they left off in the second quarter and posted a 11-4 run to end the half. Nedrose led 39-36 as the final quarter started.

Both teams swapped shifts in scoring momentum with Hazen continuing to outrebound Nedrose while the Lady Cardinals outshot the Bison. With four minutes to play the Cardinal lead was 44-40. With 2:14 to play the host lead was 48-42. The lead with 27-seconds to play was 50-47 and the game ended at the 52-50 score with only five seconds left.

Nedrose was led by Maecey McKibbin who had 16 points in the win. Ashley Roberts had 15 and Lilly Nelson added 13 for the Lady Cardinals. Lauren Doll had 22 points for the Bison in the effort.

Nedrose improved to 4-7 and travel to Standing Rock on Saturday, January 18, and host Killdeer on Monday, January 20, for their next games.

Hazen drops to 5-6 with home games against Killdeer on Thursday, January 16, and Bottineau on Friday, January 17, for their next two games.