WORTHINGTON -- Two new single-season records were set by the Minnesota West Lady Jays basketball team Wednesday night, and head coach Rosalie Hayenga-Hostikka didn’t seem exactly sure what to make of it all.
One record happened when freshman Dasia Potter swished a 3-point shot from the right corner with about 10 seconds remaining in the game for the team’s 115th point.
“You should have seen it. When Dasia walked into the locker room, I slammed my clipboard down and said to her, ‘Why’d you have to go and do that?’” the coach explained.
But it was only a bluff. Hayenga-Hostikka wasn’t angry at all.
And that’s not all. Wednesday’s 115-46 victory over Ridgewater gave the Lady Jays their 26th win of the 2022-23 season, snapping a record set in the 1991-92 campaign.
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Ironically, both of the now-broken records were set in 1992, and Hayenga-Hostikka -- then known as Rosalie Hayenga -- was a player on that team.
“Right now I’m fading into the sunset,” Hayenga-Hostikka mused after the game. “I’m slowly fading out of Lady Jays history.”
Well, not exactly. After all, she’s the coach of this record-setting team.
When Potter hit that final shot, fans erupted.
“These guys have been begging me. I’ve been slowing these guys down so much,” Hayenga-Hostikka said.
She continued: “I’ve gotten grief all these years I’ve been coaching because I’ve been slowing these teams down every time we’ve gotten close to 100. Tonight I was saying to them, ‘Set it up.’ And they were having none of it. They wanted this record so bad.”
The 2022-23 Lady Jays are now 26-2 overall, and they play their final game of the regular season Saturday on the road against Rochester Community College. Rochester is the No. 1 Division III team in the nation. Minnesota West is not far behind at No. 3.
The game will give the Lady Jays a chance to even the score for one of their two season losses. And a win will add to their confidence heading into the regional tournament beginning Feb. 25 as they hope to qualify for the national tournament.
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Hayenga, a former star at Worthington High School, was also named the national junior college player of the year when she played at then-Worthington Community College. Her 1991-92 team won a state championship but lost in the finals of what was then a one-class junior college region tournament.
Of course, it’s impossible to adequately compare the 1991-92 team with the 2022-23 team.
“It’s just so different. This team is a great team, and they’re such good kids. You just really can’t compare,” said the coach.
Ridgewater entered Wednesday’s game at the Center for Health and Wellness in Worthington with a 1-22 record. The game was never close.
West led 56-20 at halftime while hitting 58 percent of its shots to Ridgewater’s 26 percent and out-rebounding the Warriors 28-15. Ridgewater, which had 18 turnovers at halftime, finished with 46.
Olivia Hayenga, the coach’s niece and another Worthington High School graduate, led West with 26 points. Tia Murray scored 24, Dannyn Peterson 21, Madisyn Huisman 12 and Potter 11. Hayenga added eight assists as the Lady Jays totaled an amazing 35 assists for the game. She also had 11 rebounds.
Ridgewater 11 20 31 46
Lady Jays 30 56 82 115
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RIDGEWATER (3FG-2FG-FT-TP) -- Kunerth 0-6-4-16, Geistfeld 0-1-4-6, Randt 0-9-1-19, Edlund 1-1-0-5. Totals 1-17-9-46.
LADY JAYS (3FG-2FG-FT-TP) -- Murray 0-11-2-24, Peterson 0-9-3-21, Scheitel-Taylor 0-4-0-8, Huisman 0-6-0-12, Hayenga 2-10-0-26, DeVries 0-4-0-8, UsesArrow 0-1-0-2, Drapeau 1-0-0-3, Potter 2-2-1-11. Totals 5-47-6-115.
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