Babaamaajimowinan (Telling of news in different places)

Minneota defeats Red Lake 66-46 in Girls 1A quarterfinal - P61

It took some improvisation, but Minneota was finally able to pull away from Red Lake in the Class 1A quarterfinals Thursday at Maturi Pavilion.

After falling behind by 10 points early in the first half, the Vikings made adjustments and rallied for a 66-46 victory over the Warriors.

"We knew Red Lake played a very disruptive defense," Minneota coach Chad Johnston said. "They pressure you all the time. You can't really duplicate that in practice. For about three-fourths of the game, we ran a new offense, where we had to freelance."

Red Lake opened a 14-4 lead with 12 minutes left in the first half before the Vikings (28-1) battled back. Consecutive three-point field goals by sophomore Abby Hennen gave the Vikings their first lead with seven minutes left in the half. The Vikings eventually built a 35-21 lead at halftime.

"We just needed to settle in," Johnston said. "We did a wonderful job of rebounding."

The Vikings eventually built an 18-point lead early in the second half. Red Lake used an 11-0 run to pull within seven with 8 minutes, 17 seconds left but couldn't get closer. The Vikings, who made just one of nine free throws in the first half, made 17 of 24 free throw attempts in the second half.

Lizzy Gillingham scored 19 points, Lydia Sussner scored 18 and Hennen scored 16 to pace the Vikings. Sussner had 17 rebounds and Hennen had 13 rebounds as the Vikings had a 67-36 rebound advantage.

Gerika Kingbird scored 17 points and Angel McClain scored 11 to lead the Warriors (21-8).

"We like to pressure," Red Lake coach Randy Holthusen said. "We started strong and then Minneota picked up their intensity. We came back strong in the second half. I'm very proud of our team. They didn't give up."

Red Lake

46 - 66 Final

Minneota

Team 1 2 T

Red Lake

21 25 46

Minneota

35 31 66

First report

Minneota overcame a slow start to defeat Red Lake 66-46 in the Class 1A quarterfinals Thursday at Maturi Pavilion.

The Vikings trailed 14-4 six minutes into the game before regrouping.

Back-to-back three-point baskets by Abby Hennen gave the Vikings their first lead with seven minutes left in the half. The Vikings outscored the Warriors 15-7 over the final 6 ½ minutes of the first half to take a 35-21 halftime lead.

The Vikings eventually built an 18-point lead midway through the second half. The Warriors pulled within seven points with eight minutes left but the Vikings held on.

Lizzy Gillingham led the Vikings with 19 points. Lydia Sussner scored 18 and Abby Hennen added 16 for the Vikings. Gerika Kingbird led the Warriors with 17 points.

Story by Joel Rippel, Star Tribune

 

Reader Comments(0)

 
 
Rendered 03/27/2024 08:43