By TROY THOMPSON
Sportswriter
The NRHEG girls’ basketball team rebounded from a pair of sluggish starts last week to continue riding a season-best three-game win-streak and push their record to 8-7 overall, 5-2 in the Gopher Conference.
NRHEG 45, Blue Earth Area 32
It took the Panthers a while to get going at home on Tuesday, Jan. 20 against Blue Earth Area (BEA) in a non-conference tilt. The Bucs nabbed a 4-1 lead a full seven-minutes into the game before Marnie Wagner tied the game with a three-pointer and put the Panthers ahead for good with a hard-fought bucket in the paint on the next possession.
The Panthers picked up steam and finished the first half with a 15-6 run to take a 24-12 lead into the break. The spurt was highlighted by Gretchen Ramaker’s nifty runner in the lane and three-point shots by Grace Johns and Maddie Wagner.
Wagner’s three-pointer punctuated the first-half scoring and began a stretch of 14-straight points by the sophomore, most coming off long outlet passes by Marnie Wagner who set up camp under the defensive boards, corralling 13 boards total to go with 8 points. Maddie Wagner’s three-pointer from the baseline to cap her scoring streak put the Panthers up 35-16.The Panthers pushed the lead to 44-22 after another bomb by Johns with just over six minutes remaining before closing the Bucs out.
NRHEG 78, Faribault Bethlehem Academy 50
The Panthers suffered another slow start against the Cardinals on Friday, Jan. 23. The Panthers led 17-16 nearly midway through the first half before they found their up-tempo groove and played to a 43-28 lead at the break.
Rachel Collins paced the Panthers with a 20-point night. Maddie Wagner netted 18 points while Marnie Wagner tallied 15 points to go with 10 rebounds to help give NRHEG their third-straight win.
NRHEG vs. BEA
Mad. Wagner 16 pts, 2 reb, 2 assists, 2 steals, 1 block; Marn. Wagner 8 pts, 13 reb, 3 assists, 1 steal; G. Johns 6pts, 2 reb, 1 steal, 1 block; G. Ramaker 5 pts, 1 reb, 1 assist; A. Stork 4pts, 9 reb, 1 assist, 1 steal; K. Camerer 4 pts, 4 reb, 1 assist, 2 steals, 1 block; J. Peterson 1 pt, 1 reb; R. Collins 1 pt, 1 reb; R. Hagen 7 reb
NRHEG vs. FBA
R. Collins 20 pts, 2 reb, 1 assist, 2 steals; Mad. Wagner 18 pts, 5 reb, 6 assists; Mar. Wagner 15 pts, 10 reb, 5 assists, 1 steal, 1 block; K. Camerer , 5 reb, 2 assists, 1 steal, 1 block; K. Harrington 4 pts, 4 reb, 1 steal; A. Stork 4 pts, 3 reb, 2 assists, 4 steals; G. Ramaker 3 pts, 3 reb, 1 assist, 2 steals; J. Peterson 2 pts, 1 assist; H. Schuller 2 pts, 1reb, 1 assist; S. Fischer 2 pst, 4 reb, 1 assist; R. Koziolek 2 pts, 1 reb; R. Hagen 3 reb; E. Eder 1 reb.