NRHEG girls stand at 4-8 overall
The NRHEG girls' basketball team hosted their 2nd annual holiday tournament on Dec. 27-28 in New Richland. For the first game, they played Albert Lea and fell behind early, trailing by 8 points at the half. "We came out sluggish in the first half. The girls came out in the second half with a lot more hustle and heart," said Coach Onika Peterson. Indeed, the Panthers raced back into the game quickly after the break and pulled away to beat the Tigers 72-62, holding Albert Lea to only 22 points in the second half.
Darian Pearson had a double-double with 16 points, 10 rebounds, and 2 steals. Sidney Schultz was close behind with 15 points, 5 boards, and 3 assists. Hannah Budach hit some crucial 3s on the way to 12 points to go with a steal and an assist. Sophie Stork, Alexis Anderson, and Sarah Johns each had 7 points. Stork added 9 rebound, 2 steals, and 3 assists; Anderson contributed 8 rebounds with a steal and an assist; and Johns tacked on 5 boards, 4 steals, and an assist. Caitlin Goette had a good game with 6 points, 10 rebounds, 2 steals, and 2 assists. Kendall Johnson finished the scoring with 2 points to go with 4 rebounds and an assist.
The next night the Panthers faced off against undefeated LCWM in the championship game and raced to a 24-7 lead in the first half. However, the Knights showed why they hadn't yet lost by chipping away and applying defensive pressure, cutting the lead to 3 at the half. The second half was a turnaround as LCWM took control and the lead. The Panthers kept the game in range before ultimately falling 70-60.
Stork had a huge game with 24 points, 9 rebounds, 2 blocks, and a steal. Anderson was close on her heels with 21 points, 12 boards, and an assist. Schultz checked all the boxes with 6 points, 5 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 steals, and a block. Budach added 3 points, 2 rebounds, and an assist. Goette, Pearson, and Johns each had 2 points. Goette added 9 rebounds, 2 assists, and a block; Pearson had 9 rebounds, a steal, and a block; and Johns also had 2 boards and an assist. Jayna Finseth added a rebound.
The Panthers started 2019 in Dodge Center on January 3 against Triton. The first half was a back and forth affair with 3-pointers raining down on both ends of the court, 15 between the two teams in the first half. The Cobras extended the lead to 7 at the half and didn't allow the Panthers any closer than that for most of the second half. Triton took advantage of holes in the Panther defense to get the shots they wanted and get to the free throw line plenty in the second half, stymying every run the Panthers made to win 80-69.
Stork had another big night, shooting well on her way to 29 points to go with 7 rebounds and a steal. Pearson tallied another double-double with 10 points and 14 boards. Budach had 9 points and 6 boards while Johns scored 7 and pulled down 5 rebounds. Schultz and Anderson each had 5 points; Schultz added 6 boards and 2 steals while Anderson also had 7 rebounds. Goette contributed 4 points and 5 rebounds. Finseth had 4 rebounds and Johnson had a steal and an assist.
The Panthers stand at 4-8 overall, 2-3 in the Gopher Conference. They played at Faribault BA on Tuesday, have a home game against Maple River Thursday, and play in Kasson against Grand Meadow on Saturday.