The NRHEG Lady Panther basketball team had a tough week, dropping a pair of Gopher Conference match-ups in New Richland.
On Dec. 10, the WEM Buccaneers came to town. The Panthers had difficulty contending with the length of the visitors as the Bucs seemed to get rebounds and open shots with ease most of the night. The Panthers cut the lead to two points right before halftime, but the Bucs hurled a halfcourt shot that swished through at the buzzer to put them up 29-24.
The second half saw the home team come within 36-34 before the Bucs rattled off a 24-10 run to retake control, finishing the game with a 67-47 victory.
"We ran out of steam in the second half," said Coach Onika Peterson. "Our team fought the whole game."
Sophie Stork posted a double-double with 18 points and 15 boards to go along with an assist. Sidney Schultz had 16 points, 2 rebounds, and 4 assists. Hallie Schultz chipped in 6 points and 3 rebounds while Kendall Johnson had 4 points, 3 boards, and an assist. Cassidy Martin finished the scoring with 3 points. Raquel Fischer snared 7 rebounds and dished out 2 assists while Teagan Sutter had 3 boards and Sarah Johns 2 rebounds.
On Dec. 12, Blooming Prairie arrived in New Richland with an undefeated record and left without a blemish. The Panthers looked discombobulated all night with too many turnovers and shots that would rim out. The Blossoms raced to a 13 point halftime lead behind good outside shooting, smothering defense, and excellent ball movement.
Nothing changed in the second half, and the Lady Panthers fell 65-46.
Sidney Schultz had 11 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 steals to top the night. Teagan Sutter stuffed the stat sheet with 10 points, 9 boards, an assist, 2 blocks, and a steal. Raquel Fischer netted 7 points along with 2 rebounds, an assist, and a steal. Sophie Stork had 5 points, 6 rebounds, an assist, and 2 steals. Erin Jacobson scored 4 points along with one rebound. Hallie Schultz had 3 points and a rebound while Kendall Johnson had 2 points and 8 boards. Sarah Johns had 2 points and 4 rebounds, and Aubrey Fischer scored 2 points. Cassidy Martin finished the stats with a board.