By ELI LUTGENS
Publisher/Editor
The NRHEG girls' high school basketball team breezed past Maple River 75-47 in the opening round of the sub-section tournament last Tuesday.
“Our girls were very focused,” NRHEG coach Onika Peterson said after the game. “We rebounded and ran the floor well.”
The game was competitive for about the first 10 minutes of play. Junior Faith Nielsen ignited the rally when she scored six straight points for the Panthers, who went on a 7-0 run. They quickly stretched the lead into double digits and took a 19-point lead into intermission.
Eight Panthers scored in the contest, with three finishing in double figures.
“It was a great team win,” said Coach Peterson. “We get to live another day and prepare for Waseca.”
Individually for the Panthers: Erin Jacobson 22 points, 6 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 block; Sidney Schultz 20 pts, 3 rebounds, 1 steal, 3 assists; Nielsen 12 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists; Izley Boerner 6 points, 1 rebound; Quinn VanMaldeghem 5 points, 10 rebounds; Camryn VanMaldeghem 4 points, 3 rebounds, 2 steals, 3 assists; Hallie Schultz 4 points, 7 rebounds, 1 steal, 1 assist; Gabrielle Schlaak 1 steal.
With the win the Panthers improved to 20-5 and moved on to the second round of subsection play Thursday night in Mankato East.
In the second round, playing against No. 2 seed Waseca, the Panthers won a back and fourth game, which saw 10 lead changes, 45-38.
“I could not be more proud of this group of girls,” Peterson said after the game. “When things get hard, they keep fighting. Waseca is a well coached, great team.”
In a see-saw battle, the Panthers fell behind early 9-4, but fought back. A three pointer from Sidney Schultz and a driving layup from Faith Nielsen tied it at 9-9. The Panthers led by as much as five in the first half, but went into intermission tied at 21-21.
The back and fourth affair continued the rest of the game. Trailing 33-30 with 7 minutes to play, back-to-back three pointers by Quinn VanMaldeghem and Sidney Schultz put the Panthers ahead for good. The Bluejays got to within one point twice more, but clutch three-point shooting from Sidney Schultz was the dagger.
Individually for the Panthers: Sidney Schultz 23 points, 3 rebounds, 2 steals, 1 assist; Jacobson 6 pts, 7 rebounds, 1 steal; Faith Nielsen 6 pts, 3 rebounds, 1 steal; Camryn VanMaldeghem 5 pts, 3 rebounds, 4 steals, 1 assist; Quinn VanMaldeghem 3 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist; Hallie Schultz 2 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist.
With the win the Panthers improved to 21-5 and earned a rematch with LCWM in the subsection championship game Monday night at the Taylor Center in Mankato.