Braves split contests with section opponents

A slow start against Barnesville and a fast start against Dilworth-Glyndon-Felton resulted in a split against Section 8AA opponents for the Menahga girls basketball team at the Blizzard of Basketball Tournament at Concordia College on Dec. 27-28.

Barnesville jumped out to leads of 15-1 and 24-5 in a 50-44 victory over the Braves in the tournament opener on Dec. 27 while Menahga opened with a 24-8 lead to defeat D-G-F 48-36 in the tournament finale on Dec. 28.

In the tournament opener, the Braves didn’t hit a field goal until Kate Hendrickson’s jumper made it 15-3 with 10:33 to play in the first half. Hendrickson followed with another jumper and Janie Tormanen had three layups as Menahga trailed 29-14 at the half.

Three layups and a pair of jumpers by Tormanen, three jumpers by Kate Hendrickson, a basket off a rebound by Allie Pfeifer and a layup by Tara Hendrickson helped the Braves cut the deficit to 41-35 with 4:07 to play. A 3-pointer by Kim Maesse gave the Trojans a 48-37 lead before Pfeifer scored off a rebound and Lela Peterson hit a 3-pointer for Menahga down the stretch.

Tormanen’s 16 points and eight rebounds, Kate Hendrickson’s 13 points and three steals, Annie Lake’s three assists, and Tara Hendrickson’s three steals led the Braves, who made only 1 of 15 3-point attempts.

Emily Bredman (14) and Samantha Passa (11) led a balanced scoring attack as Barnesville improved to 3-4 against section foes and 4-5 overall.

A pair of 3-pointers by Maryn Pinoniemi and 3-pointers by Martha Peterson, Kate Hendrickson and Tara Hendrickson at the outset sparked the Braves past D-G-F.

Kate Hendrickson and Pinoniemi added jumpers and Tormanen had a pair of baskets inside as Menahga jumped out to a 24-8 lead with 3:58 to play in the first half. Another jumper by Kate Hendrickson gave the Braves a 28-12 advantage at the break.

Kate Hendrickson scored off a rebound and Tormanen had a layup as the Braves extended their lead to 32-12. Maria Watt scored 12 points as the Rebels cut the gap to 36-28 with 6:18 remaining, but a 3-pointer by Pinoniemi, a layup by Kate Hendrickson and seven free throws by the Braves iced the win.

Pinoniemi’s 15 points, seven rebounds and four steals led the Braves. Kate Hendrickson’s 13 points, Tormanen’s 12 points and seven rebounds, Tara Hendrickson’s eight rebounds, and Martha Peterson’s four steals helped Menahga improve to 2-2 in section games and 6-5 overall. The Braves forced 25 turnovers while going 6 for 19 on 3-pointers.

Watt scored a game-high 25 points for the Rebels, who fell to 1-5 against section teams and 3-7 overall.

MENAHGA: K. Hendrickson 5 3-4 13, Pinoniemi 0 0-0 0, M. Peterson 0 0-0 0, T. Hendrickson 1 1-4 3, Tormanen 7 2-2 16, L. Peterson 1 0-0 3, Berttunen 0 0-0 0, Lake 1 3-3 5, Pfeifer 2 0-0 4. Totals: 17 for 48 (FG), 9 for 13 (FT).

BARNESVILLE: Passa 3 5-9 11, Maesse 2 0-1 6, Bredman 5 4-7 14, Halverson 4 1-2 9, Skogen 2 1-1 5, Strand 2 0-0 5. Totals: 18 for 39 (FG), 11 for 20 (FT).

Halftime: Barnesville 29, Menahga 14. Three-pointers: L. Peterson 1, Maesse 2, Strand 1. Team fouls: Menahga 18, Barnesville 15. Rebounds: Menahga 23 (Tormanen 8, T. Hendrickson 5, Pfeifer 4, L. Peterson 2, Berttunen 2, K. Hendrickson 1, Lake 1). Assists: Menahga 8 (Lake 3, K. Hendrickson 1, Tormanen 1, M. Peterson 1, Berttunen 1, Pinoniemi 1). Steals: Menahga 10 (K. Hendrickson 3, T. Hendrickson 3, M. Peterson 2, Lake 1, Pinoniemi 1). Blocked shots: Menahga 2 (Tormanen 2). Turnovers: Menahga 16, Barnesville 22.

MENAHGA: K. Hendrickson 5 2-3 13, Pinoniemi 5 2-2 15, M. Peterson 1 0-0 3, T. Hendrickson 1 1-2 4, Tormanen 3 6-8 12, L. Peterson 0 0-0 0, Berttunen 0 0-0 0, Lake 0 1-2 1. Totals: 15 for 54 (FG), 12 for 17 (FT).

DILWORTH-GLYNDON-FELTON: Leitner 1 0-0 2, Thune 1 0-0 3, Watt 10 4-6 25, Moe 2 2-3 6. Totals: 14 for 47 (FG), 6 for 9 (FT).

Halftime: Menahga 28, D-G-F 12. Three-pointers: K. Hendrickson 1, Pinoniemi 3, M. Peterson 1, T. Hendrickson 1, Thune 1, Watt 1. Team fouls: Menahga 18, D-G-F 20. Rebounds: Menahga 33 (T. Hendrickson 8, Pinoniemi 7, Tormanen 7, L. Peterson 3, K. Hendrickson 2, Berttunen 2, M. Peterson 2, Lake 2). Assists: Menahga 8 (Pinoniemi 2, Tormanen 2, M. Peterson 1, T. Hendrickson 1, L. Peterson 1, Lake 1). Steals: Menahga 11 (Pinoniemi 4, M. Peterson 4, T. Hendrickson 2, Tormanen 1). Blocked shots: Menahga 3 (K. Hendrickson 1, M. Peterson 1, Tormanen 1). Turnovers: Menahga 18, D-G-F 25.