Jaiden McCollum surpassed 1,000 points in her career, but Staples-Motley had five girls score in double figures to eliminate Park Rapids with a 66-44 victory in the quarterfinals of the Section 8AA girls basketball playoffs March 4 at the University of Minnesota Crookston.
McCollum hit a free throw in the first half to become the sixth player in the history of the Park Rapids girls basketball program to reach the 1,000-point milestone. McCollum scored 11 points in six games as an eighth grader, 201 points (7.4 per game) in 27 games as a freshman, 411 points (15.8 per game) in 26 games as a sophomore and 380 points (14.6 per game) in 26 games this season.
Paige Johnson scored 10 points in the first half, but the Panthers trailed 32-23 as Sam Schimpp hit three 3-pointers to lead Staples-Motley. Claire Wolhowe scored 11 of her game-high 17 points after the break to help the Cardinals advance to the semifinals. Staples-Motley forced 26 Park Rapids turnovers in the game.
Chelsie Nanik (12), Schimpp (11), Kelsie Weite (10) and Amber Robben (10) also hit double figures for the Cardinals, who defeated Park Rapids by scores of 73-62 and 73-57 in Mid-State Conference play during the regular season. Staples-Motley, the No. 2 seed, advanced with a 22-4 record after winning for the 10th time in the last 11 games.
Johnson finished with 14 points and five rebounds while McCollum had 11 points, five rebounds and four assists. Kaisa Coborn had three assists and Rilee Michaelson had seven rebounds, three blocked shots and two steals as the No. 10-seeded Panthers ended the season with a 12-14 record.
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"We played pretty good defense, but we missed plenty of good shots and you can't do that against a good team like Staples," said Park Rapids head coach Jeff Overmyer. "Our defense was good most of the time, but we had some breakdowns and they took advantage of them and made us pay."
PARK RAPIDS: Warne 3 0-0 8, Ka. Coborn 1 3-4 5, Ke. Coborn 1 0-0 2, McCollum 4 3-6 11, Jewison 0 0-0 0, Klemmer 0 0-0 0, Byer 0 0-0 0, Michaelson 1 2-2 4, P. Johnson 7 0-3 14. Totals: 17 for 45 (FG), 8 for 15 (FT).
STAPLES-MOTLEY: Weite 4 2-2 10, Smith 2 0-0 5, Trantina 0 0-2 0, Nanik 4 2-3 12, Dumprope 0 0-0 0, Schimpp 3 2-3 11, Wolhowe 7 2-2 17, Robben 5 0-0 10, Johnson 0 1-2 1. Totals: 25 (FG), 9 for 14 (FT).
Halftime: S-M 32, Park Rapids 23. Three-pointers: Warne 2, Smith 1, Nanik 2, Schimpp 3, Wolhowe 1. Team fouls: Park Rapids 16, S-M 12. Rebounds: Park Rapids 28 (Michaelson 7, McCollum 5, P. Johnson 5, Warne 4, Ka. Coborn 4, Ke. Coborn 2, Jewison 1). Assists: Park Rapids 10 (McCollum 4, Ka. Coborn 3, Klemmer 1, Michaelson 1, P. Johnson 1). Steals: Park Rapids 6 (Michaelson 2, Ka. Coborn 1, Ke. Coborn 1, McCollum 1, P. Johnson 1). Blocked shots: Park Rapids 5 (Michaelson 3, McCollum 1, P. Johnson 1). Turnovers: Park Rapids 26.
Panthers win opener
Macky Warne had a team-high 20 points and three players recorded double-doubles in leading the Panthers to an 86-69 win over No. 7 Pelican Rapids in the tournament opener at Pelican Rapids on March 2.
Warne hit four 3-pointers and scored 13 points, Coborn hit four field goals, and McCollum and Kortne Byer hit three baskets each as the Panthers led 44-23 at the half. McCollum scored 13 points while Coborn, Michaelson and Warne combined for 23 points in the second half as Park Rapids advanced to the next round.
Warne hit five 3-pointers while McCollum finished with 19 points, 15 rebounds and eight assists. Coborn added 17 points, 11 assists and four steals while Michaelson had 11 points and 12 rebounds for the Panthers, who defeated Pelican Rapids 58-37 during the regular season. Park Rapids tallied 23 assists on 36 made field goals.
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Adriana Torres kept the Vikings in the game by scoring 24 of her game-high 36 points in the second half. Pelican Rapids closed the season with a 14-13 record.
"We played really well," said Overmyer. "In most games this season, we had one or two girls have good games. Against Pelican, they all showed up and we had multiple girls have good games."
PARK RAPIDS: Warne 7 1-2 20, Ka. Coborn 8 1-2 17, Ke. Coborn 0 2-2 2, McCollum 9 1-2 19, Jewison 2 2-5 6, Klemmer 1 0-0 2, Byer 4 0-0 8, Michaelson 5 1-3 11, P. Johnson 0 1-2 1. Totals: 36 for 68 (FG), 9 for 18 (FT).
PELICAN RAPIDS: Guler 2 2-4 7, Thompson 4 0-0 9, Gottenborg 3 0-2 6, Isoman 0 3-4 3, Tollefson 2 4-6 8, Torres 15 4-6 36, Hurley 0 0-2 0. Totals: 26 (FG), 13 for 24 (FT).
Halftime: Park Rapids 44, Pelican Rapids 23. Three-pointers: Warne 5, Guler 1, Thompson 1, Torres 2. Team fouls: Park Rapids 21, Pelican Rapids 16. Rebounds: Park Rapids 44 (McCollum 15, Michaelson 12, Ka. Coborn 4, Jewison 4, Byer 3, Klemmer 2, P. Johnson 2, Warne 1, Ke. Coborn 1). Assists: Park Rapids 23 (Ka. Coborn 11, McCollum 8, Jewison 2, Warne 1, Michaelson 1). Steals: Park Rapids 8 (Ka. Coborn 4, Warne 2, Michaelson 1, P. Johnson 1). Turnovers: Park Rapids 19.
