Senior center Lola Rysavy’s four inside baskets sparked a 24-8 run to end the first half that sent Pequot Lakes to a 62-46 Mid-State Conference victory over the Park Rapids girls basketball team at Pequot Lakes in the regular-season finale on Thursday, Feb. 20.
Layups by Holly Johnson and Rilee Michaelson, a jumper by Tori Weaver, and a three-point play by Paige Johnson kept the Panthers within 14-11 before Pequot Lakes responded with a 13-0 run for a 27-11 advantage. Abby Morris ended that run by hitting a 3-pointer, but the Patriots ended the half with an 11-5 spurt to carry a 38-19 edge into the break. Katie Burlingame had a three-point play for the Panthers during that stretch.
The Panthers opened the second with a jumper by Michaelson, a 3-pointer by Morris and a putback by Holly Johnson to cut the gap to 38-27. A jumper by Paige Johnson was followed by a layup and a putback by Michaelson as Park Rapids trailed 44-34 with 10:44 to play before Pequot Lakes used two layups by Rysavy to build a 52-34 lead. Jumpers by Paige Johnson and Michaelson, layups by Michaelson and Morris, and a 3-pointer by Hannah Morgan concluded the scoring for the Panthers.
Michaelson finished with a double-double of 13 points and 10 rebounds while Morris scored 11 points as the Panthers couldn’t overcome 36 turnovers. Paige Johnson had nine rebounds and five steals while Weaver had five steals and three assists as Park Rapids had to settle for a share of second place in the conference standings.
Rysavy’s 22 points and nine rebounds along with Afton Crocker’s 10 points led the Patriots, who swept the season series from Park Rapids despite turning the ball over 25 times.
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Detroit Lakes won the conference title with a 9-1 record while Pequot Lakes and the Panthers tied for second with 7-3 marks. Crosby-Ironton (5-5), Staples-Motley (2-8) and Aitkin (0-10) rounded out the Mid-State standings.
Pequot Lakes, which defeated the Panthers 70-62 on Jan. 14, improved to 13-13 overall. The Panthers ended the regular season at 12-14.
Park Rapids will open the Section 8AA playoffs by hosting Dilworth-Glyndon-Felton at the Area High School gym on Thursday (Feb. 27) at 7 p.m. The winner of that game advances to play at Concordia College on Saturday (Feb. 29) at 4:30 p.m.
PARK RAPIDS: H. Johnson 2 0-0 4, Morris 3 3-4 11, Weaver 1 2-4 4, P. Johnson 3 1-1 7, Michaelson 6 1-6 13, Burlingame 1 1-1 3, Davis 0 0-0 0, Morgan 1 1-2 4. Totals: 17 for 53 (FG), 9 for 18 (FT).
PEQUOT LAKES: Chaney 2 0-0 5, Crocker 4 2-3 10, K. Martini 1 0-0 2, Voges 0 3-4 3, M. Martini 3 2-2 8, Traxler 2 0-0 4, Geschwill 1 0-1 2, Benson 3 0-0 6, Rysavy 11 0-0 22. Totals: 27 for 66 (FG), 7 for 10 (FT).
Halftime: Pequot Lakes 38, Park Rapids 19. Three-pointers: Morris 2, Morgan 1, Chaney 1. Team fouls: Park Rapids 12, Pequot Lakes 16. Rebounds: Park Rapids 35 (Michaelson 10, P. Johnson 9, H. Johnson 6, Weaver 4, Burlingame 3, Morris 2, Morgan 1). Assists: Park Rapids 10 (Weaver 3, P. Johnson 2, Michaelson 2, Morris 1, Burlingame 1, Davis 1). Steals: Park Rapids 19 (Weaver 5, P. Johnson 5, Michaelson 3, Morris 2, Morgan 2, H. Johnson 1, Davis 1). Blocked shots: Park Rapids 6 (Morris 2, Michaelson 2, Weaver 1, P. Johnson 1). Turnovers: Park Rapids 36, Pequot Lakes 25.
