Girls Basketball: Park Rapids, Menahga, Nevis eliminated from section tournaments

GLYNDON – A fast start by Dilworth-Glyndon-Felton was too much for the Park Rapids girls basketball team to overcome in the Section 8AA quarterfinals on March 4.

The No. 5-seeded Rebels jumped out to a 12-3 lead and never trailed in a 64-40 victory.

Park Rapids, the No. 13 seed that opened the playoffs by eliminating No. 4 Barnesville, opened the game with a Julia Harmon free throw for its only lead of the game. Three-pointers by Makayla Winter and Peyton Backes and two layups by Aria Garrett sparked a 12-2 run by D-G-F as a jumper by Olivia Davis provided the only scoring for the Panthers.

Two layups by Anna Yliniemi, layups by Gabi Shepersky and Davis, and a 3-pointer by Halle Eischens cut the gap to 19-16 at the 6:50 mark before three inside baskets by Garrett and a 3-pointer by Backes extended the Rebels’ lead to 35-18 with 2:14 to go in the first half. Yliniemi’s layup was the only scoring for Park Rapids during that 16-2 run. A putback by Garrett and another 3-pointer by Backes gave D-G-F a 41-23 advantage at the break.

A layup by Garrett and a 3-pointer by Backes pushed the Rebels’ lead to 50-26 with 13:09 to play. Park Rapids followed with a 10-2 run as a jumper and a 3-pointer by Yliniemi along with five free throws by Harmon made it 52-36 at the 8:07 mark.

Mickey Clark, who completed a rare feat by competing at the state girls wrestling tournament and then playing in a section girls basketball game on the same day, hit a 3-pointer and a free throw as the Panthers trailed 58-40 with 5:20 left. Park Rapids would not score again as the Rebels hit six free throws to seal the win.

Yliniemi was the only Park Rapids player to hit double figures with 12 points. Harmon (9) and Davis (7) combined for 16 points with Yliniemi’s four rebounds and Tori Weaver’s three assists leading the way. The Panthers, who went 3 for 9 on 3-pointers, ended the season with an 11-16 record.

Garrett and Makayla Bjelland, who made 12 of 13 free throws, both scored 17 points while Backes contributed 14 points to lead the Rebels. D-G-F, which defeated the Panthers 55-46 to end the regular season, made 6 of 16 3-pointers to advance to the section semifinals with a 16-11 record.

CROOKSTON – Halle Winjum hit three 3-pointers during an 11-2 run in the second half that propelled Crookston to a 52-38 win over Menahga to open the section tournament on March 2.

Menahga, the No. 10 seed, trailed the No. 7-seeded Pirates 21-19 at the intermission. Two baskets apiece by Anjalie Aho, Erica Tormanen and Mackenzie Anderson paced the Braves in the first half.

A 3-pointer by Janelle Hendrickson along with layups by Anderson, Anna Pietila, Addie Pinoniemi and Tormanen kept Menahga within 36-32 with 11:50 to play before Winjum helped push the Pirates’ lead to 47-34 with 4:36 remaining. A layup by Hendrickson with 4:01 left made it 47-36. Hendrickson’s two free throws accounted for Menahga’s only points the rest of the way.

Anderson, Aho, Hendrickson and Tormanen combined to score 32 points as the Braves ended the season with a 15-12 record. Taija Pinoniemi had seven rebounds, Aho had six rebounds, Anderson had three assists and Tormanen blocked two shots as Menahga went 1 for 14 on 3-pointers.

Crookston, which defeated the Braves 54-39 during the regular season, was led by Winjum’s 22 points, nine rebounds and eight assists. Abby Borowicz had a double-double with 20 points and 11 rebounds as the Pirates made 6 of 21 3-pointers to advance. Crookston was eliminated from the tournament with a 46-42 loss to No. 2 Thief River Falls in the quarterfinals to end the season with a 17-11 record.

NEVIS – Defense sparked a 22-2 run in the first half that propelled Nevis to a 58-33 win over Verndale in a Section 5A West playoff game at the Tiger Arena on March 2.

Verndale, the No. 7 seed, led 5-2 with 15:43 to play in the first half before the No. 2-seeded Tigers scored the next 16 points. A layup by Marley Mitchell, a jumper by Addison Lindow and a 3-pointer by Kayli Bessler were followed by a pair of 3-pointers by Mya Stacey and a basket off a rebound by Mitchell as Nevis led 18-5 at the 10:10 mark. A jumper by Bessler and layups by Stacey and Liddy DeWulf made it 24-7 with 4:22 to go in the opening half. Clair Isaacson hit a jumper to give the Tigers a 27-12 advantage at the break.

Layups by Bessler and Stacey pushed the lead to 31-12 at the 17:12 mark before the Pirates cut the gap to 38-24 with 12:09 to play behind 3-pointers by Avery Amerud, Katie Blaha and Reagen Ludovissie.

The Tigers put the game away with a 12-0 run as Stacey connected on three 3-pointers and Isaacson hit a jumper. That made it 50-24 with 8:10 remaining. A three-point play by Bessler and a 3-pointer by Sarah Boettcher helped seal the win.

Stacey hit five 3-pointers and scored 22 points while Bessler chipped in 14 points, Isaacson grabbed seven rebounds and Lindow had six assists. The Tigers forced 22 turnovers and tallied 18 steals with Stacey, Bessler and Lindow having four steals each. Nevis made 8 of 16 3-pointers to advance.

Ludovissie and Blaha scored 11 points apiece for the Pirates, who went 5 for 18 on 3-pointers in ending the season with an 8-19 record. Verndale, which lost to the Tigers 61-48 during the regular season, opened the playoffs with a 67-10 win over No. 10 Laporte.

In the other Section 5A West playoff games, No. 8 Bertha-Hewitt defeated No. 9 Long Prairie-Grey Eagle 69-43 before being eliminated with an 80-30 loss to No. 1 Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa. No. 4 Pine River-Backus defeated No. 5 Sebeka 74-45 while No. 3 Walker-Hackensack-Akeley ousted No. 6 Browerville-Eagle Valley with a 69-57 win.

WADENA – Walker-Hackensack-Akeley built a 40-20 halftime lead and held on for a 66-58 win to eliminate Nevis from the Section 5A West playoffs on March 4.

These two Northland Conference rivals split games during the regular season with W-H-A prevailing 53-50 in double overtime and the Tigers posting a 52-34 win in the rematch.

Two 3-pointers and a jumper by Stacey, a 3-pointer by Bessler, and a jumper by Isaacson gave Nevis a 13-12 lead with 11:38 to play in the first half. The Wolves responded with a 14-1 run to claim a 26-14 lead before a jumper by Bessler and a jumper and a layup by Lindow made it 33-20. W-H-A closed the half with a 7-0 run in building a 20-point advantage.

Despite a jumper and a 3-pointer by Bessler and layups by Mitchell, Isaacson and Stacey, the Tigers trailed 55-38 with 6:49 to play. Nevis mounted a rally as a 3-pointer by Lindow, back-to-back 3-pointers by Grace McNamee and a jumper by Ava Forbes sparked a 15-2 run that cut the deficit to 57-53 with 3:08 remaining. The Tigers managed only a jumper by Forbes the rest of the way as W-H-A prevailed.

Stacey (14), Lindow (10) and Bessler (10) scored in double figures for the Tigers, who made 7 of 28 3-pointers, including 4 of 20 in the second half. Lindow (7), Mitchell (6) and Isaacson (6) combined for 19 rebounds while DeWulf dished out four assists. McNamee had three steals and Mitchell blocked two shots as Nevis ended the season with a 24-4 record.

Aubrey Morrison scored 21 points, Ava Welk had 13 points and nine rebounds, and Avery Morrison added 10 points for the Wolves, who made 5 of 15 3-pointers to improve to 21-7.

B-B-E eliminated PR-B 70-44 in the other Section 5A West semifinal game.