Crookston Pirate Boys Basketball struggles on the boards in loss to EGF

The East Grand Forks Green Wave dominated the glass and pulled away in the second half to beat the Crookston Pirate Boys Basketball team 94-58 in a Section 8AA game played at the East Grand Forks Senior High School gymnasium.

FIRST HALF –
East Grand Forks started the game with a Rafael Jones basket before Crookston’s Reggie Winjum responded with a basket for a 2-2 tie over a minute into the game. Rafael Jones scored a basket before the Pirates’ Carter Fee made a three-pointer from the corner to give Crookston a 5-4 lead. EGF answered with six straight points before Crookston’s Zachariah Ali made a three-pointer to get within a 10-8 deficit. EGF’s Brody Knutson and Carson McDonald scored five points before Crookston eighth grader Beau Smith scored on a basket for his first varsity points. Josh Hesby followed with a three-pointer and the Pirates trailed 15-13 seven minutes into the game. The back-and-forth battle continued throughout the half as the Green Wave took a 22-17 lead before Crookston’s Ali buried a three-pointer to get within a 24-20 deficit with 7:30 left in the half.
EGF slowly built a 32-24 lead before Crookston’s Winjum made a three-pointer and freshman Nolan Cassavant scored to get within a 32-29 deficit. EGF led 36-32 when McDonald made a basket and Raphael Jones made a three-pointer for a 41-32 lead with two minutes to go. EGF took a 45-35 lead into the half while making 15 of 17 free throws.

SECOND HALF –
The Green Wave scored the first five points of the second half for a 50-35 lead. Each team made a basket before Crookston’s Ali converted a three-point play. After a Green Wave basket, Ali responded with a three-pointer to bring his team within a 54-43 deficit four minutes into the half. Crookston trailed 58-45 when Johnson and Winjum made back-to-back baskets to get the Pirates within a 58-49 deficit with 12 minutes to go in the game. EGF took over the game by scoring the next 17 points with McDonald scoring the first four, followed by a Jezrael Jones three-point play, McDonald added a three-pointer, Chase Lindgren added three points and McDonald capped the run with four more points for a 75-49 lead with 8:06 left in the game. Crookston’s Fee stopped the run with a basket. A few minutes later, Crookston trailed 81-54 when Peter Wiersma made back-to-back baskets to get within an 81-58 deficit, but both teams went to the bench the rest of the game, and the Green Wave pulled away for a 94-58 victory.
East Grand Forks made 32 of 39 free throws in the game, while Crookston struggled a bit from the line, going 6 of 16.

Crookston drops to 0-1 on the year and will host Warroad on Friday. East Grand Forks improves to 1-0 on the year.
J.V. – EGF won 54-43 C-Squad: EGF won 81-21

Peter Wiersma

Beau Smith

Reggie Winjum

Zachariah Ali

Carter Fee

Peter Wiersma

Beau Smith

Reggie Winjum

Zachariah Ali

Carter Fee

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