Sacred Heart Girls Basketball dominates Mahnomen/Waubun in Section 8A quarterfinals

The Sacred Heart Eagles Girls Basketball team jumped out to an 18-0 lead and cruised the rest of the way as they beat the Mahnomen/Waubun Thunderbirds 63-23 in the Section 8A Girls Basketball tournament quarterfinals at Ralph Englestad Arena in Thief River Falls.

FIRST HALF –
Sacred Heart jumped out to an 18-0 lead with six points coming from Lexi Lawrence, Izzy Cwikla had four points, three points apiece from Lydia Riskey and Kate Bernhoft, and two free throws from Finley Horken. Mahnomen/Waubun finally got on the board with a Kennedy McArthur basket with 11:20 left in the half. The Thunderbirds’ Peyton McArthur Gordon added a basket. Sacred Heart’s Lawrence and Leah Sundby responded with baskets for a 23-4 lead. Sacred Heart had a 30-14 lead with three minutes remaining when they ended the half on a 7-0 run with four points in the paint from Lawrence and a three-point play by Sundby for a 37-14 lead at halftime.

SECOND HALF –
Sacred Heart’s Lawrence scored the first six points of the half for a 43-14 lead. Mahnomen/Waubun battled back to get within a 51-21 deficit with 11 minutes left in the game when Sacred Heart went on a 12-0 run with four points from Bryn Stevens, three-points from Ella Arntson, Lydia Riskey, and two points from Lawrence for a 63-21 lead. Sacred Heart cleared the bench and was able to get everybody on the roster in over the final four minutes of the game. Mahnomen/Waubun stopped the run with two Kennedy McArthhur free throws and neither team scored in the final two minutes and Sacred Heart won the game 63-23.

Sacred Heart improves to 24-4 on the year and will take on Kittson County Central in the Section 8A semi-finals at 7:45 p.m. on Tuesday at Ralph Englestad Arena in Thief River Falls. Mahnomen/Waubun ends the season with a 9-18 record.