CROOKSTON GIRL’S BASKETBALL BEATS BRECKENRIDGE, ENDS REGULAR SEASON WITH 20 WINS

The Crookston Pirate Girl’s Basketball team used several runs throughout the game and a couple of big three-pointers from Kasey Cwikla as they held on for a 63-52 victory over the Breckenridge Cowgirls in a Section 8AA matchup in Breckenridge.  The Pirates found out earlier this week that they will be without one of their leaders, as Emma Borowicz has a torn ACL and will miss the rest of the season.

FIRST HALF –
The teams struggled offensively early in the game and Crookston had a 6-3 lead behind two Dani Boyle three-pointers almost five minutes into the game. After the slow start, the teams started to heat up and with Crookston leading 6-5 they went on a 10-2 run with four different players scoring in the run for a 16-7 lead with eight minutes left in the half.  “Offensively we started to move the ball well and I thought we set the tone on the defensive end,” said Pirate Coach Darin Zimmerman.  Breckenridge stopped the run with a three-pointer and after a Crookston basket, the Cowgirls made another three-pointer to get within an 18-13 deficit with less than seven minutes to go in the half. Crookston responded with some stellar defense and a quick-strike offense and went on a 10-0 run with five points from Halle Winjum, three points from Boyle and two points from Hayden Winjum for a 28-13 lead.  “When we are playing at our best, that is the way we play,” said Coach Zimmerman. “I thought we did a good job rebounding too.” Crookston continued to roll on the offensive side and they led 30-17 when Gretchen Theis scored back-to-back baskets for a 32-17 lead. Breckenridge ended the half with a three-pointer before the buzzer and Crookston took a 32-20 lead into halftime.  “Being up 15 would have been nice, but we were happy with the way we played in the first half,” said Coach Zimmerman. “I thought we played one of our better halves.”

SECOND HALF –
Breckenridge came out strong in the second half and went on an 11-2 run to get within a 34-31 deficit. “They came out strong,” said Coach Zimmerman. “We were a little panicky and we had some turnovers.  We needed to fix some things defensively.” Crookston settled down and answered with a 6-0 run with a basket in the paint from Abby Borowicz, a Halle Winjum free throw. After a technical foul on the Breckenridge bench, Theis made one of two free throws and Boyle added a basket in the same possession to give the Pirates a 40-31 lead with 11 minutes left in the game. The half of runs continued when Breckenridge answered with eight straight points to get within a 40-39 deficit. The teams exchanged baskets and with five minutes remaining, Crookston led 44-43. It was this point, Crookston picked up the defensive pressure and turned their defense into offense with a big three-pointer from Kasey Cwikla which was followed by a basket from Halle Winjum. After a Breckenridge three-pointer, Crookston responded with another Halle Winjum basket and another Cwikla three-pointer. 13 seconds later, Halle Winjum made two free throws to give Crookston a 56-46 lead with less than three minutes remaining.  “Kasey hit some big three’s for us,” said Coach Zimmerman. “We were able to break their traps a little better and finished the game strong.” Crookston went to the free-throw line and had some struggles in the final minutes, but they hit enough of them to hold on for the 63-52 victory.  “Overall, I was happy with how we played hard the entire game,” said Coach Zimmerman. “We didn’t hit as many free throws as we would have liked tonight, but we hit enough.”

Crookston ends the regular season with a 20-6 record and will host the East Grand Forks Green Wave in the first round of the Section 8AA playoffs at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday.  You can hear the game on KROX Radio.  “Getting 20 wins in the regular season is big,” said Coach Zimmerman. “The girls will be ready to go.  No matter who we play, we are ready to play and East Grand Forks is a good team and we will be ready to go on Thursday.” Breckenridge ends the regular season with a 15-11 record and will travel to Perham in the first round of the Section 8AA tournament on Thursday.