PIRATE GIRLS’ BASKETBALL FALLS TO THIEF RIVER FALLS

The Crookston Pirate Girls basketball team played good defense in the first half, but Thief River Falls ultimately won the game 56-40 at Lincoln High School in Thief River Falls.

First Half –
Thief River Falls started the game on a 6-0 run. Chloe Boll hit a jumper to give the Pirates their first points, and Isabelle Smith hit a lay-up to make it 6-4. Thief River Falls hit two straight threes to make it 12-4 five minutes into the game. The defenses began to clamp up as each team was only able to score two points for the next four minutes.
Crookston’s Naomi Johnson hit a lay-up and a putback to complete a 6-0 run for Crookston to make it 14-10. Thief River Falls responded with a 4-0 before Isabelle Smith ended the run by hitting a floater with three minutes left to make it 18-12. Thief River Falls hit a three-pointer to make it 21-12, and after a Crookston free throw, the Prowlers scored a putback to make it 23-13 with a minute and a half to go. The half ended with the teams trading two pointers, including one from Chloe Boll, the make the halftime score 25-15 Prowlers.

Second Half –
The teams started off trading buckets to start the half before the Prowlers scored two straight lay-ups to give Thief River Falls a 31-17 lead. Smith hit Crookston’s first three of the night a minute later to make it 31-20. Boll had a tough drive for a lay-up to make it 33-22, and Smith hit a floater to make it 33-24.
After a Thief River Falls lay-up, Crookston went on an 8-0 run, including a great steal and pass from Smith to Katelyn Christensen for the lay-up and a Johnson lay-up to make it 35-32. The Prowlers responded with a three-pointer to make it 38-32 with nine minutes left in the game.
Johnson made a lay-up for Crookston to make it 38-34 before Thief River Falls went on an 11-1 run over the next six minutes to make it 49-35. Boll hit a jumper with 2:15 left in the game to make it 49-37, and Smith hit a three-pointer to make it 53-40, but the Prowlers cruised the rest of the way and won the game 56-40.

Crookston falls to 0-2 on the season and hosts Red Lake Falls on Tuesday. Thief River Falls improves to 1-1 and hosts Roseau on Tuesday.

TO LISTEN TO COACH DARIN ZIMMERMAN’S POST-GAME COMMENTS, CLICK BELOW: