The Crookston Pirate Girls Basketball had a hard-fought battle with the Fosston Greyhounds, who used a strong second half to win 53-39 in the Crookston High School gymnasium Monday night. Strong shooting from the Greyhounds to open the game, followed by timely scoring runs, helped Fosston build and maintain a comfortable lead.
FIRST HALF –
Fosston opened the game on a 5-0 run, and Crookston struggled to get the offense going for the first few minutes. Two quick fouls from Chloe Boll hurt Crookston’s case early as well. The Pirate offense finally got rolling about five minutes into the game. Chloe Boll and Naomi Johnson had early field goals, followed by a few makes at the line to cut the lead to 10-6. Fosston then scored the next 6, thanks in part to great outside shooting. Fosston’s Brielle DuPong and Gretchen Anderson got rolling from beyond the arc to help Fosston extend their lead. Fouls began to add up for the Greyhounds in the next few minutes, sending Grace Boll and Naomi Johnson to the line to cut the lead to 1. Crookston was able to take a 17-16 lead with about 2:30 left in the half, when Naomi Johnson rebounded a missed free throw and laid it in. Over the final two minutes, Fosston outscored Crookston 9-2, with a three from Gretchen Andersoon sparking the Greyhound run. Fosston’s interior defense had a strong effect on the Pirates, as they did not record an assist in the half. The defense and shooting put Fosston up 25-19 at the halfway point.
SECOND HALF –
The Greyhounds hot streak continued, as they started the half on an 8-0 run. Miley Hove scored the first 6, with Lexi Mahlen contributing the next field goal. Crookston broke the run after 4:20 had passed with a field goal from Madi Bruggeman. Grace Boll assisted on the layup, giving the Pirates their first assist of the night. Fosston got rolling again as Lexi Mahlen would score in bunches. She hit from three-pointer to score her 1000th career point with 13:15 left in the game. Crookston answered with a quick bucket, but fouls put Fosston back on the line. The Pirates committed a string of turnovers over the next few minutes, with Mahlen being the recipient of few fast break points. Fosston caught the turnover bug with about 8 minutes left, but Crookston was unable to capitalize on the chances. Crookston scored a late basket on a spin-around jumper from Brooklyn Waldal, but with Fosston leading big, the Pirates turned to their reserves to close out the game. Fosston’s interior offense helped propel the Greyhounds to a 53-39 win in Crookston.
Crookston is 5-14 on the year and has no more games this week Their next game is February 3 at Pelican Rapids. The Greyhounds are now 11-5 on the season and face Cass Lake-Bena tomorrow.
J.V. – Fosston won 21-16
1st | 2nd | Final | |
Fosston | 25 | 28 | 53 |
Crookston | 19 | 20 | 39 |
For Crookston | Points | Rebounds | Assists/steals |
Chloe Boll | 12 | 8 | 2 assists/2 steals |
Grace Boll | 8 | 5 | 3 blocks/1 steals/1 assist |
Madi Bruggeman | 6 | 6 | 1 steal |
Naomi Johnson | 5 | 4 | 1 block |
Brooklyn Waldal | 3 | 1 | 2 steals |
Joey Nesseth | 3 | 4 | |
Morgan Boll | 2 |
For Fosston | Points |
Lexi Mahlen | 16 |
Brielle Duppong | 12 |
Teagan Duppong | 9 |
Miley Hove | 8 |
Gretchen Anderson | 6 |
Alexis Illes | 1 |
Abigail Seed | 1 |




