SACRED HEART HOLDS OFF LATE PIRATE GIRLS BASKETBALL RALLY FOR THE WIN

FIRST HALF-
Nobody scored for the first two-plus minutes until Sacred Heart’s Leah Sundby made two free throws 2:27 into the game for a 2-0 lead. Crookston responded 20 seconds later with an Isabelle Smith three-pointer. The scoring continued to pick up as Sacred Heart answered with a Lexi Lawrence basket before Crookston’s Chloe Boll responded with a basket for a 5-4 lead. Sacred Heart answered 15 seconds later with a Lawrence three-point play after a nice move in the paint for a 7-5 lead. Crookston’s Naomi Johnson made a free throw before Sacred Heart went on a 10-3 run over the next four minutes behind six Isabel Vonesh points for a 17-8 lead with 8:42 left in the half.
Sacred Heart took its first double-digit lead of the game when Lawrence made a basket for a 19-9 lead. Sacred Heart kept the lead around 10 points the rest of the half until Crookston’s Isabel Smith made two three-pointers in the final 70 seconds of the half to bring the Pirates within a 30-23 deficit at halftime.

The start of the second half was high scoring as Sacred Heart’s Lawrence started with a three-point play followed by a basket by Crookston’s Chloe Boll. The Eagles’ Vonesh answered with a three-pointer before Chloe Boll made a free throw, and Smith buried her fourth three-pointer of the game to get within a 36-29 deficit. After a Pirate three-pointer, Sacred Heart led 40-35 and went on a 9-0 run behind seven points from Izzy Cwikla for a 49-35 lead. The teams exchanged three-pointers before Crookston caught fire and went on a 13-0 run led by Chloe Boll’s nine points and Brooklyn Waldal’s four points to get within a 52-51 deficit with 2:29 remaining.
Sacred Heart picked up the defensive pressure the rest of the way and shut down Crookston while Sundby scored four points, Lydia Riskey added three points, and the Eagles held on to win the game 59-51.