The Crookston Pirate Girls Basketball team had a solid first half, but the Thief River Falls Prowlers had a 14-2 run to start the second half to beat the Pirates 46-42 in the Section 8AA quarter-final game played in Thief River Falls.
FIRST HALF –
Crookston had a great game plan, and it wasn’t anything too special. It was as easy as a double and triple team on the post and playing stellar defense on everybody else. The plan was executed by Crookston early on as they built a 6-1 lead in the first four minutes of the game. Halle Winjum scored the game’s first point on a free throw, only to have TRF’s Avah Waldal answer with a free throw to tie the game at 1-1. Crookston’s Abby Borowicz grabbed an offensive rebound, and later, Isabelle Smith was open and made a three-pointer. The next three trips down the floor, Thief River Falls continued to force the ball into Waldal, and she was double and triple-teamed as soon as she touched the ball and turned it over three straight trips. After the third turnover, Crookston’s Halle Winjum made a basket for a 6-1 Pirate lead 4:03 into the half. TRF made a three-pointer before Crookston’s Joey Nesseth had a nice move in the paint for two points, and two Winjum free throws followed her for a 10-4 lead with 8:12 left in the half. Thief River Falls called a time-out, and that seemed to settle the Prowlers down a bit as they scored the next four points to get within a 10-8 deficit. Crookston stopped the run with an Abby Borowicz three-pointer, and that was followed by a long pass from Winjum to Smith for a layup for a 15-8 lead with six minutes to go. Thief River Falls’s Waldal scored in the paint, only to have Libby Salentine bank a three-pointer, and Winjum followed with a free throw to give Crookston a 19-10 lead with 4:16 left in the half. Thief River Falls took advantage of a handful of turnovers in the final four minutes of the half, and the Prowlers went on a 10-2 run to get within a 21-20 deficit. The half’s final points were on a banked three-pointer for Borowicz, and Crookston took a 24-20 lead into halftime.
SECOND HALF –
As good as the Pirate defense was in the first half, Thief River Falls’s halftime chat must have included a heavy dose of playing better defense because that is exactly what the Prowlers did. Thief River Falls started the second half on a 14-2 run in the first 10 minutes of the half, and the Prowlers led 34-26 with 7:55 remaining in the game, forcing Crookston to call a time-out. Crookston’s scoring drought finally came to an end when Borowicz made two free throws with 7:15 left in the game. Crookston’s Salentine followed with a basket to bring the Pirates within a 34-30 deficit. Waldal stopped the Crookston run with a basket for a 36-30 lead with 6:15 remaining. TRF added two free throws for a 38-30 lead, the biggest lead of the game. Crookston battled back with two Winjum free throws, and after a Waldal basket, the Pirates’ Borowicz buried a three-pointer to bring them within a 40-35 deficit with two minutes left in the game.
Waldal made two free throws in the bonus before Winjum made a long three-pointer to get within a 42-38 deficit with 48 seconds left. Crookston fouled TRF to put them at the line, and the shooter was called for a violation, and the Pirates got the ball back. Winjum made two free throws to bring the Pirates within a 42-40 deficit with 35 seconds left. TRF missed two free throws but grabbed their own rebound and made one of two free throws with 25 seconds left for a 43-40 lead. Crookston turned over the inbound pass and fouled TRF’s Josie Peterson, who made both free throws for a 45-40 lead. Chloe Boll added a basket with one second left, and Thief River Falls won the game 46-42.
Crookston’s season comes to an end with a record of 17-11, and they say goodbye to seniors Abby Borowicz, Libby Salentine, Macy Fee, and manager Halle Bruggeman.
Thief River Falls improves to 22-5 on the year and will play Wadena-Deer Creek in the Section 8AA semi-finals in Detroit Lakes on Tuesday night.
FOR PIRATES COACH DARIN ZIMMERMAN’S COMMENTS, CLICK BELOW
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1st
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2nd
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Final
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|
Crookston
|
24 | 18 | 42 |
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Thief River Falls
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20 | 26 | 46 |
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For CROOKSTON
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Points
|
Rebounds
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Assists/Steals
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| Halle Winjum | 13 | 6 | 3 assists/5 steals |
| Abby Borowicz | 13 | 6 | 2 assists/1 steal |
| Isabelle Smith | 7 | 4 | |
| Libby Salentine | 5 | 2 assists | |
| Joey Nesseth | 2 | 2 | 1 assist |
| Chloe Boll | 2 |
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For Thief River Falls
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Points
|
| Avah Waldal | 15 |
| Josie Peterson | 12 |
| Kendal Rantanen | 10 |
| Maren Espe | 7 |
| Breanna Myers | 2 |
