Warren-A-O Girls Basketball handles Fosston, advances to Section 8A semifinal

The Warren-Alvarado-Oslo Ponies made sure the Fosston Greyhounds were unable to breathe and the Ponies won by a score of 61-30 in the Section 8A quarterfinals at Ralph Englestad Arena in Thief River Falls.

FIRST HALF –
Fosston was the first team to get on the board with a mid-range jumper by Abigail Seed. However, the Ponies were quick to respond, scoring buckets in transition to take a 5-2 lead. Teams would slow down the offensive pace for the next couple of minutes until a Brielle Duppong 3-pointer tied the game at 7. From there, the WAO defense began to step up, forcing turnovers and limiting good looks. The points became sparse, as the Ponies had a 12-9 lead with 8:53 left in the half. Then, Reegan Mortimer hit a 3-pointer to put the Ponies up six, and after recording steals on three straight possessions, WAO went up 17-9. Then, WAO hit back-to-back 3-pointers and took a commanding 23-11 lead with 4:28 remaining. The Ponies were nowhere near done yet, as a Macey Boe bucket capped off a 10-0 run to take a 27-11 lead. Fosston looked to garner some momentum with another Duppong 3-pointer, which allowed them to cut the lead to 12, at 29-17, at the end of the first half.

SECOND HALF –
Reegan Mortimer started the second half off with a loud bang as she drilled a logo 3-pointer in the first 15 seconds. Macey Boe added on with a three of her own, and just like that, WAO was up 35-17. After Boe hit two free throws to put the Ponies up 20, the defense continued to obliterate any rhythm Fosston attempted to create. A transition bucket put the Ponies up 25 at 43-18, and less than 2 minutes later, Annie Peterson hit two free throws to make it 49-18, a 20-1 run to start the half. WAO took a 35-point lead with under nine minutes remaining; thus, running time commenced. Mortimer hit yet another 3-pointer, her 6th of the game, to put the Ponies up 36, and WAO head coach Casey Pierce began to empty her bench, ensuring everyone got into the game. The Ponies were able to cruise to a 61-30 win.

Warren-Alvarado-Oslo improves to 22-5 on the season and will take on Northome-Kelliher in the Section 8A semifinal on Tuesday. Fosston’s season comes to an end with a 16-12 record.