The Warren-Alvarado-Oslo Ponies could not find an answer to the hyperaggressive defense of the Kelliher-Northome Mustangs, as they were held to under 50 points as they fall 66-46 in the Section 8A Semifinals at the Ralph Englestad Arena in Thief River Falls.
FIRST HALF –
As the game started, the Ponies got off to a hot start, as an early 3-pointer by Markelle Peterson put the Ponies up 5-0. Kinley Marquis and Reegan Mortimer would add buckets as well, and WAO found themselves in front 11-4, forcing a Mustang timeout. Out of that timeout, however, things flipped rapidly in favor of the Mustangs. Kate Thayer and Kylee Binkley alone led the Mustangs on a 12-0 run, and all of a sudden they held a 16-11 advantage. A Mortimer 3-pointer stopped the bleeding temporarily, but the bandage was ripped off rapidly by the Mustangs. Thayer scored 5 points in a row to put the Mustangs up 21-14, and the momentum carried on to the final minutes of the half. The Mustang defense began causing turnovers at a rapid pace, and although they weren’t scoring very many points off of those turnovers, the Ponies lacked scoring as well, and the Mustangs were able to take a 29-19 lead into the break.
SECOND HALF –
The second half started just as the first half had started, with the Ponies striking early, with quick buckets from Markelle Pederson and Reegan Mortimer to open on a 9-4 sprint, cutting the lead to 32-28. However, again, just like the first half, a big 3-pointer by Thayer set things in motion for the Mustangs, as it started a 9-0 run to put the Mustangs up 44-30, their largest lead of the night to that point. Fouls became a big issue for the Ponies; Ava Oberg fouled out with 8:02 remaining, and Markelle Pederson sat the majority of the start of the half with 4 fouls. As was the case in the first half, the Mustang defense became overbearing, and they started racking up transition points. The similarities with the first half don’t end there; the Mustangs won each half by 10 points, this time by a 37-27 margin, allowing them to coast to a 66-46 victory.
Warren-Alvarado-Oslo’s season comes to an end with a 22-6 record. Kelliher-Northome improves to 26-3 and will take on Sacred Heart for the Section 8A championship on Friday.
Listen to comments from Warren-Alvarado-Oslo head coach Casey Pierce:
| 1st | 2nd | Final | |
| Warren-Alvarado-Oslo | 19 | 27 | 46 |
| Kelliher/Northome | 29 | 37 | 66 |
| For Warren-A-O | Points |
| Reegan Mortimer | 18 |
| Macy Boe | 12 |
| Markelle Pederson | 6 |
| Annie Peterson | 4 |
| Ava Oberg | 4 |
| Kinley Marquis | 2 |
| For Kelliher/Northome | Points |
| Kylee Binkley | 21 |
| Kate Thayer | 18 |
| Alli Lundin | 10 |
| Charli Hallstrom | 10 |
| Kenna Latterall | 5 |
