The Wadena-Deer Creek girls basketball started off the season on fire with a two-game winning streak with wins over Frazee and Pelican Rapids. It took conference favorite Staples-Motley to cool down the Wolverines with a 53-44 victory on Friday.
The Cardinals raced to a 33-17 halftime lead and then held off any second-half comeback chances by the Wolverines. Even then, Wolverine head coach Brent Grengs still saw some positive in the loss.
They (Staples-Motley) were a solid ball club, the best we have faced so far, he said. It was a good test for us to see what we need to improve on.
The Wolverines need to be more aggressive and get better shots, attack the basket and make more free throws, Grengs said.
Chelsea Einerwold scored 15 points and Sam Rosenthal added 10 points to pace the Cardinals. The Cardinals made most of their trips to the charity stripe, making 15-of-17.
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Wolverine Brittany Ohrmundt led all scorers with 18 points, including two from beyond the arch and Nikki Kneisl chipped in 10 points.
In the second half, the Wolverines won the battle on the scoreboard 27-20, but it wasnt enough to overcome the Cardinals first half surge.
I was really proud of the way we stayed together despite being down on the scoreboard, Grengs said. Our girls battled hard the entire game and winning the second half was our goal at halftime and we accomplished that.
Other scorers for the Wolverines include Brigetta Berg, Hannah Bigham and Jordan Moenkedick with four points each. Briana Grothmann and Kasey Theisen each had two points.
The Wolverines out-rebounded the Cardinals 39-27 but coughed the ball up 24 times to Staples-Motleys nine turnovers. Berg and Theisen each grabbed seven rebounds to lead the Wolverines.
We are going to have our ups and downs throughout the season, Grengs said. If we can play hard and stay together, we will be heading in the right direction.
Against Pelican Rapids on Dec. 6, the Wolverines found themselves in the same situation in the season opener with Frazee. Down by two at the half and trailing most of the game until a late second half run allowed the Wolverine girls to snatch the victory by a score of 54-50.
Balanced scoring once again keyed the Wolverines as Kneisl led the team with 15 points, followed by Theisen with 12 and Berg with 10.
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I like the balanced scoring weve had, Grengs said. That means were sharing the ball and they all are capable of putting the ball in the hole.
Pelican Rapids went into the half leading 30-28 but couldnt fend off the late comeback by the Wolverines. Theisen made some key plays, including taking a charge late in the game that swung momentum in the Wolverines favor.
Kasey made some big-time hustle plays that you dont see in the box score, Grengs said. She gave us a lot of energy by getting on the floor for loose balls and taking a charge late in the game that was a four-point swing in our favor.
Besides scoring, Berg also contributed on both ends of the court with eight rebounds and three steals to lead the team in the defensive categories. Theisen and Moenkedick both had six rebounds, while Kneisl and Brakefield had two steals.
The Wolverines hosted Class AA state runner-up Pequot Lakes on Tuesday and emerged victorious by a score of 62-53. The complete story will be in next weeks Pioneer Journal. They head to Pine River-Backus on Friday and then to Long Prairie-Grey Eagle on Dec. 20.
Pelican Rapids at WDC on Dec. 6
Wolverines 54, Lady Vikings 50
PR 30 30-50
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WDC 28 26-54
WDC-Nikki Kneisl 16, Kasey Theisen 12, Brigetta Berg 10, Brittany Ohrmundt 7, Jordan Moenkedick 6, Ann Brakefield 2, Briana Grothmann 1
Staples-Motley at WDC on Dec. 9
Cardinals 53, Wolverines 44
SM 33 20-53
WDC 17 27-44
WDC-Ohrmundt 18, Kneisl 10, Moenkedick 4, Berg 4, Hannah Bigham 4, Grothmann 2, Theisen 2
SM-Chelsea Einerwold 15, Sam Rosenthal 10
