The Sacred Heart Eagle Girls Basketball team used two big first half scoring runs to get and maintain the lead on the Mahnomen/Waubun Thunderbirds in the Section 8A Girls Basketball Tournament semi-finals Tuesday night, as they pulled off a 67-51 win.
Sacred Heart scored ten threes in the game, including 7 in the first half.
FIRST HALF –
The game started relatively competitive, with each side trading buckets over the first few minutes of the game. Sacred Jeart benefitted from a couple of early threes from Finley Horkin and Kate Bernhoft. Up 15-12, The Eagles would start to pull away with a 13-0 run and make it 28-12. The Thunderbirds were able to claw back and make it 28-28 with a run of their own, as they drew fouls and created turnovers in the middle. Nelly Weaver and Kenley Syverson were active in transition defense, with Syverson finishing a few drives to the rim. Sacred Heart was able to get back on track, as the outside shooting opened up chances for Lexi Lawrence in the paint. Lawrence and the Eagles stormed back with a 7-1 run to end the half, making the Sacred Heart lead 35-24. 21 of the Eagles points were scored from distance, and Mahnomen-Waubun scored 10 of their first half points on free throws.
SECOND HALF –
The Eagles started to pour it on in the second half. Out of the locker room, both teams were able to hit a few shots. The Thunderbirds could not shake the turnover bug, however, which led the Eagles to a big scoring run. The fouls poured on for both teams as well, as both teams had ample chances from the line. The Eagles faced an aggressive press defense, but the threes kept falling in. Sacred Heart led 63-44 with about three minutes remaining, when the Thunderbirds picked up a couple steals to spark a 5-0 run. Lexi Lawrence was fouled on the next possession, and hit her free throws to make it 65-49. In the final minute, each team added two more before letting the reserves play for the final thirty seconds of the game to pull off a 67-51 win.
The Eagles are now 23-6 and will compete for the Section 8A Championship Friday night. The Thunderbirds finish their season with a 17-12 record.
| 1st | 2nd | Final | |
| Mahnomen/Waubun | 24 | 27 | 51 |
| Sacred Heart | 35 | 32 | 67 |
| For Sacred Heart | Points |
| Finley Horken | 20 |
| Lexi Lawrence | 14 |
| Leah Sundby | 13 |
| Lydia Riskey | 9 |
| Kate Bernhoft | 5 |
| Ella Arntson | 3 |
| Izzy Cwikla | 3 |
| For Mahnomen/Waubun | Points |
| Dakiya Smith | 11 |
| Nelly Weaver | 10 |
| Savannah Keezer | 9 |
| Kenley Syverson | 9 |
| Lexi Paxdernick | 9 |
| Peyton McArthur Gordon | 3 |
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