26th article at the Independent

SECTION 3A GIRLS BASKETBALL: Strong first half lifts No. 2 LQPV by No. 7 Wabasso, 53-26

Chris Drummond

cdrummond@marshallindependent.com

MONTEVIDEO — The seventh-seeded Wabasso girls basketball team knew things were going to be challenging during their Section 3A tournament game against second-seeded Lac qui Parle Valley on Saturday. The Eagles would use a key run in the first half to create separation going into halftime and earn a 53-26 victory in Montevideo.

For the first 12 minutes of the game it was a defensive struggle, as both teams were missing shots and had a lot of turnovers. The Eagles held an 8-7 lead after that stretch, but LQPV would close the opening half on a 14-2 run and wouldn’t look back as they cruised to victory. Wabasso head coach Neil Dolan assessed the team’s performance in the game.

“We knew coming in it was an uphill battle, we knew that (Taylor) Shelstad and (Camryn) Lee we were going to have to stop and they hurt us,” Dolan said. “We played good defensively, held them to 53 points. We just couldn’t get it started offensively, credit their defense but proud of my kids, they worked hard all season long.”

Avery Carlson and Anistatia Smith led Wabasso with nine points each while Kelsey Frank added five. Frank also led in rebounds with five while Carlson and Bella Brand led in assists with three each.

With the loss, Wabasso’s season comes to an end with an overall record of 9-17. Coach Dolan has the majority of his team intact for next season as he is bringing back 12 of his 14 players.

LQPV 53, Wabasso 26

Wabasso 9 17 – 26

LQPV 22 31 – 53

Scoring: Wabasso (Carlson 3-10, 2-2 9; Smith 4-9, 1-4 9; Frank 2-9, 0-0 5; Daub 1-4, 1-2 3).

Rebounds: Wabasso 20 (Frank 5; Daub, Smith 4).

Assists: Wabasso 9 (Carlson, Brand 3).

Steals: Wabasso 8 (Brand 3).