The Minnewaska Area girls basketball team broke a three-game losing streak with a 47-41 victory at Sauk Centre, Thursday.  The Lakers recorded 13 steals and had seven players hit the scoring column during one of the biggest wins of the season for the young team. 

“It feels really good to beat a tough Sauk Centre team” coach Sidney Schiffler said.  “We started off pretty slowly, but our spark plug came from our defense.  We had many players step up and take on big roles throughout the game.”

The Lakers, who improved to 6-12 overall and 3-6 in the WCC, had lost their last three games against Morris Area (49-39), BOLD (60-45) and Montevideo (48-35) during the last two weeks of action going into the SC game.

Minnewaska is now set to host four-straight home games beginning with a game against Redwood Valley, Saturday, Feb. 4 and continuing with a game versus MACCRAY, Tuesday (tomorrow), Morris Area for Parents’ Night, Friday, and Osakis, Monday, Feb. 13.

Morris Area 49, Waska 39

The Lakers scored in the 30s for the fourth time in the last five games during a 49-39 loss at Morris Area-CA, Tuesday, Jan. 24.  The Lakers scored just 15 first-half points as the Tigers took a 30-15 halftime lead and then held on for the 10-point victory.

No Laker scored in double figures as Minnewaska Area shot just 19 percent (12-for-61) from the field and 44 percent (12-of-27) from the line.

Brooke Kolstoe led the Lakers with nine points and four rebounds, while Sydney Dahl added eight points and 11 rebounds and Megan Thorfinnson had eight points, four steals and two blocked shots.

Minnewaska, which was 3-of-17 from three-point range, also got six points, two assists, three boards and two steals from Addy Kath, four points and three steals from Avery Fier, three points, three rebounds and two steals from Lauryn Ankeny, one point from Leslie Murken and four rebounds from Jayda Kolstoe.

The Lakers have had game totals of 36, 33, 35 and 39 among their last five games after scoring 50 or more points in four of their six previous games.

BOLD 60, Waska 45

The Lakers trailed BOLD by 20 points at halftime during a 60-45 loss at BOLD, Friday, Jan. 27.  The game continued a trend of Minnewaska Area starting out slowly and then trying to rally at the end.

Megan Thorfinnson had two of her team’s four 3-pointers on the way to a game-high 14 points, five rebounds and two steals, while Brooke Kolstoe had a double-double of 12 points, 10 boards and two steals and Sydney Dahl added 11 points, six rebounds, three assists and four blocked shots.

Those three went a combined 16-of-41 from the field while the rest of the team was 2-of-22.

The Lakers have had their troubles shooting the basketball this year and this game was no exception as Minnewaska was 18-of-63 from the field (28 percent), including just 4-of-15 from long range.

Minnewaska Area, which was 5-of-7 from the line, also got three points each from Leslie Murken and Avery Fier, two points from Lauryn Ankeny, six boards from Addy Kath, five rebounds from Jayda Kolstoe and three boards from Alia Randt.

Montevideo 48, Waska 35

The Lakers stayed with state-ranked Montevideo for the first half before the Thunderhawks pulled ahead in the second half and went on to a 48-35 win during a WCC matchup at home last Tuesday night.

The Lakers trailed 9-6 with 10:55 left in the first half as both teams struggled shooting, but five-straight points by Megan Thorfinnson pulled Minnewaska Area to within 13-11 with 3:52 left.

A basket by Brooke Kolstoe made the score 17-13 with 2:35 left in the first half and the Lakers went into halftime trailing just 19-15 and feeling pretty good about their chances.

Thorfinnson and Kolstoe did all the scoring for the Lakers in the first half with Thorfinnson scoring nine and Kolstoe adding six.

Montevideo, led by Avery Koenen, outscored the Lakers 29-20 in the second half to take control of the game and go on to the victory.  Koenen, committed to playing college basketball at North Dakota State, scored her 2,000th career point during the game. According to local sports’ historian Matt Pederson, Koenen became the 76th girls basketball player in state history to reach the 2,000 point/1,000 rebound club.

Thorfinnson ended the game with 12 points, four rebounds and four steals, while Brooke Kolstoe added nine points and six rebounds.

Avery Fier chipped in with nine points, all in the second half, along with four rebounds, while Lauryn Ankeny had three points and three boards, Sydney Dahl had two points and four rebounds, and Addy Kath had four rebounds and three blocked shots.

The Lakers were just 13-of-58 from the field (22 percent), including a frigid 4-of-19 from long range.

Waska 47, Sauk Cen 41

The Lakers led 26-20 at halftime before holding on for a 47-41 victory at Sauk Centre, Thursday.  It’s the sixth win in the last 11 games for the Lakers.

Jayda Kolstoe and Sydney Dahl led a balanced effort with nine points each.  Dahl also had 13 rebounds, three assists and two blocked shots, while Kolstoe added four rebounds.

Alia Randt had a big game for the Lakers with eight points, two rebounds and five steals, going 2-for-2 from long range, while Brooke Kolstoe had eight points, three rebounds and two steals, and Lauryn Ankeny added seven points and two rebounds.  Those three players also combined for 16 deflections. 

“We knew we had to play tough and outwork them for 36 minutes; that was the game plan and we didn’t let up,” coach Schiffler said.  “The players left no doubt of what they are capable of last night. Now, we’re back to 0-0 and onto the next game.”

The Lakers shot only 28 percent from the field (16-for-57), but were 5-of-18 on three-pointers and 10-of-19 from the line. Avery Fier added four points and three rebounds for Minnewaska Area, while Megan Thorfinnson had a good all-around game with two points, two assists, four boards and three steals.

at Morris-CA 49, Waska 39

Minnewaska (5-10) 15 24 — 39

Morris Area 30 19 — 49

WASKA stats:  12-61 FG (3-17 3pt); 12-27 FT; 7 assists; 27 rebounds; 14 steals; 21 fouls; 14 turnovers . . . Scoring:  Brooke Kolstoe 9, Sydney Dahl 8, Megan Thorfinnson 8, Addy Kath 6, Avery Fier 4, Lauryn Ankeny 3, Leslie Murken 1 . . . Rebounding:  Dahl 11, B. Kolstoe 4, Jayda Kolstoe 4, Ankeny 3, Kath 3 . . . Assists:  Kath 2 . . . Steals:  Thorfinnson 4, Fier 3, Kath 2, Ankeny 2 . . . Blocked shots:  Thorfinnson 2

MORRIS:  Stats not available

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at BOLD 60, Waska 45

Minnewaska (5-11) 22 23 — 45

BOLD 42 18 — 60

WASKA stats:  18-63 FG (4-15 3pt); 5-7 FT; 8 assists; 36 rebounds; 7 steals 15 fouls; 22 turnovers . . . Scoring:  Megan Thorfinnson 14, Brooke Kolstoe 12, Sydney Dahl 11, Leslie Murken 3, Avery Fier 3, Lauryn Ankeny 2 . . . Rebounding:  B. Kolstoe 10, Dahl 6, Addy Kath 6, Thorfinnson 5, Jayda Kolstoe 5, Alia Randt 3  . . . Assists:  Dahl 3 . . . Steals:  B. Kolstoe 2, Thorfinnson 2 . . . Blocks:  Dahl 4, B. Kolstoe 2

BOLD:   Stats not available

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Monte 48, at Waska 35

Montevideo 19 29 — 48

Minnewaska (5-12) 15 20 — 35

WASKA stats:  13-58 FG (4-19 3pt); 5-8 FT; 3 assists; 27 rebounds; 6 steals; 13 fouls; 10 turnovers . . . Scoring:  Megan Thorfinnson 12, Avery Fier 9, Brooke Kolstoe 9, Lauryn Ankeny 3, Sydney Dahl 2 . . . Rebounding:  B. Kolstoe 6, Addy Kath 4, Fier 4, Dahl 4, Thorfinnson 4, Ankeny 3  . . . Assists:  three with 1 . . . Steals:  Thorfinnson 4. . . Blocks:  Kath 3

MONTE:   Stats not available

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Waska 47, at Sauk Cen 41

Minnewaska (6-12) 26 21 — 47

Sauk Centre 20 21 — 41

WASKA stats:  16-57 FG (5-18 3pt); 10-19 FT; 8 assists; 33 rebounds; 13 steals; 16 fouls; 10 turnovers . . . Scoring:  Jayda Kolstoe 9, Sydney Dahl 9, Alia Randt 8, Brooke Kolstoe 8, Lauryn Ankeny 7, Avery Fier 4, Megan Thorfinnson 2 . . . Rebounding:  Dahl 13, J. Kolstoe 4, Thorfinnson 4, B. Kolstoe 3, Fier 3, Randt 2, Ankeny 2, Leslie Murken 2  . . . Assists:  Dahl 3, Thorfinnson 2 . . . Steals:  Randt 5, Thorfinnson 3, B. Kolstoe 2 . . . Blocks:  Dahl 2

SC stats:   Stats not available

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