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Wednesday, January 24, 2007
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Warriors' best effort sinks Otters GIRLS' BASKETBALL Sports Editor Brainerd High School girls' basketball coach Carl Hendrickson has been waiting for the night when the Warriors didn't depend on Kayla Huether to do the majority of their scoring.
Tuesday was that night as Brainerd's best effort led to a 61-57 victory over the Fergus Falls Otters, the Central Lakes Conference coleaders.
"We definitely needed this," Brainerd point guard Megan Bates said. "With some of the losses we've had to teams that we should have beaten this was good for us."
Hendrickson concurred.
"This was a big game for us from the standpoint that we haven't beaten a team that has been a real good basketball team, and Fergus Falls is a good basketball team," he said. "Something we talked about is that everybody has courage. Whether you decide to use it or not that's something you have to decide. Tonight, you have to play with courage and courage is heart."
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Brainerd forward Stephanie Neugebauer moved in for a shot in the second half Tuesday at Brainerd High School. Neugebauer scored 18 to help the Warriors to a 61-57 win over Fergus Falls. Brainerd Dispatch/Nels Norquist
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With Huether shut out in the first half, Steph Neugebauer, Karlye Barron, Emily Thesing, Megan Bates and Stacey Butler demonstrated their heart. Neugebauer scored 14 points in the first half and finished with 18. Barron scored 13, Bates and Thesing each added seven and Butler four.
"We were told as posts that we had to score 20 points total," Barron said. "We just tried to make that happen. ... They know that Kayla usually scores all of our points so they're always guarding her so tight. They don't really guard us inside that much. We started passing the ball a little more and got it inside a lot more."
While Brainerd spread its scoring around, Hannah Draxten put on a scoring clinic for the Otters. The 6-foot junior, who has verbally committed to Iowa, scored 22 of her 36 points in the second half. She made 8 of 12 threes with a shot whose arc almost scrapes the ceiling.
"We knew she was going to hit a lot of threes, then they set that double pick on me and it was just impossible to get through," Bates said. "Then we figured it out and had to bring someone else out off one of the girls that was setting the pick."
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Brainerd's Karlye Barron (left) was pressured by a Fergus Falls defender Tuesday at Brainerd High School. Brainerd Dispatch/Nels Norquist
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Barron and Neugebauer also picked up the pace on the glass. Barron had 11 rebounds and Neugebauer 10 and Brainerd outrebounded the Otters 36-19.
"Karlye was really aggressive on the boards, and getting the ball inside and scoring with it," Hendrickson said. "Steph has always been a good garbage-basket player. Between those two they kept us going in the first half."
Huether got going in the second half, scoring all 12 of her points in the final seven minutes, and nine of Brainerd's last 10. She hit two free throws with 27.3 seconds left and one with 9.4 remaining to ice it.
"Sometimes when she doesn't score Kayla gets a little bit down on herself," Hendrickson said. "We talked about that with her at halftime, that your shots will come, you just have to wait. She hit a big three when she got an open look, and made her free throws down the stretch. She's a gamer.
"The other part that impressed me about Kayla is how hard she worked on the defensive end of the floor. She plays good defense at times but tonight she played great defense. All the kids played very well defensively. It was a great effort."
Warriors 61, Fergus Falls 57
The key: Brainerd took the pressure off leading scorer Kayla Huether and outrebounded the Otters 36-19
Conference: FF 7-3, Brd 6-4
Overall: FF 9-6, Brd 9-5
Next: Brainerd at Sartell 7:30 p.m. Friday
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Fergus Falls 23 34 - 57
Brainerd 30 31 - 61
FERGUS FALLS
Lexie Moon 7, Hannah Draxten 36, Krista Shaikoski 4, Susan Wellendorf 2, Amanda Lewis 2, Sarah Erickson 3, Erin Morstad 2, Becca Rengel 1. FG 20-44, FT 7-10. Three-point baskets: Draxten 8, Erickson, Moon. Turnovers: 11. Rebounds: 19.
BRAINERD
Stephanie Neugebauer 18, Kayla Huether 12, Megan Bates 7, Stacey Butler 4, Karlye Barron 13, Emily Thesing 7. FG 22-50, FT 15-22. Three-point baskets: Huether, Thesing. Turnovers: 12. Rebounds: 36 (Barron 11, Neugebauer 10.
MIKE BIALKA can be reached at mike.bialka@brainerddispatch.com and at 855-5861.
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