Steph Blazek led the Central Lakes College Raiders with 11 points and Brooke Miller followed with 10 in a 60-55 loss to Itasca in their Northern Division opener Friday.
The Raiders lost for the seventh straight time and saw their overall record drop to 3-9, while the Vikings improved to 11-3.
"The girls battled and we had a chance," said CLC assistant coach Randy Swanhorst. "I think this team is close to being able to compete with the top teams."
The Raiders and Vikings met earlier in the season with Itasca shooting well from behind the arc. CLC did a better job defending the 3-ball Friday as the Vikings shot 5-for-25 from behind the arc and 33 percent from the field.
Offense was a struggle for CLC as it shot 11 percent from 3-point range, and 37 percent overall. The Raiders trailed by two at halftime but would not get any closer.
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"Free throws hurt us tonight," Swanhorst said. "That has been our strong suit. We also committed 20 turnovers as well."
Itasca 35 25-60
Central Lakes 33 22-55
ITASCA
Krystal Karppinen 8, Amber Smith 11, Dez LaPointe 19, Amy Gelhar 1, Kari Kuschel 11, Tiandra Haley 6, Ashley Anderson 4. FG 24-72 (33 percent), FT 7-11 (64 percent). 3-point 5-25 (20 percent).
CENTRAL LAKES
Cheyanne Johnson 1, Aleia Lupa 9, Kaitlin Spar 8, Taylor King 5, Amber Petermann 2, Tanisha Beetso 9, Brooke Miller 10, Steph Blazek 11. FG 22-59 (37 percent), FT 9-19 (47 percent). 3-point 2-17 (12 percent). Division: 0-1. Overall: 3-9. Next: at Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College 1 p.m. Saturday.
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