On Friday night, the second round of the round-robin tournament, the Lady Bulldogs faced St. Michael-Albertville.
Paynesville would start this game with a great deal of energy. We missed a great deal of shots, but we played fantastic defense as we posted a 28-17 advantage at halftime. Guard Amber Michaelis nailed two three-pointers and finished the half with 12 points.
The third quarter, particularly the final minute, would test the Lady Bulldogs. The once comfortable 11-point margin would dwindle to a one-point lead at 36 to 35.
Despite the comeback by the Knights, Paynesville completely stifled the Knights in the fourth quarter. STMA would only manage two field goals and five total points.
Paynesville was led by Michaelis, Tanya Lieser, and great defense by Carin Frenchick down the stretch. The girls really put it together as they scored 17 points in the fourth quarter.
Twelve steals and 11 blocks outlined the effort that was made on defense. This clearly was the formula the Lady Bulldogs needed to display when the game was on the line.
STMA : 10 7 16 5 -38
Paynesville: 10 18 7 17-52
Maple Lake
Thursday, Dec. 17, was a tumultuous day as the team was dealing with the predicament of their teammate Jaime Wuertz. Requests made by Jaime’s family was that the girls should play, that that is what Jaime would want them to do. We respected these wishes, and traveled to St. Michael to battle Maple Lake.
The game was played at a pace that did not accurately display our advantage of quickness. We only scored 15 points in the first half. Despite this, we held our opponent to only 13 points. We held Maple Lake to a mere two points in the second quarter. Our defense was outstanding.
The second half would remain very close as no team would post a lead of more than five points. Maple Lake climbed ahead at the conclusion of the third quarter, 23-22. We had numerous chances to put the game away, but we simply could not take control. We had the ball for the last minute in a tie game, but were not able to capitalize. Overtime followed as we netted 29 points in regulation.
We understood that we were not playing to our abilities, but could still be victorious. We decided we were going to “win this one for Wuertzie,” and that is exactly what we did.
Senior guard Amber Michaelis played the extra session like she was on a mission. Michaelis tallied 12 points in the overtime. Other than a three-pointer at the buzzer, Maple Lake would be rendered scoreless in the overtime.
Rebounding was very strong as juniors Carin Frenchick, Tanya Lieser, and Carrie Hemmesch led the team with 9, 7, and 6 respectively. Sophomore Steph Krupke dished out six assists in the victory.
The Paynesville basketball team would like to personally thank all those for the support they have given to us and Jaime’s family.
Maple Lake: 11 2 10 6 3 - 32
Paynesville : 8 7 7 7 16 - 45