GRAND MEADOW — The Grand Meadow girls basketball team overcame some shortcomings with ball handling and rebounding as it hung on to beat Alden-Conger 45-40 in Grand Meadow Thursday.

The Superlarks (1-1 overall) had 26 turnovers and were outrebounded 53-35, but they scrapped their way to a win as they never trailed the entire second half.

“It was difficult, but we were fine in the end,” said GM center Cortney Olson, who had 12 points, 9 rebounds and 3 steals. “It was very big to get the first win.”

The Knights (0-1 overall) had a chance to pull within two with 25.1 seconds left in the game but Taylor Martin, who had 14 points and 11 rebounds, missed two free throws and GM’s Autumn Thorsen hit a free throw at the other end to make it 45-40 with 19 seconds left.

Thorsen, who finished with 7 points, 5 assists, 3 rebounds and 4 steals, had to sit much of the game with foul trouble as well as senior forward Sydney Richardson, who had 3 points and 6 rebounds.

“We don’t go deep and this is two games now where Autumn (Thorsen) and Sydney (Richardson) have gotten in foul trouble,” GM head coach Dawn Baudoin said. “They don’t do us any good on the bench.”

Juniors Audra Durhman, who had 11 points, 5 steals and 5 rebounds and Ashley Crumb, who scored 8 points, picked up the slack for GM. Durhman gave GM the lead for good at the end of the first half when she came up with a steal and went coast-to-coast for a lay-up as time expired to make it 29-27 at the break.

She also hit a big jump shot to make it 34-29 with 15:10 left in the game.

The Larks are learning a new offense this season and Durhman said it’s a little tough to run this early in the season.

“We’ve just got to see what the defense is doing and go from there,” she said. “It’s really hard to learn, but we’re getting used to it. I’m just taking my time and working hard.”

GM scored just 16 points in the second half, but its defense was strong as it forced 13 turnovers in the second frame.

Baudoin said her team will learn as the season goes on.

“We are learning a new system and we’ve got to react to what’s going on,” she said. “We’ve got know when to slow it down and when to go to the basket. It’s going to take time.”

AC 27 13 — 40

GM 29 16 — 45

GM scoring: Cortney Olson, 12; Audra Durhman, 11; Ashley Crumb, 8; Autumn Thorsen, 7; Stephanie Russell, 4; Sydney Richardson, 3; free throws: 50 percent (4-for-8); rebounds: 35 (Olson, 9); turnovers: 26

AC scoring: Taylor Martin, 14; Brittany Waters, 9; Liesel Theusch, 7; Ariel Keller, 6; Brooke Reyerson, 4; free throws: 54 percent (7-for-13); rebounds: 53 (Martin, 11); turnovers: 26