BP girls knocked off by top-seeded Goodhue
Published 10:32 pm Tuesday, March 3, 2015
ROCHESTER — The No. 4 seeded Blooming Prairie girls basketball team made up for a slow start, but it didn’t have enough offense down the stretch as it had its season end in a 38-33 loss to top-seeded Goodhue in the Section 1A West semifinals in Mayo Civic Auditorium Tuesday.
Blooming Prairie’s Kaci Gwilt works around the perimeter against Goodhue’s McKenzie Ryan during the second half Tuesday night in the Section 1A West semifinals at Mayo Civic Center in Rochester. Eric Johnson/photodesk@austindailyherald.com
The Awesome Blsossoms (22-4 overall) trailed 21-13 at the half, but they battled back to take the lead twice in the second half, before bowing out. BP took a 33-32 lead when Madison Worke went 2-for-2 from the free throw line with 2:53 left, but the Blossoms never scored again.
Taylor Hagen, who had 12 points, 11 rebounds, eight blocks and three assists, missed the front end of a one-and-one with BP trailing 34-33 with 1:39 left and Worke, who had 17 points, missed a game-tying 3-pointer with 30.8 seconds left in the game.
BP committed 25 turnovers in the loss and it struggled from the field against the aggressive Wildcats (23-5 overall).
“They have that tough, rugged physical style of play and that just doesn’t go into our playing style. I know in the tournament they let them play,” BP head coach John Worke said. “We left some baskets out there. We had some opportunities and we missed. We got stuck on eight for the longest time.”
Madison and Hagen combined for 29 of BP’s 33 points. Both players played the last stretch of the game with four fouls and were able to stay on the court with fouling out.
Blooming Prairie’s Kalyn Naatz drives against Goodhue’s Sydney Lodermeier during the first half in the Section 1A West semifinals Tuesday night at the Mayo Civic Center in Rochester. Eric Johnson/photodesk@austindailyherald.com
“When kids put that much time and energy into something you hope it ends on a positive note,” John said. “I didn’t expect anything less from those two. They’ve been doing that since they were freshmen.”
The Blossoms opened the game strong as Madison Worke hit back-to-back 3-pointers to put BP up 8-2 with 14 minutes left in the first half. However the Wildcats cranked up the full court pressure and forced 17 BP turnovers in the first half as they put together a 19-5 run over the last 14 minutes of the first half.
BP was within 12-10 in the first half when Hagen picked up her third foul with 3:36 left in the half.
BP 13 20 — 33
Goodhue 21 17 — 38
BP scoring: Madison Worke, 17; Taylor Hagen, 12; Nicole Inwards, 2; Hannah Ahrens, 2
