Owatonna Girls Basketball Defeats Faribault

The Owatonna Huskies girls basketball team overcame a double digit deficit early in the second half to defeat the Faribault Falcons 47-38 in Owatonna Friday night.  The Falcons scored on their first possession of the second half to take a 28-18 lead and then experienced a lengthy offensive drought.  The Huskies went on a 14-0 run to take the lead and never trailed after that point.

Faribault senior Abby Van Ryn scored 16 of her 17 points in the first half and was named our Faribault State Farm Insurance agents Faribault player of the game.  The Falcons led 26-18 at the half thanks in large part to scoring 8 points off 9 Owatonna turnovers.  The tide turned in the turnover department with Faribault committing 13 second half turnovers (20 total).  The Huskies scored 14 second half points off those turnovers (16 total).

Owatonna was led by sophomore Sarah Kingland with 16 points and freshman Lexi Mendenhall ended the game with 10 points and a number of rebounds.  In fact the Huskies dominated the boards in the second half.

The Huskies implemented an extended 1-3-1 defense after the intermission and it gave the Falcons fits leading to the turnovers and cold second half shooting by Faribault.

Head Coach Bill Bardal told KDHL following the game having sophomore starter Bennett Wolff home sick and Kylie Petricka and Olivia Bauer out with injuries made them more susceptible to being hurt by the extended zone.  They simply were not able to attack it they would have liked.  Coach Bardal commented, "Give Owatonna credit they found something that worked.  I was proud of the way our young team battled but the 1-3-1 definitely hurt us."

In other girls action Friday:

• Rochester Mayo 69  Rochester Century 48
• Mankato West 63  Northfield 44
• Rochester John  Marshall 71  Albert Lea 38
• Hayfield 74  Faribault Bethlehem Academy 25
• Medford 53  Blooming Prairie 45 (Medford still unbeaten)
• Lyle-Pacelli 50  Grand Meadow 43  (Grand Meadow's 1st loss)
• Caledonia 68  Rushford-Peterson 55
• Dover-Eyota 52  Chatfield 49 (OT)
• Fillmore Central 49  Lewiston-Altura 45
• Pine Island 69  Triton 64
• Plainview-Elgin-Millville 60  St. Charles 54
• Rochester Lourdes 63  Goodhue 51 (Lexie Lodermeier 24 points 11 rebounds for Goodhue)
• Lake City 63  Stewartville 54
• Kasson-Mantorville 62  Zumbrota-Mazeppa 44
• Kingsland 80  Spring Grove 42
• Kenyon-Wanamingo 52  Leroy-Ostrander 43