Posted: 1/15/03

Overtime win help FL push streak to four

Berk Brown
Sports Editor

There can be a fine line between lucky and good. Forest Lake girls basketball coach Jack Bender says his team is good, so sometimes it gets lucky.

Good in a sense that the Rangers have won four straight to improve to 9-4, including 3-1 in the Suburban East Conference. Lucky as in three of the last four wins have come in overtime, with two requiring buzzer-beaters just to get into overtime.

Or is that more about being good than lucky?

ìWe have got unbelievable heart,î Bender said. ìWhen youíve got heart and you play with a great amount of passion, you get a little lucky, too.î

Forest Lakeís four-game winning streak started with an overtime win over Hill-Murray in the seventh-place game of the Pioneersí holiday tournament. The Rangers then used a 3-pointer by Mary Sobiech at the end of regulation to force overtime and ultimately beat Centennial.

On Tuesday, Jan. 7, Forest Lake used another 3-pointer in the final second of regulation to force overtime and ultimately beat Mounds View 55-52.

The Rangers then played the minimum four quarters in taking a 55-40 win over Park on Friday.
While Bender said life is good when youíre on a winning streak, he said the Rangers realize how hard theyíve had to work to get to a record of 9-4 and how hard they need to continue to work if they want to improve that mark.

ìThe defining moment (of the winning streak) was definitely that third game of the Christmas tournament,î Bender said. ìFrom that moment on, weíre been on a little bit of a roll, here.

ìBut, weíre not good enough to rest on our laurels. We have to keep the intensity up and look to improve every day. If we continue to do that, good things will happen.î

Good things didnít appear to be in the mix for the Rangers in the second half against Mounds View last week.

After bolting to a 25-13 halftime lead against the Mustangs, Mounds View cranked up the pressure defense on the Rangers in the third quarter and turned the tables.

Mounds View pulled within 37-34 entering the fourth quarter and took a lead in the final minutes.

A pair of free throws by Mounds Viewís Michel Weinhagen put the Mustangs up 49-46 in the final seconds before Forest Lake called a timeout with :13 to play.

Lindsey Anderson then banked in a 3-pointer with :06 remaining to tie the score and force overtime.

In overtime, baskets by Christie Brink and Jenny Kling put Forest Lake ahead 53-49 and Mounds View never pulled closer than three points the rest of the way.

Anderson finished with 20 points while Mary Sobiech had 11 and Kling 10.

In the win over Park, Forest Lake shot 20 of 27 from the field and built an early lead of 12-2.

Anderson led the Rangers with 18 points while Renee Frericks had 13 and Sobiech added 12.

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