Posted: 3/5/03

Scoring drought proves costly in playoffs

Berk Brown
Sports Editor

Itís difficult to go scoreless for more than five minutes in the fourth quarter of a basketball game and win.

The Forest Lake girls basketball team found that out in the first round of the Section 6AAAA tournament on Thursday, Feb. 27, at Mounds View as the Mustangs downed the Rangers 52-46.

After Forest Lake played one of its best eight-minute stretches of the season in the third quarter, the Rangers couldnít continue that momentum into the final six minutes.

ìThey played an unbelievable third quarter. Mounds View was on its heals,î Forest Lake coach Jack Bender said. ìWe had a couple opportunities, we just couldnít do it.î

A Renee Frericks basket with 6:08 left in the game tied the score at 40-40, but it was the last time the Rangers would score until just 1:03 remained.

By that time, Mounds View had increased taken a 48-40 lead.

A Lindsey Anderson basket with 1:03 left and a Frericks basket with :38 left pulled the Rangers within 48-44, but the Mustangs hit 4 of 6 free throws in the final 30 seconds of the game to secure the victory.

It was a victory which looked like a sure deal in the second quarter for the Mustangs.

Mounds View, leading 14-13 at the end of the first quarter, could do no wrong in the second quarter and when Ashley Chinander hit a 3-pointer with 2:05 left in the first half, Mounds View went ahead 27-18.

A 3-pointer by the Mustangsí Michel Weinhagen with :52 left in the first half helped Mounds View pull out to a 32-20 advantage.

A Christie Brink basket allowed the Rangers to cut the lead to 32-22 at halftime.

A seemingly different Forest Lake team took the court to start the second half as the Rangers came out with great intensity, both offensively and defensively.

A Mary Sobiech 3-pointer started the second-half scoring for the Rangers and when Frericks made a basket with 4:56 left in the third quarter, Forest Lake had cut the Mounds View lead to 34-30.

Anderson then capped a 7-0 run for the Rangers with a 3-pointer with 1:22 left in the third quarter that put Forest Lake ahead 38-36.

Anderson finished the game with 20 points and earned each one, Bender said.
ìShe really laid it on the line,î he said. ìShe had a real good game.î

Mounds View scored the first four points of the fourth quarter to go ahead 40-38 before Frericks tied the game with a basket before the Rangersí scoring drought started.

Sobiech added nine points in the game for Forest Lake, which went 14-11 this season after a 4-21 season a year ago. Frericks had seven points and Brink finished with four.

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