Joe Drennan
Sports EditorThe Forest Lake High School girls basketball team had a tough time at the Hill Murray Holiday tournament, losing all three games, then they lost their first game of the new year to Champlin Park on Saturday.
The Rangers lost to Wayzata 50-28, Coon Rapids 41-34, and Prior Lake 63-46 in the Hill Murray Holiday Tournament over the Christmas break.
Rangers head coach Jack Bender said his team played hard, they just couldnít put together a complete game with any consistency.
In their first game after the turn of the calendar, the Rangers hosted Champlin Park on Saturday in a 60-54 losing effort.
The Rangers jumped out in front of the Rebels early, but fouls and missed passes allowed the Rebels to keep the score close.
ìWe were up by ten then we made some bad decisions,î Bender said ìIt was a wild and woolly first half though.î
Bender said the Rebels are a team that likes to go for the long passes and open things up. His team wanted to see if they could do the same thing. Some of the Rangers long passes down court were on target, but more often than not they werenít and caused a turnover.
The Rangers did get help in a big way from Christina Odegard as she scored a triple double in the game with 11 points, 18 rebounds, and 10 blocks in the game. Nine of Odegardís rebounds came in the first quarter. Odegard also had a double double in the Rangers last game of the Hill Murray Holiday Tournament with 11 points and 10 rebounds.
ìShe [Odegard] has really only been playing competitively for about a year, and she has really come a long way in the last three months,î Bender said. ìThere is a little bit of a transformation taking place with her and she can grow a lot in the next few months.î
The young Rangers team has a record of 1-7 and is growing with every game, but Bender says his team is lacking the intensity he feels they need to make that step to the next level.
ìIn order for us to win a game weíre going to have to work harder than the other team,î Bender said. ìWeíre doing some nice things, but we just have to limit our turnovers.î
The Rangers next game is Friday against Park Center at home. Tip-off is at 7:30 p.m.
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