Glen Strandberg
Sports Editor

If all goes well, the girls varsity basketball team will look back on last week and realize they learned a lot from two difficult, very different losses. One game was against a top program in the metro area, and that one was never close. The other defeat was a punch in the stomach as Forest Lake lost at home in overtime to a team it certainly could have beaten.

ìIt shouldnít have come down to overtime,î head coach Jen Wagner said. ìAnd I know that the kids really and truly believe that.î

The one that got away came against conference foe Stillwater on Friday, Dec. 8. The final score was 62-59, but at the end of regulation, the Rangers missed a lay-up and the put back. The Ponies rang up a dozen points in the extra session to Forest Lakeís nine, and there went the ballgame.

ìItís frustrating because I felt like we played good enough to win,î Wagner said.

Whatís remarkable is that Wagnerís squad was even in position to claim the victory when the number 26 stands next to the word ìturnovers.î Wagner has attempted to recreate real-game pressure in practice, but that has yet to translate to Tuesday and Friday nights.

ìItís just a matter of making better decisions and taking care of the basketball,î she said.

What did work for the Rangers was their typically aggressive defense, and that likely kept them in the game. The D created 20 steals and Wagner believed they were outstanding on that front.

ìOur kids played hard, they came out with a lot of fire and a lot of intensity,î she said.

The bright spots on offense came from seniors Janelle Winiecki and Kelsey Kosman who filled up the stat sheet. Winiecki had 11 points, two assists and two steals, while Kosman totaled 10 points, five steals and one assist. Senior Andrea Thompson and juniors Audrey Mills and Kasey Kolnberger all had eight points apiece.

CENTENNIAL

The week started on a sour note when Forest Lake could only muster 12 points in the first half against the as-good-as-advertised Centennial Cougars, who have moved up to No. 4 in the metro rankings, behind the play of Kellie Schuneman and Megan Nipe.

ìTheyíre really athletic,î Wagner said of the Cougars. ìObviously, I donít think we gave them our best effort.î

At the end of the first 18 minutes, Centennial was up, 36-12, which is a lot of ground to make up on such a talented group.

However, the Rangers didnít give up and kept it close in the second half, staying right with the Cougars by a score of 29-26, making the final, 65-38.

Winiecki turned in another solid performance with 13 points and 2 assists, and she was joined by Thompson, who also had 13 to go along with 3 steals.

It doesnít get any easier, but now Forest Lake has experience when facing a top-ranked team or when dealing with a game that goes down to the buzzer.

The girls played Roseville on Tuesday, and then head to St. Paul for a Friday game at Cretin-Derham Hall. After that itís off to Mounds View and Minnetonka.

ìItís going to be a hard fought two weeks,î Wagner said.

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