Glen Strandberg
Sports Editor

The girls basketball team had a little hitch in its giddy-up during the Revenge Tour ë07, but their improved play shows them to be a squad that no one will want to face come playoff time.

Last week the Rangers hosted Cretin-Derham Hall and Mounds View, and ended up with a split against the two conference opponents.

On Friday, Feb. 2, the Mustangs were in town, and Mounds View (7-14, 3-9) had already beaten Forest Lake in their first meeting, 48-41. In that December game, the Rangers' Gina Lange didn't even show up in the score sheet. In the rematch, however, Lange was an obvious difference-maker, as she collected 22 points, 16 rebounds (10 offensive), three blocks and two steals, on the way to helping Forest Lake to a 54-46 victory.

"Whatever has gotten into her, I like. Her and Andrea Thompson are just eating the boards up," head coach Jen Wagner said. "It's been nice to see Gina kind of relax and step into her own right now."

During the Rangers earlier games, they typically had to battle back from a large first-half deficit. Now that the girls are seeing the Suburban East Conference a second time, it's Forest Lake (8-12, 4-8) who usually gets out early and secures the win.

Wagner's team held a four point advantage at halftime, and padded its lead in the second half by outscoring the Mustangs, 32-28.

"Our work ethic, and our attitude, and the chemistry the kids do have really has not dropped off," Wagner said. "We're getting back those games that we should have won earlier, and the kids are just continuing to play hard."

Beyond Lange's double-deuce, the Rangers had Alisha Johnson score 10 points to go with five rebounds, Kelsey Kosman with eight points and Abi Iverson with six on two-for-two shooting from the three-point line.

What's even more impressive with the final outcome is that Forest Lake's leading scorer, Andrea Thompson, had one point, and the all-around game of Janelle Winiecki was not up to its usual standards as she gets her strength back after dealing with the flu.

The hitch for the Rangers occurred on Tuesday, Jan. 30, when Cretin drove north and swept the season series with a 60-52 win.

On this night it was the Raiders who would build a big lead by going up 36-23 in the first half, and even with Forest Lake making a bit of a comeback (29-24) after intermission, Cretin (14-6, 9-3) would go home with the eight point victory.

Lange went bonkers in this contest, picking up 25 points and 15 rebounds, while Kosman pitched in with eight points, two boards and three assists.

The girls have a bit of a break this week, with no game on Tuesday, and then it's a trip down to Hastings on Friday, Feb. 9. It was exactly a month ago when the Rangers began to turn this season around with the wild comeback at home against these Raiders. Going into that night, Forest Lake was 3-9. Since then, the team is 5-3.

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