Bruins drop hard fought decision to #2 Mandan

In a battle between two of the top ranked teams in the state, Mandan held on down the stretch to win an intense game over Fargo South, 61-56. Both teams went toe-to-toe for the entire 32 minutes, but in the end it was the free throw shooting of Kristin Bear that made the difference. Bear went 6-6 from the line in the final minute of the game to hold off a South team that refused to give in. South got out of the gate fast on Saturday as they attacked the Mandan full court pressure which led to transition baskets and free throw attempts. Jessica Trautwein led the charge with 6 first quarter points and Mandy Dobmeier hit a three pointer to propel the Bruins to a 16-11 first quarter lead. The Bruins continued to attack the basket and repel the trapping defenses of the Braves as they kept the parade to the free throw line going - the Bruins were 8-8 in the second quarter from 4 different players to hang onto a 30-27 halftime lead. Mandan's pressure began to take its toll in the third quarter though, as they held the Bruins to only 7 points while forcing a number of turnovers. Still, the Bruins only trailed by three at 40-37 heading into the final quarter. It didn't look good early on in the period as the Braves scored the first 5 points of the period on an inside basket by Rebecca Kielpinski and a three pointer by Anna Taylor to build a commanding 45-37 lead with just over 6 minutes left in the game. The Bruins showed that they will not give up though. South dug in on defense and kept Mandan from scoring for the next 2 minutes, and on the offensive end went 5-5 from the line including a three point play from Amy Hannaher who was steady all game with 15 points and 6 rebounds. That play pulled the Bruins to within one at 45-44 and it was a dogfight to the finish from there. The Braves responded with two more inside baskets from Kielpinski which built the lead to 5 points. 2 free throws from Micaela Kruckenberg made it a 2 point game late, but in the end, the Bruins were forced to foul. Bear's perfection down the stretch gave South the 5 point loss. The Bruins fall to 3-3 on the year, but the very tough early schedule the Bruins have played should pay dividends once the conference schedule starts back up after the new year. Next action for South is Saturday when they meet another cross town rival at Shanley in another double header action with the boys team.

Boxscore:
Fargo South: Kruckenberg 0 2-2 2, Kraft 0 0-1 0, Hageman 2 5-8 9, Salzwedel 0 2-2 2, Hannaher 4 7-7 15, Dobmeier 1 4-4 7, Trautwein 6 7-8 19, Flaagan 1 0-0 2; Totals 14 27-32 56, Three point goals: Dobmeier

Mandan: Zerr 0 2-2 2, Belohavek 2 2-2 6, Bear 2 9-12 13, Zander 2 0-0 5, Taylor 1 2-2 5, Kranda 1 1-1 3, Schlosser 1 0-0 2, Keller 3 1-2 7, Keilpenski 7 2-2 16, Sehalic 0 2-2 2; Totals: 19 21-25 61, Three point goals: Zander, Taylor

Fouled out: Kruckenberg, Zander, Keller; Total Fouls: South 23, Mandan 27; Rebounds: South 37(Hageman 12), Mandan 25(Keilpinski 6); Assists: South 7(Trautwein 2), Mandan 11(Belohavik 4); Steals: South 6(Hannaher 3), Bismarck 15(Kranda 4), Turnovers South 22, Mandan 17; Blocked shots: South 1(Trautwein); JV game: none; Soph game: none

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