Bruins drop another road game

It was the state's #2 vs #3 teams battling it out for firm control of the EDC title, and the result was a low scoring 53-49 loss for the Bruins on Friday night up in the Rider gym. A lackluster performance by the Bruins in the opening half, which included too many turnovers and not enough defensive rebounds, combined with the steady play and good shooting of Red River gave the Riders a big halftime lead that gave them the cushion they needed in the second half to all but wrap up the EDC title. The Riders scored first on an Emily Evers offensive rebound putback that was answered on the other end by a nice flash in the lane basket by Meghan Roehrich, but the Riders held the lead the entire rest of the way until the final minutes. The teams traded points for most of the next few minutes, hi-lited by a gorgeous reverse layup by Raquel Wellentin, making it a 9-8 Rider lead with just under 13 minutes left. Red River then went on a 7-2 run to make it 16-10 before Meghan Roehrich's three pointer cut it to 16-13 halfway through the opening half. Some hot midrange shooting by Red River extended that lead to their biggest of the game at 35-23 with just over 2 minutes left before halftime, but a Siri Burck inside basket made it 35-25 at halftime. In the second half, the Bruins were able to pick their energy level up and a switch in defenses seemed to pay off as they held the Rough Riders without a basket for nearly the first 6 minutes of the second half. Unfortunately for South though, they couldn't seem to get anything going against Red River's good zone defense either. 4 points by Jasmine Moffett and a steal and layup by Alley Fisher cut the lead to 36-31, but Red River's first field goal of the half came seconds later in the form of a three pointer by Annie Marhula, making it 39-31. South continued to chip away at the lead though, and an 8-2 run cut the Rider lead to 41-39 with just under 9 minutes remaining. That run also included a beautiful pass from Meghan Roehrich to Siri Burck for an inside basket. Both teams then battled hard for the remaining 6 minutes. A pair of three throws by Raquel Wellentin pulled the Bruins even at 43-43, the first tie of the game since it was 2-2. After a Red River basket, Meghan Roehrich tied up the game again on a pair of freethrows with 5 minutes to play. Then Emily Asche began to take over. The 6-0 junior made a tough baseline jumper to give Red River a 47-45 lead, which was matched by a driving basket by Siri Burck. A bucket by Megan Haaven was followed up by another strong basket by Asche, giving the Riders a 53-47 lead with just under 3 minutes to play. Again, despite not allowing another point the rest of the game, the Bruins just could not break through on the offensive end to get back in the game. A pair of freethrows by Roehrich with 2 minutes left finished off the scoring for the game, with neither team cracking the scoring column the remainder of the game. Meghan Roehrich led the Bruins with 18 points, while Siri Burck added 12 points and led with 7 boards. Raquel Wellentin, who is really starting to find her comfort zone on the court, chipped in 10 points and had 3 steals. The loss drops South to 12-3 overall, and 8-3 in the EDC. Next action for the Bruins is next Tuesday when they host the EDC's leading scorer Caitlyn Farroh and the Grand Forks Central Knights.

play by play of the game
complete boxscore

Boxscore:
Fargo South: Roehrich 5 6-9 18, Burck 6 0-0 12, Fisher 1 2-2 4, Wellentin 4 2-2 10, Moffett 1 3-4 5; Totals 17 13-17 49, Three point goals: Roehrich 2

Red River: Asche 6 3-4 15, Evers 2 1-4 5, Carlson 1 3-5 6, Marhula 3 0-0 6, Carroll 4 0-0 8, Haaven 4 2-2 10, Christian 1 0-0 3; Totals: 21 9-15 53, Three point goals: Carlson, Christian

Fouled out: none; Total Fouls: South 16, RR 14; Rebounds: South 31(Burck 7), GFRR 38(Haaven 8); Assists: South 13(Roehrich 6), GFRR 14(Evers 4), Steals: South 10(Roehrich 4), GFRR 9(Carlson 5)