Hot shooting lifts Braves over Bruins

Mandan used hot shooting the entire first half to take control of the game early, then withstood two late Fargo South charges in the second half to pull away to a 61-53 opening round win over the Bruins on Thursday night. The teams played a relatively even first quarter in typical first round action, and the Braves led 11-7 at the quarter break. Mandan really opened things up in the second period however, at one point running off 13 straight points to take an 18 point lead. The Braves hit on 6 of 8 three pointers in the half, and the Bruins could not answer that hot shooting. The Bruins trailed 32-16 at halftime. South would not quit though, and made two seperate rallys in the second half. Midway through the third quarter, the Bruins cut the lead to ten points, but a three pointer followed by a another basket and a steal and layup quickly pushed the lead back to 17 points. Again the Bruins battled back, cutting the lead to six points as Alicia Calkins stole the ball from Kari Hanson and scored on a layup to make it 45-39. The Bruins stole the ball on the next possession as well so had a chance to cut the lead to four points, but could not convert on the ensuing fast break. The lead would get no closer as the Braves hit on 12 of 15 free throws down the stretch. South plays Jamestown on Friday afternoon in the consolation round.

Boxscore:
Fargo South: Silovich 0 1-2 1, Whitford 8 0-0 18, Elias 4 2-3 10, Kilander 3 4-6 10, Holman 1 2-4 4, Calkins 4 1-4 10; Totals 20 10-19 53, Three point goals: Whitford 2, Calkins
Mandan: Heidi Zander 0 0-3 0, Kylie Neustel 3 0-0 8, Kari Hanson 1 8-8 10, Amy Friesz 4 2-4 11, Nikki Wright 3 4-4 13, Mary Schuh 3 1-1 7, Frenzel 4 2-2 10, Conlon 1 0-0 2; Totals: 19 17-22 61, Three point goals: Wright 3, Friesz, Neustel 2
Fouled out: Elias, Kilander; Total Fouls: South 19, Mandan 18; Rebounds: South 35(Kilander 8), Mandan 30(Frenzel 7); Assists: South 11(Calkins 3), Mandan 12(Neustel 3); Turnovers: South 24, Mandan 16

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