Thunderbirds outlast CHS
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NEW ULM -- Gibbon-Fairfax-Winthrop had three players score in double figures as the Thunderbirds snapped their three-game losing streak with a 63-52 win over New Ulm Cathedral on Monday in Tomahawk Conference girls' basketball action.
Grace Swenson led GFW with 15 points, while Miah Busse and Shelby Ramirez each scored 10 points apiece. Busse also had six rebounds and Hannah Panitzke had 6 points, five rebounds and four steals.
The Thunderbirds had a total of 16 steals as a team.
Lauryn Franta led Cathedral with 19 points and eight rebounds. Heidi Hoffman added 14 points.
GFW head coach Richard Busse credited the Thunderbirds for taking care of business possession by possession from one end of the court to the other.
"We guarded well, we got good looks at the basket and our defense forced Cathedral to make a bad decision, which led to us getting a basket," Coach Busse said.
Free throws were another formula for GFW's success. The Thunderbirds made 21 of 31 free throws for 67.7 percent.
GFW put together a 15-0 run for a 47-29 lead in the second half. Hoffman's basket ended the Cathedral drought. Abby Neuman and Ramirez each scored for GFW's biggest lead of the night at 51-31 with 8:45 left in the game.
The Greyhounds were persistent in their efforts to slice into the Thunderbird advantage. Two baskets by Lauryn Franta made the score 56-45. Brynn Busse answered with a basket and Lily Franta scored on the next play for a 58-47 lead for GFW. Hoffman then hit a basket and a 3-pointer for a 61-52 score.
Miah Busse responded with two free throws for the 63-52 final score.
In the opening half, Lauryn Franta tied the contest on a 3-point shot for a 7-7 score. She tied it again on two free throws, got the lead on a 3-pointer and scored a basket for a 14-9 Cathedral lead. McKenna Miling's basket gave the Greyhounds their biggest lead of the night at 16-11.
Swenson's 3-pointer and two free throws by Ramirez tied the game at 20-20 with 6:15 left in the first half.
Ramirez's two free throws regained the lead for GFW. Shay Ubl's basket tied it at 24-apiece.
Ramirez scored two baskets, which were sandwiched around McKenzie Lauwagie's basket for a 6-0 GFW run to end the first half. GFW led 30-24 at halftime.
GFW (6-6, 6-3) will host Minnesota Valley Lutheran (10-5, 6-1) on Thursday. Cathedral (5-11, 1-9) will play at Cleveland on Tuesday.