MINNEAPOLIS -- Kenyon-Wanamingo scored a field goal seconds after the opening tip and expanded its lead over Esko to 18 points at halftime of the teams’ Minnesota Class AA girls basketball state tournament semifinal tonight at Williams Arena.
The once-beaten Knights were able to force their way inside the lane for their initial seven field goals in taking a 32-14 lead at intermission.
The Eskomos countered by hitting three early 3-point shots but failed to do any damage in the paint, hindering hopes of reaching the first state final in school history and of duplicating the boys team’s Class AA title last weekend.
Despite only making 4 of 19 field goals, the Eskomos stayed within four points at 17-13 on shots from behind the arc by Erika Shady, Bailey Mudek and Judy Wagemaker and the team’s only inside basket by Kailee Katt.
But the Knights closed the half on a 15-1 run, helped by two more inside buckets, 6-for-6 free-throw shooting and their only 3-pointer of the half by Siri Sviggum. The senior forward leads the Section 1AA champions with 12 points.
The winner advances to Saturday’s 2 p.m. final against defending champion New Richland-Hartland-Ellendale-Geneva (30-0), which won its 60th consecutive game in an 87-58 victory over Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted in the other semifinal.
Carlie Wagner, a NRHEG senior guard, broke Janet Karvonen’s 37-year state tournament career scoring mark after a 41-point effort in that game. Wagner’s total of 335 points surpassed the former New York Mills star’s previous record of 329. Wagner owns the top two single-game scoring marks of 53 points set in this year’s quarterfinals and 50 in last year’s championship game. The Minnesota State High School League also recognizes her as the state’s all-time scoring leader with 3,921 points, though her opponent in the 2013 final, Braham’s Rebecca Dahlman, scored more than 5,000. That total is considered unofficial until the MSHSL is provided documentation.
