Herald Journal

Serving the communities of Howard Lake, Lester Prairie, Winsted, Watertown, Mayer, New Germany, Waverly, MN and the surrounding area

PREP GIRLS BASKETBALL: HLWW falls to Southwest Christian, continues to battle despite tough season


HOWARD LAKE –  Wins have been hard to come by for the Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted girls basketball this season. Despite that, the effort and commitment to getting better have been there all season long.

Taking on Southwest Christian, the Lakers battled once again despite being shorthanded. Missing a handful of starters was too much to overcome as the Lakers fell to 1-12 on the season with a 58-38 loss to the Stars at home Monday night.

“It was nice to see girls who usually haven’t gotten the chance to step up,” Lakers coach Ryan Petersen said. “It was fun to see some energy from people we haven’t seen much of on the floor.”

Petersen relied on his bench heavily in the loss to the Stars due to injuries and foul trouble. Sophomore Ivy Fasching was one of the few regulars out there for HLWW, and she did all she could to help lead her team. She finished with 19 points to lead the way, including scoring the first four of the second half to bring her team within 10.

“Our goal is to be the hardest working team on the floor,” Petersen said. “That’s what we preach. We asked our girls to step up for our seniors and play hard the rest of the year. They did that tonight.”

Closing the gap to 10 was as close as HLWW would get in the second half as SW Christian proved to be too much. Chloe Brunsberg led all scorers with 23 points as the Stars picked up a big Section 5AA win on the road.

With just four games left in the regular season, the focus for the Lakers now shifts to getting ready for the playoffs. Besides getting healthy, continuing to get better will be the key for HLWW.

“Improve on anything we possibly can improve on,” Petersen said about what the focus will be going forward. “It’s a lot of learning in practice and games. We’ve got a lot of really good kids. They’ve bought in even through this tough stretch. It’s been fun to go to practice with them and work every day. Their attitudes and willingness to get better and play hard for each other is great.”

With just one win, it might seem like there hasn’t been much fun for the Lakers to enjoy this season. That’s not true for Petersen who’s enjoyed his young team with just four seniors on the roster.

“It’s a fun group,” Petersen said. “This is one of the most fun teams I’ve been around. The energy they bring to practice every day and their willingness to get better. There are little things we’re seeing and hopefully, it translates to big things later on.”

For the complete story and more Herald Journal sports coverage, check out the March 6 edition of the Herald Journal. Click here for subscription information. 

Follow Kip Kovar on Twitter: @Kovar_HJSports

 

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