Sports & Recreation

The McGregor Mercuries finished the season the way they started—by surprising teams with fundamental play.

McGregor (#6 seed) traveled to Remer to play Northland (#3 seed) and almost stole the upset victory.

“We had the ball and a chance to win,” said McGregor head coach Kris Rinta. “Abby was triple teamed and she got it up to Hope who decided to take it in. The ball just rolled in and out.”

The end result was a 47-45 win by the Eagles. Northland went on to defeat East Central and will play Barnum for the subsection championship on Tuesday, March 9 in McGregor.

Looking back at the game, Coach Rinta shared that his team did everything they wanted to. They just couldn’t overcome 26 turnovers, but they had a great opportunity at the end.

McGregor got excellent offensive performances from Sarah Sample (15 points), Hope Sorensen (12 points) and Abby Hawkinson (10 points).

“I was happy with the game,” added Rinta. “Knowing how we played well and seeing the strides we made this …

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After losing to a tough East Central Eagle team (61-52) that shot 64 percent for the game (mostly outside shots), the Cromwell Cardinal girls basketball team rebounded with a win over the Onamia Panthers (49-29).

“It is the first time we have beat the Panthers,” said head coach Dave Foster after the game. “Last year, we played them tough in the playoffs, only to lose by a slim margin.”

Cromwell got a tremendous performance from sophomore post player MaKayleigh Cahoon. MaKayleigh poured in 26 points and was tough on the boards.

Earlier in the week, Cromwell faced East Central, the #2 seed in Section 5. East Central blistered the nets in Cromwell and held on to a 61-52 win.

“After the game, I felt we played really well,” said Coach Foster. “After I watched the tape, I still felt we played very well.”

The win for East Central solidified a #2 seed in Section 5 and they will host the winner of McGregor (#6) and Northland (#3) on Thursday, March 4.

Cromwell earned the #5 seed and will travel to Isle (#4) to take on the Huskies.

Cromwell likes their chances in the first round of the playoffs. The last time these two teams met was on January 25. Cromwell lost 52-50 and had plenty of chances to win.

“We match up very well with this team and we are very excited about getting a second chance to play them,” concluded Foster.

For the rest of this story, scores, schedules and more, pick up this week's Voyageur Press.

Scoring points and pulling down rebounds have always been strengths of McGregor junior post player Sarah Sample. This past week, Sarah eclipsed 1,000 points in her career in a 75-27 victory over the Hill City Hornets.

Sarah hit a game-high 28 points.

Head coach Kris Rinta has been around Sarah for the past three seasons and credits Sarah with having dedication to the sport. “She has put a lot of time into her shooting,” said Coach Rinta. “It is not uncommon for her to spend a half hour after practice shooting.”

“The summers are where she puts in most of her time,” Rinta added.

Sarah has improved her game, and this season her free-throw shooting has stood out. “Not only has Sarah gotten to the line, but she is shooting a higher percentage also,” added Rinta.

Sarah is currently 95-for-135 (70.4 percent), which is second in the Polar League.

Shooting is not Sarah’s only strength. The junior currently has 780-plus rebounds and is on pace to reach another 1,000 milestone.

Coach Rinta shared that Sarah has improved many phases of her game including post defense. “Sarah understands the middle of our zone. She has been anticipating the slide to the block and is getting steals.”

The number-one improvement for Sarah this season has been confidence. “When Sarah plays with confidence, we are …

For the rest of this story, scores, schedules and more, pick up this week's Voyageur Press.