Streeters reach semis with win over Worthington

For the second year in a row, Sauk Centre's girls' basketball team is heading to the Class 2A state tournament 'Final Four' round. For most of the game, the Mainstreeters cruised past the Trojans in a fast-paced, physical contest at Target Center. When the final horn sounded, Sauk Centre held a 65-51 score. Starting with a three-pointer by Krista Primus to go up 3-0, the Mainstreeters eventually built a 23-7 lead with 7:54 remaining in the first half. The Trojans scored in the low post for a 3-2 score, but a 9-0 run followed by the Mainstreeters including back-to-back threes by Macy Weller and Primus and a shot by Liz Ellens. Ellens then found Brianna Von Wahlde for an assist to answer the first field goal by Worthington's star senior forward and leading scorer Mackenzie Gerber. Sauk Centre's 14-4 lead stood past the 10-minute mark. From there, another 9-0 run followed with scoring from Weller and an NBA-three-pointer and a hard drive to the hoop by by Kali Peschel. After they trailed 23-7, Worthington put up an 8-0 run to close the  gap to 23-15. Jena Klaphake answered the call for the Mainstreeters by draining a much-needed three-pointer with 3:30 left to stop the Trojan scoring surge. Each team traded buckets through the final five minutes of the first half up to a 31-22 score at the break. Contributing to Sauk Centre's lead was 43 percent shooting (6-of-14) beyond the arc, a statistic that helped them overcome a 13-10 disparity in turnovers and 1-of-6 shooting at the free throw line. Worthington cut it to eight points two-and-a-half minutes into the second period. Peschel responded with two free throws that started an 8-2 run to make it 43-27 with 13:49 remaining. Sauk Centre's lead stayed at 11 or greater up to the 4:39 mark, when the Trojans cut it to 52-43. Two free throws from Weller followed, starting a 6-0 run that included a jumper by Ashley Gruber and a layup by Weller. A 13-point deficit was the closest Worthington would get over the final three minutes of the game. In the final 90 seconds, a layup by Gruber, two free throws from Klaphake and a free throw by Weller capped the scoring for Sauk Centre. The Bob FM and Gerard's Player of the Game was senior Krista Primus, who shot 4-of-7 from the field, three-of-five beyond the arc and totaled 11 points and six rebounds. Leading scorers for the Mainstreeters were Kali Peschel (14), Ashley Gruber (12), Krista Primus (11) and Macy Weller (13 pts, 12 reb). As a team, they shot 42 percent from the floor. Other noteworthy items: all 12 Mainstreeters on the roster saw action tonight. Sauk Centre improved to 26-4 overall with the win. Paid attendance for the game was 6,428. An incredible 52-35 margin stood out on the statistic sheet in the rebounding department, with Sauk Centre having a huge advantage on the boards tonight. To be certain, the bruising West Central North competitors along with a beefed up non-conference schedule paid dividends for Sauk Centre. **Fan bus information for Friday's semifinal game: Streeter fans are encouraged to sign up for the fan buses sponsored by First State Bank and Minnesota National Bank. Children under 16 years old need to have adult supervision on the bus. The deadline to sign up is 4 p.m. on Thursday. Official boxscore: Peschel, Kali 4-12 4-4 14; Weller, Macy 4-10 4-8 13; Gruber, Ashley 5-12 2-9 12; Primus, Krista 4-7 0-0 11; Klaphake, Jena 2-5 2-2 7; VonWalde, Brianna 3-5 0-2 6; Ellens, Elizabeth 1-2 0-0 2; Gieske, Beth 0-0 0-0 0; Jennissen, Greta 0-0 0-0 0; Moe, Rebecca 0-0 0-0 0; Berscheit, Lexie 0-0 0-0 0; Gamradt, Jordan 0-2 0-2 0. Totals 23-55 12-27 65.