By Vance Carlson
Park Rapids Enterprise
Park Rapids jumped out to a 9-0 lead then used a 19-2 run late in the game to spark a 47-29 win over Perham in the Section 8AAA playoff opener Thursday night at the Area High School gym.
Two jumpers by Janessa Wolff, a jumper by Lindsey Czeczok and a 3-pointer by Lauren Knuttila gave the Panthers a 9-0 lead at the 14:27 mark.
Perhams first field goal came on a layup by Shannon Winkels with 10:30 to play in the first half.
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Wolff followed with an assist on a layup by Czeczok, two inside baskets and four free throws as the Panthers led 20-9 at the 3:33 mark.
Baskets by Kayla Speicher, Megan Miller and Brandi Cresap closed the deficit to 20-15 with 15 seconds to play in the first half before a basket off a rebound by Wolff at the buzzer gave Park Rapids a 22-15 advantage.
After Czeczok opened the second half with a layup, Perham went on an 8-2 run as baskets by Juliana Schumacher, Cresap, Speicher and Brittany Gigstead made it 27-23. A jumper by Miller pulled Perham to within 28-25 with 8:53 to play.
Wolff then scored the Panthers next 12 points to provide a 39-27 cushion with 4:53 remaining. Wolff made 8-of-9 free throws and added a pair of layups during that stretch.
A 3-pointer by Jena Pike, another layup by Wolff and two free throws by Heather Tretbar pushed the lead to 47-27 with 2:41 to play. A layup by Lauri Sczygiel with 2:21 concluded the scoring.
Wolff led the Panthers with 30 points, 11 rebounds and four blocked shots. Czeczok grabbed 13 rebounds and had three steals while Nicki Schumacher had seven assists as the Panthers set a school record for victories in a season with win No. 22. Park Rapids season only lasted one more game as they were eliminated in the semifinals, 53-50 in overtime, to Fergus Falls. Fergus Falls will now play Willmar in the 8AAA Finals on March 10 at MSU-Moorhead.
