By John George
A big first half for Sebeka led them to a 60-51 win over the Lady Eagles at the NY Mills Sports Center last Friday.
The Trojans Betsy Olson scored 19 of her game-high 24 points in the first half as Sebeka had a 39-28 halftime lead.
"We have to do a better job defensively, we gave up 39 points in the first half mainly on wide open shots." head coach Dave Paavola said. "Sebeka is a good team, but when a team shoots 20 more free throws then you, it's a sign that your not moving your feet and you're a step behind."
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Sebeka went 9-for-14 from the line in the first half and 16-for-32 overall. Mills was just 4-for-9 for the entire game.
The Eagles outscored Sebeka by two points in the second half, but couldn't make up the Trojans first half lead.
"The second half we played a lot better holding them to 21 points," Paavola said. "Our girls played hard and there was no quit in them."
Hannah Rutten led Mills with 14 points, 15 rebounds and four steals. Heather McCall added 13 points to go with 12 rebounds. Kristen Perala was also in double figures with 10 points along with three steals. Sam Welter had three assists, three steals and three points.
Mills has now lost seven-straight to Sebeka dating back to 2003-04. The Trojans (5-1, 2-0 Park Region) are the defending conference champ and were Section 6A runner-up's last year.
Holiday Tournament
The boys and girls basketball teams will host their annual Holiday Tournament Dec. 21-22. The girls first game will be against Browerville in the Sports Center. NY Mills beat the Tigers (3-2, 3-1 Prairie Conf.) at last year's tournament, 74-65. Browerville is averaging just 50 points per game so far this season.
After Christmas break, the Lady Eagles will travel to Ulen-Hitterdal on Dec. 28 for their final game of 2007.
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Friday, December 14
Sebeka 60, New York Mills 51
Sebeka 39-21--60
NYM 28-23--51
Eagles--Hannah Rutten 14, Heather McCall 13, Kristen Perala 10, Betsy Helmeke 8, Sam Welter 3, Danielle Hessig 2.
Trojans--B. Olson 24, M. Olson 12, Maatrel 12, Schwartz 6, Houle 4, Liliquist 2.
Field Goals--NYM 22/64, S 22/57; 3-pointers--NYM 2/5, S 0/2; Free Throws--NYM 4/9, S 16/32; Rebounds--NYM 44 (Rutten 15); Assists--NYM 11 (Helmeke, Welter 3); Steals--NYM 14 (Rutten 4); Turnovers--NYM 19; Team Fouls--NYM , S 17.
Park Region Conf. All
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Sebeka 2-0 5-1
New York Mills 2-1 4-2
Pillager 2-1 3-3
Menahga 1-1 7-1
Verndale 1-1 2-3
Bertha-Hewitt 1-2 2-3
Henning 0-3 0-5
