The Alma-Pepin Eagles faced off against the Whitehall Norse, having their hopes crushed by the Norse, losing 55-73.
Whitehall started strong by scoring the first points with a three-pointer and quickly built a lead. The Eagles eventually found their rhythm and managed to tie the game at fifteen. However, the Norse didn’t let this stop them, scoring quickly to regain the lead. Despite being behind, the Eagles battled back and got within one point with five minutes to go in the first half. Alma-Pepin kept shooting well and gained control going ahead by four points. With four minutes left, the Norse made a comeback, pulling within one point. The score was 34-33 at halftime with the Eagles ahead.
In the second half, the Eagles wasted no time in scoring the first basket. The Norse came out with a one-man press, and their quick hands led to several fast breaks and easy buckets. Before long, the Eagles were down by seven with twelve minutes remaining. Whitehall continued to extend their lead, and the Eagle's defense struggled to stop their sharpshooting. Alma-Pepin found themselves down by twelve before the coach called a timeout. Coming out of the timeout with hope, Owen Post knocked down a three-pointer to spark a possible comeback. However, the Norse didn’t let this alarm them and extended their lead to nineteen. The Eagles came out of another timeout and implemented a press, hoping it would help them close the gap. They cut the lead to fourteen, but the game was almost over. As the Norse began to stall, the Eagles were forced to foul. Whitehall made their free throws extending their lead before time expired. The final score was 55-73, with the Norse coming out on top.
Following the tough loss to the Norse, Alma-Pepin traveled to compete against the Osseo-Fairchild Thunder, the number-one-ranked team in the Dairyland Conference.
The Thunder didn’t take long to intensify the game, they caused two quick turnovers and easily gained a two-to-nothing lead. The Eagles, not letting the rankings scare them, gained a lead within four minutes bringing the score seven to four. With sloppy turnovers and the Eagle’s lead even larger, Osseo was forced to call a timeout. The Thunder slowly worked their way back from the deficit and brought the game within two points. With five minutes left in the first half, Osseo tied the game up at 17 points a piece. To close out the first half, the Thunder had some quick baskets giving them a 27-21 lead over the Eagles.
Alma-Pepin started strong in the second half, gaining the first basket for the second period. During the second half, it was back-and-forth scoring, but the Thunder never gave up their lead. Osseo with their sharp shooting abilities gained a comfortable gap from the Eagles. The Thunder rolled over the Eagles, 65-53, increasing their record to 14-2 in conference play and leaving the Eagles record 6-8.
Article by: Tori Creighton and Nessa Noll