The Dragons go 3-0 and in the meantime clinch the Great River Conference Championship, beat #8 in the state Proctor and earn a ranking of 6th class AA. The Dragons are now 23-1!
Pine City 62
Proctor 50
In a battle between 2 two teams ranked in the top 10 in class AA, the Dragons dominated the second half, outscoring the Rails 39-22 to come up with the victory. The Dragons started the game on an 11-2 run only to see Proctor take control the rest of the half. "For whatever reason, we started to hurry on offense. We love to push the ball and play fast, but we need to do that while playing under control." Proctor led at half time 28-23. The second half was a good one for the Dragons. "I thought the kids played with a lot of poise in the second half. "The girls have played in a lot of big games in their careers and that experience really shows." Ellie Hasz had a big second half scoring 16 of her 24. She also had 10 rebounds for the double double. Sophie Lahti nearly had a double double of her own with 14 points and 8 rebounds. Alaina Steele had 10 points, 4 assists and 4 rebounds. Lily Wilson had 9 points, 4 assists, 3 rebounds and 2 steals. Ashley Faur had 3 points, 4 rebounds and 2 assists. Meredith Kolling had 2 points and 9 rebounds. "It was a great win for our program. The kids continue to get better and are really showing a great knowledge of the game. They are such a fun group because they complement each other so well."
Pine City 71
Onamia 35
Pine City jumped out to a 52-18 half time lead and coasted the rest of the way for the conference win. The win made the Dragons 12-0 in the conference and clinched the Great River Conference Championship. "It is the first conference championship in program history. That is a fun accomplishment that will keep this group connected forever." "The kids are making some really great memories this season." The Dragons were led in scoring by Sophie Lahti, who had 16 of her 18 in the first half. Sophie also had 6 rebounds. Ellie Hasz had 16 points, 4 steals and 2 blocks. Lily Wilson had 15 points, 7 assists and 5 steals. Ashley Faur had 10 points and 8 rebounds. Meredith Kolling had 7 points, 4 rebounds and 2 assists. Alaina Steele had 3 points, 6 assists, 3 steals and 2 blocks. Kloey Lind had 2 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 blocks. Ally Chromey had 3 rebounds.
Pine City 94
Isle 29
On Senior Night, the Dragons were able to keep their winning streak going. The Dragons honored senior players Allyson Chromey, Ashley Faur, Makenna Nelson, Alaina Steele and Lily Wilson along with senior managers Joshua Lotz and Joshua Rike as well as foreign exchange students Frida Dini and Elisa Perri from Italy. "We certainly want to thank the seniors for all that they have done for our program this year and in previous years." The Dragons won their 17th game in a row with their victory over the Huskies. Pine City had 22 assists and forced 28 turnovers on their way to 33 points off turnovers. "The kids came out ready to play." Lily Wilson scored 20 points including 4 three pointers. She also had 7 assists and 6 steals. Ellie Hasz had 18 points and 4 assists. Sophie Lahti had 18 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals. Alaina Steele had 13 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists. Asley Faur had 6 points and 8 rebounds. Kloey Lind had 5 points and 4 rebounds. Meredith Kolling had 4 points and 3 rebounds. Maddie Berglund had 3 points and 2 rebounds. Carissa Nascene had 3 points and 4 steals. Karly Jusczak had 3 points and 3 rebounds. Ally Chromey had 1 point and 4 rebounds. Makenna Nelson had 4 rebounds.
The Dragons will travel to Onamia on Tuesday for their final conference game of the season and will host Sauk Centre on Friday to wrap up the regular season.
Photo Credit: John Olson
