The bigger Mankato East Cougars kept pounding away inside against the Austin girls’ basketball team to pull out a 49-38 win in Mankato.

Wednesday, February 16, 2000

The bigger Mankato East Cougars kept pounding away inside against the Austin girls’ basketball team to pull out a 49-38 win in Mankato.

"They are so big, with two 6-footers, it was hard for us to match up with them," Austin coach Slone Suess said.

The Packers did in the second quarter, when they went to a zone. Austin outscored the Cougars 14-4 in the quarter to take a 22-19 lead.

"We had a big second quarter," Suess said. "We shot the ball well. We shot a lot better in the the first half than the second."

The match-up problems got to Austin in the second half. Krissy Harrington and Kristin Kachelmyer dominated the inside. Harrington scored 18 in the game and pulled down 15 rebounds. Kachelmyer put in 15 and grabbed 10 rebounds.

It was a six-point game after three with the home team up 37-31. Austin got as close as three in the early going of the fourth quarter, but never closer.

Austin was led in scoring by Jamie Nieland, who scored a dozen with three three pointers.

Stacy Fisher scored 11 with one three-pointer. Lauren Feller hit for five, Sara Turvey and Gina Golberg for four each, and Bridget Burzinski scored two.

"Golberg got hurt halfway through the third quarter," Suess said, "and sat out the rest of the game. She should be fine for Friday’s game against Century."

Austin (6-9, 6-13) hosts the Panthers on Friday at 7:30 p.m.

Blooming Prairie 47, NRHEG 38

The host Blooming Prairie girls’ basketball team got 19 points from Jana Peterson in a win that improved the Blossoms to 18-3, 13-0 in the Gopher Conference.

Andrea Banton scored 13 for the Blossoms, which got 12 rebounds from Ranell Geotte.

The Blossoms host Janesville-Waldorf-Pemberton on Thursday. JWP’s only conference loss is to Blooming Prairie. A win gives the Blossoms the conference title outright. A loss means, JWP and BP share the conference crown.

LeRoy-Ostrander 63,

Lyle/Pacelli 42

The Lyle/Pacelli girls’ basketball team made just 16-of-44 shots, and went 0-of-6 from three point land in the road loss.

Kelly Davis led the Cards with 14 points. Lindsey Mensink and Anne Winfield added 10 each.

Tammy May and Joni Sheedy paced L/P with 10 each.

L/P fell to 6-15, 1-7 in the Southeast Conference.