BP’s defense proves deadly

Blooming Prairie girls’ basketball capped last week 2-0 and improved to 10-3 overall on the season after beating Triton and Pine Island.

The Awesome Blossoms finished the week by beating Pine Island 48-26 in a game where Blooming Prairie’s defense shut down the Panthers from start to finish.
“The players came out ready to play tonight and finished much better than the last time they were on the floor,” said Blooming Prairie head coach John Worke of the win.

The Awesome Blossoms’ offense struggled to find its rhythm in the first half, scoring just 24 points, but the team’s defense still afforded Worke’s squad an 11-point lead at the half, allowing just 13 points to the Panthers.

While both teams made adjustments at halftime, the second half played out almost identically to the first, as both sides again finished with a 24-13 scoring line and Blooming Prairie earning the 48-26 win at the final buzzer.

Shawntee Snyder led the Awesome Blossoms with 14 points, while Addison Doocy and Macy Lembke both notched double-digit points with 10 apiece.

Earlier in the week, Blooming Prairie played Triton in a game that nearly spiraled out of control for the Awesome Blossoms in the late stages of the second half.

After taking a 30-15 lead at halftime, Blooming Prairie found itself battling to keep the lead as time dwindled in the second half due to a major uptick in pressure from the Cobras’ full-court press defense.

Consistent turnovers and the inability to find open looks resulted in Blooming Prairie winning by just four points and being saved by the buzzer down the stretch.

Thankfully for Blooming Prairie, the team’s defense proved once more to be its secret weapon as the Awesome Blossoms held opponents to 40 points or less for the seventh time in 13 games this season.

Doocy and Lembke led the Awesome Blossoms with 12 points each in the win.

Next up for Blooming Prairie is a tough Gopher Conference matchup against Gopher West leaders NRHEG (12-2.)

The Awesome Blossoms will host the Panthers on Friday, Jan. 19 at 7:15 p.m.

Player Stats

vs. Pine Island

                  P

Snyder           14

Doocy            10

Lembke         10

Schwarz        8

Smith             4

Fyksen           2