The Pine City girls basketball team hosted conference opponent Hinckley-Finlayson Monday night.
Pine City jumped out to an early lead and held Hinckley-Finlayson scoreless through much of the first half. The Dragons were able to set the pace early but were unable to hit the three's early on which held their lead from growing. Despite trailing early and the size difference, the Jags weren't going away quietly. Midway through the half they were able to make changes on the fly which saw their offense come to life. They used their team speed to get around Dragon defenders and get into the paint for easy open shots. Although the Jags found some success with their speed, Pine City was still able to build on their lead. The unselfish play by the Dragons lead them to a 42-16 halftime lead.
The 2nd half started with a bang for Pine City. Sophie Lahti came out hitting every shot she took and this swung any and all momentum her teams way. As she continued to go off she neared a career milestone, which she soon reached. Lahti scored her 1,000th career point, which is an awesome feat for anyone, but was extra special after having to miss her junior year of play. There was still plenty of game to play after this and the Dragons got right back to work. The Jaguars would find spurts of rhythm on both sides of the ball but unfortunately couldn't keep it going for consecutive possessions. But they never gave in or hung their heads and battled to the final buzzer. Pine City walked away with the victory 78-27.
With the win the Dragons moves to 3-1 on the season and 2-0 in Great River Conference play. Pine City will play on Thursday in Esko.
Hinckley-Finlayson falls to 1-6 on the season and 0-3 in the conference. The Jags will get some rest before they play again. They'll play in the Chisholm holiday tournament on Tuesday Dec. 27th.
Scoring
Pine City
Sophie Lahti 26
Kloey Lind 18
Ella Sell 13
Karly Jusczak 12
Vivian Lahti and Piper Mettling 3
Emma Belsheim 2
Summer Thieman 1
Hinckley-Finlayson
Natalie Stafne 8
Anna Degerstrom 5
Gracie Olson 4
Brekyn Hanson 3
Sydney Kreger, Hannah Hartl and Hayasen Taggart 2
Reese Hartl 1