Chargers stay undefeated in Tomahawk

By DOUG MONSON

Journal Sports Writer

NEW ULM -- Minnesota Valley Lutheran battled New Ulm Cathedral in a physical Tomahawk Conference battle Friday, escaping with a 61-49 victory to remain undefeated in the conference.

Jessi Merseth led the Chargers in scoring despite battling through double teams to finish with a game high 19 points. She also added nine rebounds and three blocks.

The Greyhounds fell behind early, trailing 12-6 after the first quarter. The Chargers' Emily Buck and Merseth combinded for eight points to lead the Chargers in the first quarter.

Greyhounds coach Mary Dengerud said her team played tough defense and used a full-court diamond press to force the Chargers into early quarter turnovers. The Greyhounds continued the pressure on defense in the second quarter as Liesl Genelin would step into the lane for a steal. She drove the length of the court before being fouled by the Chargers' Rachel Olson. Genelin sunk both free throws to make the score 21-18.

Genelin said the physical play of the game helped the Greyhounds step into the passing lanes more often and cause some timely steals. Those steals edged the Greyhounds within three by the end of the first half, 25-22.

Merseth said the Chargers used halftime to make adjustments, namely to the aggressiveness of their play.

"I'll give it to Cathedral," Merseth said. "It seems like they wanted the ball more than us."

But in the second half, the Chargers would respond to what Merseth called poor play. The extra effort led to a 17-2 run to open the third quarter, led by Lisa Petersen who ended the night with six steals. Petersen's hustle helped start several fast breaks, including a third quarter steal that ended with a pass to Merseth to push the lead to 13 points. By quarter's end, the Chargers had a commanding 42-26 lead. Peterson also added four assists.

Dengerud said the was pleased with the job her team did of defending Merseth.

"I thought we did a nice job defending her," Dengerud said. "She earned her buckets."

Merseth said she wasn't so much frustrated by the defense the Greyhounds played as by the way her team played as a whole.

Black and Buck helped pick up the slack, however, erasing any effort the Greyhounds used to slow down the Chargers' inside game. Buck finished the night with 16 points and Black added 12 points. Both girls finished with five rebounds a piece.

Julie Seifert led the way for the Greyhounds, knocking down 18 points, including three treys. Genelin finished with nine points and four assists. She also grabbed three steals.

"The only thing that hurt us was the five minutes in the third quarter," Genelin said. "That was a rough game but I though we responded well."

Genelin said the game helped boost the confidence of her team. Dengerud said her young players, namely Toni Hall and Catherine Miheve played well against MVL and continue to improve everyday.

"The more they improve, the more we improve," Dengerud said.

The loss drops the Greyhounds to 2-6 on the year and 2-4 in the conference. The Greyhounds play next Tuesday when they host Sleepy Eye High School.

MVL improves to 9-1 on the year and 6-0 in the conference. The Chargers are off until next Tuesday when they travel to Buffalo Lake-Hector.