WARNER – Trailing by one point at the break, the Warner Monarchs decided to get defensive in the second half Tuesday night.
Warner held Groton scoreless for nearly eight minutes to break open a tight game and record a 40-28 non-conference girls’ basketball victory at the Warner Gym. The Monarchs improved to 6-0 on the season with the win.
“Going into the locker room during halftime we were down by one,” said Warner senior Kyra Marcuson. “We knew we needed to change something a little bit, so we decided to pick it up on our defense a little more.”
The result was a 17-2 surge that allowed the hosts to open up a 34-20 advantage with six minutes remaining.
Warner coach Tina Winter said she told her players at intermission the game would come down to two things: rebounding and being strong with the basketball.
“They came out and did everything we asked them to do from that point on,” Winter said. “We’re really pushing a sense of urgency and hustle. They’re quick kids and they play quick, but when they’re urgent and intentionally doing things, they play a lot better and that’s what they came out with the second half.”
A big factor in the contest was Warner’s ability to prevent the Tigers from obtaining good looks at the basket. The Monarchs blocked a total of nine shots, led by Ava Nilsson with four.
“We shot too many 3-pointers and they’re long. Give credit where credit is due,” said Groton coach Matt Locke. “They kind of beat us up on the boards a little bit.”
Not only that, the Monarchs took away some offense that Groton is accustomed to getting against other opponents.
“It factored more of down low,” said Groton’s Kennedy Hansen of the Warner defense. “We couldn’t get the ball down, so we couldn’t get our layups like we normally do, so we had to shoot 3-pointers.”
Meanwhile, the Monarchs were sharing the ball on the offensive end as six different players scored during the pivotal second-half run. That teamwork is a key element on the team, according to Marcuson.
“We just came from volleyball, so we have to trust each other and we’re all really good friends,” Marcuson said. “On and off the court, we’re good friends.”
The game was a bit of snapshot of the season so far for the Tigers, who have had stretches where they have a tough time scoring.
“We’re working on trying to get some stuff that’s close to the basket, so higher-percentage stuff,” Locke said. “We’re kind of in a funk right now, and it happens. It’s a long season.”
Hansen topped Groton with 16 points, including four 3-pointers. The Tigers slipped to 3-4 on the season, but their setbacks have come to three undefeated teams (Aberdeen Roncalli, Sisseton, and Warner) as well as defending State A champion Hamlin. Those four squads are a combined 23-2 so far this season.
“We go against tough teams and we know they’re tough, but it’s kind of just our mindsets and how we work as a team,” Hansen said. “We go in and we know that they’re good, but I feel like we just need to work harder to get past the little bump in the road.”
Groton plays at Clark-Willow Lake on Thursday, while Warner hosts Ipswich.
Marcuson paced Warner with 14 points and nine rebounds, while Nilsson finished with nine points and nine rebounds.
Marcuson said the Monarchs just need to continue playing as a team as they head into the back half of their season.
“We’re going to have to keep trusting each other,” Marcuson said, “keep trusting each each other, don’t get selfish with the ball.”
GROTON (3-4): Kennedy Hansen 6 0-0 16, Jaedyn Penning 2 2-4 6, Brooklyn Hansen 0 0-2 0, Rylee Dunker 1 0-0 2, Faith Traphagen 1 2-2 4. Totals 10-55 4-8 28.
WARNER (6-0): Kyra Marcuson 4 4-4 14, Ava Nilsson 4 0-0 9, Kyleigh Schopp 1 0-0 3, Sophia Hoeft 1 0-0 3, Lauren Marcuson 1 1-2 3, Stacia Carda 3 1-2 7, Jordyn Jensen 1 0-0 2. Totals 15-40 6-10 40.
Groton 10 18 20 28
Warner 7 17 32 40
3-point field goals – K. Hansen (4); K. Marcuson (2), Nilsson, Hoeft. Fouled out – Locke. Total fouls – Groton 12; Warner 14. Rebounds – Groton 20 (Penning 5); Warner 41 (Nilsson 9, K. Marcuson 9). Turnovers – Groton 15; Warner 26. Assists – Groton 6 (Penning 2). Blocked Shots – Groton 0; Warner 9 (Nilsson 4). Steals – Groton 16 (Dunker 5).
