Cardinal Senior Joelle Purcell dug into the ground to take the game away from the Delano Tigers, but, in the end, it was the Tigers who were left standing. The Annandale girls basketball team lost Friday’s game against Delano, 60-56.
“We were down 10 with one minute and 30 seconds to go and Joelle hit three three-pointers to get us close,” said head coach Brian Atkinson.
It was a close game. The score after the first quarter was a 16 point tie. The second ended with Annandale two points in the lead at 28-26. In the third quarter, Delano pulled ahead and the score was 42-38 going into the fourth.
That’s when Purcell attempted to steal the lead with her three-pointers; however, Delano responded with some successful free-throws to keep the game out of reach.
It was the local team’s second Wright County Conference loss for the season and the second loss overall.
“Delano shot very well throughout the game. They played with a little more intensity,” Atkinson said. “We had some missed opportunities. We turned the ball over at times.”
There were things to be seen even in the loss away from home. “Our players are starting to find their roles on the team,” Atkinson said. “Players need to be poised and confident throughout every game. We need to play with more intensity and be mentally tough in every game.”
Even though there is always room for improvement, there were some good examples on the Cardinal’s side of the game.
For one, Jessica Barrett was not stopped from scoring – she made 25 points and 13 assists to lead the Annandale team. For another, Purcell donated 15 points and three assists.
Also for the home team, Jenna Maki made 10 points and eight rebounds; Alison Zylstra scored four points and three rebounds; and Angie Grassman donated two points.
The girl’s schedule for the week included a game against Dassel-Cokato at home on Tuesday, and another home game against Glencoe-Silver Lake on Friday.
Barrett sets
new school record
Cardinal Senior Jessica Barrett made the new Annandale High School career scoring record with 1,053 points during the Annandale girls basketball win against Monticello on Jan. 4.
Before the non-conference game, Barrett was tied at 1,033 points with former standout guard Megan Pick. Pick claimed the record in the 1998-1999 basketball season. Now, it belongs to Barrett. She led the team in Tuesday’s 55-31 victory with 20 points and 10 rebounds.
The team bounded back onto the Wright County Conference court in the game against Becker on Dec. 21. The Cardinals had lost their first conference game at home on Dec. 14 against St. Michael-Albertville.
After that, they had won every game that they had played up to Tuesday’s win. The team record was 8-1 overall and 1-1 in the conference. They were working at keeping the upper hand and avoiding a loss.
“We need to be ready to play each conference game,” said head coach Brian Atkinson. “All teams are talented and aggressive. The team that comes to play, will have the edge.”
The first quarter in the game against Monticello started with the Magic one step ahead of the Cards. The score was 14-13. Then in the second quarter, the local team shut their opponents out and made 22 points to Monticello’s eight.
It was a pattern that they stuck to for the entire game to drain the win from the Magic. The third and fourth quarters brought nine and 11 points to Annandale and three and six to the Monticello Magic.
“Everyone saw action and helped contribute to the win,” Atkinson said. Annandale shot 30 free throws and went 15-for-30.
Following Barrett, Joelle Purcell made 10 points and three assists. The two players each made a three-pointer.
Jenna Maki put in 10 baskets and six rebounds; Alison Zylstra scored five points and four rebounds; and Angie Grassman and Kelly Stueven each made a three-pointer. For Tracy Rathje, it was three points and three assists. For Tara Johnson, it was one point.
“Our bench has really given us some good minutes,” Atkinson said. “Carrie Larson, Michelle Walberg, Rachelle Piram and Tara Johnson have given the team some spark on the boards and defense. They are smart girls and they know what needs to be done.”
And together the entire team works on just that – playing basketball. It’s exactly what needs to be done.
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