“Willow Thiel battled foul trouble all game, sitting for extended stretches of the first half,” noted Perham Head Coach TJ Super.  “Where we had very good defense in the first half, they broke us down in the post and off the dribble in the second half.  Our backside rotations were slow to help and rebound, and we got beat on the boards pretty badly.  Their size really made things difficult for us all game on both ends of the court.  All that being said, it was a good effort.  The last 8 minutes were back and forth and it came down to single possessions and free throws down the stretch.  Hopefully this loss will help us moving forward. The girls competed all game against one of the top teams in the state.”

Thiel led Perham with 21 points, 4 rebounds and 6 assists, and Olivia Pilgrim added 12 points on four 3’s.

Jenna Gapiusk-Vost scored 27 points to lead Sauk Centre.

Perham (7-1) will host Crookston on Tuesday, January 3.