Barnesville came out strong, taking a 7-0 lead to open the game. The first twelve minutes saw a tight knit ball game with the Vikings having a 16-15 lead. The last six minutes of the first half Pelican Rapids went on a 13-3 run to take a 29-18 halftime lead. They opened the second half with a 7-1 run to open up a 36-19 advantage. The Trojans struggled with their shooting, making only 4-of-18 field goal attempts in the second half, including 1-of-11 from three-point range, and also had 14 second half turnovers. 

“Against really good teams you can’t dig yourself a hole by shooting poorly and turning the ball over,” said Barnesville Head Coach Ryan Bomstad. “We had really good energy to start the game, but when they turned up their intensity we did not match it. They are an extremely talented and experienced team. They have some players that have been playing varsity basketball for 3 or 4 years now and that makes a huge difference. Our team is growing every day. Our battle each day is to get that consistency. We have flashes of greatness. It is a process. The game is predicated on making shots. When the ball does not go in the basket it can be draining and you get less confident. When shots are falling you feel you can beat anyone and your confidence level is sky high. When you shot 27% it is hard to win a game, especially in the Heart O’ Lakes Conference. Some of that has to do with the opponent and their defense, but I am sure I will see some problems with shot selection too.” 

Leaders for Barnesville were Claire Meyer (7 points), Elora Passa (5 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists), Lexi Bolgreen (5 points, 3 rebounds, 1 steal), Lauren Halverson (4 points, 2 rebounds, 1 steal, 1 block) and Samantha Passa (3 assists, 3 rebounds). The Trojans made just 12-of-44 (27%) shots on the night. 

Adriana Torres had a big night for the lady Vikings, scoring 19 points, dishing out 4 assists, gathering 7 rebounds and coming up with 4 steals. Greta Tollefsoncontributed a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds. Anna Stephenson (8 points, 5 rebounds), Maddie Guler (6 points, 4 assists, 4 steals) and Kaylie Isaman (4 assists, 5 rebounds) also played key roles in the victory. The Vikings shot 42% (23-54) from the field and held a 34-26 advantage on the boards.

Pelican Rapids will play Crookston at 6:45pm Saturday at the Fargo Civic Center. They also have a rematch with the Hawley Nuggets on Tuesday night in Hawley. The Nuggets are the only team to have beaten the Vikings this season.

Barnesville will play Roseau at the Fargo Civic Center on Saturday afternoon.