Albany girls to
defend state title
Huskies
2022
PHOTOS BY MIKE KOSIK
Student manager Jazmin Hernandez (front, from left), Madi Herkenhoff, Marissa Voigt, Joran Carlson, Danica Findley, Bailey Keske, Alexis Zierden and student manager Ellie Birr; (middle, from left) Maggie Seiler, Lauren Nett, Aliya Imdieke, Sophia Schiffler, Tatum Findley, Callie Holthaus, Savanna Pelzer and Eva Schwenzfeier; and (back, from left) head coach Aaron Boyum, assistant coach Todd Kuhn, Carmen Eiynck, Kylan Gerads, Alyssa Sand, Samantha VanHeel and assistant coach Paige Callahan – display their Section 6AA trophy following their win March 11 at St. John’s University in Collegeville.
Everything that could go rightt did id in Section 6AA win BY MIKE KOSIK STAFF WRITER
Just about everything that could go right did for the Albany Huskies girls basketball in winning the Section 6AA championship March 12, as they defeated the Sauk Centre Mainstreeters 58-25 at St. John’s University in Collegeville. They now go on to defend their Class AA title at the state tournament this week. Albany took an 8-0 lead and built a 35-8 first-half advantage and then continued their dominance in the second half. “We really prepared for this game,” said Bailey Keske, starting senior guard. “Our offense was flowing; our teamwork was there tonight. Everything was going in for us.” In the first half, it seemed Albany could do no wrong. The Huskies opened with back-toback scores by senior center
The newspaper of today is the history of tomorrow.
Madi Herkenhoff. Senior or guard Joran Carlson andd Keske followed with two points each, and Albany was up 8-0. Sauk Centre hit a 3-pointer, but the Huskies rattled off the next 14 points to go up 22-3 with 7 minutes and 28 seconds left in the half as Alyssa Sand, Keske and Herkenhoff put up points. Albany’s scoring opportunities came off of defensive rebounds, turnovers and steals. A three by the Mainstreeters made it 22-6 att 6:55, but Albany closed out the he first half on a 13-2 run. That runn was capped by Savanna Pelzer’s ze zer’s field goal at the buzzer followlowing her defensive rebound. Albany took a 35-8 lead ad at the break. “I think it got us fired up,” said Kylan Gerads, sophomore more forward, about the big lead. “We all had a bunch of energy and just came out, and I think everyverybody played well.” The Mainstreeters were held to just 18.8% on field-goal shooting, while Albany shot 51.7% in the first half. They also held a big edge on turnovers, with Sauk Centre committing 15 and Albany just four.
Albany continued n its pace in th the second half, going up 3939-8 for a 31-point margin. The point spread never dropped below 26 and was as high as 36 (56-20) at 2:31. “I most definitely think this was our best defensive game of the year,” Carlson said. With Sauk Centre’s ability
The Albany Huskies girls basketball team converges at midcourt for a postgame celebration March 11 at St. John’s University in Collegeville. For the second straight season, the Huskies are the Section 6AA champions.
to score inside and outside, the And it worked, with Huskies had a gameplan to attack Herkenhoff noting three the Mainstreeters’ strengths. Mainstreeter starters had zero “We knew coming in we points in the first half. were going to have to play Albany coach Aaron defense, and we were going to have to guard the base,” 6AA win page 2B Herkenhoff said.