Cardinals learn how to come back after slow starts

The Staples-Motley girls basketball team was unable to come back after a slow start against Fergus Falls on Jan. 3, losing 50-45. They had another slow start Jan. 5 but turned it around to beat Long Prairie-Grey Eagle 48-36.

Against Fergus Falls, the Cardinals fell behind early after their defense allowed open three pointers.

“We did not come ready to play for our 1st game in 2017,” said Coach Craig Wolhowe. “We were not mentally or physically sharp.”

The deficit continued most of the game, and Staples Motley was down 41-25 with seven minutes left in the game. At that point they went on a 20-9 run to finish the game and had a couple of shots at the end that would have made it a one possession game.

“I keep telling the kids we are a good team when we play hard,” said Wolhowe, “we need to play hard the whole game.”

Kelsie Weite had 20 points and 12 rebounds.

Against Long Prairie, the Cardinals had another slow start when they struggled against a matchup zone. The team started clicking in the second half. “We started attacking them and it created good things,” said Wolhowe. 

Team results

Staples-Motley 45, Fergus Falls 50

Scoring: Kelsie Weite 20, Claire Wolhowe 17, Amber Robben 8

Staples-Motley 48, Long Prairie-Grey Eagle 36

Scoring: Wolhowe 20, Weite 13, Robben 5, Ashley Smith 3, Kaitlyn Longworth 3, Chelsea Nanik 2, Sam Schimpp 2