DL Girls Basketball - DL falls in overtime

There are lessons learned in a loss, especially for a team which is young and learning.

But it still doesn't make it any easier to swallow.

The Detroit Lakes girls' basketball team stormed out of the gates in their season and home opener Tuesday, building a commanding 24-9 first half lead, only to see it slip away for a 52-51 overtime loss to visiting Crosby-Ironton.

The Rangers found a hot touch shooting the ball in the second half, while adjusting their defense to a 1-3-1, which gave the Lakers fits all the way through to overtime.

"We're a young team and the youth showed through in the second half," said DL head coach Mike Hoganson. "If you learn from the mistakes and we can get better from them, then it's a positive.

"But it's still a bitter pill to swallow."

Senior guard Karli Kerzman, who is back to full strength after battling knee problems last year, keyed a first half explosion, which helped build a 31-15 halftime advantage.

Kerzman drained five three pointers en route to her team-high 17 points.

Her perimeter accuracy aided in loosening up the middle for the Lakers, where the guards went inside to their posts to control the paint and the scoreboard.

But the Rangers started chipping away at their deficit right from the start of the second half.

The Lakers were able to start well in the second half, as well, with a put-back by junior center Brooke Olson and a trey by sophomore guard Kyley Foster to put DL up 35-22.

But from there on out, the Rangers were able to control the boards and hit their perimeter shots, led by senior guard Chelsey Bonsante, who finished with a team-high 17 points and a trio of three's in the second half.

C-I also switched to a 1-3-1 defense to take away the high-percentage inside shots, which slowed DL down.

"We handled their defense OK in the second half, but it took us out of our inside game and we were forced to the perimeter," Hoganson said. "They ended up dictating the tempo of the game."

The Rangers cut the deficit down to single digits with a jumper by senior guard Bailey Swenson.

A three-pointer by Kerzman lifted DL back to a 41-34 lead, but the Rangers were relentless in the field and at the free throw line.

A three by Bonsante at the 2:53 mark pulled C-I to within one at 41-40, with two free throws by Meredith Silgen giving the Rangers their first lead since the opening seconds of the game at 42-41.

A huge drive by DL sophomore point guard Kyley Foster, which turned into a three-point play with the foul, gave the Lakers a 44-42 advantage.

A baseline jumper by Abby Gindorff then tied the game at 44-44, with Kerzman's shot at the buzzer not finding its mark to force overtime.

The Rangers jumped out on top 48-45 in overtime, and they closed it out on the free throw line by going 8-8 in the extra period.

"Bonsante showed she is a very good shooter and a senior with lots of experience," Hoganson said of the C-I guard. "They looked like the veteran team in the second half."

Foster finished with 15 points, while Silgen had 14 for C-I and Shannon Lundgren 10.

The Lakers will look to rebound at home against a tough Section 8-3A opponent in Thief River Falls Thursday, starting at 7:30 p.m.

DL will also host Alexandria Friday, starting at 7:30 p.m.

Laker results

Crosby-Ironton at Detroit Lakes, Tuesday, Nov. 27.

Rangers 15 29 8 - 52

Lakers 31 13 7 - 51

Scoring (2-3-ftm-fta-pts) -- DL: Kayley Foster 5-1-2-5-15; Megan Lindquist 2-0-0-0-4; Shay Nielsen 3-0-2-4-8; Karli Kerzman 0-5-2-2-17; Brooke Olson 2-0-0-0-4. TOTALS: 12-7-6-11-51.

CI: Lauren Peterson 1-0-3-4-5; Chelsey Bonsante 3-3-2-3-17; Bailey Swensen 1-1-0-0-5; Meredith Silgen 3-2-2-2-14; Shannon Lundgren 2-0-6-8-10; Abby Gindorff 2-0-1-3-5. TOTALS: 12-6-14-18-52.