A couple of late three-pointers and a steal turning into two points was enough for the Staples-Motley Cardinals as they downed the visiting Detroit Lakes girls' basketball team Tuesday by the score of 69-60.
The Lakers (3-11) played the Cardinals (10-3) tough throughout the game as the two squads dueled to a tie with seven minutes remaining in the game.
But the two treys and steal resulting in a field goal, separated the two Mid-State Conference teams in favor of Staples-Motley.
"The girls played very hard against a very talented Staples-Motley team," said DL head coach Mike Hoganson.
The Laker's inside game kept them close, as sophomore forward Courtney Gray poured in 18 points, including a 6-8 night from the free throw line.
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"We were able to pound the ball inside to Gray, with our outside shooting coming from Kayli Muckenhirn and Courtney Hedstrom."
Muckenhirn was on line from beyond the three-point line with four long shots, while Hedstrom tallied 11 points, including a trio of three-pointers.
Forward Jen Matter added seven points, all coming in the second half.
But the Cardinals also employed a good inside-out game offensively, as Nikki Pearson had 17 points -- going 8-12 from the charity stripe -- and Caitlin Robinson netted five threes for her 20 points.
Abby Smith contributed 12 points and Mikayla Wing 10.
The Lakers traveled to Class 3A's No. 6 ranked team Alexandria (10-3) Saturday and will host Moorhead (5-8) Tuesday at 7:30 p.m.
