Elks girls basketball earns Valentine’s Day win

by Erik Jacobson

Contributing Writer

The Elk River girls basketball team used a suffocating defense to improve their record to 13-9 with a 60-34 win over Armstrong (6-17) on Wednesday, Feb. 14, in Elk River.

In the early going, both teams struggled offensively against the other team’s defense and the Falcons held a 17-14 lead with five minutes left in the first half. When Elk River senior Rya Kangas hit a 3-pointer to tie the game, it would start a 13-0 run for the Elks, giving them a 27-17 lead with 1:53 remaining. Armstrong would hit a pair of free throws to make the score 27-19 at the break.

The second half saw the Elks slowly start to distance themselves from the Falcons, as their full-court pressure started creating turnovers and their half-court defense was in lockdown mode. The Elks had stretched their lead to 42-28 when they would go on a 9-0 run to make the score 51-28 with 8:13 remaining. They would cruise the rest of the way for the 60-34 victory. Elk River gave up a paltry three field goals in the second half.

The Elks had a balanced scoring attack with senior Britta Demar leading the way with 13 points, sophomore Joanna Talso with 12, and junior Lilly Osterman had 11.

What’s next

The Elks will play their third game in four days when they host Brainerd (18-4) on Saturday, Feb. 17, at 1 p.m. at Elk River High School.