cowgirls beat perham to snap losing skid with playoff win

3/18/2021

Breckenridge begins road journey with win at the hive

Photos by Carol Colby • Breckenridge Sports and School Photos

• By Robert Wanek Jr.

The no. 6 seeded Breckenridge Cowgirls basketball team snapped its three-game losing streak on Wednesday, avenging one of those losses to no. 3 seeded Perham in the opening game of Section 8AA playoffs. Breckenridge never trailed, fighting off multiple Yellowjacket rallies for a 55-43 road victory.

Carcie Materi continued her late-season offensive renaissance, leading all scorers with nine first-half points. She fired up her team with an and-one layup and a deep three, lifting the Cowgirls to a 26-18 lead at the break. Materi finished tied with Jude Held in scoring with 15 points, leading the way with a trio of three-point makes.

The seventh grade duo of Parker Yaggie and Johnica Bernotas was tossed into the fire and played heavy minutes. Yaggie responded with eight points, including two key free throws with under two minutes left that put Breckenridge up 46-42. After that, she leaked out as Perham attempted to foul, and found Materi on a drop pass at the block which she converted for a three-point play that sealed the deal.

Breckenridge made 14-of-19 free throws in the game, led by the calm demeanor of senior point guard Jude Held. She was 6-of-8 from the stripe, handled the ball carefully, and finished with a well-rounded stat line of 15 points, six rebounds, and six assists.

With four minutes to go, things got shaky for the Cowgirls after they threw the ball out of bounds on consecutive possessions. Sydney Anderson buried from deep twice and Willow Thiel pounded her way inside for four points, cutting the Cowgirl lead to 40-38. Materi stepped up with a silencer, draining her third and final three to give Breckenridge a five-point cushion.

Grace Conzemius led the inside effort with 11 rebounds and Camryn Kaehler chipped in four. Kaehler scored the game’s first few points, giving Perham something to think about on the interior and opening up outside shots for her teammates.

Defensive stalwart Ana Erickson led Breckenridge with four steals, spearheading the Cowgirl pressure in press situations and stopping dribble drives with her quickness.

Breckenridge moves on to quarterfinal action Friday night at Hawley with tipoff set for 7:00 p.m. The Cowgirls split the regular season slate with the Nuggets, with both teams winning one game by an identical score of 57-39 on their home courts.

Your @BreckSportsTalk Player of the Game is Jude Held. The senior point guard was a calming and consistent presence in Breckenridge's 55-43 win at Perham.

1⃣5⃣ PTS | 6⃣ | AST | 5⃣ REB

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— Breck Sports Talk (@BreckSportsTalk) March 18, 2021

Congrats to the Cowgirls! No easy task going to “The Hive” & knocking off a solid Perham Team!#MarchMadness https://t.co/CLzKZNW6eE
— Arly Ohm (@arlyohm) March 18, 2021