Girls Basketball: Red Wing wins tip-off tourney against Goodhue

Red Wing turned the ball over 12 times in the first half Saturday against Goodhue in the championship game of the Red Wing High School Tip-Off Tournament.

The Wingers had similar troubles in a win Friday night against Waseca but again Red Wing took control of the game in the second half on the way to a 57-49 victory. Tesha Buck helped the Wingers gain momentum heading into halftime with a drive baseline and layup that fell through as the buzzer sounded.

“Last year, we gave up those big plays at the end of the half,” Red Wing Dave Muelken said. “Last year, (Buck) would have shot a fade away 3. When you go to the rim, great things happen.”

Buck, a senior, finished with a game-high 24 points and she also had five rebounds, three assists and six steals. Her athletic ability kept Goodhue from employing its full-court pressure and she helped the Wingers get behind the Wildcats’ defense with long outlet passes.

“We felt we couldn’t press them,” Goodhue head coach Josh Wieme said. “(Buck’s) court vision is very good. Our goal was to make her work really hard for every shot she got. I thought we did a really good job. You just don’t get a play off.”

Fellow Red Wing senior Macy Kelly scored 15 points, grabbed six rebounds and delivered three assists. McKenzie Muelken scored 10 points and Kara Norvet finished with two points and seven rebounds.

Mikayla Miller led Goodhue with 17 points, 10 of 13 from the free-throw line, and pulled down a game-high 17 rebounds. Mikayla Tipcke tallied nine points, six rebounds and four steals for the Wildcats while Meridith Watson added eight points and nine rebounds. Emilee Roschen scored eight points in the loss.

“Josh just does a great job,” Dave Muelken said. “They’re tough kids and they’ve very good athletes. They’re not intimidated.”

And it showed early during Saturday’s game.

Goodhue led much of the first half but Kelly gave Red Wing the lead with 2 minutes, 17 seconds left in the first half and added a 3-point play with 27 seconds remaining to go up 27-23 before Buck’s buzzer beater.

Coming out of halftime, Kelly got three fouls right away and the teams traded baskets. Red Wing maintained the lead when Kelly picked up her fourth foul with 11:30 remaining in the game and the Wingers up by five points.

Momentum had shifted toward Goodhue as Shelby Hinsch pulled the Wildcats within three points at 40-37 with 10:40 remaining in the second half but a 3-pointer by Buck followed by an assist from Buck to Muelken put the Wingers back ahead 45-37. Goodhue was never closer than five points the rest of the way.

“Late-game situations we should be fine,” Dave Muelken said of having Buck and Kelly. “They’ve been there, this isn’t new to them.”

Another 3-pointer by Buck gave Red Wing a 50-40 lead and the Wildcats missed free-throw attempts down the stretch to seal a Wingers’ victory. Goodhue was 15 of 23 from the free-throw line.

“That’s not very good for us,” Wieme said. “Nothing was falling; we needed something.”

The Wildcats shot just 14-for-50 from the field and committed 13 turnovers while Red Wing had 17 turnovers.

“We’re just not going to be able to do that,” Red Wing head coach Dave Muelken said of the turnovers. “We’re going to have to be more efficient.”

The Wingers next chance will be against Winona Tuesday on the road and Goodhue travels to Hayfield.

Tags: girls basketball, red wing, sports, prep, goodhue