Royalton defeats St. Cloud in first round of sections, fall to Holdingford in round two

Kylie Waytashek scored 18 points, hitting 6-of-11 field goals. She scored three twos, three threes and three free throws. Waytashek also tallied two rebounds, a block and a steal.

The Royals moved on to face Holdingford in the next round, Saturday, March 4, but unfortunately, fell 49-27.

It was an ugly game for the Royals, as only four players made an impact on the scoreboard.

Waytashek finished as the Royals’ leading scorer, with 15. She shot 6-for-18 on field goals, shooting 3-for-9 on both twos and threes. Yourczek recorded eight points, scoring on two twos a three and a free throw. Mya Wolbeck scored on just one shot, a 3-pointer and Callie Novak scored a point on a free throw.

Outside of scoring, Waytashek recorded three rebounds and three blocks. Yourczek led the team in rebounds, with five, and Wolbeck led the team in assists, with two.

Royalton ends its season with a 10-17 record.

Pierz Pioneers

The Pierz Pioneers took on Pillager in the first round of the Section 7AA playoffs, Thursday, March 2. The Pioneers pulled off the win, holding the Huskies to 15 points in the first half and 18 points in the second to win 49-33.

Ashley Kimman and Britney Schommer both tallied 14 points. Kimman finished 6-of-13, scoring five baskets from the 2-point range and one from the 3-point range. She added one more point from the free throw line as well.

Schommer scored on 4-of-9 shots from inside the arc and 2-of-6 shots from beyond.

Lyndsey Strohmeier recorded 11 points, hitting 3-of-8 threes and 1-of-2 twos.

The Pioneers moved on to the next round of the playoffs, facing Pequot, Saturday, March 4. Unfortunately, against the Patriots, the Pioneers’ season came to an end. They fell 57-22, only managing six points in the second half.

Lily Riley led the team with eight points. Riley finished with a two and two threes, shooting 3-for-9 on the day.

Kimman recorded just four points, shooting 2-of-6 from the 2-point range.

The Pioneers’ season ends with a 12-14 record.

Little Falls Flyers

Little Falls saw an early playoff exit after facing Sauk Rapids-Rice in the first round of the Section 8AAA playoffs, Thursday, March 2.

The Flyers started slow, only mustering 12 points in the first half, and were unable to recover, losing 54-37.

Leah LeBlanc had one of her best games of the season, scoring 11 points on 3-of-7 field goals. She was 2-for-3 on twos and scored on 4-of-5 of her free throws. LeBlanc also came down with five rebounds, two deflections and a steal, and led the team with three assists.

Claire VanRisseghem finished with eight points, scoring on 3-of-7 field goals, all from within the 3-point line. She added two more points from the free throw line and led the team with 14 rebounds, four deflections and three blocks.

The Flyers finish their season with a final record of 9-19.

Upsala Cardinals

After taking down Swanville, 75-71 at home, Thursday, March 2, the Upsala Cardinals took on the 21-7 Braham Bombers, Saturday, March 4. The Cardinals upset the Bombers 57-51 to move on to the next round of the Section 5A playoffs.

Madalin Koetter and Brenna Graves led the Cardinals with 13 points each. Koetter finished 3-for-5 on total shots, making all of her shots from the 3-point line. She added four more points on free throws and recorded five total rebounds.

Graves shot 3-for-7, making 3-of-6 from the 2-point range and added seven points from the free throw line. Graves led the team in rebounds, coming away with 10, and recorded two steals.

Sammy Pilarski finished with 10 points, scoring on three baskets, twice from inside the arc and once from the 3-point range. Pilarski added three more points on free throws and tallied four rebounds, a steal and an assist.

The Cardinals moved on to face Barnum in the Section 5A East Championship game, in Hinckley, Tuesday, March 7.

Unfortunately, the Cardinals’ playoff run ended as they suffered a narrow 44-42 loss.

Dakota Soltis led the team with 11 points, Pilarski finished with nine points and Graves scored six points.

After a strong run, the Cardinals ended with an overall record of 15-12.