Girls Basketball: Lakers Drop a Tough Road Game Against Alexandria

Detroit Lakes , MN (KDLM)-

The Alexandria Cardinals are ranked in the top five in Class AAA girls’ basketball rankings, and they once again had the Lakers number on Thursday night, defeating the Lakers 62-31 for their 12th win of the season.

Detroit Lakes played strong defense in the early stages of the game and led 9-8. Alexandria converted a three-pointer by Hadley Thul and cashed in on a steal-and-score to give themselves a five-point lead. The Cardinals never trailed again. Thul went on to finish the game with 27 points. Alex’s Lauren Beyer and Kate Hennessy also finished the game in double figures as the Cardinals moved to 12-2 overall and remained undefeated against section opponents this season as they moved to 5-0 in section games.

One area the Lakers outshined the Cardinals in was free throws. The Lakers made 14 of 17 free throws. The Cardinals were 5 of 12 at the stripe. Laker Ella Okeson, who had been battling illness, scored a team-high 12 points and converted on six of her seven free throws. Elle Bettcher and Helena Daggett were also perfect at the line for the Lakers. DL’s Karlee Mace left the game late with a hand injury and did not return. Coach Josh Bettcher was unsure of her status after the game.

The Lakers will have another test on Saturday when the Brainerd Warriors come to town. Brainerd is a 4-A school and is 8-3 on the season. The Laker’s schedule will lighten up the rest of the way as they get into Midstate Conference games. Of the 13 games remaining on the schedule, the Lakers play eight Midstate games.

The loss drops DL’s record to 6-7 overall, and they are now 3-4 in section games.