Revenge is in the sights of Ada-Borup, but it has one more test to pass before having any opportunity of getting payback.
With Saturday's 51-34 win over Waubun at Concordia's Memorial Auditorium in Moorhead, the Cougars moved one step closer to meeting with section rival Parkers Prairie again, but it first must beat New York Mills in Tuesday's Minnesota section 6, class 1A north half championship game.
And if it wants a sure opportunity to avenge one of the three record marring loses Parkers Prairie gave it, eighth-ranked Ada-Borup (24-3) needs a refreshed game, especially in regards to its shooting.
The Cougars made only 3 of 19 3-point attempts, and many other tries within its front court either came up short or rimmed out, and its inability to score allowed Waubun (10-15) to remain within 10 points for much of the game.
"In the playoffs you just have to win, it doesn't matter by how much or how pretty it is," Ada-Borup coach Chris Kujava said. "Our girls are better shooters than what they showed tonight, and I think we just need to shoot with more confidence and be able to hit a couple to keep positive."
However, when its own shooting struggled, Ada-Borup didn't allow Waubun to have any success offensively.
The Cougars are known for its defense and the ability it has to completely win a game by shutting down its opponents offense, and it did just that to the Bombers.
Ada-Borup pressured Waubun ball handlers into 21 turnovers, and 11 tallies were marked due to steals by the Cougars' peskier defenders like Monica Vega and Shaina Stevenson. And everyone knows what follows after Ada-Borup robs ball handlers multiple times in a game.
Transition scores. And with transition opportunities come high-percentage shots. Shots Ada-Borup could make when everything else failed to fall.
With 4 minutes and 37 seconds remaining, Ada-Borup used the steals to jump on an 11-2 run to push Waubun out of contention, 48-29, and it pushed itself even closer to revenge on Parkers Prairie.
"When the shots don't fall, you just have to play harder, and we showed that with great defense in the second half," Kujava said. "Combine our best defense with a good shooting night, and we can turn into one of the hardest teams to beat. We just need to become that team as the tournament progresses."
Comments