Lakers’ defense grounds Flyers in first game of the season

DETROIT LAKES – The Lakers girls basketball team started the season on the right foot with a defensive masterclass win against Little Falls on Friday night.

Detroit Lakes never trailed throughout their 38-26 victory. Helena Daggett led the Lakers with a team-high 12 points and Ella Okeson chipped in 10. Lakers head coach Rachel Johnson complimented her team’s effort on an outstanding defensive display.

“It’s always nice to have the first game result in a win,” she said. “A lot of teams don’t really expect to see a defense like that out of the gate. To see them fill their roles and get the job done was really nice to see.”

Detroit Lakes was led by its guard play. Daggett, Okeson, and Karlee Mace handled the Flyers’ ball pressure and played exceptional defense.

“We came together with many new faces,” Daggett said. “I think as the game went on we came out stronger in the second half. We worked harder and figured out the plays and started knocking down more shots and it came together.”

“Helena and Ella were great tonight,” Johnson said. “They thrive in their positions and they love to get steals and turn them into easy layups. As senior leaders, they are vocal and help us a lot. It was great to see them have a great first night.”

The Lakers jumped out to a 6-2 lead with around 12 minutes remaining in the first half. Early in the game, Daggett and Okeson came up with multiple steals at the top of the Lakers’ zone defense.

Detroit Lakes allowed 14 first-half points, leading 18-14 at the break. Okeson led the Lakers at half with six points.

“Our girls love playing defense and they get after it,” Johnson said. “They really like the anticipatory takes and liberties that they get. They do an excellent job executing it and getting steals that led to points for us tonight.”

The Lakers’ defense picked up right where they left off in the second half. They allowed two points halfway through the second half to lead 24-16. Detroit Lakes stayed consistent through the rest of the game. Little Falls attempted a late push with back-to-back baskets to trail 33-26 with 1:20 left but the Lakers held strong to come away with the win.

“When you look at the scoreboard and it says 26 points, that’s always a good thing,” Daggett said. “If you can do that in any game then you are sitting good. We work really hard in practice on our defense. Getting steals and being able to click together tonight was huge for us.”

With the start of the new season, it was vital to get off to a strong start and build momentum going into a long season.

“It’s really important to start out hot,” Johnson said. “Our makeup this year is a little different than what we have been used to so for different girls to start getting used to playing with each other. We’ve got quite a gap between our experienced players and inexperienced players, so for them to start bridging that gap is really fun and exciting to watch.”

“It brings a lot of motivation for us,” Daggett said. “It’ll carry over to practice for sure. Getting the first win builds some confidence for the entire team.”

DETROIT LAKES 38 LITTLE FALLS 26

DL – 18 20 – 36

LF – 14 12 – 26

DETROIT LAKES SCORING – Helena Daggett 12; Jaycie Sliper 3; Ella Okeson 10; Kyleigh Okeson 2; Karlee Mace 2; Brooklyn Markuson 3; Elle Bettcher 4; Jadyn Wimmer 2

LITTLE FALLS SCORING – Janea Saldana 4; Sophia Sinclair 3; Claire VanRisseghem 4; Leah LeBlanc 3; Malin Youngberg 10; Madisyn Whitford 2

Cooper Kanthak is a sports reporter for the Detroit Lakes Tribune, Perham Focus and Wadena Pioneer Journal. Cooper graduated from South Dakota State University with a degree in journalism and minored in digital and social media. He is originally from Pipestone, Minnesota, and has a passion for all things sports. You can reach Cooper at ckanthak@forumcomm.com.