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Lakeville North dominates Apple Valley in second half

By Ben Farber, SportsEngine, 02/07/17, 7:00AM CST

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The Panthers outscored the Eagles 44-17 in the second half, securing their 13th straight win.


Lakeville North's Temi Carda (4) puts up a hand against Apple Valley in the first half Tuesday in the Panthers' 79-51 victory. Photo by John Molene


Apple Valley's Megan Baer (25) tries to get past Lakeville North defender Analiese Tschida (20) in a first half drive. Photo by John Molene, SportsEngine



Lakeville North outscored Apple Valley 44-17 in the second half en route to a 79-51 victory on Tuesday night in Lakeville.

The two clubs entered play with identical records, both overall and in-conference. With the win, Lakeville North (19-2, 12-1) surpasses Apple Valley (18-3, 11-2) and snatches sole possession of first place in the South Suburban Conference.

Senior guard Temi Carda led the way for the Panthers, scoring a game-high 18 points. She was helped by junior forward Taylor Brown (15 points, 12 rebounds) and senior guard Caitlyn Peterson (15 points) in securing the win.

“[At halftime,] I think we got the mindset where ‘this is it for the South Suburban championship.’ We kicked it up a notch. Once we started going we didn’t stop. We kept the energy up and kept going,” said Peterson.

“I think the team shared the ball pretty well and we got some good looks inside-out. We started hitting a lot of shots [after halftime].”

Surprisingly, Apple Valley, ranked No. 3 in Class 4A by Minnesota Basketball News, led for nearly the entire first half. Although neither team was able to pull away, the Eagles were extremely competitive during the opening period, trailing 35-34 at halftime.

That’s when the Apple Valley offense ground to a halt. Junior forward Brynne Rolland, who led Apple Valley with 10 points, netted eight of them in the first half. Senior guard Emily Baxter also scored eight of her nine points in the game’s first 18 minutes.

In the second half, Lakeville North’s defense set the tone for their success.

“Apple Valley likes to speed it up. We had to slow it down,” said junior guard Kari Macura.

No. 4-4A Apple Valley head coach Jeremy Gordon was more candid about his team’s effort.

“They played better than we did,” he said. “They flat-out outplayed us.”

Rolland agreed with her coach's assessment.

“We just could not make any shots,” added Rolland. “When they kept setting screens and getting open—on defense, we just weren’t there. We weren’t getting back on defense. Hopefully this loss will help us bounce back against some tough teams in sectionals.”

The defeat snapped a seven-game winning streak for the Eagles. Lakeville North, meanwhile, has not lost a game since the first time they matched up with Apple Valley, back on Dec. 20. The Panthers’ winning streak is now at 13 games.

For Lakeville North’s seniors, the game was the culmination of a rivalry that had been building for years. Located just eight miles apart, Tuesday’s contest was no ordinary competition. It was a battle for turf.

“It feels so good to finally win,” said Peterson. “Definitely going to be something I remember for the rest of my life. Especially coming off the loss, we knew we needed this and we’ve had an unbelievable season. For us, it’s been all good.”

Both teams return to action on Friday night. Apple Valley will host Rosemount. Lakeville North will travel to Prior Lake. 

First Report

Lakeville North (19-2, 12-1) held their home court, routing Apple Valley (18-3, 11-2) 79-51 on Tuesday night in Lakeville.

It was a massive victory for Lakeville, ranked No. 4 in Class 4A by Minnesota Basketball News, who came into play tied with Apple Valley atop the South Suburban Conference.

Leading by just one point at halftime, the Panthers won the second half by an astounding 44-17 margin.

Senior guard Temi Carda led the way for Lakeville, scoring 13 of her game-high 18 points in the first half. Senior guard Caitlyn Peterson and junior forward Taylor Brown chipped in 15 points apiece. Freshman guard Lauren Jensen sunk three three-pointers off the bench en route to 13 points.

Brown also added 12 rebounds for the Panthers.

Apple Valley was led by junior forward Brynne Rolland (10 points) and senior guard Erin Baxter (9 points). Freshman forward Mykel Parham grabbed 9 board in reserve for the No. 3-4A Eagles.

It was Apple Valley’s first loss in eight contests. Lakeville North is undefeated since Dec. 20, when they fell to the Eagles in Apple Valley. Lakeville is currently riding a 13-game winning streak. 

Photo Gallery


Lakeville North guard Caitlyn Peterson (23) looks for an opening in the Apple Valley defense. Photo by John Molene, SportsEngine

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