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Thanks to an impressive performance by the Mineral Point girls basketball team the three way tie at the top of the SWAL is no more.
Now it is just two--the Pointers and Cuba City--after Mineral Point dropped Darlington 61-47 Thursday.
The game had a little bit of everything including a classic battle of the bigs. Allison Thompson, a 6-4 junior for the Redbirds came off the bench to take away the area near the basket with a half dozen blocks and a pair of putbacks.
But Pointer post Nicole Johnson, a 6-0 senior, was not budging an inch and led her time with 17 points while battling her way to a dozen rebounds.
McKenna Reichling also turned in a key performance and wanted the ball in her hands when the Redbirds had to foul. She finished with 12 points and was eight of 10 from the line, seven of eight down the stretch.
Reichling also grabbed seven rebounds and dished off five assists.
One of the game's biggest shots came with eight minutes left when Ella Chambers drilled a three pointers to push the score to 43-38.
The game started with 10 unanswered points by the Pointers but the Redbirds came back with a 13-2 run and took a 16-15 lead. The Pointers regrouped to lead 28-22 at the half.
Two quick baskets by Johnson got the Pointers untracked to open the second half and they built on the lead from there.
"Great team win tonight against a very good Darlington team," coach Matt Austin said after the game. "I thought the girls did a great job of getting out to a fast start and responding to the runs that Darlington put together."
"Our post play was key to this win as we looked to attack their post players and put pressure on them to play at our pace and style," added Austin.
Kathleen Mathias led Darlington with 13 points and Kaylee Meyers added 11.
SCORE BY HALVES
MP 28 33 61
D 22 25 47
BOX SCORE
MINERAL POINT 61: (fg-ft-tp)
Johnson 8-1-17, K. Lindsey 1-0-2, M. Lindsey 2-2-8, Mara Aschliman 2-1-6, Macy Aschliman 2-0-4, Chambers 1-0-3, James 1-4-6, Lawinger 0-0-0, Springer 0-0-0, Reichling 2-8-12, Kinch 0-0-0, Schmitz 0-1-1, Schubert 0-0-0. Totals 19-17/28-61 Fouls-15
DARLINGTON 47: Br. McDonald 4-0-8, Be. McDonald 1-0-2, Schwartz 0-0-0, Thompson 2-0-4, M. Gould 2-0-5, Glendenning 0-0-0, Mathias 4-5-13, R. Crist 1-0-2, M. Crist 1-0-2, A. Gould 0-0-0, Meyers 4-3-11. Totals 19-8/15-47 Fouls-23 Fouled out-Br. McDonald
3 point goals:
MP-K. Lindsey 2, Chambers 1, Mara Aschliman 1
D-M. Gould 1