Brandon-Evansville girls' basketball: Strese sets scoring record

• Strese

Eric Morken, Echo Press Senior Heather Strese went up for a layup in a game against Ashby earlier this season.

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Brandon-Evansville’s Heather Strese set the new career scoring mark for the Chargers while leading her team to a 58-45 win over Hillcrest Lutheran Academy last Thursday night.

Strese came into the game needing 24 points to match her sister Megan’s, career total of 1,864 points. Strese eclipsed that by scoring 28 along with grabbing 10 rebounds with Megan among the fans watching in the stands.

“She’s had quite a year,” head coach Dick Simpson said of Heather.

The Chargers needed those 28 points to hold off a hungry Hillcrest team down the stretch. Brandon-Evansville led 31-18 at the half before the Comets cut it to three at 43-40. The Chargers responded from there, going on a 15-5 run to close the game and move to 15-5 overall and 8-3 in the Little Eight Conference.

“We played a good first half,” Simpson said. “But they hit six threes, three in each half. They hit some shots and wouldn’t go away, but we finished off pretty well.”

The Chargers shot 46 percent from the field and held the Comets to a 16-of-52 (31 percent) night from the floor. Carlie Steffenson finished with eight points, while Megan Friedrich and Tasmine Okerlund each had seven to help lead Brandon-Evansville to the win.

The Chargers had one game left on their conference schedule with a trip to Battle Lake on the slate for last night, Thursday. A win and Brandon-Evansville would assure itself of finishing alone in second place in the LEC. A loss could slip them into a tie with Underwood at 8-4.

The Chargers will close out their regular season with three non-conference games. They travel to Park Christian tonight, Friday, before going to Melrose next Tuesday and coming back home to face Wheaton-Herman-Norcross in the regular-season finale next Thursday.

GAME STATISTICS

HILLCREST 18 27 – 45

BRANDON-EVANSVILLE 31 27 – 58

TOTALS – Brandon-Evansville – FG – 21-46; FT – 12-19; Rebounds – 28; Turnovers – 14; Hillcrest – FG – 16-52; FT – 7-8

BRANDON-EVANSVILLE – Megan Kokett – 5 points, 4 assists; Steffenson – 8 points; Friedrich – 7 points, 6 rebounds, 4 steals; Tasmine Okerlund – 7 points, 8 rebounds; Elizabeth Vinson – 3 points; Strese – 28 points, 10 rebounds; Kinsley Randt – 4 assists

HILLCREST – Brittany Christenson – 12; Kelsey Nersten – 2; Abigale Monacelli – 9; Megan Aasness – 3; Gracia Larson – 15; Julia Christenson – 4

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