Wagner twins combine for 26, Top-seeded Panthers roll

New Richland – In the opening round of 2AA South Sub-Section play, the New Richland-Hartland-Ellendale-Geneva girls basketball team looking to keep doing what they’ve done at home all year.
Dominate.
Powered by the play of twins Maddie and Marnie Wagner, the top-seeded Panthers (22-5) cruised to a 53-23 win over No. 8 seed St. James Tuesday night, keeping their record perfect when playing at home.
“We came out well defensively and attacked them,” commented head coach Onika Peterson. “Offensively, we got the shots we wanted. We attacked the basket; The girls did a nice job.”
NRHEG exploded out of the gates with a stifling trap on the defensive end, forcing six turnovers in the first half. If the trap didn’t force a turnover, it forced numerous passes that sailed over any Saints in the area.
The Saints mustered just five points in the half. Three of which, came from free throw attempts. In fact, St. James didn’t register its first point of the game until seven minutes passed in the first half.
While the trap orchestrated by Peterson guided the defense, Maddie Wagner guided the offense.
Wagner led all scorers in the game with 15 points, all coming in the first half. Six of those 15 were part of a 13-0 run by the Panthers. The senior also dished five assists, hauled in four rebounds and reaped the benefits of the trap, registering five steals. Wagner noted that the rhythm seemed to be perfect offensively in the first half.
“I thought we set some pretty good screens right away to get everyone open and thought we passed the ball down low very well,” she added.
Maddie twin sister, Marnie, also got in on the action for the Panthers, scoring 11 points and while also recording three rebounds and two assists.  
After taking a commanding 40-7 lead into the half, the Panthers appeared to slump a bit in the second half, scoring just 13 points. Coach Peterson noted that much of the struggles in the second half were due to trying to shift her players in platoons.
“We got a lot of kids in tonight. The second half was a bit different, I mean, we tried to run them in squads like hockey; Get them in and get them out to get everyone else playing. And that’s hard to get a flow of things when you get that many kids coming out.”
Peterson quickly added that’s it’s a bigger deal than it may sound to be able to platoon-style sub in the second half, knowing they will play again on Friday.
A moment that would make any sports fan smile took place in the final minute of the game for the Panthers.
After suffering back-to-back ACL tear, practically ending her high school career, senior guard Gretchen Ramaker was finally able to step onto the court to play in the final moments of the game.
The Panthers will play WEM Friday night at Mankato East. Tip off is set for 6 p.m.
NRHEG Scoring:
Maddie Wagner 15 pts (4 rebounds, 5 assists, 5 steals)
Marnie Wagner 11 pts (3 rebounds, 2 assists)
Betsy Schoenrock 10 pts (6 rebounds, 2 steals, 4 blocked shots)