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Fast start propels MI-B

By Star Tribune, 03/15/12, 1:00PM CDT

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11-point run sparked the Rangers in defeating first-time tourney entrant Sleepy Eye

Sleepy Eye was making its first state tournament appearance Thursday at Williams Arena. It showed from the outset.

Mountain Iron-Buhl, which finished third in last year’s state tournament, blitzed Sleepy Eye with the first 11 points in the opening 2 minutes, 26 seconds. The Indians (19-11) could never recover as both teams struggled from the floor the rest of the way.

“We wanted to come out with the attitude that we had been here before,” Rangers coach Jeff Buffetta said. “Our girls came out with that attitude, and it was vital to our success.”

The sixth-ranked Rangers (30-1) held an eight-point lead halftime despite only shooting 33 percent from the field. Sleepy Eye only made three field goals in the first half, shooting 19 percent.

Junior center Kathy Ostman, 2 inches taller than any player on the Indians’ roster, led Mountain Iron-Buhl with 13 points. Sophomores Allie Knuti and Sarah Overbye each added 10 points.

“Our defensive performance was awesome,” Ostman. “We kept applying the pressure all game.”

Ron Haggstrom

Three Stars

Sarah Overbye, Mountain Iron-Buhl

Overbye dominated the first half for the Rangers, scoring 10 points and tallying 2 steals. She finished the day 2-3 from three-point land and was a factor in the paint for the Rangers throughout.

Kathy Ostman, Mountain Iron-Buhl

Ostman had a tremendous second half for MIB, scoring 8 of her 13 points and shooting 4-5 from the field. She was active all game and helped MIB break the game open early in the second half.

Allie Knuti, Mountain Iron-Buhl

The Rangers forward played aggressively all game, scoring 10 points on 4-9 shooting while being a pest on defense. Her aggressiveness led to her fouling out, but the game was well in hand at the time of her departure.

-Alec Kinsky, MN Girls Basketball Hub Staff

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