Elk River senior Gabi Haack was not accustomed to banging on the inside like the Park Center defense forced her to do on Wednesday night. After she came out of the gate with the game's first seven points, the Pirates adjusted, but so did Haack.

"We started out with great energy and were mentally prepared," Haack said after the Elks' 71-66 victory. "Last year when we played this team we ended up losing on a three-pointer towards the end of the game. With that in our mind, we knew we had to start out hot."

Park Center, ranked No. 9 in class 4A by Minnesota Basketball News, withstood Elk River’s fast start and got right back into the game.

"We just had to adjust," Haack said. "It was a great game. We would score then they would score, it was back and forth."

Adjusting was something No. 4-4A Elk River's head coach Jeremy Digiovanni did quickly with his star guard.

"Haack is normally our point guard, but they were double teaming her out on the perimeter," Digiovanni said. "We felt like we could get a mismatch with her inside and maybe getting [Park Center center] Mikayla Hayes out [of the paint] a little bit."

Haack led all scorers with 27 points.

"She is special," Digiovanni said. "She has been playing on varsity for four years now. She is extremely strong and has a great shot. She has a high IQ for the game and is a great competitor. What she does for our team is huge. She has done everything for us so far."

Teammate Sidney Wentland scored 18 and was key to the offensive attack.

"She is someone who can play on the perimeter well," Digiovanni said, "so having that option moving her and Hayes out, opened up some other options."

Hayes led the Pirates (5-3, 2-0) with 18 points, but it was adjusting to the Park Center's high-scoring backcourt that helped Elk River to the win.

"We took away the back door cuts they had success with early," Digiovanni said. "We made sure our weak side defense stayed outside to limit their shooters."

Big plays on defense late – including a steal by Haack and a five-second call on a Pirates' inbounds play - gave the Elks the margin they needed for the victory.

"We knew we had to take care of the ball [and] find good spacing, " Digiovanni explained his team's late-game success. "Coming out of timeouts we did a good job marking their shooters and making them take tough shots."

Haack is undefeated Elk River’s (8-0, 2-0) leading scorer, but it seems that fact is merely a product of coaching and familiarity.

"We have been buying into coach's game plan and what he wants us to do," Haack concluded. "A big reason for our success has been our five starters have been playing together since elementary. We have a good connection on the court. I think we play together so well, aren't selfish and play as a team."

An unselfish team led by an unselfish star – one who is willing to adjust her game and the number of shots she gets, for the benefit of the team.

Elk River's Gabi Haack work in the paint propelled the Elks to a 71-66 victory against the outside shooting and penetration of Park Center's Danielle Schaub and Sommer Blakemore on Wednesday Night at the Park Center Invitational. 

Haack scored the game's first seven points to get Elk River, ranked No. 4 in Class 4A by MN Basketball News, out to an early lead, but then the Pirates started to gear their defense toward the senior.

As Park Center's focus on defense leaned towards Haack, Sidney Wentland found room for her shot. Haack (27 points) and Wentland (18) combined for 45 of the Elks' 71 points. 

The Pirates (5-3, 2-0) countered first with the outside shooting of Schaub and Blakemore, forcing the Elks' defense to come out. That shift gave Schaub and Blakemore a chance to drive and opened space for center Mikayla Hayes.

Hayes' 18 points and tough inside play was one of the keys keeping the No. 9-4A Pirates in the game. They held a lead midway through the second half, but the Elks (8-0, 2-0) took care of the ball late.

Two big defensive plays, a steal by Haack and a five-second call on Park Center late in the game, sealed the 71-66 victory for the Elks.