JACKSON — The Jackson County Central girls’ basketball team entered Monday’s game against Pipestone Area eager to prove that it was capable of beating a team that it hasn’t had much success against in recent years.

It didn’t take long.

Whitney Burmeister scored 11 of her game-high 20 points during a 16-2 opening run for the Huskies, and the Arrows didn’t get within 10 points the rest of the game as JCC won 58-34.

“We had to show them right away that we are in this game, and we’re ready to beat them,” JCC senior Leslie Handzus said.

Bree Woelber scored 19 points to lead PA’s attempt at a comeback, but a full-court press by the Huskies that forced 26 turnovers and a tough shooting night caused the rest of the Arrows’ offense to struggle.

JCC’s early lead was in part thanks to some sharp shooting behind the 3-point arc.

Burmeister (nine rebounds, three steals, three assists), Kaylee Benson and Handzus each had a pair of 3-pointers in the first half.

Benson (10 points, five rebounds) was also tasked with guarding Woelber on defense.

“I’ve had to guard quite a few hard and tough players, so I knew it was a task, but I knew I could do it,” Benson said.

Woelber was given very few open looks during the game, forcing her to improvise for most of her shots — something she does quite successfully.

“She is a phenomenal athlete,” JCC head coach Tom Schuller said of Woelber. “I think we had at least six eyeballs on her at all times and she still threatened every possession. She’s the best athlete in the league by far, and she can hit the three, she can drive, she can dish — she’s a complete ball player. You know that going into the game, but yet she’s so darn good she still gets away a lot of times.”

After the Huskies had created a 23-6 lead just over six minutes into the game, Woelber scored the next seven points to make the score 23-13.

Courtney Kruse (five rebounds, four assists) followed with a basket, and Benson then made a pair of free throws.

Katie Litka (seven points) made the Arrows’ only 3-pointer of the game to again narrow the deficit, but Handzus (15 points, five rebounds, four steals, six assists) followed with six consecutive points to again give her team a sizeable advantage.

The score was 40-22 in favor of JCC at halftime.

“I think in the first half we kind of established ourselves, and in the second half we just kind of kept it going,” Handzus said.

The second half was a low scoring affair for both teams — including a stretch of 4:23 early in the half in which neither team scored — but PA’s slow start was too much for it to overcome.

“It was just such a slow start for us,” PA head coach Jay Johnson said. “Jackson came out and played aggressive and played hard, and hit some shots. On the other hand, we came out and played a little too passive and weren’t making some of those early shots. Jackson did a good job of taking advantage of that early.”

Johnson praised his team’s second half performance, during which the Arrows were able to successfully slow down JCC’s usually fast tempo.

“The second half I thought we did a lot better job of playing better defensively, limiting as good of looks or open looks as they had in the first half,” Johnson said. “That’s the way we have to play — try to keep the tempo a little more at our pace and play solid half-court defense.”

PA will host Russell-Tyler-Ruthton on Thursday and will have another chance to play the Huskies on Friday, when the two teams will meet in Pipestone.

Johnson sees Monday’s loss as a good way for his team of predominantly younger players to learn some valuable lessons and keep improving as the postseason draws near.

“The next time we play Jackson we have to break the press with more consistency, we have to shoot the ball better, and we had too many layup opportunities close to the basket that we just missed,” Johnson said. “If you’re going to play with the Jacksons and the Marshalls, you have to make baskets close to the basket and be able to break the press with consistency.

“It’s good for us to play good quality teams, and it will show us the things that, if we don’t improve upon, people will take advantage of in the postseason.”

JCC doesn’t get a break before hosting Windom tonight. It will be the fourth straight game that the Huskies have played without having a practice due to the recent bad weather.

“Tom (Schuller) calls it the spring break of basketball, where we don’t practice, we just play,” Courtney Kruse said.

After losing to the Arrows in each of the past three section finals, Benson was happy that her team was able to make a statement by winning the first matchup between the two teams of the season.

“It felt really good,” Benson said of beating PA. “We know they’re a really tough team, so beating them means that we’re better as a team this year. I love my team, so it’s very nice winning this year.

“We now know that we can compete with them and we’re not going to be scared next time.”

However, Schuller knows that in spite of his team beating the Arrows the first time around, it will have to be able to prove it again on Friday — and potentially again in the playoffs.

“It’s round one — we’re going to see them again Friday, and I’m pretty sure we’re going to see them again in the tournament,” Schuller said.

PA 22 12 — 34

JCC 40 18 — 58

PA (3FG-2FG-FT-TP) Litka 1-2-0-7, Woelber 0-8-3-19, Haupert 0-1-0-2, Swenson 0-1-0-2, Stout 0-1-0-2, Lentz 0-1-0-2. Totals 1-14-3-34.

JCC (3FG-2FG-FT-TP) Benson 2-1-2-10, W. Burmeister 2-5-4-20, Handzus 2-3-3-15, C. Kruse 0-1-0-2, Rasche 0-2-0-4, B. Kruse 0-2-1-5, Steffen 0-1-0-2. Totals 6-15-10-58.