WILLMAR -- After being held to just 10 points in their last game, Lisa Nielsen (23) and Kelsey Evans (20) combined for 43 Thursday to help Willmar rally past St. Cloud Apollo 61-49 in the Central Lakes Conference.
The win capped a season sweep of Apollo. Willmar also won 59-49 on Jan. 4 in St. Cloud.
It took a while for the Cardinals (9-7, 12-10) to warm up as St. Cloud Apollo (5-11, 7-16) led the last portion of the first half, which was capped by Alison Gray's three-pointer near halfcourt that allowed the Eagles to take a 25-18 lead into halftime.
Nielsen produced 11 points -- eight on layups -- in the first half as Willmar made just two shots beyond five feet from the basket. But the Cardinals erupted in the second half to hand the Eagles their fifth straight loss.
After the Eagles put Willmar in a 46-39 hole with 4:50 remaining, the Cardinals ended the game on a 22-3 run. Evans made several key plays during the stretch, which was highlighted by three treys -- one each from Megan Brown, Briana Goldschmidt and Evans -- and six points from Nielsen.
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"We picked up our intensity on defense in the second half, playing mostly a man-to-man," said Willmar coach Brad Atchison, whose team was 13-for-20 from the field in the second half. "I think we wore them down in the last four or five minutes and they got exhausted. It was a great ending."
Brin Hanson helped direct the Cardinals' offense with eight assists.
It was the last regular-season home game for the Cardinals as they hit the road for two games next week to wrap up the season, Tuesday at Rocori and next Friday at Sauk Rapids.
Willmar 61, SC Apollo 49
SC Apollo (5-11, 7-16) 25 24 -- 49
Willmar (9-7, 12-10) 18 43 -- 61
ST. CLOUD APOLLO - 16-44 FG (7-14 3-pt); 10-17 FT; 28 rebounds; 17 fouls ... Scoring: Alison Gray 11, Andrea Hagberg 11, Brooke Dunsmoor 9, Courtney Lynch 9, Bako Orionzi 4, Amanda Welle 3, Kayla Stock 2 ... 3-point shots: Gray 3, Lynch 3, Hagberg 1 ... Rebound leaders: Dunsmoor 8, Orionzi 5 ... Assist leader: Welle 4 ... Steal leaders: Lynch 3
WILLMAR - 20-48 FG (7-16 3-pt); 14-28 FT; 30 rebounds; 15 fouls ... Scoring: Lisa Nielsen 23, Kelsey Evans 20, Briana Goldschmidt 7, Megan Brown 5, Whitney Arends 2, Brin Hanson 2, Hannah Okins 2 ... 3-point shots: Evans 4, Goldschmidt 2, Brown 1 ... Rebound leaders: Nielsen 11, Evans 8 ... Assist leaders: Hanson 8, Evans 3 ... Steal leaders: Hanson 4, Okins 3
