WILLMAR -- Ridgewater rallied from an early 15-point deficit to secure a berth in the MCAC women's state tournament as the Lady Warriors upended Rochester 63-56 Wednesday.
With two games remaining on their division schedule the Lady Warriors (7-3, 13-8) are locked in as the No. 3 seed from the South. They can't get a lower seed, but a win over Minnesota West Saturday in Worthington could get the Lady Warriors the No. 2 seed.
Just six players scored for Ridgewater Wednesday, but five were in double figures. Hannah Smith led the way with 15 points, Whitley Strei followed with 13, Jena Thompson 12, Alii Holt 11 and Kelsey Guetter 10.
Rochester led 21-6, but some defensive stops and attacking the press ignited the Lady Warriors' comeback.
"We just started to be more aggressive," said Ridgewater coach Carrie Ogdahl. "We attacked the hole and got two points at a time. And we got to the free-throw line (16-for-21)."
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Ridgewater outscored the Yellowjackets 36-25 in the second half after trailing by four at halftime.
Ridgewater 63, Rochester 56
Rochester 31 25 -- 56
Ridgewater (7-3, 13-8) 27 36 -- 63
ROCHESTER - 22-64 FG (5-14 3-pt); 7-12 FT; 42 rebounds; 21 fouls ... Scoring: M. Fleming 2, J. Anderson 2, B. Mayer 17, V. Ledahl 2, C. Kasten 4, K. Logan 3, L. Gehl 4, D. Lee 6, A. Meyer 16 ... 3-point shots: Mayer 3, Logan 1, Gehl 1 ... Rebound leaders: Meyer 11, Lee 6, Fleming 5 ... Assist leaders: Fleming 3, Ledahl 3 ... Steal leaders: Fleming 2, Mayer 2, Kasten 2, Meyer 2
RIDGEWATER - 23-68 FG (1-14 3-pt); 16-21 FT; 52 rebounds; 15 fouls ... Scoring: Hannah Smith 15, Alii Holt 11, Whitley Strei 13, Kelsey Guetter 10, Jena Thompson 12, Brianna Jacobson 2 ... 3-point shots: Smith 1 ... Rebound leaders: Strei 9, Smith 8, Thompson 8, Holt 6, Guetter 5 ... Assist leaders: Thompson 3 ... Steal leaders: Thompson 3, Smith 2, Holt 2
