First Half Run Leads Lourdes Past Stewartville

The #5 seeded Stewartville Tigers started the first half quick, but the #1 seeded Rochester Lourdes Eagles caught up and carried a 31-19 lead into the break and finished it off with a 58-43 win in the Girls Section 1AA Semifinal to advance to the Girls Section 1AA Final.

Stewartville led 7-3 early in this game, and their defense led the way by making it tough on Rochester Lourdes to get good looks. Then the Eagles found their groove.

Alyssa Ustby was dominant in the first half, leading the way with 18 of her game-high 24 points in the half. She was a big part of the first-half run that led the way for the Eagles. A 21-9 run to finish the half propelled the Eagles to the 31-19 halftime lead.

The Tigers made a push in the second half and cut the lead down to 44-31 after Lily Welch connected on two threes, forced a turnover and hit a bucket. The Tigers were not able to build off of that as the Eagles continued to attack, and got huge 3's from Sydney Elliott, who finished with 15 for the Eagles.

The Eagles earned the 58-43 win with some great defense and by taking care of the basketball. The win will pit them against the Goodhue Wildcats in the Section 1AA Final Thursday night at 8 pm.

Stewartville was led by Welch and her 16 points, while Hailey Lewis, Maia Peterson, and Ella Waltman finished with six each.