Keeping four of Moorhead's five starters to a combined 36 points should be a good night for any opposing girls basketball coach.
Except for when that fifth starter scores a career high.
Gina Jaroszewski did just that, racking up 28 points to lead the Spuds to a 64-52 victory over Detroit Lakes on Thursday.
"She got open, we got her the ball and she hit shots," Moorhead coach Jim Kapitan said. "We needed somebody to step up and she definitely did."
Jaroszewski also had seven rebounds, three steals and three blocks. Her previous career high for points was 22 last year. Ten of her points Thursday came in the final 4 minutes, 44 seconds of the first half, as she helped spark a 22-9 run that gave Moorhead (10-2) a seven-point lead at the break.
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"My teammates kept finding me, and when you're open like that, you have to knock 'em down," Jaroszewski said. "Everybody was working together, and that (run) was a big momentum-changer."
Moorhead's run included 13 straight points that turned a five-point Spuds' deficit into a 20-12 lead with 3:57 remaining in the half. The key in the surge was the Spuds' defensive rebounding, which limited the Lakers (9-2) to just one shot every possession.
"They stepped it up defensively there, and they were making baskets," Lakers coach Mike Hoganson said. "We needed to make just one basket to stop the run, and we couldn't get it."
Once they got the lead, the Spuds made sure Detroit Lakes didn't get any momentum going. The Lakers didn't make back-to-back buckets in the second half until the final minute.
"They like to get on the fast break, and we did a good job slowing them down," Jaroszewski said. "We collapsed on defense and made things tough for them."
Betsy Hutchinson led the Lakers with 14 points and 10 rebounds. Detroit Lakes, ranked third in Class 2A, held Moorhead's Kelsey Jacobson and Tricia Vanyo to zero 3-pointers, Jenna Dolence to two field-goal attempts and Kassie Hooten to just four field goals.
But Jaroszewski's damage was more than enough to sink the Lakers.
"We did a good job on 80 percent of their players, but Jaro just killed us," Hoganson said. "They've got a lot of weapons, and you work hard to stop some of them and another one gets you."
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Jacobson finished with 11 points, leaving her just 12 points away from
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Kerry Collins at (701) 241-5548
