BARNESVILLE, Minn. - Erica Nord may be Barnesville's all-time leading scorer, but she might be an even bigger pain in the neck when the Trojans don't have the ball.
Nord collected eight steals to lead a gritty defensive effort as Barnesville knocked off Dilworth-Glyndon-Felton 54-47 on Friday.
"It's not easy against them, that's for sure," Nord said with a laugh. "We got good pressure on the ball and did what we wanted to defensively. That's all."
For good measure, Nord led the Trojans in scoring as well with 18 points.
The senior kept Barnesville afloat in the second half, scoring 12 of the team's 25 points.
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"She's our leader and she knows it," Barnesville coach Matt Askegaard said. "She understands that she's vital to our offense, and she came through."
The contest was tight the whole way, and featured six lead changes and two ties in the second half.
The Trojans led by a point at the break, and never let D-G-F put together any substantial runs in the final 18 minutes. The Rebels never scored more than five unanswered points in the second half, and those came in the first 1:06 after the break.
"You have to give them credit for the aggressive style of defense they play," D-G-F coach Steve Molstre said. "They forced a lot of bad passes and didn't let us get much going."
The play of the game for the Trojans came with 4:50 to go in the game when Mandy Johnson converted a three-point play to give Barnesville a 45-41 lead.
That put the Trojans in stall mode, and they didn't have to make a field goal the rest of the way. They hit nine free throws down the stretch to keep the Rebels at bay.
The win gives Barnesville a season split with D-G-F, which could prove crucial in the tight Heart O' Lakes Conference race.
"This is a big win, especially since they beat us earlier," Nord said. "It was a big conference game, and we've been on a roll. We just want to keep the ball rolling."
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DILWORTH-GLYNDON-FELTON: Brantner 2 2-2 6, Green 8 0-0 16, Lopez 3 3-3 11, Drechsel 3 0-0 6, Driscoll 3 0-0 8. Totals 19 5-5 47.
BARNESVILLE: Herbranson 2 1-2 5, Amundson 2 7-9 12, Nord 5 8-12 18, Johnson 3 3-3 9, Moe 1 1-2 3, Lewis 0 1-2 1, Volrath 1 4-4 6. Totals 14 25-34 54.
Half: Barnesville 29, DGF 28. 3-point goals: Driscoll 2, Lopez, Amundson. Total fouls: DGF 25, B 12. Fouled out: Oppegard, Brantner, Drechsel. Rebounds: DGF 34 (Brantner 11). B 24 (Nord 4, Moe 4, Volrath 4). Assists: DGF 10 (Lopez 3, Drechsel 3). B 5 (Nord 2). Turnovers: DGF 27. B 15. Steals: DGF 5 (Oppegard 3). B 17 (Nord 8).
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