O-F falls to 2-2 after loss to Altoona
by Bridget Cooke
In a tight victory, the Osseo-Fairchild girls basketball team edged out the visiting Chippewa Falls McDonell Central Macks in a 66-63 win before traveling to Altoona on Friday, Dec. 12 to somewhat different results.
The Thunder rolled out to their home court with a quick lead, posting a 13-8 advantage over the Macks. With confidence boosted they kept in line but fell just short of McDonell in the second period of play, being outscored 15-12, keeping it a close 25-23 lead heading into the locker room at halftime.
Thrill of a close game continued as senior Wynonah Filla, who posted 24 total points for the night, helped lead the team who looked to be slipping as they were just out maneuvered once again in a 16-15 bout and the Thunder were suddenly in a 1-point game.
Never faltering, they headed into the final minutes of the game confident. O-F took to the baskets and mounted up the highest points in the fourth quarter with 26 total. Freshman Brook Freitag took on a portion of responsibility for the win herself with a total of 14 points over the Macks while junior Katie Barney posted 10.
Though McDonell was able to post 24 of their own total points in the final period of the game, they could not keep up to the home team who were able to keep their lead to a victorious run.
On Friday, the Railroaders proved to be an even tougher challenge for the Thunder, who fell in a close loss of 54-49 to Altoona.
O-F started out strong, but lost their footing as the game progressed. Coming out of the gates with a lead 11-7 by the end of the first quarter, the second period proved more difficult and left the Thunder once again with a 4-point lead as the Rails matched them point for point before halftime.
Slowly the momentum fell as Altoona trotted past the visiting team in the fourth quarter of play after slighting the Thunder by two points overall in the third. In the final minutes, O-F lost out as they were dramatically outscored 17-10 and trounced with just five points to take the Rails to victory.
Filla put up double-digits for the team, posting 21 for the night, but the Thunder were still unable to keep their lead. No other player scored doubles, though Freitag drilled in seven points for the Thunder while Barney and Megan Steinke had five and four points, respectively.
O-F is now tied in the West Cloverbelt Conference at 2-2 with Altoona. Both teams are hovering at .500, with the Thunder sitting just above the 1-3 Thorp Cardinals.
The Thunder are next scheduled to travel to Fall Creek Thursday night to take on the undefeated Crickets. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
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In September 2013, Cooke was hired as the editor of both the Augusta Area Times and the Tri-County News. She can be reached via ateditor@media-md.net or (715) 597-3313. Follow us on Twitter or check out our Facebook page for more updates!
