The unseeded Albany Huskies were on the right page as Paige Meyer scored 34 points and 16 rebounds to lead them to a 60-49 upset of the second seeded Holy Family Catholic Fire Wednesday night in the Class AA girls basketball quarterfinals at Maturi Pavilion on the University of Minnesota campus.
It took a while to erase the zeros from the scoreboard but the Huskies got off to a 4-0 run led by a couple of Paiges, Meyer and Rueter. The Fire showed their Grace with a couple of Graces sparking a 4-0 run Elander and Conroy. But it wasn't just the Graces who sparked Holy Family's early run. Leigh Steiner would score four straight points. Meyer, a sophomore would lead the Albany attack as she score seven of the Huskies first nine points. She would go 3-3 from Stadium Village. The lead would swing back and forth until Holy Family's Nicole Bowlin would hit a three pointer to highlight a 5-0 run. With the score even at 23 late in the half, Bowlin would convert another three pointer as time expired to give the Fire a 26-34 halftime lead.
The Huskies would strike early in the second half with four straight points from Hannah Litchy. Foul trouble would plague the Fire when Julia Geurs and Steiner picked up their third fouls. Albany would extend their lead as they went on a 7-0 run that also included bench scoring from Rachel Neu. When Steiner returned to the game for Holy Family, she would be a spark for the Fire offense as she would score seven straight points. But it wasn't enough for the Victoria based school to catch up as they had to foul Albany and they would put the game away at the free throw line.
Amanda Kollodge was the only other Albany player in double figures, scoring 15 points. Steiner led Holy Family with 20 points and Elander added 11.
The Huskies improved their record to 19-10 and will play in the Class AA semifinals on Friday, March 15 at 8 PM at Williams Arena. Holy Family with play in the Class AA consolation semifinals on Thursday, March 14 at 6 PM.
Prior to the start of the game, a moment of silence was held for former Albany head coach Jon Noreen, who passed away February 1 at the age of 67. Noreen led the Huskies to the 2008 state Class AA championship.
Following the game, Huskies fan Michael Hertwig gave his memories of Noreen and the legacy he left on Huskie basketball.
"Jon put his heart out every day he went out there. A great mentor and a better friend. Everybody wanted to be like the girls he coached.
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