RTR 52, MCC 49

SLAYTON — Ava Guida came up clutch for the Russell-Tyler-Ruthton girls basketball team on Thursday night. With time winding down in a time game, Makayla Hesse came up with a timely offensive rebound and kicked it out to Guida on the perimeter for a buzzer-beater 3, giving the Knights a 52-49 Red Rock Conference win.

Guida’s game-winning bucket came just seconds after Ava Deacon made use of a screen to knock down a game-tying 3 for the Rebels. Yet, RTR elected not to call a timeout and quickly inbounded the ball to set up Guida’s go-ahead shot.

Ava Karbo set the tone on the defensive interior with three blocks in the game for RTR, while Paisley Thooft led the perimeter defense with five steals. Their efforts resulted in RTR limiting MCC to 25% shooting from the field.

Karbo and Thooft also led the Knights’ scoring efforts, Karbo with 12 points on 4 of 10 shooting and Thooft with 11 points on 5 of 9 shooting.

On the glass, Thooft grabbed 11 total rebounds while Karbo grabbed nine with a team-high four offensive boards.

Ava Deacon carried the scoring load for MCC with 25 points on 9 of 20 shooting. Her three steals tied Reese Gilbertson for a team-high and her four rebounds tied Kate Blankenship for third on the team behind Calleigh Doeden’s five and Kat Miller’s six.

Blankenship dished out five assists for MCC and scored 11 points. Makayla Hesse also scored in double figures for RTR with 10 points.

RTR improves to 10-7 on the season and goes on the road to take on Adrian/Ellsworth in its next game on Tuesday at 7:15 p.m.

MCC falls to 7-8 and looks to get back to .500 when it hosts Westbrook-Walnut Grove on Saturday at 11 a.m.

Minneota 68,

Luverne 59

LUVERNE — A defensive masterclass from Sarah Gruenes helped the Minneota girls basketball dominate the turnover battle in its non-conference matchup against Luverne on Thursday, resulting in a 68-59 win for the Vikings.

Gruenes finished the game with eight steals, helping Minneota win the turnover battle 27-38. Ava Rost and Libby Sussner each also grabbed another three steals.

Jaylyn Coequyt scored a game-high 22 points on 7 of 18 shooting, and she was a perfect 8 of 8 from the free-throw line. Autum Anderson and Gruenes each also contributed 12 points.

Anderson dished out three assists for the Vikings while Sussner grabbed a team-leading six rebounds.

Minneota improves to 9-6 with the win and hosts Lac qui Parle Valley (2-13) for its next game on Friday at 6:15 p.m.

MLAC 65, RRC 32

MT. LAKE — The Red Rock Central girls basketball team wasn’t able to get in the win column on Thursday night, falling 65-32 to Mountain Lake Area-Comfrey in Red Rock Conference play.

Kendra Schroeder put together a well-rounded effort for the Falcons with 8 points, 10 rebounds and five assists. Paige Wondercheck grabbed a team-leading 14 boards with 6 points.

Red Rock Central falls to 0-17 on the season and looks to capture its first win when it goes on the road to take on New Ulm Cathedral tonight at 7:30 p.m.

Sleepy Eye 62,

Wabasso 51

WABASSO — Ava Samyn and Kenley Guetter each scored 16 points, but the Wabasso girls basketball team came up short in a 62-51 loss to Sleepy Eye Thursday night on the road.

The Rabbits were down by 1 point at the half, 26-25, but were outscored by 10 points throughout the second half.

Wabasso held a sizable 46-26 rebounding advantage over Sleepy Eye, but the Indians made the difference with seven 3-pointers while the Rabbits shot 1 for 5 from deep.

Guetter logged another double-double with 18 rebounds to pair with her points, while Cassie Bliss also had nine rebounds and three assists with two steals to her 8 points. Guetter also had a team-high three steals.

Wabasso (6-14) will next return home to host No. 2 Sleepy Eye St. Mary’s (16-0) on Tuesday with a 6 p.m. tip off.

Canby 47, CGB 40

GRACEVILLE — Brynn Kockelman’s 18 points powered the Canby girls basketball team to a 47-40 win Thursday night, marking the Lancers’ third win in four games.

Kockelman had the hot hand from deep, making four 3-pointers on the night, along with a team-high four steals.

Ella Thovson led Canby with six rebounds to her 8 points, and also shot 2 of 4 from the perimeter.

Ava Danielson added in another 8 points, while Rachel Jelen had three steals and four rebounds. Emily Nelson also grabbed five boards.

Canby (7-10) will look to keep its stride going when it returns home to host Dawson-Boyd (8-8) today at 7:15 p.m.