On Thursday, East Grand Forks Senior High boys basketball coach Jay Frydenlund was disappointed in his team's performance after a 62-54 loss to Red Lake, which ended with the Green Wave faltering down the stretch.
On Friday, the Green Wave upped its defensive pressure and turned in a total team effort. Senior High had four players score in double figures en route to a 66-47 victory over Climax-Fisher at the Senior High gymnasium.
"We did lots of things well (tonight)," Frydenlund said. "Defensively, we did some things well and caused some turnovers."
Senior High applied fullcourt pressure early and had Climax-Fisher backpedaling right from the start.
In a three-minute stretch early in the first half, Senior High went on a 12-0 run, while Climax-Fisher helped by missing 9 of its first 10 shots.
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Josh Beste started the spurt with a pair of free throws for a 10-4 lead with 13:10 to go in the first half. Jared Woinarowicz keyed the run with four points, while J.J. Carik chipped in three and Brandon Brekke capped the stretch with a basket in the post on a feed from his brother Jamison Brekke to give Senior High a 19-4 lead with 10:38 left in the first half.
Beste led all scorers and a balanced Senior High attack. The 6-foot-2 senior scored 14 points, followed by Carik with 13. Derek Schmidt and Brandon Brekke scored 11 each.
"It was a good win for our psyche after last night," Frydenlund said.
Climax-Fisher, which competes in Section 8A as opposed to Senior High which plays in Section 8AA, dropped to 4-10.
Paul Wagner scored 13 points to lead the Knights, who trailed 35-20 at halftime.
The Green Wave started the second half much like they started the first. Senior High started the half on a 13-3 run to grab a 25-point advantage. Jamison Brekke had a pair of lay-ins during the spurt, while Beste added a pair of hardworking baskets in the paint.
"It was one of those tough games to keep your intensity after you build a big lead," Frydenlund said. "But we were able to put some different lineups together."
Senior High, which is currently in fourth place in North Subsection 8AA, improved to 9-6.
