Superior girls fall to East

Duluth East held the Superior High School girls basketball team well below its scoring average Tuesday night as the Greyhounds handed the Spartans their second defeat of the season, 60-47.

The loss ends Superior’s five-game winning streak and drops the Spartans to 11-2 overall. Duluth East improves to 11-4 on the season.

Superior was outfoxed by Duluth East’s transition offense in the first half and never recovered from a 10-point halftime deficit.

Senior Alex Freeman led the charge for the visiting Greyhounds. She picked up five transition layups in the first half by sprinting ahead of Superior’s defenders to take a long pass for the open shot.

Superior also struggled to match up inside with the Greyhounds’ 6-foot-2 center, Elena Lushine. Lushine’s rebounding limited second-chance shots for the Spartans, and Superior struggled to convert in the paint against the taller player.

Freeman began the game with a 3-pointer for Duluth East and quickly added a layup and set shot to make it 7-0 in favor of the Greyhounds. Superior’s Jessica Lindstrom answered with a three-point play inside and a 3-pointer to make it 9-6 before the Greyhounds closed out the quarter with a 6-2 run.

Duluth East then outscored the Spartans 6-0 in the opening four minutes of the second quarter to extend its lead to 21-8. Superior’s first points of the quarter came on a pair of free throws by Lindstrom with just over three minutes left before halftime.

Freeman single-handedly matched Superior’s scoring in the first half with 17 points.

Superior cut Duluth East’s lead to eight multiple times in the third quarter, but the Spartans ended the period down 43-29.

A 3-pointer by Abby Clemons, followed by another perimeter shot from Lindstrom cut the Greyhounds’ lead to 45-35 early in the fourth quarter, but Superior would get no closer in the final minutes of play.

Lindstrom led all scorers with 28 points. Hailey Kontny added eight for the Spartans, Sammy DeMeyer had four, Clemons had three and Raya Kosey and Kallyn Lagro added two points apiece.

Freeman’s 27 points led the Greyhounds, while Shamika Hopkins and Lushine added nine points each.

SPARTAN SPIN: Duluth East also won the JV game 43-39. Superior (10-3) was led by Emily Hansen, 13 points; Rachal Fegin, 10 points; and Leah Holmes, nine.

Superior 8 9 12 18 — 47

Duluth East 15 12 16 17 — 60

Superior — Jessica Lindstrom 28, Hailey Kontny 8, Sammy DeMeyer 4, Abby Clemons 3, Raya Kosey 2, Kallyn Lagro 2.

3-point goals — Lindstrom 2, Clemons.

Duluth East — Alex Freeman 27, Shamika Hopkins 9, Elena Lushine 9, Nicole Roseth 6, Mia Anderson 5, Jamie Whtilinger 2, Emily Andersen 2.

3-point goals — Freeman 2.

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