The Staples Motley Cardinal girls basketball team last week won the Little Falls Holiday tournament, downing both Big Lake and the Little Falls Flyers girls teams to earn the title.

The Cardinal girls won the first game 50- 45 over the Big Lake Hornets, shooting 32 percent from the field and 12 for 21 from the free throw line.

Nikki Pearson with 25 points was the only Cardinal in double figures. Caitlin Robinson added nine and Abby Smith seven.

Big Lake matched the Cardinal point production, also shooting 32 percent from the field (both teams 16 for 50) and the Hornets made 11 of their 12 free throws.

The difference was the Cards made six (of 17) three point shots while Big Lake tried only eight and made just two. SM won the battle of the boards, 32 to 25, with the Cards getting 12 boards under their own basket.

“Nikki played really well and shot well from the perimeter,” Coach Arden Beachy said. “We played extremely well the first half and then missed some easy shots in the second. But we continued to play solid defense the entire game. Right now our defense is really holding down the other team’s top players.”

Beachy also said the Cardinal bench support came through better than the Big Lake reserves.

The girls returned to Little Falls on Wednesday, Dec. 30, to face the Flyers (who had defeated Milaca in the other first round game) in the championship game. The Cardinals took home a 44-31 victory and the tournament trophy.

Scoring was much more spread out in this game, with Robinson at 11 points, Smith nine, Ashley Lisson six, Nikki Pearson five and Bobbe Jo Mathe four for the winners.

“We played really well in the first half again. Caitlin had three, three point baskets in a row to get us off to a quick start,” Beachy said.

The Cardinal girls, who led 29-14 at half, put on their press and created

some quick turnovers and

turned them into points. “In the second half, we kept

the same defensive intensity, but lost some of our offensive focus.”

Robinson, Smith and

Pearson each had seven

rebounds, with Lisson -pulling down eight. Nikki

Pearson had eight assists as well.

This week Beachy’s girls team hosted Park Rapids on Tuesday and will have Minnewaska here on Friday night.

Girls Results Dec. 30 Staples Motley 29 15 - 44

Little Falls 14 17 - 31

Staples Motley (44): Nikki Pearson 5, Kelly Pearson 3, Caitlin Robinson 11, Mikayla Wing 2, Jennifer Vasquez 2, Ashley Lisson 6, Abby Smith 9, Jasmine McGillvray 2, Bobbie Jo Mathe 4. FG 17-48 (35 percent), FT 5-11 (45 percent), 3-point baskets: 5 (Robinson 3, N. Pearson, K. Pearson).

Little Falls (31): Alyssa Spillum 4, Paige Beseman 15, Megan Voss 4, Whitney Weisz 8. FG 10-45 (22 percent), FT 10-12 (83 percent), 3-point baskets: 1 (Beseman).

Dec. 29 Big Lake 17 28 - 45

Staples Motley 25 25 - 50

Big Lake (45): Rachelle Beier 2, Brigette Audette 5, Madison Peterson 2, Becca Eberle 2, Kailey Eid 12, Brooke Goracke 14, Jasmin Waytashek 2, Emily Nordberg 6. 3-point baskets: (Eid 2).

Staples Motley (50): Nikki Pearson 25, Kelly Pearson 3, Caitlin Robinson 9, Ashley Lisson 4, Abby Smith 7, Bobbie Jo Mathe 2. FG 10-30 (33 percent), FT 12-21 (57 percent), 3-point baskets: N. Pearson 3, K. Pearson 1, Robinson 1, Smith 1.