Points have sometimes been a little tough to come by for the Shakopee girls basketball team.
The Sabers lost a lot of scoring talent from last year’s Section 2AAAA championship squad, and only three players from that team who got significant varsity minutes are back.
Shakopee has been held under 40 points two times in its 3-5 start, including 1-3 in the South Suburban Conference. Eagan bottled up the Sabers Dec. 20 for a 37-32 league road win.
Shakopee split its first two conference games, losing 49-36 at Lakeville North Dec. 14 and winning 49-43 at Eastview Dec. 16.
The Sabers averaged 53.5 points per game last year in the team’s 27-win campaign. Shakopee has scored more than 50 points just twice through eight games this winter.
In the loss to Eagan, Shakopee held a 20-15 lead at the break but managed just 12 points in the second half. The Sabers were down 33-32 with 1:14 to play, but just couldn’t get a bucket to fall in the final minute.
Senior Cassandra Ross led the team with 11 points, while sophomore Nicole Maekne and ninth grader Sadie Hall each had five points. Sophomore Rae Skattum and senior Shyla Moore both scored four points, while junior Olivia Pawlicki had three.
In beating Eastview, Ross and Hall were in double figures for Shakopee with 13 and 12 points, respectively. Junior Daviyana Singleton-Buchanan chipped in nine points, while Pawlicki had eight and senior Yesenia Mendoza scored five.
Against Lakeville North, Prior Lake also struggled to get points in the second half, getting outscored 29-16. Pawlicki led the team with 13 points.
Ross and Moore each scored six points, while Singleton-Buchanan chipped in five.
Shakopee will open the New Year with a Jan. 3 home game versus Robbinsdale Armstrong. The Sabers follow that contest with eight straight conference games.
The Sabers will need to pick up their scoring to have a chance to defend their section crown. Quarterfinal play starts March 1, followed by the semifinals March 4 and the title game March 10.
Section 2AAAA is loaded with top teams, including No. 3-ranked Eden Prairie, No. 4 Chaska and No. 5 Minnetonka. Shakopee upset Eden Prairie in last year’s title game on the road when then-senior Katie Cordes made a half-court shot at the buzzer for a 50-47 win.
The Sabers are 1-1 against section teams so far this season with a loss to Chaska (53-49) and a win over Waconia (49-35). Chanhassen, Prior Lake and Edina are also in the field.
This year’s Class 4A state tournament will be March 15-18 at Williams Area on the University of Minnesota campus. Hopkins beat St. Michael-Albertville for the title last winter.
