The St. John Woodchucks had already won seven in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 14.4 points), and they went ahead and made it eight on Thursday. They walked away with a 55-42 victory over Park River/Fordville-Lankin.
St. John's victory was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Alani Morin, who scored 15 points along with nine rebounds and three steals. Morin is absolutely dominating the rebound category: she's posted at least eight every time she's taken the court this season. Kaycee Desjarlais was another key contributor, scoring nine points along with ten rebounds and five assists.
St. John's victory was their eighth straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 11-2. Those victories were due in large part to their offensive dominance across that stretch, as they averaged 68.3 points per game. As for Park River/Fordville-Lankin, they have been struggling recently, as they've lost three of their last four matchups, which put a noticeable dent in their 5-5 record this season.
Both teams will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. St. John won't have much time to rest: their next game is against Dunseith at 5:45 p.m. on January 12th. Park River/Fordville-Lankin will be staying on the road on Monday to face off against Hillsboro/Central Valley at 7:00 p.m. on January 15th. The matchup should be an exciting one, as these teams are ranked near one another in North Dakota (Hillsboro/Central Valley is ranked 89th, while Park River/Fordville-Lankin is ranked 74th).
