Huskies defeat Pierz in girls' basketball playoff opener

Vanessa Spohn drives to the hoop against tight Pierz defense in the first half. PHOTO BY MIKE KOSIK

With 5:10 left in the first half, Albany has a 21-19 lead over visiting Pierz in the Sub-Section 6AA-North quarterfinals.

They led 27-24 at halftime and expanded their lead over the Pioneers to 15 points in the second half.

Pierz staged a small rally but ultimately lost 61-53.

Up next for the Huskies girls' basketball team: the sub-section semifinal round on Saturday, Mar. 3 at 5:30 p.m. at St. John's University. Later on the same court that night, Melrose Area faces Staples-Motley in the other semifinal.

Other scores on Section 6AA north and south:
Sauk Centre 66, Holdingford 35
Melrose Area 52, Osakis 51 OT!
Staples-Motley 81, Long Prairie-Grey Eagle 38
New London-Spicer 71, St. John's Prep 45
Eden Valley-Watkins 48, Benson 28

Stay tuned for more playoff coverage of Albany this weekend at the Huskies Sports Blog and also in next week's Albany Enterprise newspaper.