BOLD never trailed in a 67-29 victory over United Christian Academy in the Class 1A girls basketball state tournament quarterfinals Thursday at Maturi Pavilion.
The third-seeded Warriors (25-5) scored the first seven points of the game and didn't slow a bit. They led by 38 with five minutes left when the starters exited the game.
"We played good defense," Warriors coach Brian Kingery said. "We were a little shaky offensively to start. We couldn't really catch the ball or finish. We weren't really scoring great, but then it started to open up. We were able to finish a little more. All in all it was a good start to the state tournament."
United Christian Academy, based in Bloomington, finished the first half with its best run, scoring five straight points. The Thunder made 26 turnovers, 16 in the first half.
"We really struggled to work together and get into our flow," Thunder junior Megan Welch said. "Playing on that big of a court is a little difficult for people that haven't played on it before."
Olivia Haukoos led the Thunder (14-12) with nine points.
Mari Ryberg led BOLD with 26 points and eight rebounds. Lainey Braulick had 15 points, eight rebounds, five assists and four steals, and Mackenzie Visser had 12 points and 11 rebounds.
