Woodbury girls basketball: Royals rebound with road win at Stillwater

After a 28-20 halftime deficit, Woodbury’s girls basketball team turned out 41 points in the second half – more than doubling its first-half output – to defeat Stillwater 61-58 in Friday night’s Suburban East Conference contest in Stillwater.

The victory was the fourth conference win for Woodbury, which advanced to 7-14 (4-10 SEC) after previously losing to Stillwater by a point in January.

“We got off to a bad start, but after halftime, our girls adjusted and we played a much better second half,” said Royals’ coach Lionel Jones. “Our goal is to continue to get better for a playoff run. The key will be to continue to stay positive and believe in what we are doing.”

The Royals forced Stillwater (9-12, 6-8 SEC) turnovers early in the first half, but the Ponies recovered by drawing fouls and outscoring Woodbury at the free throw line. The Royals responded with a 21-point second-half performance by junior Kristina White, who finished the evening with 26 points, including three three-pointers. Juniors Marisa Olsen and Mikaela Hunter contributed with 10 and 9 points, respectively.

White, who hit two free throws with 14.9 seconds remaining to give the Royals its two-point lead, is now 18 points away from reaching 1,000 career points.

The Royals’ Feb. 7 contest against Prairie Seeds Academy was rescheduled for tonight. The game begins at 7:15 p.m. at Woodbury High School. The Royals also face two SEC rivals this week: White Bear Lake, which took place last night after the Bulletin went to press, and Forest Lake, which will be Friday at Forest Lake. The Royals’ final regular-season home game will be Tuesday, Feb. 21, against Hastings, followed by a road game at Roseville.

As of last Friday, White Bear Lake, Roseville, and Park were all 12-2 in SEC play. As of Feb. 9, White Bear Lake was ranked No. 8 in Class 4A.

“There is nothing better than having an opportunity to play the top team in your conference,” Jones said of White Bear Lake. “What an opportunity for us.”

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