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FF’s Rasmussen gets 1,000th point in win
Published 10:43am Monday, February 18, 2013
On senior night, Otter seniors Hanna Swenson, Kaitlin Capouch and Samantha Velde all played great; Brianna Rasmusson went over the 1,000 point milestone for her career; and the Otters defeated Sauk Rapids-Rice 59-23 in their last regular season home game at the Kennedy Secondary School Gold Gym.
The seniors were playing in their last home game, remembering before the game all the hours of hard work they’ve put in the gym over the years to get to this point. Swenson, Capouch and Velde all started the game and played very well, going in and out of the line-up throughout the game.
Together they accounted for 20 of the team’s 35 total rebounds and scored 15 points, with all three in the scoring column. As they have every day in practice, they exemplified their hard work on defense, setting the tone for the Otters to hold Sauk Rapids to only 2 points in the first five minutes. Swenson finished with 7 points and 9 rebounds, leading the team in that category; while Capouch had 4 points and 5 rebounds; Velde weighed in with 2 points and 6 boards.
“I thought it was a great way to finish the regular home season for the seniors,” Otter head coach Brad Strand said. “They have been dedicated to the program for so many years and their leadership every day on the court has made this team and the girls they play with successful. They played great defensively and helped us get off to a good start on that end of the floor tonight.”
Rasmussen went over the 1,000 point milestone at the 4:27 mark in the first half when she drained a couple of free throws. She finished with 16 points in the game, going 5 for 7 from the floor and 4 for 4 from the line, to end up with 1,003 points now in her career. When she broke the milestone, a time out was taken and she was presented with a commemorative game ball along with the congratulations of her mother, assistant coach Renae Rasmusson, and her dad, game photographer Donavan Rasmusson. She led the team with six assists, to run her record to 419 career assists, and also led the team by grabbing six steals.
“Congratulations to Brianna on reaching the significant milestone of 1,000 points in her career in only her junior year,” stated coach Strand. “We preach always catching the ball in the triple threat position, that is being ready to shoot, pass or drive, and Brianna’s assist record and 1,000 point milestone exemplifies how she is one of the best at that the Otter girls’ program has ever had.”
And yes, the Otters won the basketball game handily, 59-23. Defense led the way again for the Otters as they only gave up two points in the first five minutes and a total of 13 points in the first half. In the second half, they only gave up 10 points, with every player on the team getting minutes. Bailey Strand led the Otters with 18 points, with Rasmusson right behind with 16. Fergus Falls out-rebounded the Storm 35-17 and the Otters had 13 offensive rebounds alone in the first half.
The win has given the Otters an unblemished 22-0 season record. Fergus Falls was to play a rescheduled game at Detroit Lakes Saturday night, and another rescheduled game at Staples next Tuesday night.
In the JV game, Fergus Falls prevailed 47-33. The Otter 9th graders made it a clean sweep on the night with a 47-22 win.
Fergus Falls 59, Sauk Rapids-Rice 23
Scoring Summary: Fergus Falls 59 – B. Strand 18, B. Rasmusson 16, H. Swenson 7, A. Monke 6, D. Smith 5, K. Capouch 4, S. Velde 2, A. Reinertson 1. Sauk Rapids-Rice 23 – S. Woods 5, A. Skillingstad 4, E. Krueger 4, M. Gaffke 4, T. Paulson 2, B. Becker 2, E. Woods 2.
