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Girls basketball: STAA spoils Patriots’ season opener, win 57-48

Goodman-Pembine's Katelyn Morrison (21) dribbles past STAA's Livia Benson (30) during the girls basketball season opener on Tuesday in Goodman, Wis. Patriots' Cassie Haupt (22), Kassy Mazur (13) and Mackenzie Stepien (12) give chase. (Burt Angeli/The Daily News Photo)

GOODMAN, Wis. — Senior Alexa Pristelski scored 26 points as St. Thomas Aquinas Academy held off Goodman-Pembine 57-48 in a girls basketball season opener Tuesday.

Katelyn Morrison and Katelyn Nelson each had 16 points to pace the Patriots.

The Cavalettes won just one game last season, and that was against the Patriots, but new coach Mark Simon vows that more wins will come this season for the Marinette school.

“The new habit is to expect to win a couple of these games,” said Simon, a former Stephenson High School and Northern Michigan University standout. “The culture is changing where we’re not a doormat anymore. We may not win them all but we’re going to be a tough out.”

GP trailed 27-23 after leading by eight with six minutes left before halftime. The Patriots trailed 40-37 with 10 minutes remaining in the second half.

“I thought we played very well,” said new GP head coach Tom Wilkins, who guided the Wausaukee boys basketball team to 45 straight M&O Conference wins from 1965 to 1968.

Wilkins thought STAA’s fast pace, despite playing with five players and no reserves, wore down his team.

“Our style has changed,” Simon said. “We don’t walk the ball up.”

Halie Beranek chipped in 13 points and Kianna Bulin added 10 for STAA, which topped any of last season’s games for points in Tuesday’s opener.

“Halie Beranek was spectacular,” Simon said. “Alexa Pristelski is what we thought she was. She’s outstanding, a great athlete. They both did a great job of penetrating.”

With 5:53 left in the game, a Morrison bucket dropped the difference to 48-44. The Cavalettes then responded with seven straight points including two Livia Benson free throws and a pair of Pristelski buckets.

Twenty-five turnovers hampered the Patriots. Nelson had four steals and six rebounds.

“They were pretty smooth,” said Wilkins, impressed with the Cavalettes’ finesse. “They made more easy shots than we did.”

The new coaches are both trying to get a handle on their teams. Simon and assistant Budde Fifarek have made the most of six practices and nobody to challenge his five players.

“I like these girls,” Simon said. “One of the things we have to overcome is we don’t have anybody to practice against. We need to find some bodies to go against because we were a little out of sync getting into our offense tonight because we haven’t seen any defenders.”

Goodman-Pembine travels to Niagara on Thursday. STAA is idle until a Nov. 27 date with Oneida.

St. Thomas Aquinas 27 30 — 57

Goodman-Pembine 23 25 — 48

ST. THOMAS AQUINAS ACADEMY (57): Pristelski 26, Bulin 10, Baranek 13, Benson 8. FT: 4-11. F: 6. 3PT: Pristelski.

GOODMAN-PEMBINE (48): Ziolkowski 5, Stepien 2, Kassy Mazur 3, Berger 2, Morrision 16, Haupt 2, Kim Mazur 2, Nelson 16. FT: 1-4. F: 15. 3PT: Kassy Mazur.

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