CRYSTAL FALLS — Despite 24 points and 21 rebounds from Forest Park center Mercedes Simmons, Florence went on to win a non-conference girls basketball matchup 39-35 on Monday night at the Eddie Chambers Memorial Gymnasium.

“Going into the game, we knew we had to play really good defense. We wanted to put pressure on their guards, so they had a hard time getting the ball to Mercedes,” said Florence head coach Brad Perry. “We knew she was going to get her points and rebounds, so we wanted to minimize the other girls from scoring, and we did that.”

Florence was led in scoring by Madison Neuens with 14 points, while the Springer twins, Jordyn and Jenna, combined for 21 points.

“We were patient in our offense as we ran things away from Simmons, and it worked well,” Perry said. “We had some good hustle plays at different points of the game, girls saving loose balls from going out of bounds and things like that.”

LadyCats senior point guard Jenna Springer sprained her ankle with a little more than four minutes remaining in the game. That changed Florence’s offense, because they don’t have a backup point guard, Perry noted.

FP made a push toward a comeback at that point of the game.

“We were down by 17 at one point,” FP head coach Kim Bjork said. “Our girls found a way to get back into the game in the fourth quarter, but we ran out of time.

“We struggled to score in the first three quarters. We couldn’t get shots to fall and our defense was a step behind. We will learn from this loss and move forward.”

Florence (11-10 ) plays at Three Lakes on Thursday, to complete their Northern Lakes Conference and regular season schedule. The Trojans (6-11) have a quick turnaround with a game at Rapid River tonight.

Florence also won the JV game, 41-14, with Audrey Seldon leading the LadyCats with 15 points, while Carolanne Schuirmann added 10 points.

Florence 13 12 9 5 — 39

Forest Park 8 7 3 17 — 35

FLORENCE: Jenna Springer 11, Jordan Springer 10, M. Neuens 14, F. Neuens 4. FT: 7-19. F: 15. 3-point FG: J. Springer (2), J. Springer (2). Rebounds: 25 (Enders 6, F. Neuens 5). FG shooting: 14-34. Fouled Out: None

FOREST PARK: Simmons 24, Honkala 5, Johnson 6. FT: 5-14. F: 15. Fouled Out: Honkala. 3-point FG: None. Rebounds: 36 (Simmons 21). FG shooting: 15-62.