Parshall girls take seventh in first ever state tournament bid
By Jerry W. Kram
When you have a long history of excellence like the Parshall High School athletic program, it’s hard to be the first of anything. But the 2015 Parshall Braves girls basketball team will be forever remembered as the first ever to make to the North Dakota State Class B Tournament.
The Braves went up against the Kindred Vikings in the opening game of the tournament, and came up heartbreakingly short as they had the ball with a handful of seconds to go but couldn’t score to fall, in overtime, 55-54 to the second ranked Kindred Vikings. Their second game was against the third ranked Lakota-Edmore Raiders, and the Braves again pushed a top ranked team to the limit before running out of gas in the fourth quarter and falling by a score of 52-39. The girls weren’t discouraged and opened up against the fourth ranked Thompson Tommies with a dominant fourth quarter to avenge a two point loss early in the season by a score of 67-59.
"It was nice to get a win," said Braves Head Coach Mervin Packineau. "The girls clamped down a little tighter defensively. We got ahead and protected the lead. We made our free throws down the stretch and came away with a win. The girls really wanted to get that one win in the state tournament and that’s what they did in the second half. They dug down and it was gut check time and they came away with the W. They played with a lot of heart."
