KENOSHA, Wis. — Parkside women's basketball could not quite finish off a hot start on Friday afternoon, falling 65-61 to Maryville in a back-and-forth non-conference battle at De Simone Arena. The loss drops the Rangers to 2-2 on the young season, while the Saints open their year 1-0.
Parkside rode an early 8-0 burst out of the gate, fueled by perimeter shooting, to seize control in the first quarter. The Rangers knocked down five three-pointers in the opening 10 minutes and shot 46.7 percent from the field in the period, with junior Lexi Bugajski drilling three triples on her way to nine first-quarter points. Maryville answered from the arc as well, hitting five threes of its own to stay within striking distance, and Parkside took an 18-17 edge after one.
The Saints settled in during the second quarter and used a late half run to flip the game. With the Rangers up 32-30 after a Bugajski layup, Maryville closed the frame on a 9-2 spurt, sparked by back-to-back layups from Helen Ben and Claire Lueken and capped by an Olivia Hahn three from the left wing that pushed the lead to 39-32. Maryville shot 53 percent in the second quarter and went 3-for-3 at the foul line, while Parkside cooled to 35 percent from the field. The Rangers trailed 39-34 at the break despite a 7-2 edge in first-half offensive rebounds.
Parkside continued to chase in the third. Maryville pushed its advantage back to seven on an Annika Pluemer layup early in the period, but the Rangers responded again behind their guards. A Katie Hamill three cut the deficit to four at 41-37, and Parkside briefly stemmed the momentum with a 6-0 run that featured another Bugajski finish at the rim. Still, the Saints controlled enough of the frame behind their paint scoring and free throws, holding a 51-47 lead heading into the fourth.
The final 10 minutes turned into a series of mini runs and late-game execution. Maryville extended its lead to as many as seven midway through the fourth, but Parkside hung around by dominating the glass and creating second-chance opportunities. The Rangers finished with a 43-34 rebounding advantage and turned 17 offensive boards into 17 second-chance points. Bugajski and Hamill each connected from deep in the final quarter to pull Parkside within a single possession, and the Rangers trimmed the deficit to 61-60 in the closing minute. From there, the Saints closed it out at the line. Lueken calmly knocked down two free throws with 14 seconds left to push the margin to three, and after a late Parkside miss, Annika Pluemer added one more free throw to seal the 65-61 final.
Hamill paced Parkside with a team-high 17 points, going 5-for-15 from the field, 3-for-8 from three and a perfect 4-for-4 at the line while adding five rebounds and three steals. Bugajski delivered the best performance of her collegiate career, notching her first-ever double-double with a career-high 14 points and 10 rebounds. The junior finished 5-for-10 from the floor and 4-for-8 from beyond the arc and also chipped in two assists, two steals and a block. Peighton Nelson added nine points and a game-high five assists, while the frontcourt duo of Lillie Petersen and Alli Hampel combined for 14 rebounds, with Petersen pulling down seven boards and Hampel adding four points and seven rebounds off the bench. As a team, Parkside shot 38 percent from the field, 30 percent from three (9-for-30) and 66 percent at the stripe.
Maryville countered with a balanced attack that saw five players score at least seven points. Pluemer led the Saints with 14 points and four rebounds, while guard Katie Rigdon added 11 points on 4-for-12 shooting, including 3-for-6 from deep. Lueken finished with 11 points and two steals, Hahn grabbed a team-high six rebounds to go with three points, and point guard Gracie Gopalan contributed seven points, three rebounds and three steals. The Saints shot 35 percent from the floor and 26 percent from three but made up the difference at the foul line, converting 15 of 18 free throws compared with Parkside's 8 of 12 and holding a 14-0 edge in fast-break points. Maryville's bench also outscored the Rangers' reserves 23-18.
Parkside will turn the page quickly, hosting another GLVC foe on Saturday at 1 p.m. CT back at De Simone Arena. To follow along with the Rangers, be sure to visit parksiderangers.com/coverage.
