Sophomore Kersti Nelson drained five 3-pointers to help propel the Minneapolis Lions to a 46-28 victory over the Douglass Bulldogs in the fifth-place game of the 51st Annual Eli J. Walter Girls Basketball Tournament at Berean Academy.

Minneapolis was in a rut offensively to start the game. Douglass scored the first four points of the game and led 4-0 halfway through the first quarter. The Lions first bucket didn’t come until the 3:08 mark of the first when Senior Faythe Korinek knocked in a jumper. That would be the last bucket of the quarter, as the Bulldogs led 4-2.

The scoring started to pick up for the Lions in the second quarter. Korinek hit her first two jumpers of the period to give Minneapolis the 6-4 advantage. Nelson hit her first two 3-pointers in the period during the Lions 12-0 run to start the quarter. Minneapolis kept the double-digit lead going into the break, 20-10.

Nelson, who earned the Salina Ortho Player of the Game honors with a career-high 19 points, hit two more three-pointers in the third quarter. Junior Karisma Vignery knocked in two threes of her own, and the Minneapolis Lions outscored the Bulldogs, 18-6, in the third to lead 38-16.

Minneapolis was led by Nelson’s 19. Korinek finished with 14 points and seven rebounds giving her 48 points and 20 rebounds through the three game tournament. Vignery added seven points for the Lions.

Douglass received 10 points from Sophomore Shelby Little and nine from Freshman Myra Megli.

Minneapolis has won back-to-back games for the first time this season and are winners of three of their last four. The Lions are 5-9 on the season and will resume league play next Friday at home against the Sacred Heart Knights.

https://soundcloud.com/minneapolis-lions/minneapolis-girls-1-27-18