OMAHA - St. Albert made a game of it for a half, but Omaha Gross came alive following the intermission to top the Saintes 57-39 in a non-conference girls basketball game Saturday. The Saintes trailed by just one point at halftime, thanks in part to the play of sophomore Kelsey Knutson. With senior starter Aileen Mooney - who finished with 11 points and six rebounds - on the bench in the second quarter due to foul trouble, the 5-foot-9 Knutson took her place in the middle and was solid. She finished the game with eight points on four-of-five shooting from the field and grabbed six boards.

"She's been coming on lately for us as a sophomore," St. Albert coach Tom Heithoff said of Knutson. "She really sparked us in the second quarter, she made three baskets just right away, and she brought us to within one at the half."

Gross came out strong following the break, however, going on a 17-8 run in the third quarter and sealing the win with an 18-10 fourth-quarter advantage.

"Gross is one of the better teams we've played this year, and in the second half they came out with the will to win," Heithoff said. "We were still playing hard, but we came out kind of just hoping we could hang in there.

"We got kind of man-handled in the third quarter," he added. "Physically they were wearing us down pretty good."

Renee Nelson keyed the win on the perimeter for the Cougars with a game-high 16 points, with Katie Swenson adding 13 and Erica Burson 10

"In the first half we really squeezed the zone down around the middle and took our chances with the 3-point shot," Heithoff said. "But then Nelson started hitting three's. We tried to get out there on her but we did a poor job at times of finding her."

Gina Assmann tied with Mooney for the team-high with 11 points.

The Saintes are on the road again - as they are for the entire month of January - when they travel to Wahoo, Neb., Nuemann Monday night. It will be their third game in five days.

"We're having kids step up every game, and we're starting to see some consistency," Heithoff said. " We're learning to win and learning to hang in there right now, and we're playing hard."

Omaha Gross 9 13 17 18 - 57

St. Albert 7 14 8 10 - 39

Omaha Gross: Sarah Tangeman 1, Tara Missak 6, Jenny Pazderka 1, Kira Cross 0, Colleen Hassett 0, Jourdan Madrigal 0, Kelsey Dempsey 0, Erica Burson 10, Renee Nelson 16, Katie Swenson 13, Brittany Faulkner 8, Kristen Benes 2, Jen Kaasch 0, Allyson Olson 0.

St. Albert: Gina Assmann 11, Aileen Mooney 11 (6r), Krista Kennebeck 3, Becky Assmann 0, Becca Gradoville 0, Morgan Wickersham 2, Amy Ryan 2, Trevour Yates 0, Melanie Hilderbrand 2, Kelsey Knutson 8 (6r), Lauren Doll 0, Beth Hamling 0.

Records: Omaha Gross (7-2), St. Albert (1-9).

Daily Nonpareil - 01.15.06