Abby Hennen got a hug from her father Steve, as other family members and friends applauded.

Abby Hennen scores 1,000; Vikings swamp BOLD

When Abby Hennen stepped onto the court Monday night against BOLD, her head was spinning. She’d just been told by Coach Chad Johnston she was seven points away from scoring 1,000 points.
“Coach J told me before the game. I told him I didn’t want to know that,” she said after she’d become Minneota’s latest girls 1,000-point scorer.
It came quickly when she drained a three-pointer with 5:36 left before halftime to give her Vikings a 17-14 lead.
they lost that lead one time at 20-19, then went on to an eight-point lead at halftime and coasted to a 57-42 victory.
“I wrote it down last year and I knew she was close but I didn’t give it another thought. Then I decided to double check and saw she had 981 points last year and 12 Saturday at Hopkins and knew she was just seven points away,” said Coach Johnston.
He shook his head and said, “Then she goes out and scores 21 points.”
The Hennen sisters, Abby and senior Morgan were too much for No. 5-ranked BOLD, who wilted under a press that caused the Warriors to commit 28 turnovers that handed the game to Minneota.
“It was in the back of my head,” Abby said, referring to the 1,000 points. But she knew the team needed to win worse than she needed to be the newest 1,000-pointer scorer.
For Abby Hennen, now a junior and fresh off winning her second straight state volleyball championships, her mission began when she played some varsity ball as an eighth grader. By the ninth grade she was starting. And now she’s written name in the record books.
Her milestone also brought something very special a step closer to reality.
According to Coach Johnston, her sister Morgan, who scored 18 points against BOLD is what he called, four or five games away from 1,000 points herself.
Sisters reaching the 1,000-point milestone in the same year would indeed be a special event.
As for the second win of of the young season, both over state-ranked opponents, the No. 1-ranked Vikings shook off early jitters, and when McKenzie Tolk came off the bench to knock down a three-pointer as time ran out in the first half, Minneota was rolling.
“We knew it would be close,” said Abby Hennen.
But just before half Coach Johnston tightened up on the Warriors and threw a “trapping press” that saw the Warriors come unglued.
When he implemented it again in the second half, it so unhinged BOLD they scored just two buckets in the first 10 minutes of the half.
By that time the Hennen sisters were scoring 39 of the 57 points as they capped Abby Hennen’s special night.
“The same thing happened last year. When we threw the pressure at them we got some turnovers. So we did it again,” said Abby Hennen.
Coach Johnston re-iterated that it worked a year ago and he said, “We got tired, but it fatigued them more than us.”
By the time Minneota post Jeren Rost tossed in her first bucket of the game, the Vikings were solidly in control at 51-35.
“There were nerves for the first home game, but we controlled them and I’m proud of everyone (who contributed),” said Abby Hennen. “This is a good game for us.”
Abby, who comes from a long line of sisters who played the game, including Samantha, Kelsey and Molly, is the first in her family to reach the 1,000-point total.
“I guess I can brag to my older sisters,” she laughed.
Minneota, which lost three bit cogs in their wheel when Lydia Sussner, Lizzy Gillingham and Morgan Kockelman graduated, is trying to rebuild around the Hennen sisters.
“We know what we lost so Morgan and I knew we had to step up,” Abby said.
“But what we want is for everyone to score. That’s better because it’s tougher to defend.”

Minneota 57, BOLD 42
MINNEOTA (2’s, 3’s, FT, F, TP)  Abby Hennen 6 1 3-6 2 21; Morgan Hennen 7 1 1-2 1 18; Natalee Rolbiecki 2 0 1-2 1 5; Abby Rost 2 0 0-1 2 4; Jeren Rost 1 0 0-2 0 2; Kennedi Jurrens 1 0 0-0 0 2; Ireland Stassen 1 0 0-0 0 2; McKenzie Tolk 0 1 0-0 3 3; McKenna Yost 0 0 0-0 2 0. Totals 20 3 5-13 13 57.
BOLD (2’s, 3’s, FT, F, TP) Mari Ryberg 2 1 0-0 3 7; Ashley Trongard 2 0 0-0 2 4; Makayla Snow 5 0 3-4 1 13; Brenna Weis 4 2 3-6 4 17; Leslie Snow 0 0 1-2 0 1; Maddi Jensen 0 0 0-0 1 0. Totals 13 3 7-12 11 42.
Score by Halves
BOLD             23   19    —    42
Minneota        31   26    —    57
Statistics:
SHOOTING: Minneota 23 of 64 for 37 percent; BOLD 16 of 37 for 43 percent.
FREE THROWS: Minneota 5 of 13 for 48 percent; BOLD 7 of 12 for 68 percent.
REBOUNDING: Minneota 30 (Morgan Hennen 7, Jeren Rost 6, Abby Hennen 5, Ireland Stassen 4; Abby Rost 3, Rolbiecki, Yost 2 each, Jurrens 1; BOLD 25 (Weis, Snow 7 each, Trongard 5, Ryberg 4, L.Snow, Jensen 1 each).
TURNOVERS: Minneota 18; BOLD 28.
STEALS: Minneota 12 (Abby Hennen 5, Morgan Hennen 3, J. Rost 2, Stassen 2); BOLD 5 (M. SNOW 3, Ryberg, Mages 1 each).
BLOCKS: Minneota-Abby Rost 1; BOLD Jensen 1.
 

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