Simley's Tiwaah Danso (1) got past a trio of Byron defenders on her way to two of her 19 points. Photo by Mark Hvidsten, SportsEngine
Acheampomaah Danso (second from left), Sydney Stensgard and Tiwaah Danso cheer on their teammates in the closing minutes of Simley's 76-45 victory over Byron. Stensgaard had 24 points and Danso 19. Photo by Mark Hvidsten, SportsEngine
A big night from juniors Sydney Stensgard and Tiwaah Danso catapulted Simley (2-1) to a 76-45 win against Byron (1-2) at Simley High School on Thursday night.
Stensgard finished with 24 points and Danso put up 19 in the duo’s dominating performance for Simley, ranked No. 10 in Class 3A by Minnesota Basketball News. Junior guard Ysareia Chevre added 13.
Courtney Connelly led the Bears with 17.
Simley scored its first two baskets off steals to go ahead 5-2, setting the tone early before jumping out to a 12-4 lead. The Spartans’ defense forced 18 turnovers.
Byron found some rhythm and cut the Spartans lead to 17-12. The Bears fought hard before ending the first half down 30-19. The second half became too much for Byron.
The Spartans lit up the floor, scoring 46 points in the second half. The Bears relied on the free-throw line — they went 21-of-24 from the charity stripe — but it wasn’t enough to gain ground on Simley.
Simley junior Sydney Stensgard (2) lines up a three-point shot in the second half. Stensgard scored a game-high 24 points. Photo by Mark Hvidsten, SportsEngine
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