MINNEAPOLIS — The NRHEG girls’ basketball team is hitting on all cylinders.

Three state tournament records were set, and the Panthers beat Pequot Lakes 100-68 Wednesday in the Class AA state quarterfinals at Mariucci Arena.

Carlie Wagner broke her previous scoring record of 50 points from last year’s state championship game against Braham by throwing down 53 points. NRHEG destroyed the previous record of 88 points in a game — set by Eden Valley-Watkins in 1984 — by reaching triple digits for the first time this season. The final new record was for total points in a game. The Panthers and Patriots combined for 168 points, nine more points than Monticello and Fergus Falls scored against each other in 2013.

“Jade Schultz and the twins (Maddie and Marnie Wagner) hit just enough to keep them from doing some things to maybe cover her (Carlie) better,” said NRHEG head coach John Schultz. “We’ve got four kids hitting from three, and everybody’s driving well. They’re all a threat to drive. They’re all a threat to shoot. You just can’t defend it.”

The Panthers were 13 of 30 from beyond the arc. Carlie made six 3-pointers, and Jade Schultz hit five shots from downtown en route to scoring 17 points.

Maddie added two 3-pointers and had a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds.

Despite the 32-point victory, Pequot Lakes had the momentum early when Katie White hit a 3-pointer on the game’s first shot.

NRHEG responded with a 7-0 run, but the Patriots recaptured a 13-11 lead with 11:46 left in the first half.

“Shots weren’t falling. We weren’t contending threes, and we weren’t playing our game early in the first half,” Carlie said.

The Panthers tied the game at 13 on a layup by Paige Overgaard, and NRHEG didn’t trail the rest of the afternoon.

Eight minutes before halftime, a 3-pointer by Jade Schultz gave the Panthers their first double-digit lead of the game.

However, Pequot Lakes responded by cutting a deficit that expanded to 12 points to four points with 6:25 left in the first half.

NRHEG pushed its advantage back to nine points at halftime, 50-41.

After scoring 26 in the first half, Carlie caught fire in the second half by hitting four of six 3-pointers to help NRHEG start a 12-2 run that kept growing.

“I felt like our shot selection was better,” Carlie said about the second half. “Jade was hitting her threes, and that was giving us momentum. Paige Overgaard, Hannah Lundberg and everyone was rebounding like crazy, so that helped a lot, too.”

At halftime, Pequot Lakes was winning the rebounding battle 26-25.

“That never happens,” said coach Schultz. “We haven’t been out-rebounded all year. That was frustrating, but they’re athletic, and we know why they were here.”

NRHEG responded by out-rebounding the Patriots 28-11 in the second half to win the final tally on the glass 53-37.

The Panthers’ defense held Pequot Lakes to 27 points in the second half.

“Scoring 50 points in one half isn’t bad, so we didn’t talk offense (at halftime),” coach Schultz said. “We had to stop those two (White and Kayla Miller) from beating us and box out No. 11 (Vanessa Lane). That was our focus.”

NRHEG, the No. 1-ranked team and the No. 1 seed in the tournament, will play Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted, the No. 4 seed — in the semifinals at 6 p.m. Friday at Williams Arena in Minneapolis.

Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted beat Minnehaha Academy 62-43 in the state quarterfinals.

Class AA state quarterfinals:
NRHEG 100, Pequot Lakes 68

NRHEG 50   50  —  100

PL 41   27  —  68

NRHEG (29-0)

Wagner, Carlie 17-34 13-15 53; Schultz, Jade 6-15 0-0 17; Wagner, Maddie 4-5 1-2 11; Wagner, Marnie 3-6 1-3 7; Overgaard, Paige 3-6 0-0 6; Stork, Anna 1-2 0-0 2; Lundberg, Hannah 1-3 0-0 2; Harrington, Kelli 1-2 0-0 2; Hagen, Ryann 0-0 0-0 0; Camerer, Kayley 0-1 0-0 0; Ramaker, Gretchen 0-0 0-0 0; Peterson, Jade 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 36-74 15-20 100.

Pequot Lakes (23-7)

Miller, Kayla 9-18 3-7 25; White, Katie 6-18 2-3 19; Lane, Vanessa 8-14 3-10

19; Hart, Kelsey 1-1 0-0 2; Ryan, Caitie 0-5 2-3 2; Miller, Barbara 0-0 1-4

1; Bermel, Chloe 0-0 0-0 0; Ruud, Corina 0-0 0-0 0; Squires, Laura 0-1 0-0 0; Faacks, Jessica 0-0 0-0 0; Littman, Sam 0-0 0-0 0; Lohmiller, Morgan 0-0 0-0 0; Buell, Emilee 0-0 0-1 0; Carkhuff, Caitlyn 0-0 0-0 0; Wiebolt, Haley 0-5 0-0 0; Headlee, Elsa 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 24-62 11-28 68.

3-point goals — Pequot Lakes 9-27 (White, Katie 5-13; Miller, Kayla 4-8;

Ryan, Caitie 0-1; Wiebolt, Haley 0-5), NRHEG 13-30 (Wagner, Carlie 6-16; Schultz, Jade 5-10; Wagner, Maddie 2-3; Wagner, Marnie 0-1).

Fouled out — Pequot Lakes-None, NRHEG-Overgaard, Paige; Schultz,

Jade.

Rebounds — Pequot Lakes 37 (Lane, Vanessa 10), NRHEG 53

(Wagner, Maddie 10).

Assists — Pequot Lakes 18 (Wiebolt, Haley 8), NRHEG 20 (Schultz, Jade 7; Wagner, Carlie 7).

Total fouls — Pequot Lakes 16, NRHEG 25.

Technical fouls — Pequot Lakes-None, NRHEG-None.