Albany uses points in the paint to overpower Perham in Class 2A

Albany used a size advantage to defeat Perham 51-38 in the quarterfinal round of the Class 2A girls basketball state tournament Wednesday at Maturi Pavilion.

"They are really long and we are not by any means," Yellowjackets coach T.J. Super said. "We knew that would be a problem. It's hard to see it on tape and hard to replicate it in practice."

The third-seeded Huskies scored 32 points on layups. Alyssa Sand, a 6-3 junior, led the Huskies with 14 points, seven rebounds and three blocks. Fellow forward Kylan Gerads had 12 points. Gerads got the Huskies started with 10 points in the first eight minutes.

"We knew we had a height advantage with Alyssa," Gerads said. "We also knew they were going to pack the middle. We just had to look for the open cuts."

Willow Thiel scored 18 points to lead the Yellowjackets (26-4). She tried to match the inside play of the Huskies but was outnumbered around the basket. Mya Morris made five three-point shots to keep the Yellowjackets alive. She finished with 15 points.

"Willow did a great job. She's crafty inside," Super said. "We probably didn't get her enough touches. Our shooters had a really tough time with them closing out."