In the week leading into Tuesday night’s matchup between class AA powerhouse O’Gorman (13-0) and Class A No. 5 ranked Tea Area (10-3), South Dakota State commits Mahli Abdouch and Katie Vasecka exchanged messages, sharing how excited they were to compete against each other.
Abdouch and Vasecka have developed a close relationship, forged through years of practices and games as AAU teammates. They’ll also share the Frost Arena floor next season, but on Tuesday night on the O’Gorman Knights home floor, they were competitors.
“The ball’s tossed up (and) those things get tossed out,” O’Gorman girls basketball coach Kent Kolsrud said. “When they both step on the court, they’re competitors … They’re playing to win.”
Both Abdouch and Vasecka flashed their ability and showed why they’re both committed to a Division I basketball program in a highly competitive 53-45 Knights win.
Vasecka didn’t have the best night offensively. She shot only 2-for-10 from the field and turned the ball over eight times against O’Gorman’s frenetic full-court press, but she still had a striking impact on the game.