Photo by Jake McNeill: Minneota guard Kiersyn Hulzebos (21) performs a crossover dribble during a prep girls basketball game against Minnewaska Area at the Holiday Classic at Southwest Minnesota State University in Marshall on Friday night. 

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MARSHALL — Travels and other turnovers were the story of the game when the Minneota girls basketball team took on Class 2A No. 9 Minnewaska Area as part of the Holiday Classic at Southwest Minnesota State University on Friday night. The Lakers capitalized on Viking errors early and often, cruising to a 70-41 win.

Minnewaska jumped on a trio of Minneota turnovers in the game’s first two minutes to capture an early 9-2 lead. A Hadli Krog layup and a Jaylyn Coequyt free throw cut the deficit to two possessions, but the Lakers scored after grabbing four offensive rebounds in a single possession to prompt a Viking timeout, trailing 13-7.

Sarah Gruenes drilled a 3-pointer to bring Minneota within 5 points, 17-12, but the Vikings were held scoreless for the next six minutes as the Lakers pulled away. Minnewaska unleashed a 13-0 run to extend its lead to 30-14 before Coequyt ended the drought by hitting a layup with six minutes to play in the half.

The Lakers’ cushion surpassed 20 points when Jayda Kolstoe hit a layup through contact in transition, making the score 38-17 with four minutes to play in the first half. The Vikings got back within 20 points after getting into the bonus in the half’s waning minutes, but a series of Minneota turnovers allowed the Lakers to reextend their lead to 48-23 heading into halftime.

Throughout the second half, Minnewaska edged on the verge of the running clock threshold of 35 points, but Minneota kept the Lakers just shy of it. Minnewaska led by as many as 32 points in the final nine minutes.

Minneota falls to 5-3 with the loss, having now lost three of its last four games since starting the season on a four-game win streak. The Vikings will aim to right the ship when they take on St. Clair (3-4) on the second day of the Holiday Classic tonight at 5:30 p.m. While the game will be the backend of a back-to-back for Minneota, the Cyclones have had a week to recover since they last played on Dec. 21.