Leader-Telegram staff

Jackie Dummer, Joanna Leafblad and Annie Nelson still have chances to sway voters.

But, with all due respect to those three well-rounded basketball standouts from Menomonie, Eau Claire Memorial and Hudson, respectively, the competition for Big Rivers Conference girls player of the year for 2000-01 likely will be a two-horse race.

Larissa Parr and Angie Ott are the thoroughbreds.

The two seniors went head-to-head Saturday night at the Doghouse for the second time this season and earned a few more oohs and ahhs for their respective performances.

And, for the second time this season, Parr and her Eau Claire North teammates got the best of Ott and her Chippewa Falls teammates in the Huskies' 44-35 victory.

The win was the 10th straight for North (11-1, 16-2), which maintained its spot atop the Big Rivers standings. Memorial is at 11-2 in league play and Hudson at 10-2. The Cardinals (6-6, 11-7) lost their third straight game and stayed in fourth place.

As was the case in North's 43-29 win over Chippewa Falls on Jan. 12, Parr and Ott played to a virtual standoff Saturday.

Ott, who leads the BRC in scoring average at 16.2 points per game, had 14 points despite the Huskies' hounding defense and stayed free of fouls despite having Parr as her defensive assignment.

Parr managed eight points -- 6.7 off her average -- but was a linchpin on defense, helping limit the Cardinals to one field goal from the paint and forcing Chippewa Falls to rely almost solely on outside shots. The Cardinals shot just 12-for-38 (31.6 percent) from the field.

The signature play of Parr's stellar defensive performance was a block of a shot by Emily Krumenauer with 1 minute, 44 seconds to go in the third quarter. The ball ended up going out of bounds about 20 feet down the left sideline.

"They play as tough on defense as any team we've faced," said Ott, who was held scoreless for the game's final 15:02. "They forced me to rush a lot of shots."

Ott opened the second half with two field goals to forge a 24-24 tie. But point guard Lindsey Rongstad promptly seized the momentum for North, largely through her work on defense and on the boards. She scored eight of her game-high 15 points in the third quarter, helping the Huskies take a 37-26 lead into the fourth.

"We're not going to let anyone beat us in our house," Rongstad said. "Chippewa beat us here last year, and none of us have forgotten it."

Beaudry can be reached evenings at 833-9212 or (800) 236-7077 or at steve.beaudry@ecpc.com.