FIELD TWP- The North Woods girls wanted to win Friday’s home tilt against Floodwood in the worst way, as a victory would give them not only a winning record in the regular season but also the seventh seed in this week’s sectional tournament. Instead, the game ended in the worst way possible, a heartbreaking 44-40 overtime loss.
Senior guard Brianna Whiteman got the start in her career regular-season finale and got North Woods off on the right foot with a three-ball. With Kiana LaRoque, Hannah Cheney, and Talise Goodsky knocking down buckets, a Grizzlies run was capped by a Tatum Barto trey to give North Woods a 13-5 lead.
But the Grizzlies’ offense stalled down the stretch in the first half, and North Woods went to the locker room trailing 22-18.
Hannah Kinsey knocked down the Grizzlies’ first bucket of the second half, and another Kinsey score tied the game at 26-26. Cheney scored to put North Woods back in front, and later dropped in a trey to put the Grizzlies up by five, 33-28.
Floodwood responded, and with only 43 seconds remaining, North Woods was on the short side of a 37-36 score. After a time out, Helen Koch received the inbounds pass and drove the length of the court for a clutch score that put North Woods back in the lead. Floodwood sank a free throw with 25 seconds left for a 38-38 tie, and neither team scored on their final possessions, sending the game to overtime.
Floodwood struck first in the extra period, but Koch responded with a score for a 40-40 tie. The teams traded possessions, and after the Grizzlies missed a shot to take the lead, Floodwood’s Hailey Bergin raced down the floor for a fast break score and a 42-40 lead with only nine seconds left. North Woods squeezed in two possessions, but both resulted in turnovers, and Floodwood hit two free throws to seal the 44-40 win.
The slow pace of the game worked to Floodwood’s advantage, Grizzlies Head Coach Liz Cheney said.
“Their coach was yelling, ‘Walk the ball up,’ and I knew that was going to be the case because that’s what they do. That’s not our style of play. We like to run the floor.”
Senior Shyla Adams started alongside Whiteman, and both played significant minutes with good contributions during the game. While the pair hasn’t seen much playing time this season, Cheney praised their leadership throughout the season.
“They’re leaders in a different way for the team,” she said. “They’re good examples of accepting the roles that they have been given. Our girls definitely respect the two of them and they will be missed.”
With the loss, the Grizzlies finished the regular season with a record of 12-12. Their eight seed is four spots better than last season and earned an opening home game against Deer River that was scheduled for Wednesday. If the Grizzlies prevailed in that one, then a Friday matchup against the top team in Class A, Mt. Iron-Buhl, was up next.
Check timberjay.com and the Timberjay’s Facebook page for Section 7A tournament updates prior to next week’s print edition.