The End of An Era

Superior started the Western C Divisional Tournament in Butte doing what they have done all season, playing an aggressive defense and using the defense as a foundation to a balanced offensive attack. 

The Lady Bobcats met up with Harrison at the Maroon Activities Center on Wednesday and looked like the undefeated powerhouse they had been all year. 

In the first quarter, Superior had no problem keeping up the offensive pace with Harrison and the quarter ended in and 18 all tie. 

Led by their aggressive full court press defense, the Lady Bobcats turned up the heat in the second quarter. Capitalizing on every opportunity, Superior outscored Harrison 15-8 in what would prove to be the deciding quarter of the game. 

At halftime the lead was 33-26 in favor of Superior. 

Harrison hung around in the second half of the game, keeping pace with the quickness of the Lady Bobcats. Only one point differentiated the two teams in the second half but Superior held onto the lead and won 79-71.

Five players scored in double figures for the Bobcats with Nicole Stroot’s 17 points leading the way. 

Senior Malinda Steinebach was four of seven from three-point range and ended the game with 14.

“The usual suspects always shined, the top six girls all had games that they played outstanding,” Superior Lady Bobcat Coach Jeff Shultz said “Each of them had their times to shine and they stepped up and did a really great job.”  

The undefeated Superior Lady Bobcats ran into the fiercest competition they’ve encountered all year on Friday when they faced off against Twin Bridges in the semifinals. 

Unlike previous games this season, Superior found themselves facing a Lady Falcon squad that had the speed and defensive mindset to not only keep up, but also to play Cinderella. 

In the first quarter Twin Bridges started off on a 0-7 run, forcing Coach Jeff Schultz to spend a timeout with only one minute and 25 seconds expired from the clock. After the timeout, the Lady Bobcats started playing their brand of defense – forcing turnovers and getting fast break opportunities. 

Slowly but surely Superior began trying to regain momentum in their favor, using lights-out free throw shooting from senior Cary Chamberlain and junior Nicole Stroot to scrape back into the game. 

“Nicole Stroot played like a senior,” Coach Shultz said of the junior Bobcat.  

Senior Malinda Steinebach, came up big with a three-pointer to tie the game at 16 just as the clock hit the one minute mark in the first quarter. 

Superior cranked up the defensive pressure even more during the last minute of the first quarter, but Twin Bridges ended up with the lead going into the second, 18-20.

The second quarter found Superior in the bonus early and the Lady Bobcats went to the line often. 

However, Twin Bridges kept up the offensive pressure, which led to fouls being committed by Superior as well. 

In what seemed to be a free throw battle between the teams, the second quarter found Superior slowly getting closer to the Lady Falcons – who lost the percentage battle at the free throw line. At halftime the Lady Bobcats were down 35-38. 

Twin Bridges came out of the half swinging and never looked back. The ball was not falling in Superior’s favor, and the Lady Bobcats found themselves missing shots that seemed to always drop in games previous. 

At the end of the third quarter Superior was outscored 29-10 and down 45-67. 

In the fourth quarter, Senior Cary Chamberlain fouled out early and Twin Bridges kept rolling. The Lady Falcons were able to instantly and consistently answer any scores by Superior. The game was quickly locked.

As the clock ticked down on Superior’s undefeated season, Twin Bridges continued to set fire to the basket and the Lady Bobcats continued to find shots not dropping. The Lady Bobcats lost 61-83.

“It didn’t end the way we wanted it too, we really wanted to go to state. But I thought the girls played with heart and did a really nice job,” Coach Shultz said. “Not all the shots went down the way we would have liked but for the most part they played hard and never gave up.”

In their loser out game on Saturday, Superior faced an opponent they had already beaten three times previously – the Charlo Vikings. 

A very loose Bobcat squad took the floor and came out looking as if the night before hadn’t happened at all. Superior turned up the speed on the game and raced out of the gates. 

With senior leaders like Kaitlynn Koke coming up big on the offensive boards and using those second chance opportunities to put in easy layups, the momentum in the first have was all Superior. 

The Lady Bobcats led 28-20 going into the half but Charlo would not lie down easily and came out aggressive in the second. Matching the pace set by the Bobcats, Charlo was able to build momentum in their favor and cut the lead to five by the end of the third quarter. 

In the fourth the Lady Vikings continued to push momentum in their favor and made it a tight match with the two teams exchanging blows until they found themselves tied at 50 – each team with potentially only a minute left in their season.

Malinda Steinebach drove hard to the basket and with a Lady Viking foul was given the opportunity to give the Bobcats the lead. The senior didn’t feel any of the pressure and sank both free throws. 

However on the next possession for Charlo, Superior fouled Jordan Ludeman – who sank two free throws and tied the game back up. 

With the clock winding down, the Bobcats drove the ball down the court and missed a shot that was rebounded by Charlo. Superior stuck to its tight defense and before the ball even reached half court was called with a foul. 

Kinley Pope sank both of her free throws, giving the Vikings a two-point lead with only 25 seconds remaining. 

Tension ran high as the Bobcats attempted to tie the game back up but found themselves missing the mark. With another Charlo rebound, Superior was forced to foul and got a little more life when only one of two free throws was made. 

With six second left Cary Chamberlain drove the ball down the court, frantically searching for a three-point opportunity. She was finally forced to put up an off balanced attempt that fell short. 

Superior lost 55-52 with Kaitlynn Koke’s 12 points and seven rebounds leading the team. 

Cary Chamberlain contributed 11 in the effort and Malinda Steinebach added 10. The Superior Lady Bobcats ended their season 21-2.  

“The season went great, I felt really lucky and fortunate to have them all,” Coach Shultz said. “It’s not the loosing that hurt, it’s the fact that it’s over - we lose a lot of seniors and no longer have this team as a whole. It’s really the day to day stuff that was the most fun.”

As for the future, Shultz said that the winning ways have only just begun. 

“These seniors led the way of what Superior basketball is going to be like from here on out. We are really going to shock a lot of people next year,” Shultz said.

Shultz personally thanked his players for their hard work and a fun season.