Lady Bobcats and Lady Tigers end season strong

SUPERIOR – In an intense rivalry game between Superior and St. Regis, it was clear the winner would be a cat; the only question was how long the tail would be. In the end, the Superior Lady Bobcats were inched out in the double overtime match up.

The Thursday, Feb. 13, game was close and both teams played aggressively. After an initial stalemate, St. Regis opened the game with a three-point basket by sophomore Pilar Cantrell-Field. However, the Lady Bobcats quickly pulled back and took the lead with a series of two-point shots.

The Superior girls were right behind St. Regis as senior Anesa Ruiz with sophomores Danielle Ewoniuk and Marissa Koke pulled in a quick succession of two point shots. St. Regis freshman Madison Hill was able to bring in some last minute points to bring the first quarter to a close. Superior led the quarter with a score of 8-6.

In the second quarter, the Lady Tigers pulled back to take the lead as Hill and senior Arianna Jones both made two-point shots after crossing the court. After a long back and forth duel where both teams brought in more points, the Lady Bobcats were able to tie the game again and briefly pull ahead. Thanks to another quick play from Jones St. Regis claimed the quarter with a score of 17-14.

As the teams came back from halftime, the game became an even fiercer competition. Both teams battled aggressively as they fought to pull ahead.

The third quarter maintained the game’s deadlock as the team’s scores stayed within four points of each other. Koke brought in all the points for Superior in the quarter with St. Regis junior Gabby Moeller making the majority for her team.

During one play, the ball was dropped and members of both teams rolled on the floor fighting for possession. As it continued to roll just out of reach, the players climbed over each in a scuffle to claim the rogue ball.

As the timer counted down, Superior was ahead. Then in the final seconds of the quarter, a two-point shot at the buzzer by Hill almost tied the game. The quarter ended with Superior leading a score of 25-24.

What would normally be the last quarter saw both teams press hard to take the game. With two and three point shots all over the place it was still anyone’s game. As the clock counted down with no clear leader, both coaches called several time outs to discuss strategy. The fourth quarter ended with a tied score of 35-35 as the game went into overtime.

The first overtime round had the girls at a stalemate as they tried to press the other team back. Both teams were able to sink a two-point shot, tying the game again. Stalling tactics were also used to increase the odds of one side coming out on top.

In the last two minutes of the period, Hill stood just over the mid-court line to run down the clock. At five seconds, she rushed in to try for a game winning point. The Lady Bobcat’s defense was too strong and the quarter ended with a score of 37-37.

In the second overtime, both teams tried hard to bring in more points. A back and forth brawl ensued as the teams rushed the other’s defense.

Superior made two points and St. Regis pulled ahead with two points of their own plus a free throw bringing the score to 41-39. Then Superior tied it up again with a two-point basket. The game had become a battle of rapid fire back and forth plays. Finally, as the clock wound down, the play to end the game happened.

In the final seconds of the game, St. Regis junior Ashley Cheesman was put in the game. The scoreboards were even at 41 points. At 10 seconds, Cheesman got the ball and made a three point shot. After it went in the Lady Bobcats tried to get a point at the buzzer but it bounced off the rim and ended the game with a St. Regis victory as the final score stood at 44-41.

The game was a strong team effort and the Lady Bobcats worked hard together to keep the game close. Sophomore Marissa Koke was the team’s top scorer with 19 points, most of which were made in the third quarter.

For St. Regis, Jones and Cantrell-Field were tied as the top scorers as each brought in 11 points. Moeller came in a close second with 10 points with Hill behind her at nine. The four girls were the only St. Regis scorers for most of the game.

St. Regis Head Coach Tyler Hurley was not surprised by the intensity of the game. He said this was what rivalry games were all about and felt the smaller teams made for better games.

“In the end one team had to come out on top,” said Hurley. “I’m just glad it was us.”

Superior Head Coach Jeff Schultz felt his team did a good job. While it would have been nice to win, he said it was a fun game. Schultz also recalled he jokingly told the girls Cheesman would come in to bring a winning point.

“Sometimes you hate when you’re right,” Schultz said.

He felt the team did an awesome job as everyone did what they needed to and especially praised the Superior seniors for a great senior night performance.

Hurley felt the Lady Tigers had a rough offensive game but they played well defensively. In practice he stressed the bench players needed to be ready to come on at any time. Hurley felt the importance of this was demonstrated as he praised Cheesman for her game-winning basket.

“God bless her,” he said. “She plays maybe three minutes the entire game and it’s the game winning throw.”

When the Lady Bobcats played their final game of the regular season in Noxon, on Saturday, Feb. 15, they came back with a strong win. They were almost able to bring in double Noxon’s points.

The first quarter opened strong as the Noxon girls faltered against the Lady Bobcat’s guards. The second quarter saw the girls increase their already strong lead. As the teams came back from halftime, the Lady Red Devils were able to pull back and recover.

The final quarter was a deadlock as the teams played strong hard. Both sides brought in identical points for the quarter as their defensive pushes clashed against each other. The game ended with a final score of 42 to 29.

On Tuesday, Feb. 11, the Lady Tigers played a game against Hot Springs where they took another strong victory.

The game started with the Lady Tigers behind after Hot Springs came out strong and pushed through the team’s defense. The girls rallied in the second quarter and turned the tables on the Lady Savage Heat.

As the second half got under way, both teams were slightly sluggish as they worked to overcome their opponent’s guards. It was still a close game but did not look good for St. Regis as the quarter ended with a score of 24 to 27. The final quarter of the game saw a sudden reversal as the St. Regis girls came out on fire and laid out the pressure against the Lady Savage Heat. As the Lady Tigers rushed the offense they were able to overwhelm their opponents and limit them to a handful of points.

The game ended with a score of 43 to 32.

Hurley was a little disappointed with how things went against Hot Springs. He felt the team’s difficulties were in response to the rivalry game against Superior on Thursday. He was overall pleased the team came out with an 11-point lead though.

“Just happy to get a win,” Hurley said.

This week both teams will go to the district tournament in Ronan. The Lady Tiger’s first game will be against Two Eagle River before playing Charlo. Hurley said Charlo was the main team standing in the way of the Tigers going to divisionals.

The Lady Bobcat’s first game will be on Thursday, Feb. 20. Schultz was confident about the team’s chances in the final competitions.

“As long as we continue to get better and play hard and do what we do, we’re going to be in good shape,” said Schultz. “That’s kind of what I’m hoping for. As long as we can improve and get better.”