As the girls started in on the Star Spangled Banner the pre-game warm up cd started back up and overwhelmed the national anthem. The girls were able to recover and put in a nice performance. It wasn’t their fault that the music started like that, but there was nothing they could do about it either.
Was it an omen?
It wasn’t as if Grantsburg played poorly, it was just that St. Croix Central couldn’t miss… and it continued like that throughout the game. They were overwhelming the music that Grantsburg was trying to make.
There was one kid for SCC who never took a good looking shot, but he made all of them. It was incredible. St. Croix Central had no players averaging double digit scoring for the season, in fact their two best players average just over eight points per game. Tonight was different. The Panthers came out shooting and scoring… it was like an NBA All-Star game out there, especially to begin the game.
The end of the game was one for the ages as Grantsburg made a three point basket with 15 seconds left in the game giving them a two point lead, then with about seven seconds left SCC made a three pointer from waaaay downtown to give the Panthers a one point lead. Out of timeouts, Grantsburg had to race down the court, Connar Goetz drove then kicked the ball out to Thane Larson who was open but had to lean to his right to receive the pass. He gathered himself and took the shot, a three-pointer at the buzzer. It was just a little too much to the right when it contacted the rim. Game over. Season over.
The Pirates did do some things that they’ll look back on and wish they could change. They got into foul trouble in the second half and Ben Larson fouled out in the fourth quarter then Tyler Myers did the same in overtime. SCC didn’t have anyone in foul trouble.
Trent Bonneville should be commended for the way he played tonight. He drew a ton of fouls, especially in the first half and ended with over twenty points. He took control of the game at times.
I want to congratulate the team on a nice year. Yeah, everyone was counting on them making a deep playoff run, and if the circumstances were just a little different, maybe we’d all be in better moods, but this is life. Sometimes the underdog wins. That doesn’t mean it wasn’t a year we’ll all remember. The last second win in Luck, the last second losses to Webster and Luck and now SCC. Those games didn’t turn out the way we hoped, but that doesn’t mean we look at this team as a failure. They had a good season and those seniors who were so dedicated to the sport they love so much should all be commended for the way they busted their tails for the past four years.
In other news, the Luck Cardinals were also upset by #5 seed Eleva-Strum 48-46 in overtime. Two of the best teams this area both underachieved in the playoffs. I haven’t heard any anecdotes from that game, so I have no idea what happened.
Siren also lost to #1 seed Prescott 49-42. So all West Lakeland teams have been eliminated from boys tournament action.
That leaves just the Siren girls, ranked 3rd in D4, left in the playoffs. They play tomorrow night against Flambeau. I’ll be there broadcasting on WXCX if you are interested. Game time is 7:00.
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