Braves get Marooned
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GLADSTONE -- There's an old saying that says beating a team three times in one season is tough.
That certainly proved to be true here Friday night, as Menominee took down Gladstone 63-47 in a Division 2 girls' basketball district final after the Braves won both regular season meetings.
The game went back and forth early, but the Maroons (14-8) held a steady cushion of at least six points until sophomore forward Makenzie Wellner drilled a 3-pointer from the left wing to give them a 28-18 lead with 1:55 left in the first half.
The Braves responded by scoring six of the final eight points of the half to go into the locker room down 30-24, including an incredible off-balance lay-up by junior guard Maddie Ahlgren with 48 ticks remaining.
But as they did most of the night, the Maroons came out of the locker room with more energy in the second half, starting on an 8-3 run to increase their lead to 38-27 with 5:12 left in the third quarter.
"We just didn't play with the same defensive energy we've played with in the past," Braves' coach Andy Cretens said. "I'm not sure why. The girls felt like we didn't bring the energy and they felt awful about it in the locker room."
Ahlgren and sophomore center Megan Crow led the Braves on a brief 6-0 spurt to pull within 38-33 on a pair of free throws by Ahlgren with 3:33 left in the third period.
"Maddie was the lone girl who absolutely brought it," Cretens said. "That was the consensus in the locker room. She has come so far from last year and the beginning of this season. She got to another level that the other girls need to get to."
The Maroons responded with a 7-1 run, capped on a lay-in by Wellner with 11 ticks left in the period. A pair of free throws by Gladstone sophomore guard Alaina Trudeau cut its deficit to 45-36 entering the final frame, but the fourth quarter was all Menominee.
After junior forward Taelor Zeise tripled to pull the Braves within 52-43 at the 6:15 mark, the Maroons finished the game on an 11-4 run to bring home the district title.
"It feels great," Maroons' coach Lucas Chouinard said. "I talked to the girls and told them basketball is the longest season in high school sports. We had our ups and downs throughout the season, but we definitely had our downs in January and early February.
"But the girls ramped up their intensity tonight. We struggled the first two times finishing but tonight we finished great. It was a great team win."
6-foot-1 sophomore center Emma Anderson was the catalyst for the Maroons, scoring 22 points and hauling down eight rebounds. She also had four steals and three assists while making life difficult for Crow on the other end.
"I didn't want to lose to them three times in a row," Anderson said. "I wanted to play good against them because I didn't the last time."
Anderson says her and Crow have been battling since the fifth grade.
"I've been going up against her since fifth grade," she said.
"I knew I had to be more physical with her to get in her head. Me and my Dad were talking and I said I can't let her beat me three times in a row."
The effort of Anderson and Wellner stuck out to Chouinard.
"Emma established herself down low very early. When she gets going she's very tough to stop," he said. "She made it very tough for Megan to even catch the ball. For us to do that team-wise is a big step moving forward.
"(Makenzie) seems to shoot very well in this gym for some reason. We knew Megan was going to help on the backside on Emma and that helped free her up."
Cretens was disappointed in not being able to capture the title.
"Turnovers on offense and not playing with enough energy on defense were the difference," he said. "We really wanted to hoist that trophy tonight but it didn't work out that way.
"We got to play better on both ends of the floor. We couldn't get in a rhythm after our turnovers. We'd come down and try to force one in to Megan. I don't know if it's because Houghton (previous game) let us throw it in to her so easily or what. We felt like the looks were there, we just didn't do the little things. It's frustrating."
The Braves finished their season 12-10 after starting 0-6. Cretens says he looks forward to next year.
"I'm excited for our future as long as the girls put the work in, and I know they will," he said. "They enjoy being in the gym. We have a lot of potential, but there's a lot of work to do over the summer."
Ahlgren led the Braves with 17 points and six rebounds, while Crow had 15 points and four rebounds.
Wellner added 12 points and three assists for the Maroons, who advance to the regional semifinal against Kingsley in Cheboygan Monday at 7 p.m.
Menominee 16 14 15 18 -- 63
Gladstone 12 12 12 11 -- 47
Menominee -- Anderson 22, Wellner 12, Nolde 10, E. Barrette 7, J. Hofer 6, S. Barrette 4, E. Hofer 2. F: 15; FT: 5-5; Fouled out: None. Anderson 2, Wellner 2, Nolde 2.
Gladstone -- Ahlgren 17, Crow 15, Taelor Zeise 7, Trudeau 5, Servant 2, LaFave 1. F: 13; FT: 20-23; Fouled out: None. 3-point field goals: Ahlgren 1, Taelor Zeise 1, Trudeau 1.