Dennis Grall | Daily Press Jordan Kraemer of Bay College dribbles past a Silver Lake College defender in the waning seconds Saturday at Bay. Kraemer was fouled on the drive and hit two free throws with .03 seconds left to lift Bay to a 66-64 victory. Kraemer had just stolen the ball with 4.3 left.

ESCANABA — Jordan Kraemer came through in the clutch once again here Saturday to help the Bay College women win the opener of a pair of exciting basketball games at Bay College.

Kraemer’s late steal and two free throws lifted the women to a 66-64 victory over Silver Lake College of Manitowoc, Wis., then the men’s team prevailed 98-93 in a back-and-forth nightcap.

Kraemer, a sophomore from Norway, knocked the ball loose as Silver Lake was trying to set up a final shot in regulation. She retrieved the ball and Bay took a time out. Kraemer then was fouled as she drove to the basket and converted both gift shots.

The Lakers took a timeout and in-bounded in front of their bench, but Bay defenders Kaitlyn Hardwick and Paige Welch converged on the pass and knocked the ball away underneath the basket. Silver Lake, which led 40-32 at halftime, never trailed after the intermission until Kraemer’s free throws.

“I heard them counting down and then she held the ball in front of me and I figured I would go for it,” Kraemer said of her decisive steal. She thought the Lakers were counting down the final seconds of the game when in fact the countdown was for the 30-second shot clock.

There were two seconds left on the shot clock and she captured the ball with 4.3 seconds left in the game. Her free throws fell with 0.03 seconds left in the game. “I knew if I made the free throws we would be okay,” she said.

The final points gave the Norse a chance to smile in a game where there were more frowns. “Our shots were not falling,” said Kraemer. The Norse hit just 22-of-61 field goals and were 5-of-14 beyond the arc.

“Everybody was getting ahead of themselves,” said Kraemer. “Once we composed ourselves we surveyed what was going on and we knew what to do. We’re prepared to get ready for moments like this. All the girls have the same goal, to win.”

Coach Rob Robinson said beating a four-year program that featured more size was special, especially with their “incredible first half shooting,” noting the Lakers hit 55 percent beyond the arc. Silver Lake also closed out the first half with a 6-0 run courtesy of three straight Bay turnovers.

He also pointed out the Norse settled down after the break and was stronger with the ball, finishing with just 11 turnovers. “If we have 12 turnovers, we lose the game,” he said of the game’s biggest key. And despite having a shorter team, Bay had 13 offensive rebounds and forced 22 turnovers.

“Playing a bigger team is tough for us,” said Robinson, who does not have a player taller than 5-foot-9. “Our girls kept pressing them and wore them out.”

Sophomore Paige Welch of Bark River-Harris hit a triple to ignite a 7-0 Bay run to forge a 48-48 draw with 29 seconds left in the third quarter, but Silver Lake’s Hailee Kotche ended that with a triple just before the buzzer and the fourth quarter began with the Lakers and Norse exchanging threes. Silver Lake opened a 62-56 spread but JuliAnn Wickman nailed a triple with 4:42 left and Kraemer hit a layup to bring Bay within 62-61 with 3:18 to go.

The next points came with 49 seconds left when Ashley Rumlow hit two free throws for Silver Lake for a 64-61 edge, then freshman Haley Trudell of Mid Peninsula tied the game with a triple from atop the key with 34.6 seconds left.

Silver Lake 22 18 11 13 – 64

Bay College 16 16 16 18 – 66

Silver Lake – Kotche 13, Kudick 10, Rumlow 5, Severin 8, Boden 17, Rabe 11. FT: 14-17; F: 20; Fouled out: Kudick, Boden; 3-point field goals – Kotche 3, Kudick 2, Rumlow 1, Severin 2.

Bay – Welch 7, Hardwick 4, Hunter 2, Kraemer 16, Trudell 6, Ackerman 4, Wickman 13, Dalgord 8, Belleville 2, Davis 4. FT: 17-25; F: 17; Fouled out: None; 3-point field goals – Welch 2, Trudell 2, Wickman 1.

___

A pair of free throws by freshman Ryan Robinette of Escanaba with eight seconds left secured the men’s victory in the nightcap. The Lakers had drawn within 96-93 when Thomas Bullock buried a 3-point basket with 11 seconds remaining.

Robinette finished with 24 points while sophomore Alfonzo Fields of Milwaukee led the Norse with 25 points by converting 8-of-12 field goals. Sophomore Marcus McKenney of Menominee had 13 points and Tyler Willette of Escanaba added 11 points.

Bullock finished with 20 points, Michael Cantre had 18 points and Byron Dean Jr. added 12 points for Silver Lake.

The game was close throughout, with 13 ties and 18 lead changes. Silver Lake led 45-42 at halftime.

Silver Lake – Miller 4, Walls 10, Bullock 20, Cantre 18, Lloyd 13, Hughes 6, Dean 12. FT: 22-26.

Bay – Robinette 24, Fields 25, Willette 11, McKenney 13, Barnes 8, Arndt 6, Mattson 2, Alexander 7. FT: 27-35.