Heartbreak City: Athletics fall to Ada-Borup in state semis

Published 12:49 pm Friday, March 20, 2015

 

Lyle-Pacelli’s Brooke Walter consoles her sister Courtney Walter after Courtney’s shot missed at the buzzer against Ada-Borup in the Class A Minnesota Girls State Basketball Touranment semifinals Friday at Williams Arena. LP fell 54-52. Eric Johnson/photodesk@austindailyherald.com

Lyle-Pacelli’s Brooke Walter consoles her sister Courtney Walter after Courtney’s shot missed at the buzzer against Ada-Borup in the Class A Minnesota Girls State Basketball Touranment semifinals Friday at Williams Arena. LP fell 54-52. Eric Johnson/photodesk@austindailyherald.com

 

MINNEAPOLIS — The Lyle-Pacelli girls basketball team did most things right, but it lost on a heartbreaker in the Class A semifinals in Williams Arena in the University of Minnesota Friday.

Lyle-Pacelli's Courtney Walter pressure's Ada-Borup's Lexi Nelson during the Class A Minnesota Girls State Basketball Tournament in Williams Arena Friday. Eric Johnson/photodesk@austindailyherald.com

Lyle-Pacelli’s Courtney Walter pressure’s Ada-Borup’s Lexi Nelson during the Class A Minnesota Girls State Basketball Tournament in Williams Arena Friday. Eric Johnson/photodesk@austindailyherald.com

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Ada-Borup’s Miki Lee scored inside to put the Cougars (31-0 overall) up 54-52 with seven seconds left in the game and Courtney Walter missed a game-winning 3-pointer from the right wing as time expired.

LP freshman Brooke Walter, who had 24 points on 9-for-13 shooting with three rebounds and three steals, set up Courtney’s 3-point attempt and she said she will always trust her older sister in that role.

“Courtney’s a great shooter,” Brooke said. “I have a lot of confidence in her and I wouldn’t want anyone else taking that shot besides her.”

AB tied the contest up at 52-52 with Lexi Merkens hit a 3-pointer from the top of the key and LP’s Sarah Holtz, who had 16 points, four rebounds and four assists, missed a runner in the lane with 46 seconds left in regulation.

LP (26-4 overall) led 45-35 after Holtz finished a lay-up with 9:11 left in the game. That’s when things took a turn for the worse.

The Cougars converted a 3-point play and a steal for a lay-up to score five points in five seconds to kickstart a 12-0 run that gave them a 47-45 lead with 7:08 left in the game. LP had three turnovers in that spurt and LP head coach Justin Morris had a technical that cost LP one point.

Lyle-Pacelli’s Bethany Strouf tries to rip the ball away from Ada-Borup’s Lexi Nelson in the second half of the Class A Minnesota Girls State Basketball Tournament in Williams Arena Friday. Eric Johnson/photodesk@austindailyherald.com

Lyle-Pacelli’s Bethany Strouf tries to rip the ball away from Ada-Borup’s Lexi Nelson in the second half of the Class A Minnesota Girls State Basketball Tournament in Williams Arena Friday. Eric Johnson/photodesk@austindailyherald.com

“I could’ve not gotten a technical. When the head coach gets a technical that’s stupid,” LP head coach Justin Morris said. “They made some plays and went on a run. They’re 30-0. The coach can’t get a technical, the kids need to understand the personal and we let [Merkens] and [Lee] get free.”

Brooke hit a 3-pointer to put LP back up 48-47 and the Athletics had a chance to close out the game, but she couldn’t help but look back at the point when they had a double digit lead.

“You kind of get your hopes up and you want to try and put them away. We just kind of had a point where they were making their shots and we kind of fell apart for a little bit and it kind of costed us,” she said. “It sucks being on the short end of the scoreboard. We still played incredible, we stuck together and we kept our composure for the most part. We put it all out there.”

LP trailed by as many as six points in the first half, but they bounced back and eventually took a 28-25 3-pointer when Brooke hit NBA range 3-pointer from the left wing as time expired in the first half.

LP shot 54 percent from the field, 47 percent a 3-pointers and 100 percent on free throws,” Morris said. “I thought we played a really great game against a great team. We put ourselves in position to be successful at the end and we were up three with a minute to go.”

LP will play in the Class A third place game against Minneota in Concordia College at 10 a.m. Saturday.

AB 25 29 — 54

LP 28 24 — 52

LP scoring: Brooke Walter, 24; Sarah Holtz, 16; Courtney Walter 6; Madison Truckenmiller, 4; Bethany Strouf, 2; field goals: 54 percent (22-for-41); 3-pointers: 47 percent 7-for-15); free throws: 100 percent (1-for-1); rebounds: 18; turnovers: 16

Lyle-Pacelli’s Madison Truckenmiller looks inside during the first half of the Minnesota State Girls Basketball Class A semifinals Friday against Ada-Borup at Williams Arena. Eric Johnson/photodesk@austindailyherald.com

Lyle-Pacelli’s Madison Truckenmiller looks inside during the first half of the Minnesota State Girls Basketball Class A semifinals Friday against Ada-Borup at Williams Arena. Eric Johnson/photodesk@austindailyherald.com