The auditorium was packed for Saturday's re-scheduled Region 3 play-off game, which pitted the Garretson Lady Dragons against the West Central Trojans. The nail-biting game kept the crowd on their toes until the very last moment, when Garretson blocked an important corner shot and took home the win, 44-43.
Both teams started the first quarter with solid ball play, but were unable to get the ball into the hoop until Senior Logan Bly netted a 3-pointer more than three minutes in. West Central then went on a 9-point run, grabbing the lead. The teams ended the first quarter 8-14.
The Dragons went into the second quarter with renewed fervor, tightening up their defense and preventing the Trojans from taking a shot. After both teams scored two more points each, Garretson held the Trojans to 16 points and went on a 6-point run, tying up the score 16-16. With 1:25 left in the quarter, West Central netted two more points, and the two teams went into the half 16-18.
Less than 30 seconds into the third quarter, Garretson made a shot for two, tying the score back up. The quarter continued in this fashion, with West Central pulling ahead and Garretson matching moments later, until the score hit 24-29. The Dragons fought hard, but were unable to close the lead as the two teams traded the ball. Finally, with 1:29 left in the quarter, the Dragons hit the net for three points, pulling back into the lead 30-29. They ended the quarter in the lead by one point, 32-31.
The fourth quarter started much as the first quarter had, with both teams trading the ball and neither successfully catching the net, until West Central went on a six-point run. Now in the lead 32-38, the Trojans were determined to keep it. The Lady Dragons thought otherwise, and closed the gap back up to 38-39. A free throw from the Trojans and a 2-pointer from the Dragons tied the score 40-40 with 1:32 remaining in the game. A foul gave the Trojans another free throw, but Garretson answered again with a two-pointer, bringing the Dragons back into the lead 42-41.
Now with 48 seconds left in the game, the Dragons fouled again, and both free throws from the Trojans' Tara VanOverbeke were good, bringing the score to 42-43. The Dragons' Jordyn Williams booked it across the court, and passed to Kylie Christensen, who successfully scored two more points for a score of 44-43.
With 7 seconds left in the game and the ball in Trojan hands, West Central's VanOverbeke attempted to make a corner shot, which was blocked by Bly in a move described later as "the thump heard round the world." A final missed shot by West Central ended the game on that razor-thin score, sending the Dragons to the SoDak 16.
Now seeded #14 overall, Garretson will play #4 Red Cloud at Winner tonight (Thursday) at 6:00 p.m. Central. The winner will advance to the State Tournament, which will be played March 9-11. The SoDak 16 game can be viewed on YouTube at WinnerWarriorsLive.
