It’s not over until it’s over
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Several Warriors crouched low on the court, others held their heads low in defeat as they trailed by three with five seconds to go in regulation against Froid/Medicine Lake in the state semi-finals Friday. What they didn’t realize was that the game was far from over.
Seeing the look of surrender on his team, Warrior coach Dustin Keltner called a timeout to rally his troops.
“It was simple,” he said after the game. “I told them that they would miss their free throw, we would get the rebound and that we would knock down a three to send the game into overtime.”
Just call him a prophet.
The final seconds of regulation went exactly as Kelter said they would as the Redhawks missed their free throw and Arlee quickly moved the ball down the court for a buzzer-beating three by Kasey Bridgewater that tied the game at 34 at the end of regulation.
“I was just trying to make sure my feet were behind the line,” Bridgewater said about the shot after the game. “It worked out exactly the way we planned it.”
A steady attack and clutch free throws down the stretch were enough to earn Arlee the win in the overtime period as the Warriors pulled out a 45-42 victory.
Arlee came into the game knowing that the key to the game would be shutting down 6’7” Paul Engstrom, who had scored 19 points against Dutton/Brady in the opening round Thursday. Keltner instituted an innovative defense to solve the problem, playing a 1-2-1 zone with a fifth player (mostly Bridgewater) denying Engstrom the ball at all times. The defense worked to perfection as Engstrom scored just eight points in the contest, all off rebound put-back shots. Engstrom finished the contest with a game-high 17 rebounds.
“That was our plan coming in,” Bridgewater said. “We knew that if we could shut him down that we would have a better chance of getting the win.”
Arlee trailed 5-4 after one quarter of play but rallied with a strong second frame to grab a 14-12 halftime lead.
The Warriors continued to add to the their lead in the third frame, going up 25-20 heading into the fourth quarter. The Redhawks rallied to take the lead late in regulation, setting up the heroics by Bridgewater.
Trae Burland led the Warrior scoring attack in the win, finishing with 17 points while Thomas McClure added 11. Bridgewater hit just two shots in the contest to finish with six points while leading the team in rebounding with 11.
Summary
State Semi-Final
Arlee 45, Froid/ML 42 (OT)
Arlee 410 91111-45
Froid/ML 578148-42
ARLEE - Kasey Bridgewater 6, Thomas McClure 11, Jesse Pfau 4, Junior Sansavere 7, Trae Burland 17.
FROID/MEDICINE LAKE - Jaylen Hendrickson 1, Michael O’Toole, Brady Berntson 17, Charles Four Bear 6, Paul Engstrom 8.
