Wish and a prayer
Our Redeemer’s stun Aggies in OT for program’s first Region 6 title
Trailing by eight points with under two minutes to go, the Our Redeemer’s Christian School girls basketball team needed something close to a miracle to keep its season alive Thursday night in the Region 6 championship game against Velva-Sawyer.
The Knights’ prayers were answered.
Our Redeemer’s (20-5) recovered from a 47-39 deficit in the closing minutes to force overtime at 47-47, and then went on to claim the program’s first regional girls basketball title in school history with a 61-54 victory.
“I heard Lauren Hendrickson’s mom yell, ‘It’s not too late’ and, honestly, I was mentally praying,” said ORCS Morgan Olson, the Region 6 Senior Athlete of the Year. “I was like, ‘Lord, help us come back because I know we can do it.’ “
The improbable rally was hard to express in words for Olson, but head coach Scott Peterson was able to sum up what just happened with five words.
“Heart, desire and senior leadership,” Peterson said. “This was our goal from the beginning of the year, to make it here. I’m so proud of these girls.”
Both squads couldn’t be separated by more than four points through the opening quarter with the contest tied up three times at 2-2, 6-6 and 8-8. The team’s regular season leading scorers put on a show from deep to end of the quarter.
Aggies senior Jonnah Lee drained a pair of 3-pointers and Olson answered with one of her own to make the score 14-13 in favor of Velva-Sawyer (20-4) after the first eight minutes.
Sophomore Hope Brewer continued the hot shooting from behind the arc to start the second quarter for the Aggies. Then, Lee and Knights senior guard Lauren Hendrickson went back-and-forth, matching each other shot for shot.
Lee finished with 14 points after the first half, and didn’t score in the second half.
“Calissa Ree really did a good job on Jonnah (Lee), got her flustered and out of the game,” Peterson said. “(Ree) blocked out big and our seniors took over with Lauren (Hendrickson) and Morgan (Olson) scoring offensively.”
Hendrickson at one point scored seven straight points for the Knights in the second quarter and finished with a match-high 20 points by shooting 8-for-13 from the floor. Olson picked up a double-double with 18 points and 12 rebounds.
An offensive put back from Velva-Sawyer junior Sydney Larson gave the Aggies a five-point lead going into halftime, 27-22.
“Two good basketball teams went at it and in the first half we had pretty good momentum,” Velva-Sawyer coach Chris Braaten said. “Second half, Our Redeemer’s stormed back and took the lead after the third (quarter). We got into a little bit of foul trouble. We switched up the defense in the fourth quarter and built up an eight-point lead. Then, the execution just stopped.”
A Knights 6-0 run to start the third quarter was spearheaded by the play inside from sophomore Cara Steede and senior Makayla Gartner. The lead changed hands six times in the period and ended with Our Redeemer’s holding a slim one-point advantage, 35-34.
Then Our Redeemer’s offense went stone cold. The Aggies raced out to a 45-39 lead with baskets coming from senior Morgan Erickson and junior Greta Florence. Erickson finished tied with Lee for a team-high 14 points.
A pair of free throws by sophomore Rachel Mack gave Velva-Sawyer a 47-39 lead with 1:52 remaining in regulation. Mack grabbed 15 rebounds in the contest.
Following the free throws, Hendrickson knocked down a critical 3-pointer on the Knights next trip down the floor.
A steal by Olson set up another triple that was banked in by junior Karolynn Winger, and another Knights’ steal led to Olson getting fouled as she charged her way to the basket. Olson calmly sank both free throws to tie the game at 47-47 with 57 seconds left.
To recap, just when all seemed lost, the Knights had scored eight points in the span of 55 seconds to send the game to overtime. Velva-Sawyer did have a chance to win the game at the end of regulation, but what could have been the game-winning shot rolled across the rim.
In overtime, Olson shook off her second-half shooting woes to nail two 3-pointers from about the same spot on the floor near the top of the arc. Winger then hit the dagger, a third consecutive triple on the next possession to give the Knights a 56-49 lead.
“I shot terrible in the second half,” Olson said. “I got a gap and I said I have to shoot this. I got to get the lead going. Once I did that, then Karolynn (Winger) and Lauren (Hendrickson) started hitting, so it was awesome.”
Our Redeemer’s held out by making its free throws down the stretch for the 61-54 victory to mark the first time in school history that the Knights girls basketball team will head to the state tournament.
ORCS has never won a state championship, in any sport, in school history. The volleyball team, led by the Class B Senior Volleyball Athlete of the Year in Morgan Olson, finished runner-up in the state title match in the fall.
On one end of the court there was jubilation, while the Aggies were left with agony.
“These girls have been a part of my life since fifth grade,” Braaten said. “A really special group of girls and it’s heartbreaking for them because that’s it. Those seniors have to hang up the jerseys and it’s over. It’s been an exciting season and I’m very proud of them. Nothing has changed about that.”
Ryan takes third to end season on a positive note
In the Region 6 third-place game before the championship match, Bishop Ryan came away with a 51-37 victory over Rugby in a battle of the two District champions.
“Twenty wins was one of our goals,” Ryan coach Julie Stewart said. “Tones of growth and improvement throughout the season. Thankful to work with such a special group of seniors, who have impacted our culture in so many ways. Always hard when something comes to an end, but happy to finish on a high note.”
The Lions and Rugby both finished with a 20-5 overall record. Ryan led 19-16 at halftime and built on that in the second half.
Freshman Annika Stewart led the way for the Lions with a double-double (11 points and 10 rebounds). Ryan sophomore Sealy Rovig and senior Morgan Kroeger both finished with eight points, followed by senior Shayla Elm and freshman Emma Passa with six points.
The Panthers were paced by sophomore Anni Stier with 13 points.
Alex Eisen covers Minot High School, Minot State athletics and high school sports. Follow him on Twitter @AEisen13.