SUPERIOR, Wis.: Bethany Lutheran erased a seven-point lead entering the fourth quarter to top the Yellowjackets, 55-54, in a suspense-filled Upper Midwest Athletic Conference championship game Saturday at Mertz Mortorelli Gym.
After trailing, 25-23, at halftime, the Yellowjackets outscored the Vikings, 23-14, in the third quarter, and looked poised to assert themselves in the final 10 minutes and claim what would have been their fourth consecutive conference title. Instead, down, 47-39, BLC battled all the way back, earning the victory and the league's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament for the first time.
In a game that featured 14 tie scores and five lead changes, Bethany Lutheran's Hanna Geistfeld led all scorers with 19 points. She gave the Vikings their first lead of the fourth quarter on a layup with four minutes to play to make it a 50-49 game.
Ellie Leadstrom (Superior, Wis./Superior) responded with a layup from
Hannah Norlin (Litchfield, Minn./Litchfield) on the next possession to give Superior the lead back before an Abby Olson jumper made it 52-51 Vikings.
Taylor Kane (Grand Rapids, Minn./Grand Rapids) converted a layup with 2:39 remaining for a 53-52 lead. Norlin was fouled at the two-minute mark, making one free throw. Haley Sandin was fouled on the next time down the court and made a pair from the line for the 54-all tie with 1:51 left.
From there, the 'Jackets came up empty on their last four attempts from the field and Geistfeld hit a free throw with 1.4 seconds left for the lead. A final shot from a sideline in-bounds play was off the mark.
Norlin paced UWS with 14 points and a game-high 10 rebounds for her 12th double-double of the season.
Eva Reinertsen (Duluth, Minn./Homeschooled) scored 13 points and
Ellie Leadstrom (Superior, Wis./Superior) had 10 as the 'Jackets were limited to just 32 percent shooting.
Olson was named tournament MVP, scoring 16 points and grabbing seven rebounds in the championship game. Bethany Lutheran improves to 22-5 on the season. The Vikings will learn their NCAA tournament opponent on Monday.
The Yellowjackets' season comes to an end with a 24-3 record and they say goodbye to a group of three seniors in Norlin, Kane and White. Norlin, the only four-year player on the team, helped Superior to 94 wins and three NCAA tournament appearances.
