Buzzer-beater puts Huskies atop the Big Nine

When Owatonna’s Maryn Pool planted her feet and loaded up for a jump shot from behind half court, she had no idea she was about to be the hero that saved Owatonna’s 13-game winning streak.

In fact, the senior had gone all game without making a three-point shot after five attempts.

That metric didn’t affect her confidence when it mattered most.

After receiving a pass from teammate Abby Shornock with her team trailing 52-51 and just under three seconds left on the clock, Pool sent the ball on an arching path toward the net.

The result: a perfect kiss off the backboard through the net and a trip to the top of the Big Nine Conference standings.

“When it first left my hands, I leaned a little bit and was like, ‘Ah, that’s a little bit off.’ Luckily it happened to bank in, and I was just in shock. At first I was like, ‘There’s no way that actually went in.’ All my teammates came running up and it felt crazy,” said Pool.

Owatonna’s big win over Austin to reach a conference-best 12-3 record and a near-perfect 15-4 overall on the season was by no means smooth sailing despite an early lead.

The Huskies led 23-19 at halftime, but needed some late-game heroics after the Packers found their scoring touch in the second half.

Most of the Packers’ points came in transition after the home side forced the Huskies into 28 turnovers.

Also hindering the Huskies’ rhythm were 20 team fouls that allowed Austin to benefit from bonus free throws.

Despite the Huskies’ uncharacteristic struggles, the team still found a way to win when it mattered.

Pool and Jersey Coleman led the Huskies with 12 points apiece, meanwhile, senior forward Ava Olson was a force in the post and snagged a team-high 10 rebounds.

Earlier in the week, Owatonna took down previous Big Nine Conference leader Red Wing 51-46 at home.

The Huskies were sharp early on and applied the pressure by leading 29-21 at halftime.

Olson was on fire again in her role down low.

The senior bullied the Wingers by posting a 12-point, 12-rebound double-double and added six blocks in a dominant display.

Defense was the name of the game for Owatonna as the team posted 11 steals and 11 blocks while limiting its own turnovers to just 17.

The Huskies’ will have the opportunity to gain another key conference win when the squad travels to face 1-17 Mankato East on Friday, Feb. 7 at 7:30 p.m.

Owatonna faced Winona on Tuesday, Feb. 4, however, stats and results from the game were not available at the time of press.

Player Stats

vs. Austin

                  P    R    A

Coleman     12   6    1

Pool           12   2    3

Klecker       7    2    1

Fisher         6    3    1

Leckner       6    2    3

Olson         3    10   3

Hodgman    3    3    0

Stevens      3    2    0

Shornock    2    5    2