NRHEG earns its way back to state

NRHEG has been a heavy-hitter in Class AA girls basketball for quite some time, and last week the Panthers proved to be back in peak form after beating Glencoe-Silver Lake (GSL) 66-64 in the Section 2AA championship game.

Head Coach Onika Peterson’s squad gave fans a scare after falling behind by 17 points early in the first half, but the team never allowed itself to be out of the fight.

“I called a timeout and I asked them, ‘On a scale of 1-10, how bad do you feel for yourself?’ They answered that it was probably a 10. I told them it looks more like a 12. I said, ‘We can either roll over, give up and lose by over 40. Or, we can buck up and fight,’” said Peterson.

Peterson’s words turned out to be exactly what her team needed.

The Panthers immediately went to work putting together a dream run that quickly erased the opposition’s lead.

After trailing 26-9, NRHEG managed to tie the game at 26-26 with 1:07 remaining in the first half.

The key to success: the Panthers’ signature gritty playstyle.

Twins Camryn and Quinn VanMaldeghem were a terror on defense, snatching rebounds and stealing the ball at any given opportunity.

Panthers’ players could be seen diving for loose balls and constantly applying the pressure on double-teams to try and slow down GSL’s advances.

As NRHEG applied the pressure, GSL began to fade later in the game.

While the Panthers struggled to find enough consistency to overtake the opposition on the scoreboard, the team made a breakthrough with minutes remaining, tying the game at 56-56.

With the game on the line, the VanMaldeghem twins orchestrated the team’s offense to near perfection by driving the lane and finding both the basket and open teammates for easy buckets.

NRHEG managed to pass GSL 65-64 with 21 seconds remaining, but the drama had only just begun.

GSL had an opportunity to regain the lead with just six seconds left after a late foul awarded them two bonus free throws.

The Taylor Center at Minnesota State University, Mankato fell silent as GSL’s Alexis Klube stepped up to the line.

With the game in her fingertips, Klube couldn’t find twine and instead missed both chances before Quinn VanMaldeghem jumped on a rebound and was awarded a foul call to shoot two free throws of her own with just over a second remaining.

The junior hit one of her two chances to put the Panthers up 66-64 to close out the game.

“One of the best things about this group and this program they will always fight back. They slowly chipped away at that lead and we went in at halftime down by four. The girls played one possession at a time. What an amazing experience. A huge comeback win to advance to the state tournament. This is a night that they will never forget. I know I won't. I am so proud of these girls,” said Peterson.

The performances from Quinn and Camryn VanMaldeghem were nothing short of heroic in the team’s win.

NRHEG’s dynamic duo looked as if they were playing in flow state as they combined for 45 points, 16 rebounds, seven assists and six steals.

Quinn VanMaldeghem was the team’s jack of all trades and finished with a double-double that included 23 points and 14 rebounds.

With the win, No. 8 NRHEG advanced to the Class AA state tournament at the University of Minnesota’s Williams Arena where the team will face No. 1 Providence Academy on Wednesday, March 12 at 6 p.m.

Player Stats

vs. Glencoe-Silver Lake

                                 P     R     A

Q. VanMaldeghem      23    14    5

C. VanMaldeghem      22    2      2

Olson                        11    7      1

Schlaak                     10    8      1

C. Buendorf               0      3      1

Stork                         0      2      1

E Boerner                  0      1      0