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Tough Fight, but title not meant to be

By Tom Schardin, 03/12/15, 12:15PM CDT

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The Prior Lake girls basketball team was hoping to earn its first-ever trip to state as a Class 4A program March 11.

But in the end, it just wasn't meant to be. Top-seeded Shakopee needed overtime to stop the third-seeded Lakers in the Section 2AAAA title game at Apple Valley High, earning a 67-60 win.

The Lakers (17-11) played like champions. They showed toughness and resolve. Down five (50-45) with 56 seconds left, Prior Lake kept battling to force overtime.

But the Sabers were clutch at the charity stripe in the extra session, making six of eight free throws in the final minute to seal the win. And one of the misses turned into a three-point play when Caleigh Roding grabbed the offensive rebound and was fouled on the put-back for a 63-54 lead with 45 seconds remaining. She finished with a game-high 27 points.

Prior Lake went into the title with a miraculous win in the semifinals March 7 - 83-82 over second-seeded Chanhassen. Senior Shaye Barton made a half-court shot at the buzzer to steal the victory.

The Lakers were confident going into the finals. And why not, they had won six straight. The team was playing its best basketball of the season.

"I couldn't be more proud of our kids," said Lakers coach Mike Gidley. "I honestly don't feel all that bad right now. That was a well-played game between two very good teams.

"Shakopee is really good, but we went toe to toe with them," added Gidley. "It was a pretty even game. Our kids kept grinding. We fought through fatigue. We made some big shots. From where we started the season to right now, we are one of the better teams in the state. I believe that."

The Lakers were 9-9 through January, before finishing the season 8-2 in their last 10 games. Prior Lake was 3-3 after its first six games.

Shakopee also swept Prior Lake in South Suburban Conference play winning by 20 at home (75-55) in December and by 13 (73-60) on the road Jan. 30. The Lakers were 9-8 in the SSC.

In the title game, the Sabers led the Lakers by 11 early in the second half (40-29), but Prior Lake started to claw back. Eighth-grader McKenna Hofschild helped lead the comeback with fearless, confident play and poise behind her years. She finished with a season-high 23 points.

She hit a couple of threes and found open teammates for open looks. Prior Lake went on a 12-3 run to cut the Sabers' lead to 43-41 with 5:43 to play.

The Sabers hung onto the lead until the final moments. Barton nailed a three to cut the margin to 50-48 with 41.5 seconds remaining. Shakopee hit 1 of 2 free throws with 34.2 seconds left.

Barton got the ball near the wing, took a step back and was fouled putting up a three with 22 seconds to go. She calmly sank all three free throws to tie the game. Shakopee was unable to get a good look at the hoop for a game-winning shot.

But in overtime, the Sabers grabbed the momentum early with a 5-0 run and Lakers couldn't recover this time.

Shakopee led 33-26 at the break and used a 7-0 run to build the 40-29 lead.

Barton finished with 16 points in her final Lakers' game, while sophomore Riley Wheatcraft also scored 16, adding four steals. Senior Sam McElwain scored three points, but pulled down nine rebounds. Sophomore Brooke Glass scored two points.

Barton finished her career with 1,230 career points (14.4 average this season), which ranks her second all-time. She'll be tough to replace as a four-year starter, as will McElwain, who was the Lakers' only true experienced post presence.

Prior Lake did not have a deep bench. Gidley rotated just seven players in most games. The Lakers had just four seniors, including Justine Mitchell and Sophie Peterson.

So there will be plenty of talent back. Wheatcraft averaged 13.0 points per game, while Hofschild averaged 8.8, followed by junior Michelle Lother (7.4) and Glass (5.0).

The Lakers' last section title came as a Class 3A program in 2003. The team also had state berths in 1999 and 2002.