THIEF RIVER FALLS -- Krisalyn Seelye ascended the ladder, her eyes fixed on the hoop.
Plenty of her Cass Lake-Bena girls basketball teammates had already taken scissors to the nylon, so Seelye grabbed the weathered net and ripped it from the rim without so much as a single snip.
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She raised it high in celebration, then donned it as a necklace befitting a section champion.
鈥淚t means everything to me,鈥� the senior guard said. 鈥淢e and these girls grew up playing basketball together. We鈥檝e always dreamed of this. To do it two years in a row, it鈥檚 amazing.鈥�
FINAL: Cass Lake-Bena 71, Warren-Alvarado-Oslo 53.
— Micah Friez (@micahfriez)
The Panthers are state bound as back-to-back Section 8A champs. CLB decided this game in the first half with a 21-1 run, and it was safe to book state reservations from then on. Seelye led all with 21, Fineday had 19, Frazer 17.
CLB handily defeated Warren-Alvarado-Oslo 71-53 in the Section 8A championship game on Friday night at Ralph Engelstad Arena in Thief River Falls. The victory delivered Cass Lake-Bena its fifth state berth all-time and back-to-back titles for the first time in program history.
鈥淚t鈥檚 an amazing feeling to be able to finish it with amazing seniors and amazing people surrounding you,鈥� freshman Gabby Fineday said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 amazing to pull it out.鈥�
The Panthers left no doubt, dominating the night and earning the rights to first-place hardware. They convincingly decided the outcome with a 21-1 first-half run, and it was safe to book state reservations from then on.
鈥淲e came out and took it,鈥� head coach Martin Wind said. 鈥淭hey really wanted it. 鈥� As soon as that clock hit zero, you could hear the girls (celebrating). It was awesome, and the fans were awesome.鈥�
The fourth-seeded Ponies (17-9) stuck around for nine minutes, hanging within 13-12. But the drama evaporated when top-seeded CLB (28-2) answered with a 21-1 run, which included a string of 16 straight points, to jump in front 34-13.
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Seelye started it with a 3-pointer, and she soon caught fire for a personal 8-0 run on a layup and back-to-back triples. Fineday, Taryn Frazer and Amira Laduke all poured in baskets of their own, while the Cass Lake-Bena defense didn鈥檛 allow a point for a 5:42 stretch.
鈥淲e just really stepped up our defense,鈥� Seelye said. 鈥淲e boxed out, we rebounded, and we pushed the ball. We do it really well, so when teams let us, that鈥檚 when we take over.鈥�
鈥淣o one was in foul trouble, so I told them to pressure up a little bit and get closer,鈥� Wind said. 鈥淲e extended our full-court press a little bit higher. We went man-to-man and forced them into a lot of turnovers. Every single girl played really good, tight defense. That was the key to get a 21-1 run there.鈥�
The Panthers led 42-19 by halftime, and it didn鈥檛 get much closer in the second half. WAO found more consistent buckets to avoid another big run at its expense, but the damage had certainly been done by then.
CLB emptied its bench with plenty of time to spare, affording Mataya Mitchell the second-half highlight with a step-back jumper that sent the crowd into a frenzy over the fan favorite鈥檚 heroics.
鈥淭hey show us so much support,鈥� Seelye said of the fans. 鈥淭hey always show out for us. It鈥檚 really nice to see the stands packed for us. It feels really good.鈥�
Seelye finished with a game-high 21 points, while Fineday had 19 and Frazer 17.
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Lily Bayne and Annika Magnusson led Warren-Alvarado-Oslo with 15 and 14 points, respectively.
The Class A state tournament is scheduled to run from March 17-19 at Maturi Pavilion and Williams Arena at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis. Seedings, matchups and tipoff times are still to be determined.
But make no mistake: Whenever the Panthers are playing, their fans will be right there with them.
鈥淭hey support us a lot, and I鈥檓 just really happy that we can give back,鈥� Fineday said. 鈥淲e come from a little town, and it鈥檚 awesome to be able to do this.鈥�
Martin Wind named 8A Coach of the Year
Cass Lake-Bena head coach Martin Wind was named the Section 8A Coach of the Year by the Minnesota Girls Basketball Coaches Association on Thursday.
Wind led the Panthers to a 24-2 regular-season record, which included a 14-game win streak heading into the postseason. CLB also claimed the 8A East Subsection鈥檚 No. 1 seed for the section tournament.
Garry Kotts of Stephen-Argyle was named the Section 8A Assistant Coach of the Year. Other Coach of the Year honorees were Kasey Krekling of Hayfield (Section 1A); Kris Gustin of Mayer Lutheran (2A); Derek Ashbaugh of Tracy-Milroy-Balaton (3A); Greg Wilson of New Life Academy (4A); Jennifer Burns of Browerville (5A); Brian Hovland of Underwood (6A); and Jeff Buffetta of Mt. Iron-Buhl (7A).
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Cass Lake-Bena 71, Warren-Alvarado-Oslo 53
WAO 19 34 -- 53
CLB 42 29 -- 71
WARREN-ALVARADO-OSLO (17-9) -- Bayne 15, Magnusson 14, Peterson 10, Wright 6, Nelson 4, Michalski 2, Oberg 2.
CASS LAKE-BENA (28-2) --Seelye 21, Fineday 19, Frazer 17, LaDuke 7, J. Wind 3, Mitchell 2, A. Wind 2.
