THIEF RIVER FALLS 鈥� The Mustangs took another step forward in the playoffs this season.
Earning a spot in the Section 8A tournament championship game, the first-seeded Northome/Kelliher鈥檚 girls basketball team surpassed last year鈥檚 section semifinal berth and 2023鈥檚 quarterfinal bid.
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But that didn鈥檛 make Friday evening鈥檚 section title loss at the Ralph Engelstad Arena in Thief River Falls sting any less.
N/K had kept up with third-seeded Sacred Heart for most of the night. Each time the Eagles started to draw away, the Mustangs found just enough answers on offense to keep pace.
Junior Kate Thayer kept that trend going with less than eight minutes left in the second half, nailing a 3-pointer in direct response to Finley Horken鈥檚 triple to knot up the game at 51-51.
However, the Eagles countered with a punch that finally proved too strong for Northome/Kelliher to absorb.
After Lexi Lawrence tallied three free throws to recapture the advantage, Sacred Heart splashed three-straight 3-point shots for a commanding 63-51 lead with less than five minutes left in the game.
鈥淲e knew they were a good 3-point shooting team when you leave them open, and then we started leaving them open,鈥� N/K head coach Kevin Waldo said. 鈥淲e started gambling probably a little too much on defense and it probably cost us in the end because they were hitting wide-open 3s, and to their credit, they were making them.鈥�
The Mustangs finally failed to keep up following the barrage of 3-pointers. The Eagles allowed just five points in the final seven minutes, closing out a 70-56 win to capture the Section 8A crown.
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鈥淥bviously we wanted the next step, and that was our goal,鈥� Waldo said. 鈥淚t stings right now, super proud of how hard they worked to get here. I mean, how many teams get here? In Class A, there鈥檚 16 teams that get to this spot. You鈥檝e got to put the time in, you鈥檝e got to put the work in, and these girls do. Sometimes the breaks don鈥檛 go your way, sometimes the ball bounces the wrong way and unfortunately, it caught up to us tonight.鈥�
Northome/Kelliher was in a battle from the opening tip. Thayer and junior Charli Hallstrom got into foul trouble early, forcing a few of the Mustangs鈥� top players to spend some extra time sidelined.
In their absence, Kylee Binkley stepped up. The junior was a major scoring threat through the first frame, slashing to the cup for tough finishes and putting up a trio of 3-point shots for 21 points.
鈥淜ate got in foul trouble there in the first half and just never really got in her game, and then Kylee kept us in it,鈥� Waldo said. 鈥淪he kept working her butt off, defensively and offensively, going back and forth, trying to get as much as (she) could. They kind of took her away a little bit more in the second half, but she was what kept us going the entire time.鈥�
The Mustangs entered the locker room trailing 39-34. Binkley tacked on five points in the second half for a team-high 26 points. Despite the foul trouble, Thayer still managed to finish the night with 11 points.
Hallstrom carried the offensive load for the opening minutes of the second frame, scoring eight of Northome/Kelliher鈥檚 first 12 points.
鈥淲e knew we had to have team effort,鈥� Waldo said. 鈥淲e got some buckets from Charlie, we knew we needed to be tough inside and she was in the second half. She got in foul trouble in the first half, and it stung a little bit, and we kind of had to go against what we were trying to do.鈥�
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Hallstrom鈥檚 foul trouble was perhaps best felt on defense in the first half. Lawrence put tough possession after tough possession in the paint for Sacred Heart, earning 14 points through the first 18 minutes. She was also a threat in the second, grabbing 10 more points to lead the Eagles with 24.
鈥�(Lawrence is) tough,鈥� Waldo said. 鈥淥nce Charlie got in foul trouble, we tried guarding her with an eighth grader and a ninth grader that have very little varsity experience, and she was able to pick them apart a little bit more down there. They did a great job stepping in there for where they were, they played tough, they played hard.鈥�
As the second half progressed, N/K鈥檚 offense struggled to recapture its first-half consistency, culminating in the sparse scoring of the final eight minutes.
Northome/Kelliher hoped its next postseason step would come with a state tournament berth. Though the goal came up just short, most of the Mustangs will be back for another try next season.
Thayer, Hallstrom, Binkley, Emily Mastin and Alli Lundin are all juniors. Save for senior Joy Adegun, the rest of the roster are all underclassmen.
鈥淭hey keep coming back with a little more fire, a little more vigor, we want to make sure that we learn from this one because it鈥檚 not fun to watch the other team (celebrate),鈥� Waldo said. 鈥淲e鈥檒l learn from this game, it鈥檒l sting for a while, but we鈥檒l get back in the gym. These girls are gym rats, so they鈥檒l get back in the gym, they鈥檒l get working again and they鈥檒l make sure that we learn from this one for next year and we鈥檙e back in the same spot next year, and maybe we鈥檒l just take that next step.鈥�
Sacred Heart 70, Northome/Kelliher 56
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N/K 34 22 鈥� 56
SH 39 31 鈥� 70
Northome/Kelliher 鈥� K. Binkley 26, Thayer 11, Hallstrom 8, Lundin 6, Latterell 3, B. Binkley 2.
Sacred Heart 鈥� Lawrence 24, L. Riskey 14, Sundby 10, Arntson 9, Horken 9, Kaiser 2, Bernhoft 2.
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