Amazing comeback falls short for NACI Tigers
- Details
- Published on Monday, March 21, 2016
By Eoin Devereux
The Neepawa Press/Neepawa Banner
An incredible last minute effort from the Neepawa Tigers varsity girls basketball team would not be enough to secure the Provincial ‘AA’ championship, as the team fell to the Souris Sabres on Saturday, Mar. 19, 77-63 in overtime.
The weekend started extremely strong for NACI, as they were able to top the Morris Mavericks in the opening round on Thursday, Mar. 17, by the score of 76-49.
In the semi-final, the challenger would be the Gimli Lakers. NACI jumped out to a solid start, generating a 24-16 lead after the first quarter. The second however, would see eight straight points for Gimli to tie things up at 24-24. The Tigers bounced back and ultimately headed into the half with a 33-30 advantage
The Tigers slowly began to pull away in the third and were able to secure a 51-42 lead with just one quarter left to play. In the fourth, however, the Lakers inched its way back into contention, making it 51-49 with 4:23 left in game. Neepawa was not flustered however, and kept trading baskets with their opposition for the remainder of the game. This back and forth would end with NACI on top, 61-55
The championship game would be the toughest test of the season for Neepawa, as they faced the host team and the number one seed, the Souris Sabres.
The beginning of the showdown turned into a tight defensive struggle, with both teams allowing very few open looks at the net. That effort ensured a low scoring start, as it was tied at just 8-8 after the first quarter.
In the second, both Neepawa and Souris began to find their tempo offensively and started trading opportunities at the basket. Late in the quarter, Souris began to pull away slightly, and gained a 25-18 advantage. Neepawa did not get rattled, fighting back before the end of the half to cut the lead down to two. Unfortunately, the Sabres had final possession and sunk a miraculous three pointer with just one-second left in play to make it 28-23 at the half.
The third quarter opened with both teams trading early opportunities. Neepawa kept pace with Souris, but couldn’t gain those extra points they needed to cut into the host team’s advantage. In the final minute, Souris began putting extra pressure of the Tigers and scored of the final six points of the quarter to take a 49-40 lead into the final 10 minutes of regulation.
After the Sabres scored five of the first six points of the fourth quarter, it could have been very easy for the Tigers to surrender. NACI however, proved its determination by fighting back and cutting the deficit down to 60-55 with 30 second left on the clock. Then, when it mattered most, NACI’s varsity girls squad put together their best effort, scoring one of three baskets from the foul line and then grabbed the rebound off the third free throw attempt and sunk it for two points. With five seconds left in the game, the Tigers trailed by two, as Souris held possession of the ball. At that moment, something remarkable happened; Neepawa stole the ball on the inbounds pass and sunk the tying basket as the buzzer sounded to end the quarter. After the officials discussed the basket for a moment, they determined that it had been made before the clock struck zero and the final would head into overtime.
Unfortunately, there proved to be no more magic left for the Tigers during the five minutes of extra time, with Souris securing the lead early and outpacing Neepawa 17-3 in the OT session, for the 77-63 victory, securing the provincial banner. Congratulations to the NACI Tigers for a remarkable season.
