FLYERS SHOOT DOWN HAWKS IN REGION 5B WIN
JEREMY WALTNER – PUBLISHER
A game that went back and forth in the first half gave way to a Freeman Public surge in the second as the No. 8 Flyers ran away with a 55-40 win over No. 9 Canistota in the first round of the Region 5B Girls Basketball Tournament Monday night, Feb. 22 in Freeman.
The Flyers went on to lose to top-seed Viborg-Hurley the following night — bringing their season to an end at 6-15 — but a trio of Freeman seniors and an otherwise young team can celebrate what was a fun and exciting win over Canistota the night before. It was a memorable victory in a season that was often challenging and, at times, rewarding.
“It felt good to play well tonight,” said Maske, a senior who battled an ankle injury last week and was forced to sit out her final home game of the regular season on what was senior night — a 70-47 win over Gayville-Volin last Thursday night. “That hurt hard, but it gave me motivation to work harder.”
Maske connected on three three-pointers in the final home game of her prep career, including one in the second quarter that slowed the bleed of what had been a 14-2 Viborg-Hurley run. It was part of a larger team effort that really defined the old adage of “there’s no ‘I’ in team.” Sophomore Kate Miller had a double-double, sophomore Erin Uecker was one rebound short of one, senior Rijjy Peterson was two points and two rebounds away and the play of freshman Ashlin Jacobsen in the second half helped spark the Flyers.
“Ashlin played huge minutes that second half and did some really good things,” said head coach Curtis Sage. “She really helped us out.”
“It was really fun; I loved the excitement and the energy of the game,” said Jacobsen, who finished with six points, three rebounds, a pair of assists and a key steal that helped keep the momentum on Freeman’s side. “It was really fun to see how we’ve grown individually and as a team.”
The game
Monday’s showdown between two Cornbelt Conference rivals who play football together looked to be anything but a double-digit final as Freeman and Canistota went back and forth in the first half.
A three-pointer from Uecker and a pair of field goals from both Miller and Peterson helped the Flyers build an 11-5 lead more than halfway through the first quarter, but Canistota’s defense bottled up the inside after that and the Flyers were unable to settle into an offensive rhythm for about a six-minute stretch in the first period and into the second. The Hawks, meanwhile, found their touch in the half court and used three-pointers from freshman Natalie Becker and two more from seniors Mckenzy Krinke and Alexia Tieszen to ignite what ended up being a 14-2 run and a 18-13 Canistota lead.
Three Flyers turnovers on three straight possessions against an aggressive zone defense didn’t help.
“There was a little panic there,” Maske admitted, “but we answered.”
In fact, it was a Maske three-pointer with 1:30 to play in the half that helped stifle Canistota’s strong momentum, and the Flyers finished out the half by turning what had been a five-point deficit into a 21-21 tie.
“That first half was a little helter-skelter, but that’s to be expected playing Canistota; they have so much quickness,” said head coach Curtis Sage. “But at halftime we settled down and started attacking in the second half. We were just way too passive.”
Freeman responded well to the coach’s emphasis on ball movement, strong attacks and rebounding. After trading field goals to start the third quarter, Maske’s second three-pointer of the game gave the Flyers a 26-23 lead and Kate Miller set the tone for strong inside play by scoring her 10th point on a nice feed from Peterson, and Jacobsen followed suit with her first bucket of the game on an aggressive move inside.
“I think they felt it — they sensed it — and they just kept attacking,” said Sage.
But Canistota kept it close. With the Flyers leading 33-27, the Hawks went on a quick 5-0 run that included another three-pointer — this one from senior Mykkah Krinke — that cut the deficit to one. But Maske responded again with another three-pointer that started what ended up being a 22-8 run to close out the game.
“We came together and played really good as a team — we had good ball movement that second half,” said Maske. “We played selfless and that resulted in a win. I’m grateful.”
“We have a really young team and seeing everyone come together like this is really great,” said Uecker, whose second three-pointer of the game with 1:47 left to play gave the Flyers a 52-37 lead and proved to be the dagger. “It’s exciting to work together in these intense games.”
Miller credits her coaches for preparing her and her teammates for the game.
“We knew exactly what we were supposed to do out there,” she said. “I feel like everyone stepped up tonight — everyone played their best game.”
Miller notes the growth of the team over the year. The Flyers started the season 0-7 and took some time before learning to play with each other. Maske, Peterson and classmate Mesa Mehlhaf brought senior leadership to the court, but two sophomores, two freshmen and an eighth grader rounded out a smaller-than-usual varsity squad for much of the year.
“It took a while to get used to each other,” Miller said, “but over time we learned how to play together. Toward the end here, it has really clicked.”
Assistant coach Chris Maske said the mood in the locker room before Monday’s game against Canistota was telling of how far this team has come.
“They were excited but relaxed and pretty focused,” he said. “They understand where we are at and the urgency of it all. I think we are in a good spot mentally.”
