Lady Wolverines met their match against Vale

 At one point in the first half, Weiser was up by 6 points. At halftime, the Vikings led by 9 points. Then in the middle of the third, quarter, Weiser was able to tie the game up at 39 all. 

 For the remainder of the game, it was an action-packed and back-and-forth game. A few times, Weiser was able to gain a 3-point lead, but Vale would quickly score, keeping it close. 

 The last 4 minutes of the fourth quarter were particularly exciting as one of Vale’s top scorers fouled out with 3:50 to go. Soon afterward, Weiser’s top scorer for the night, Kendall Rynearson, fouled out with 1:36 remaining.    

 The crowd loved the action and cheered their teams on with extra exuberance, hoping they could propel them to the win. 

 With 37 seconds left in the fourth quarter, it was tied at 55. In the final seconds of the game, after multiple turnovers and missed shots, the Wolverines emerged with a 1-point lead and the win. The final score was Weiser 57, Vale 56. 

 Weiser was able to gain momentum in the first quarter with their strong defense and quick transitions up the court, pushing hard to take the ball to the basket. 

 At the end of the first quarter, the score was Weiser 16, Vale 10. 

 The tide turned in the second quarter, with Vale taking the momentum and scoring 23 points. 

 Going into the locker room, the score was Weiser 24, Vale 33.

 Weiser came out of the locker room ready to play. Kendall Rynearson, with the help of her teammates, went on a scoring run to tie the game less than 4 minutes into the third quarter. By the end of the third period, Weiser was up by 1 point, 44 to 43. 

 In the fourth, Vale took the lead away from Weiser after a Wolverine turnover in offense. Weiser took back the lead with a bucket when Kailee Lerew drove in but was stopped, and she kicked the ball out to Evie Dolton for a solid 2 points. 

 Both teams traded baskets, keeping the score close. Dolton scored again when Hailey Eames found her open on the block. On the next trip to offense, Rynearson made a very nice crossover move and scored in the paint for Weiser. 

 Weiser sent Vale players to the line multiple times in the fourth quarter, where the Vikings were only able to convert 3 of their 8 free throws to points. This could have been a game-changer for the Vikings, but luckily for the Wolverines, they were off at the line. 

 Weiser went up by 3 points with 2:17 remaining when Ellie Shirts on the baseline found Rynearson open in the middle of the key for a short jump shot.   

 The score stayed the same until Vale hit a 3-pointer to tie the game at 55 with 50 seconds to play. 

 Both teams were in full-court pressure, and there were a couple of turnovers made by both. Finally, Lerew picked up a steal in Weiser’s full-court press, and in the fast break mode, the Wolverines missed 2 shots before finally hitting the third. Lerew secured a tough rebound and put the ball up and in to put Weiser up by 2 points with 5 seconds left.

 The Vikings called a timeout, out of the break, Weiser set up in their full-court press, hoping to slow Vale down enough to stop them from getting a shot off. With skilled and quick dribbling Vale was able to get inside the key and was fouled with less than a second on the clock. 

 At the line, the lady Viking made her first free throw and missed her second, and the buzzer went off before any more action took place. 

 The tough and exciting night ended in a Weiser win, 57 to 56. 

 Rynearson led the Wolverines in scoring with 19 points, 12 of which came in the third quarter. Shirts had a game-high of 13 points, Lerew added 11, Dolton had 8, and Eames, Trista Buescher, and Lucy Hickey each added 1 point.

 Scores at the end of quarters:

Weiser Vale

1st: 16 10

2nd: 24 33     

3rd: 44 43

4th: 57 56