NorthWood Basketball: Panthers Edge Mishawaka
MISHAWAKA – The NorthWood girls basketball team shot a lot of free throws at practice on Monday according to coach Adam Yoder.
That extra work paid off in a big way Tuesday night.
The line was fine for the Panthers as they escaped with a tough 44-41 win over host Mishawaka.
NorthWood, which made just 10-22 from the line in a 48-36 loss at home to Class 4-A defending state champion Penn on Saturday, drained 16-23 from the 15-foot stripe in the victory. The hosts were just 4-11 from the line, including 3-10 in the opening half.
Junior Savannah Feenstra scored 12 points and sophomores Mackenzie Bergman and Riley Hershberger had nine and seven points respectively as NorthWood improved to 2-1.
Junior Alivia Jachimiak popped in a game-high 15 points and junior Gretta Meixel finished with 13 to pace the Cavemen, who were playing their season opener.
“We shot a lot of free throws Monday, a lot of free throws with consequences and there were consequences,” explained Yoder, whose team hit six big free throws in the final quarter. “Tonight, we made ones when it mattered. That was a big thing tonight.
“The thing I liked tonight was how much we learned from Saturday. We needed a self-image check. We have a young team, but these girls are better than they think they are. They just have to realize that and I think that they are. I saw growth tonight and that’s what you want, especially from a young team.
“Mishawaka is a good team. Give them credit. It was their opener and they came out sky high tonight.”
The Panthers seemingly had the outcome in hand late in the contest.
A pair of free throws by sophomore Neely Trenshaw gave NorthWood at 43-36 lead with 1:41 to play. Mishawaka showed its mettle as a trey pulled the hosts within 43-39. The hosts then, after a NorthWood missed free throw, got within 43-41 on a rebound bucket by Delaney Basker with 52 seconds left. Feenstra then hit the second of a double bonus from the line to make it 44-41 with 36 ticks on the clock.
Things then got very interesting in the final 30 seconds.
The Panthers misfired on a wide open layup attempt after breaking the Cavemen press. Mishawaka then had two chances to tie the game with 3-poiinters in the final seconds. A trey try by Nikki Mitchell from the corner caromed off the rim. After a timeout with just 0.4 seconds left, Hershberger preserved the win for the Panthers by blocking a potential 3-point try by Jachimiak at the final horn.
Bergman was big in the final frame for the winners. The 5-9 guard scored seven points, including a clutch trey.
“Mackenzie is such a smart player,” noted Yoder. “She’s a good shooter and probably our best free throw shooter.”
The Panthers, who beat Mishawaka 56-42 last year, overcame a slow start to notch the win. The Cavemen, who posted a 15-9 mark last year, led 13-8 after the opening period as NorthWood struggled rebounding and with stopping dribble penetration. NorthWood took its first lead just before halftime at 25-23 on a hoop by Hershberger. The Panthers were outscored 6-5 in the third period to take a 30-29 lead into the final frame. NorthWood’s seven-point edge at 43-36 late was the largest by either team in the contest.
“Our early schedule is not easy and now with three games under our belts we will re-evaluate things,” Yoder said. “We will spend time working on our defense. We’ve probably spent 95 percent of our time working on our offense because we had to. I’ve been impressed with our defense so far with how little we have worked on it.”
NorthWood standout guard Taitlyn Trenshaw, one of just three seniors, had seven points. Neely Trenshaw finished with six points, Nicole Flickinger two and Kira Robinson one.
Raegan Freitag, one of just two seniors for the Cavemen, had eight points.
NorthWood won the junior varsity game 40-28. Katelyn Rulli had 12 points and Madison Payne seven to pace the Panthers. Devon Miller led the Cavemen with 11 points.
NorthWood (2-1) hosts Rochester (0-2) Saturday with the JV game at noon. Mishawaka (0-1) plays at Chesterton (1-0) Saturday night.