Marshfield girls basketball outlasts Stevens Point in overtime

Marshfield guard Dani Minsaas drives toward the basket during the second half of the Tigers’ overtime win over Stevens Point on Friday at Marshfield High School. Minsaas finished with a game-high 28 points. (Photo by Paul Lecker/MarshfieldAreaSports.com)

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By Paul Lecker
MarshfieldAreaSports.com

MARSHFIELD – Ashley Grancorvitz scored at the buzzer to force overtime and Marshfield outscored Stevens Point by six in the extra period to pull out a 64-58 win in a Wisconsin Valley Conference girls basketball game Friday night at the Chips Hamburgers Fieldhouse at Marshfield High School.

Stevens Point trailed the entire second half until going on a 10-0 run to take a 52-46 lead with 1:15 to go. Avery Lilly scored the first five and Zoe Fink the second five in the run to seemingly put the Panthers in control.

Dani Minsaas made a pair of free throws and Ayana Bousum scored on an offensive rebound following a Stevens Point turnover to cut the Tigers’ deficit to two.

Trying to foul to extend the game, Marshfield forced a jump ball and had the possession arrow to take control with 8.9 seconds left.

Marshfield missed two attempts before Grancorvitz swished a short jumper as the clock hit zeroes to tie the game at 52-52 to force overtime.

Minsaas hit her sixth 3-pointer of the game, on her way to a game-high 28 points, and Abby Ongnna had three baskets for the Tigers, who outscored Stevens Point 12-6 in the extra frame to earn the victory.

“We were up by six, up by seven at one point, and I told the girls to dig in,” Marshfield coach Taylor Varsho said. “It’s always going to be a roller coaster in basketball. What really stood out tonight was our toughness. That last-second shot, two, three, four tries at it. They never gave up and that was the beauty of it.”

Lilly scored all 20 of her points in the second half and overtime to lead Stevens Point (4-10, 2-3 Wisconsin Valley Conference). Emma Jossie added 16 points and 10 rebounds, and Zoe Fink had 15 points for the Panthers.

Ongna had 10 points and 12 rebounds, and Grancorvitz finished with 10 points and nine rebounds for Marshfield (6-7, 4-2 Wisconsin Valley Conference).

“I’m hoping now they are over the hump,” Varsho said. “Now we can excel. I told them going into overtime that we are only shooting layups and really good shots. Sometimes we take poor shots, not very high-percentage shots. We got a pick and roll for Abby, she played great tonight. I think all 13 of them are really buying into the program.”

Marshfield hosts Oshkosh West for a nonconference game at 3 p.m. Saturday. The game will be live-streamed at zaleskisports.com.

Tigers 64, Panthers 58 (OT)
Stevens Point 18 34 6 – 58
Marshfield 19 33 12 – 64
STEVENS POINT (58):
Adaleah Nest 0-3 2-6 2, Morgan Netzinger 0-1 0-0 0, Avery Lilly 8-11 3-3 20, Kendra Czerneski 0-0 0-0 0, Tahlia Moe 2-4 1-2 5, Abby Jossie 0-0 0-0 0, Zoe Fink 5-9 5-5 15, Emma Jossie 6-12 4-6 16. FG: 21-40. FT: 15-21. 3-pointers: 1-10 (Lilly 1-1, E. Jossie 0-2, Nest 0-3, Fink 0-4). Rebounds: 28 (E. Jossie 10). Turnovers: 22. Fouls: 18. Fouled out: none. Record: 4-10, 2-3 Wisconsin Valley Conference.
MARSHFIELD (64): Madison Voss 1-1 0-0 2, Zaida Kolbeck 0-6 0-4 0, Dani Minsaas 9-16 4-8 28, Abby Ongna 4-11 2-6 10, Raella Schueller 1-2 0-0 3, Ashley Grancorvitz 4-16 2-4 10, Loryn Jakobi 1-2 2-2 4, Ayana Bousum 3-11 0-0 7. FG: 23-65. FT: 10-24. 3-pointers: 8-21 (Minsaas 6-9, Schueller 1-2, Bousum 1-7, Kolbeck 0-2, Grancorvitz 0-1). Rebounds: 37 (Ongna 11, Grancorvitz 9). Turnovers: 14. Fouls: 21. Fouled out: Bousum. Record: 6-7, 4-2 Wisconsin Valley Conference.