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By Paul Lecker
MarshfieldAreaSports.com
STEVENS POINT – The Wisconsin Valley Conference championship was on the line as the Marshfield and Stevens Point girls basketball teams took to the court Friday night at Stevens Point Area Senior High, and both teams fought as hard as they could to the bitter end.
Marshfield overcame a double-digit deficit in the second half to force overtime, but couldn’t find a way to stop Stevens Point’s Emma Jossie, who scored 10 of her game-high 32 points in the two extra periods as the Panthers won 68-67 in double overtime.
With the win, Stevens Point completes a season sweep of Marshfield and clinches no worse than a tie for the WVC title. The Panthers are now 15-7 overall and 10-1 in the conference, while Marshfield falls to 18-5 and 9-2 in the Valley. The final conference games will be next Thursday, Feb. 16, as Marshfield hosts Wausau West and Stevens Point travels to Wisconsin Rapids. Click here to view the Wisconsin Valley Conference girls basketball standings
Marshfield led 14-6 early as junior Ayana Bousum came out of the gate hot, scoring 10 points in the opening 6½ minutes for the Tigers.
Bousum added her third 3-pointer of the first half to make it 17-8 with 9:27 to go before the Panthers responded.
A 10-0 run, sparked by a 3-pointer from Brittany Beadles, gave Stevens Point a 28-24 lead and the Jossie’s jumper at the buzzer put Point ahead 33-26 at halftime.
Stevens Point built its lead to as much as 11 after two free throws and a basket by Lindsey Weiler made it 39-28 just under two minutes into the second half.
Now it was time for Marshfield to mount a comeback.
The Tigers held Stevens Point to just one basket during the next 10 minutes and pecked away at the deficit.
Kaylie Charron had a basket off an offensive rebound, Dani Minsaas and Zaida Kolbeck had hoops, and Ashley Grancorvitz made two free throws to complete a 12-2 run to brough the Tigers to within one at 41-40.
SPASH extended its lead to five after a 3-pointer from Jossie before Minsaas countered with a three-point play and Kolbeck scored off a steal to tie the game at 48-48 with three minutes left.
Marshfield eventually regained the lead after a jumper by Grancorvitz with 24 seconds to go, but a foul on Marshfield allowed Stevens Point a chance to win it. Adaleah made one of two free throws with 11.6 seconds left, and a 3-point attempt from Kolbeck just missed at the buzzer, sending the game to overtime.
The lead changed hands three times in the first extra four-minute period. Jossie had a pair of baskets, which were countered by Kolbeck, and Grancrovitz scored off a steal in the backcourt with 15 seconds to go, tying the game at 61-61. Stevens Point missed a shot in the final seconds to push it to a second OT.
Bousum, who scored a team-high 21 points and grabbed 10 rebounds for the Tigers, and Jossie exchanged hoops in the opening minute.
After the lead changed back-and-forth four times, Sam Kilty tied the game at 67-67 with a free throw with 43.9 seconds left.
Jossie was fouled making a move down the baseline and made one of two free throws to put the Panthers back up by one with 16.7 seconds to go.
Marshfield called a timeout with 9.6 seconds left and was able to get Bousum free for a 3-point attempt from the right corner, but the shot rimmed off as the buzzer sounded, clinching the WVC title for Stevens Point.
Grancorvitz added 14 points, Minsaas had 11 before fouling out early in the first overtime, and Kolbeck had all nine of her points in the second half and overtime for the Tigers.
Panthers 68, Tigers 67 (2 OT)
Marshfield 26 27 8 6 – 67
Stevens Point 33 20 8 7 – 68
MARSHFIELD (67): Alyssa Foemmel 0-0 0-0 0, Sam Kilty 0-0 1-4 1, Zaida Kolbeck 4-10 1-4 9, Kaylie Charron 2-2 0-0 4, Dani Minsaas 5-12 1-1 11, Kaci Abney 0-0 1-2 1, Ashley Grancorvitz 6-13 2-2 14, Raella Schueller 0-6 0-0 0, Ayana Bousum 8-18 1-2 21, Cami Wucherpfennig 1-3 4-7 6. FG: 26-64. FT: 11-22. 3-pointers: 4-24 (Bousum 4-12, Minsaas 0-2, Kolbeck 0-4, Grancorvitz 0-6). Rebounds: 37 (Bousum 10). Turnovers: 20. Fouls: 23. Fouled out: Minsaas. Record: 18-5, 9-2 Wisconsin Valley Conference.
STEVENS POINT (68): Adaleah Nest 1-12 5-7 8, Brittany Beadles 3-4 0-0 7, Ellie Strong 0-1 0-0 0, Aubree Itzen 0-0 0-0 0, Tahlia Moe 4-9 1-1 10, Lindsey Weiler 2-4 5-6 9, Emma Jossie 11-19 7-11 32, Lauren Strasman 0-2 2-7 2. FG: 21-51. FT: 20-32. 3-pointers: 6-17 (Jossie 3-6, Beadles 1-1, Moe 1-3, Nest 1-7). Rebounds: 31 (Weiler 7). Turnovers: 20. Fouls: 20. Fouled out: Strasman. Record: 15-7, 10-1 Wisconsin Valley Conference.