BISMARCK - Angie Waller, one of five seniors for Fargo North's girls basketball team, said her team reached its goal Saturday at the North Dakota Class A state tournament.
"Our goal was to win our last game of the tournament, no matter what bracket we were in," Waller said after North claimed a come-from-behind 65-54 win over Grand Forks Red River to claim third place.
While Waller and fellow seniors Haley Reinholz, Alyssa Wixo, Tana Teschendorf and Noel Scherer combined to score 40 points, it was junior Alyssa Dehne who sparked a comeback in which North outscored Red River 24-6 in the final eight minutes. Dehne scored nine of her 24 points and came up with two of her five steals that led to layups during the winning rally.
But it was Dehne's line-drive, desperation heave from the corner as the shot clock wound down that may have been the key play of the game. Somehow, Dehne's liner hit the rim and ended up in the hands of Waller - who quickly put in a layup to give North a 59-53 lead with 2½ minutes remaining.
"I didn't even know the shot clock was winding down," said Waller, who ended up with 15 points and 13 rebounds. "My thing is rebounding."
"I've never seen someone get so many rebounds with such intensity," North coach Derek Ouren said of Waller. "She just is a competitor."
Red River was certainly competitive, especially playing without 6-foot-3 senior center Emily Evers - who sat out much of Friday's semifinal loss to South with a foot injury. Instead of relying on their big, the Roughriders relied on their small guards.
Anne Marhula and Chelsea Carlson, 5-foot-3 senior guards, each buried three 3-pointers. Marhula scored 15 points and Carlson 14 to help Red River lead most of the game - its biggest lead 10 points in the second half.
"Without Evers, we played exceptionally well," said Red River head coach Justin Schommer. "To play shorthanded and to still play in a close battle like that is a testament to our girls. Chelsea and Anne may be small in size, but they play big in heart."
Red River finishes the year with a 21-4 record.
North, meanwhile, finishes the season with a 16-9 record.
RED RIVER: Ronkowski 0 0-0 0, Azure 3 0-3 6, Carroll 0 0-0 0, Marhula 4 4-6 15, Borg 0 0-0 0, Asche 3 3-4 9, Conneran 0 0-0 0, Knudson 0 0-0 0, Haaven 3 2-4 8, Wheeler 0 1-2 1, Ferry 0 1-3 1, Christian 0 0-0 0, Knecht 0 0-0 0, Carlson 5 1-2 14. Totals: 18-54 (FG), 12-24 (FT).
NORTH: Dehne 10 4-7 24, Nordsletten 0 0-0 0, Leier 0 0-0 0, Reinholz 3 0-1 6, Larson 0 0-0 0, Wixo 2 1-2 6, Skunberg 0 1-2 1, Carlson 0 0-0 0, Teschendorf 3 2-2 10, Scherer 1 0-0 3, Waller 5 5-9 15, Wehri 0 0-0 0, Voulgarakis 0 0-0 0, Lopez 0 0-0 0. Totals: 24-53 (FG), 13-23 (FT).
Halftime: Red River 35, North 31. Total fouls: Red River 18, North 18. Fouled out: Borg. 3-point goals: Red River 6-13 (Marhula 3, Carlson 3), North 4-14 (Wixo 1, Teschendorf 2, Scherer 1). Rebounds: Red River 34 (Asche 8, Haaven 6), North 43 (Waller 13, Teschendorf 7). Assists: Red River 10 (Carroll 3, Carlson 3), North 5 (Dehne 2, Waller 2). Steals: Red River 12 (Carroll 3), North 10 (Dehne 5). Turnovers: Red River 14, North 19.
