Even in defeat, Northome/Kelliher made most of its historic state tournament run
· Yahoo Sports
Mar. 13—SAINT PAUL — While the Mustangs would rather their season end in the state tournament instead of sections, Friday's end result didn't make the closure any easier.
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In the Class A consolation semifinals at Gangelhoff Center at Concordia-St. Paul, the Northome/Kelliher girls basketball team fell to Mayer Lutheran 70-67, which ends the season.
Trailing by 12 points at one point in the second half, the Mustangs' seniors led a comeback that saw them trailing by two within the final minute. They were one possession away from extending their season, but the Crusaders held on by burning the clock and making free throws.
In the end, it was the last game for program-changing seniors Kate Thayer, Kylee Binkley, Allison Lundin, Charli Hallstrom and Emily Mastin. Northome/Kelliher's five seniors helped the program reach the state tournament for the first time ever.
They represented their community well and have left the program in a good place, head coach Kevin Waldo said.
"It's so hard as a coach to see it end," he continued. "I've been coaching some of them since (they were in) seventh grade. They've just been a staple in the gym and you know it. You really don't want it to end, but you know it's going to end because that's what high school sports is about.
"I'm so proud of Kate, Kylee, Alli, Charli and Emily for everything they've done for our program, what they've accomplished and what they've shown to the younger groups of kids."
Class A is a gauntlet filled with upper-echelon teams that have rarely experienced losing. The combined record for all eight state Class A teams is 216-22.
Heading into the tournament at 29-1, N/K was given the No. 3 seed, but Waldo and the Mustangs knew that any seed could make it to the title game.
"Every team that was in that bracket is going to be tough and was tough," Waldo said. "If you didn't bring your best and didn't play your best, you were going to get beat. That's what happened. We just didn't play our best game. It wasn't for the lack of effort — our kids had a ton of effort. That's what they're known for and that's what they fight for."
Playing in front of another strong Mustang audience Friday afternoon, Thayer ended her high school career scoring 24 points and netting 11 steals. Binkley and Hallstrom scored nine points, while Binkley scored eight.
For a team that's never made it to the state tournament, the experience can feel daunting at first. There's extended travel, overnight stays, banquets and the pressure of representing a school on a statewide level.
Even so, N/K was prepared and came out strong against Central Minnesota Christian School in
the state quarterfinal on Thursday.
After CMCS took a double-digit lead in the second half, the Blue Jays answered anything the Mustangs threw at them.
Even when the Mustangs trailed Friday against the Crusaders, they didn't give up, coming as close as they could to extending their season by one game.
"They showed everyone they aren't here to just roll over and quit," Waldo said. "They work their butt off, they work hard. ... They were able to just fight through it and try to punch back, and in the end it just didn't work out."
Mayer Lutheran 70, Northome/Kelliher 67
ML 32 38 — 70
NK 33 34 — 67
Mayer Lutheran — C. Keaveny 16, I. Keaveny 16, H. Hunter 13, Arvig 12, P. Hunter 9, Hahn 4. Totals: 23-47 FGs, 2-8 3-pt, 22-31 FTs.
Northome/Kelliher — Thayer 24, Hallstrom 9, Lundin 9, K. Binkley 8, Poxleitner 6, B. Binkley 5, Beuntemeier 4, Wang 2. Totals: 22-59 FGs, 5-18 3-pt, 18-27 FTs.