By Nick Beversdorf
Reporter
Merrill girls basketball lost to the Hortonville Polar Bears last night, officially ending their playoff run. The game was hard fought by the Bluejays, but halfway through the first period they fell into a double digit point deficit and had to play catch-up for the rest of the game. The final score was 66-43.
Attributing to Hortonville’s success was a stream of sideline 3-point field goals that amounted to 24 of their 66 point total, in addition to their 34 points from 2-point goals. The Bluejays could not replicate their opponent’s success, as the gap continued to widen up to an average of 20 points by the end of the second period. Although the Bluejays showed re-invigoration during the last few minutes, it was not enough to save the game.
“The girls played hard on both ends of the court and never gave up,” comments Coach Ross Reincke. “It was an honor to get the chance to coach them this season, they worked incredibly hard all season and it was a lot of fun.”
Maddix Bonnell lead the scoring drive for the Bluejays with 15 points, 8 of which came from 2-point goals, 6 from 3-point field goals and one free-throw. Other scoring leaders include Emily Page and Rylee Folz with 6 points each and Lindsey Casper and Anna Finnell with 5 points each.
Although the loss ends the playoff season, coach Reincke looks forward to next season.
“The underclassman are excited about the possibilities going forward and I know they will put in the time this off-seasons to build on this seasons success,” adds coach Reincke. “And thank you to all of the parents for the time and effort they put in the season, without them it would not have been a success, and we will miss all of the seniors and wish them the best in their future endeavors.”
Game Stats
HRT: 32 34-66, FG: 8-13 (62%)
MRL: 24 19-43, FG: 8-12 (66%)
