FERTILE-BELTRAMI WRAPS UP OUTSTANDING SEASON WITH 2OT LOSS TO CASS LAKE-BENA

The Cass Lake-Bena Panthers outscored the Fertile-Beltram Falcon’s Girls Basketball team 8-3 in double overtime to win a Section 8A semi-final game (East Sub-section championship game) 65-60 at the Ralph Englestad Arena in Thief River Falls.

FIRST HALF – 
Cass Lake-Bean struck first with a basket almost 90-seconds into the game for a 2-0 lead. Fertile-Beltrami settled down and worked the ball around, and found Kasia Wilson for a basket to spark a 9-0 run.  Josie Iverson added a three-pointer, and Tori Erickson had back-to-back baskets for a Falcon 9-2 lead over four minutes into the game.  Cass Lake-Bena responded with back-to-back three-pointers to get within a 9-8 deficit.  Fertile-Beltrami had an answer with a basket from Erickson, a three-pointer from Iverson, and two free throws from Wilson for a 16-8 lead with 12-minutes left in the half.  Cass Lake-Bena battled back to get within a 20-16 deficit before Wilson rattled home a three-pointer, and Marin Roragen added a free throw for a 24-16 lead with less than six minutes to go in the half. The teams exchanged baskets the rest of the half, and Fertile-Beltrami took a 32-25 lead into halftime. 

SECOND HALF – 
Cass Lake-Bena came out of the locker room, fired up, played outstanding full-court defense and forced Fertile-Beltrami into several turnovers and converted them into a lot of points, and started the half on a 22-6 run for a 47-38 lead with 10:04 remaining in the game.  Cass Lake-Bena led 49-40 with 9:30 left when Fertile-Beltrami settled down and started playing their game.  Kasia Wilson scored three points to start a huge 10-0 run, with Erickson and Roragen added baskets before Iverson buried a three-pointer to take a 50-49 lead with 4:02 to go. Cass Lake-Bena’s Taryn Frazer, who will play basketball at the University of Minnesota Crookston next year, stole the ball and went coast-to-coast for a layup and a 51-49 lead with 2:14 left.  As they did all game long, Fertile-Beltrami had an answer as Brooklyn Strem found Roragen open in the paint and scored while getting fouled.  She made the free throw for the old-fashioned three-point play for a 53-51 lead.  Cass Lake-Bena responded with a basket to tie the game at 53 before the Falcon’s Erickson scored in the paint for a 55-53 lead with 55-seconds to go.  The Panthers responded with a basket nine seconds later to tie the game at 55.  Fertile-Beltrami worked the ball around and tried to score with about seven seconds left, but missed a reverse layup, and the Panthers Frazer cut the basket and was fouled with two seconds left.  The Panthers missed both free throws, and the Falcons held on to the ball to force overtime tied at 55.

OVERTIME-
There wasn’t much scoring as the Panthers struck first for a 57-55 lead.  Fertile-Beltrami’s Taylor Miller was fouled on a three-point attempt and made two free throws to tie the game at 57 with 2:42 remaining in overtime.  Both teams missed free throws in the final two minutes, and Cass Lake-Bena held for the last shot of overtime.  They worked the ball around until there were 11 seconds on the clock and called a timeout.  After the timeout, they worked the ball around and couldn’t get a shot off before the buzzer sounded, forcing a second overtime with the teams tied at 57.

DOUBLE OVERTIME-
Fertile-Beltrami’s Iverson was fouled and made one of two free throws to take a 58-57 lead 29-seconds into the second overtime.  Cass Lake-Bena answered with a free throw with 2:30 minutes left, after Erickson fouled out with her fifth foul of the game, to tie the game at 58.  Fertile-Beltrami missed a shot in the paint, and Cass Lake-Bena answered with an Amira Laduke offensive rebound and basket for a 60-58 lead.  Fertile-Beltrami missed the next possession, and Cass Lake-Bena’s Laduke was fouled and made one of two free throws for a 61-58 lead with 58 seconds left in overtime. The Falcons didn’t score on the next possession, and Cass Lake-Bena’s Frazer made two free throws for a 63-58 lead.  Cass Lake-Bena added another free throw for a 64-58 lead with 33 seconds left before Fertile-Beltrami’s Roragen grabbed an offensive rebound and put it back in to get within a 64-60 deficit with 24 seconds left in the game.  The Falcons couldn’t get a basket, and Cass Lake-Bena held on for a 65-60 thrilling victory. 

Fertile-Beltrami’s outstanding season ends with a 22-7 record, and they lose three seniors, Taylor Miller, Marin Roragen, and Jacelyn Pinske.  Cass Lake-Bena improves to 27-2 and will defend the Section 8A title on Friday night when they play Warren-Alvarado-Oslo at 7:00 p.m.