The Warren-Alvarado-Oslo Ponies Girl’s Basketball team pulled off a stunning upset in the Section 8A Tournament on Saturday, when they defeated the top seed in the West Sub-Section, the Stephen-Argyle Storm 48-47. “What an unbelievable game and atmosphere,” said Ponies Head Coach Casey Pierce. “The girls deserved to win this game and I thought they did a great job all day and had the right mindset the entire time.”
FIRST HALF –
Points were hard to come by early, and it was a gritty defensive effort by both teams, with lots of turnovers and jump balls. Lily Bayne had it going early for Warren-Alvarado-Oslo, scoring four early points, and Greta Weberg also was in a groove for the Storm, with 5 points of her own, giving Stephen-Argyle the early 7-4 lead. After a free throw from the Storm, and a bucket by the Ponies, Lily Bayne would score another layup to tie the game at 8-8, but this one was special, as it was her 1,000-career point. “Extremely happy for Lily (Bayne),” said Ponies Head Coach Casey Pierce. “She has been a great player for us and does everything the right way. It was fun to share in that accomplishment for her.” The Ponies took a timeout and celebrated the accomplishment. After that the Storm would score four straight and Bayne would pick up her second foul of the half, making things look a little grim for Warren-Alvarado-Oslo. However, with Bayne on the bench, the Ponies continued to find answers and would go on a 6-2 scoring to tie the game at 14-14 with just over seven minutes remaining in the first half. Greta Weberg then also picked up her second foul, putting her on the bench for the rest of the half for the Storm. Riley Mooney stepped up for Stephen-Argyle however and got an and one to give the Storm the lead back at 17-14. Warren-Alvarado-Oslo hit another gear the remainder of the half and ended the first half on an 11-4 scoring run. The run was highlighted by three-pointers from Annika Magnusson, and Ava Oberg, and two free throws from Kylie Nelson. The Ponies would have taken a 25-19 lead into halftime, but Regan Swanson grabbed an offensive rebound for the Storm and put in a layup at the buzzer, giving the Ponies a 25-21 lead at the halftime break instead.
SECOND HALF –
The Ponies started the second half with two three-pointers from Lily Bayne and Annika Magnusson, and with a Storm layup mixed in between, they took their largest lead of the game at 31-23. The Storm would rattle off four straight points to cut the deficit to 31-27, but the Ponies countered with a 6-3 mini-scoring run to take a 37-30 lead with ten minutes to play. The Storm continued to pull within striking distance, and after a layup, and three from Riley Mooney, it was 37-35 Ponies. After the teams traded two-pointers, Annika Magnusson knocked down yet another three-pointer, giving Warren-Alvarado-Oslo a 42-37 lead with six minutes remaining. It seemed at that time, that Ponies fans and their team started to believe. The Storm, however, picked up the defensive intensity, and in the blink of an eye rattled off an 8-0 run to take their first lead of the second half 45-42 with three minutes left to play. On the next possession down the court, Lily Bayne drove the baseline for a reverse layup to cut the Storm lead to 45-44. After a stop and a free throw for the Ponies, the game was tied at 45-45. Stephen-Argyle would have possession of the basketball with the game tied but would throw the ball away, giving the Ponies the opportunity to jump in front. Warren-Alvarado-Oslo would move the ball around, and Elise Oberg would find herself with the ball at the top of the key wide open. She would take the shot, and it would be nothing but net giving the Ponies a 48-45 lead with just one minute left to play. Stephen-Argyle did what they needed to do and scored the next time down the floor on a layup from Marey Kazmiercak, to make it 48-47 Ponies with under 30 seconds left. After a couple of fouls from the Storm, the Ponies would go to the free-throw line with 7 seconds remaining. Magnusson would miss the free throw, giving Warren-Alvarado-Oslo one last chance to win the game, but Liv Efta’s three at the buzzer was off the mark, and the Ponies had pulled off the stunning upset. “Incredibly proud of our girls for how they competed and fought tonight,” said Ponies Head Coach Casey Pierce. “The message those final couple of minutes was hanging onto the basketball and make sure we aren’t putting ourselves in a bad position. We did a great job of handling their pressure and I’m just happy for the girls.”
Warren-Alvarado-Oslo improves to 16-8 and will play Goodridge-Grygla on Monday night in the Section 8A Semifinals. The tip-off Monday night from Ralph Engelstad Arena in Thief River Falls is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. and the game can be heard on KROX starting with the RiverView Health pregame show at 5:30. Stephen-Argyle ends their impressive season with a record of 20-4.
| 1st | 2nd | Final | |
| Warren-Alvarado-Oslo | 25 | 23 | 48 |
| Stephen-Argyle | 21 | 26 | 47 |
| For W-A-O | Points | Rebounds | Assists/Steals |
| Annika Magnusson | 17 | 5 | 1 assist/1 steal |
| Lily Bayne | 12 | 2 | 1 assist |
| Kylie Nelson | 7 | 4 | 3 blocks |
| Elise Oberg | 5 | 2 | 3 assists/1 steal |
| Ava Oberg | 3 | ||
| Tata Wright | 2 | 1 | |
| Markelle Pederson | 2 | 1 | 1 assist |
| For S-A | Points | Rebounds | Assists/Steals |
| Grace Carlson | 10 | 7 | 1 assist/1 steal |
| Riley Mooney | 10 | 3 | 2 steals |
| Regan Swanson | 9 | 2 | 1 assist |
| Mary Kazmiercak | 7 | 2 | 1 assist |
| Greta Weberg | 5 | 3 | 2 assists/1 steal |
| Macy Haugen | 2 | 1 | 1 assist/2 steals |
| Josie Rivard | 2 | 1 assist | |
| Casey Osowski | 2 | 1 |
