Vikings win thriller over Huron girls

by Richard Lamb– Advance Editor

There was no shortage of heroes at Posen High School in Tuesday?s showdown between Rogers City and Posen girls? basketball teams. The hero which counted the most turned out to be a player who, just seconds before becoming a hero, had missed a pair of free throws at a critical time. With the Vikings leading 51-50 with just 14 seconds left in the game, Huron guard Katie Tulgestke fouled Viking forward Ashley Sobek. Sobek, a senior, had played a solid game at both ends of the court, and now had the chance to ice the game with a pair of free throws. The first shot rattled out. The second shot clanged off the side of the rim, but a hustling Sobek grabbed the rebound and was fouled again. This time, she calmly hit both shots, giving the Vikings a 53-50 lead with 13 seconds left.

There was time for another hero to step up to the plate. With just two seconds left on the clock, Huron freshman Casey Barrow launched a shot from deep on the wing, hitting nothing but net. Her shot was true, appearing to tie the game with a three-pointer, but the referee had his eyes on her foot, which was touching the three-point line, making her heroic attempt fall one point short. Posen (6-5) held on for a 53-52 win.

OTHER HEROES were Huron center Jenny Fleming, who fought through foul trouble to score 21 points, including 10 clutch points in the fourth quarter. Viking sophomore forward Janice Ciarkowski had a great game matched up against Fleming, scoring 19 points and blocking a shot on the Hurons? second-to-last possession of the game. Another sophomore, Huron guard Greta Grambau, had her moment in the spotlight, draining a critical three-pointer from the left corner in the closing moments of the fourth quarter. She finished with 10 points, second high for the Hurons. Rogers City led 12-11 after the first quarter. With Fleming and Kaitlin Klingshirn both in foul trouble, Viking coach Karl Momrik tried to get the ball inside as often as possible. The Hurons took the lead on Lauren Hanson?s three-pointer with 22 seconds left in the quarter. Fleming keyed an 8-0 run to open the third as the Huron lead grew to nine points with 3:15 left in the half. Then a 6-0 run by the Vikings to close the quarter left the score at 22-18 in favor of the visitors. Victoria Wozniak had a basket, Tina Mulka connected on two free throws, and then Ciarkowski scored on a fast break to end the run.

IN THE THIRD quarter, Grambau?s three opened the scoring before the Vikings pressed their way into the lead. Posen used a full-court press to put the heat on the Hurons in a 10-0 run that left them leading 28-25 with 5:01 left in the third quarter. Barrow?s steal and pass to Tulgestke for a lay-up came before another Viking run. ?We went to the full-court press and Rogers City was hurting with Fleming in foul trouble. We wanted to go right after her when she had the three fouls. We thought they took a little bit of a chance going with her, but she is that good of a player and sometimes you roll the dice,? Momrik said. ?We were lucky enough to get the ball inside to Janice and draw her fourth foul and that made it tough on Rogers City because she is just a great player.?

MOMRIK SAID his team knew the Hurons played a tough schedule and would come in looking for a battle. ?I thought we played really hard. It is a tough battle when these teams play. Every game, for us, is a tough battle. There isn?t any easy mark on the schedule,? Momrik said. ?We won it at the line when we needed it.?

Seven straight points by the Vikings moved the lead to 35-27 with 1:30 left in the quarter. Posen led 37-30 heading into the fourth quarter. ?Overall, I think the girls are playing a solid defensive game. I?m real pleased with the way they are playing Their confidence level in their shooting needs to grow a little bit. I think once they get that, good things are going to come,? said Huron coach Paul Stempky after the game. Stempky said the team has struggled to win since the Christmas break, but he is confident the team can turn things around. ?I think once they get over that break-out game, good things are going to come. Since after Christmas, we just can?t buy a win. We?ve had the lead in every game,? he said.

THE VIKINGS were coming off a bitter 59-41 loss to Hillman last week. Hillman led 7-6 at the end of the first quarter and 22-16 at halftime. Kori Latz scored nine points while Ciarkowski added eight and Wozniak scored seven in the game. The Hurons had misery of their own last Thursday at Newberry. The Indians

took a 50-48 win over the Hurons, fighting off a frantic run at the end that nearly ended in a Huron win. Moni Cercone had 12 points while Fleming, Barrow, and Anna Wickersham each scored seven.

IN THE JV contest at Posen, the Vikings scored five points in the game?s final 25 seconds to secure a 34-31 win over Rogers City. Rogers City started strong, leading 13-4 at the end of the first quarter, 19-15 at halftime and 29-21 at the end of the third quarter. But a furious rally put the win on the Posen ledger. Cheryl Romel scored six points to pace the Vikings while Logan Schuiteman scored 14 for Rogers City.

The Hurons won an exciting JV contest at Newberry, 43-31, as Schuiteman?s 16 points led the way. Trailing 36-33 heading into the final frame, the Hurons used an effective press to come back. Posen?s JV defeated Hillman 38-28, maintaining a 10-point lead much of the way. LeAnne Buczkowski scored 11 points while Lindsey Ponik added 10. Rogers City hosts Rudyard Friday while the Vikings play at Mio tonight (Thursday) and play at AuGres Monday.

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