DETROIT LAKES – The reactions of the players and coaches leaving the floor wouldn't have told you who the winner was on Tuesday night.
The Lakeshirts Fieldhouse scoreboards read 47-44 in favor of the Detroit Lakes girls basketball team (15-3) over Bemidji (7-11). However, the Lakers left the court with a sour taste in their mouth despite winning their sixth consecutive game.
The Lumberjacks' 19-4 run over the last seven minutes of regulation made Tuesday night's conclusion more nail-biting than the Detroit Lakes faithful expected.
For the Lumberjacks, it's the kind of loss that left Bemidji head coach Darin Schultz in high spirits.
"I can't be more proud of the girls and how they competed," he said. "It's really easy to fall when you're down 15, down 20. It's easy to just say it isn't your night. We've been in this position. We had two good looks with a chance to take the lead late, and they just didn't fall down. We dug ourselves too big of a hole early on, but I'm extremely proud of how our girls finished, and we would've had a chance to win if we played like that the whole game."
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The Lumberjacks trailed by as many as 18 midway through the second half. Clara and Gracee Bieber made it a 13-point game before Brynn Peterson's and-one cut the lead to 10.
The Lakers took a timeout after Beth Bolte muscled another and-one on the Lumberjacks' next scoring possession.
"It's hard when you're not scoring, even when you're getting the looks you want," Detroit Lakes head coach Rachel Johnson said. "It makes it really difficult when the other team is hitting their shots when you go through those stretches. The momentum swing started in the first half when Ellie Lunde went down with an ankle sprain. You've got quite the roller coaster of emotions there. Even after that, we started the second half strong, but (Bemidji) just caught fire."
Gracee Bieber had the hot hand. She finished with a team-high 13 points, including the 3-pointer to pull the Lumberjacks within four of the tie. Brynn Peterson got a floater to go with under two minutes left to make it 46-44.
Gracee Bieber and Bolte had two wide-open looks from behind the arc with under two minutes left. The Lakers had their chances to stow the game away with 1-and-1 free throws, but three consecutive missed front ends kept Bemidji on the cusp of completing the comeback.
With under 20 seconds left, Detroit Lakes' Abby Larson made a hustle play. After missing a free throw, she earned a hard-fought rebound to keep the possession alive. It led to Mace's game-high 18th point on a free throw with two seconds left. Mace scored Detroit Lakes' last 11 points.
"It's nice when we do have games like this to have someone carry the team on their back," Johnson said. "We have balanced scorers, but we needed Karlee to be that girl tonight to make sure we have enough points on the board. She's a gamer. It's good to see her come into her own on the offensive end. It reminded me of the first game at state last year when she did everything she could to carry the team. She's got these games in her, and it's nice to see her shining as a sophomore."
The Lumberjacks' full-court heave to tie the game came up well short. However, Schultz was proud of the grit his girls showed on both ends of the floor to take the No. 12 Class AAA team, according to Minnesota Basketball News, to the brink.
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"The last three games, we played really good basketball," Schultz said. "DL is now 15-3 after tonight, and they're a really good basketball team. To sit here and compete with them, we feel like we can compete with good teams. That's a mindset we need to continue to have. We have seven games left against teams that we have the ability to beat if we play like we did the last seven minutes for a full 36."
The Lakers struggled to break the Lumberjacks' full-court press during the back end of the second half.
"Going into the locker room after the game, they fully knew that this was not their best basketball, and they weren't happy with their performance," Johnson said. "That's comforting to know they're not satisfied. That's not who they are as a team. There's something to be said about fighting your way through those momentum swings and finding a way to win."
Bemidji's toughness turned first-half struggles into second-half opportunities. It was a night that showcased team growth.
"Detroit Lakes plays an interesting style of basketball," Schultz said. "When I say 'interesting,' it's very specific in what they're trying to do. They're trying to slow down the tempo. For us, our best skill set is being able to attack the basket. They did a good job of taking that away from us. In the second half, we were able to get steals and turnovers, and we turned it into an up-tempo kind of game."
"As a coach, these girls have been amazing to be around. Every single day they show up and give everything they have. Tonight, that last seven minutes was a symbol of their character and their unwillingness to give up. For them to come out and compete like that, I'm extremely proud."
Detroit Lakes 47, Bemidji 44
BHS 16 28 – 44
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DL 25 22 – 47
BEMIDJI – Vincent 5, G. Bieber 13, C. Bieber 12, Bolte 6, Peterson 8
DETROIT LAKES- Lunde 6, Larson 7, Gunderson 8, Mace 18, Daggett 3, Bettcher 2, Okeson 3
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