NRHEG shocks Vikings with second half rally

The Hayfield/Schaeffer Academy girls basketball team’s season came to an end last week, after losing to NRHEG 64-62 in the Section 1A championship game.
Despite trailing 37-32 at halftime and losing leading scorer Camryn VanMaldeghem to an injury late in the first half, NRHEG still found a way to rally and outscore the Vikings 32-25 in the final 18 minutes to shock the Vikings.
The Vikings entered the matchup as underdogs but quickly made a statement by building a lead and holding it for the entirety of the first half.
NRHEG found success on offense largely due to its ability to snag offensive rebounds for second-chance points, but the team struggled to contain the Vikings’ fast-paced offense.
Hayfield/Schaeffer Academy stretched the floor and used strong ball movement to set up open looks and find cutters in the lane, exposing holes in the Panthers’ defense.
However, defensive breakdowns were the least of the Panthers’ issues in comparison to the team losing VanMaldeghem late in the first half due to a non-contact injury to her leg.
According to the senior, trainers indicated to her that the injury did not involve any broken bones, but that it had something to do with ligaments; potentially a “ligament tear.”
She was eventually carried off the floor by Peterson and medical staff, leaving NRHEG without its point guard and first-choice offensive threat.
While VanMaldeghem was being evaluated by trainers, the Panthers went to work searching for answers of their own on how to turn the game around.
Ultimately, NRHEG’s late rally earned the team its first lead of the game at 55-51 with 4:24 remaining.
The two teams traded blows late, but the Panthers held a slight 63-62 edge with 1:20 left.
Hayfield/Schaeffer Academy had a chance to take the lead with a one-and-one free throw opportunity with 1:01 left, but a miss and a critical defensive rebound for the Panthers gave the team possession again.
NRHEG’s Chloe Stork was fouled with 22.9 seconds remaining, but missed both free throws to afford the Vikings another opportunity to take the lead while still trailing 63-62.
However, Boerner secured a late Vikings’ turnover and was subsequently fouled to put the Panthers in position to acquire some insurance points with just over three seconds left.
The sophomore hit one free throw to push the lead to 64-62, but Hayfield/Schaeffer Academy gambled on an inbound pass and managed to get the ball across half court before calling a timeout with just over one second on the clock.
The Vikings drafted up a play and settled for a contested jump shot from three-point range, but the team’s final prayers were left unanswered as the attempt missed the basket, securing the win for NRHEG.
Byron’s season also came to an end last week in the Section 1AAA championship game with a 61-50 loss to Stewartville.
No stats were available at the print deadline for this story.