By Steve Eldridge
MENDON — Ten missed free throws proved costly for the Lady Bobcats, as the Mendon Hornets came back to stop Burr Oak last Friday night, winning a district championship by the score of 38-33.
The Lady Hornets trailed 31-28 entering the final eight minutes, however Burr Oak managed only two points in the fourth period, while Mendon was able to finish the game with 10 points to grab the victory.
The Hornets held the lead after one, 13-8, and 23-16 at the half, but the Lady Bobcats surged ahead by scoring 15 third-quarter points to only five for Mendon. Braylyn Hernandez fired in 11 of her game-high 16 points in that quarter to give Burr Oak a three-point edge entering the final eight minutes. Hernandez finished with 16, while Elaine Holtom tossed in 10 points for the Lady Bobcats. Saryia Cornejo scored four points, and Cristal Hernandez added three to round out the Burr Oak offense.
Brianna Heitkamp led the winners with 14 points, followed by Cienna Nightingale, who finished with eight. Teammate Rowan Allen tossed in seven, followed by Gracie Schultz, who scored four points. Also for Mendon, Mattea Bingaman and Presley Allen both finished with two points, while Brooke Gerth added a free throw.
First-year Mendon coach Ernie Ramirez stated that “It doesn’t get any better than this, winning a district championship on your home court. We’ve got some athletes on this team, and I loved the way they came back. We get to play on.” He also gave credit to Burr Oak, commenting that “They kept switching up the defense on us, and that was a good move by their coach. It threw us off balance before I figured out what they were switching to. They (Burr Oak) hustled the entire game.”
Burr Oak coach Braxton Hernandez said his team “Showed a lot of heart, especially when two of our key players got into foul trouble. Our bench really stepped up and gave us some valuable minutes.” He also said that “By switching up our defense, and how aggressively our defense always plays and how we feed off of that, it kept the game close. We just ran into some foul trouble and had some missed opportunities.” Hernandez also said that “Our success this season isn’t based on our record. We had fun, and to me, that’s a successful season.”
The Lady Hornets will face the Reading Rangers on Monday in opening round regional play at Concord High School. The tip is scheduled for 7 pm.
