By Jason Wesseldyk
Sports Editor
SOUTH HAVEN–Brooke Smalldon and Tessa Prough.
That proved to be a winning combination for the Otsego girls basketball team in its Division 2 district semifinal against host South Haven on Wednesday, March 5.
With 17 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter and the score tied at 48-48, Smalldon knocked down a pair of clutch free throws. On the ensuing South Haven possession, Prough blocked a shot by South Haven sharpshooter Ly’nique Cunningham and secured the rebound to seal the 50-48 victory for the Bulldogs.
Prough, a senior, finished with 17 points, seven rebounds, four blocks and four steals.
“She really came out aggressive and played like she didn’t want it to be her last game,” Otsego coach Tony Koshar said of Prough.
Smalldon was close behind in scoring, checking in with 15 points.
Those 32 combined points from Prough and Smalldon helped offset a 27-point effort from Cunningham, who reached the 1,000-point milestone as a sophomore this season.
“This time of the year the adage is survive and advance and tonight was a perfect example of that,” Koshar said.
The game couldn’t have started much better for the Bulldogs, who built a 28-14 halftime lead.
But Cunningham and the Rams didn’t go quietly, chipping away at Otsego’s advantage until finally knotting the score at 48-48.
“It was a tale of two halves,” Koshar said. “We jumped out to that big lead, but South Haven did a nice job of spreading us out in the second half. That created space for (Cunningham) and allowed them to get back in the game.”
Otsego fouled the Rams with 24 seconds left to play, but South Haven missed both free throws. Seven seconds later, Smalldon was fouled and knocked down her freebies, setting the stage for Prough’s block at the other end.
Madden Fitzpatrick added 10 points and four rebounds for Otsego. Audrey Lingbeek played all 32 minutes.
“Audrey did a great job getting us into our offense all night,” Koshar said.
