Northwest Missouri State, who had just beaten Washburn to move into the driver's seat in the MIAA race, found out the hard way that any team can beat any other team on any given night. Northwest came into the game with all the momentum but it was Fort Hayes, who was fighting for their playoff lives, which played with a sense of urgency in the game, wiping out a 13 point halftime deficit on the strength of 15 3-pointers to win 84-78. Northwest had built up their record by living on the edge -- nearly all of their games were close and decided in the last few minutes. But the disadvantage of that approach is that sometimes, when you live on the edge all the time, you fall off. That's what happened to Northwest. That game marked the beginning of what was seemingly a 3-point insanity night; King City's boys would use a halfcourt 3-pointer at one buzzer and a heavily guarded 3-pointer at another buzzer to take Northeast Nodaway to six overtimes before losing while Northeast Nodaway's girls were victimized by Maysville 3-pointers to fall by one point in King City on the same day.
The loss dropped Northwest back into a tie for first with Washburn as Washburn beat Western 95-74 in a similar 3-point shooting display to what Hayes did. The Bearcats are still in control of their own destiny; as long as they win out the rest of the MIAA schedule, they will do no worse than share the regular season title with Washburn. Emporia beat Truman by two at home 69-67 on Alli Volkens' free throws with two seconds left and remains one game back of Northwest and Washburn. If Emporia goes to Washburn on February 23rd and knocks off Washburn on the road, that would mean an outright MIAA title for Northwest assuming they win out.
Hayes showed signs of what was to come as Kelsie Sorenson hit a 3-pointer to put Hayes up 9-3 just 2 1/2 minutes into the game as Northwest struggled to find the range early, only making three out of their first 15 shots. Free throws by Gabby Curtis trimmed it to 9-6, but Hayes continued to hit from downtown as Traci Keyser hit two 3-pointers to put her team back up 17-10. It was Keyser who had almost victimized Northwest in the first meeting between the two teams, hanging 31 points on the Bearcats in Maryville as Hayes nearly spoiled Gentry Dietz's return to the lineup.
Northwest finally started to find the range as Gabby Curtis hit a jumper and Shelly Martin hit a 3-pointer to make it 17-15 with 11:04 left. Abby Henry then found Dietz in the paint as her jumper made it 20-19.
The game was tied at 23, 26, and 29 as Hayes kept hitting from downtown but then Ashley Thayer hit Tara Roach for a jumper that started a run that seemingly put Northwest in control of the game as that put Northwest up 35-31 with 4:11 left in the first half. Following a stop, Gabby Curtis pushed it down the floor and got a layup to make it six. Curtis then added another layup and a free throw and then Shelly Martin hit a pair of free throws to make it 42-31 with 1:50 left in the first. Christa Bechard hit two free throws for Hayes, but then Curtis found Dietz in the paint and then added a pair of free throws to give Northwest its 46-33 halftime lead.
But Hayes' 3-point attack had just begun and they opened the second half with four consecutive 3-pointers to make it 50-45 with 17:40 left. Kyla Roehrig found Abby Henry for a layup and then Curtis hit a jumper to put Northwest back up nine at 54-45 with 16:55 left. Dietz then got going again as Abby Henry and Gabby Curtis each found her for open looks and Tara Roach added a pair of free throws to make it 60-49 with 14:27 left.
Hayes fought back behind a 3-pointer from Keyser and a pair of free throws from Rhys Pihl to make it 62-57, but Abby Henry answered with a 3-pointer and then consecutive blocks by Kyla Roehrig led to a 3-pointer by Shelly Martin from Abby Henry to put Northwest back up by 11 at 68-57.
But then the 3-point barrage by Hayes began again as Bearcat killer Traci Keyser struck again and Kaniesha Pettaway added a layup to make it 68-62 with 9:13 left. Shelly Martin answered with a 3-pointer for Northwest, but then Kara McFarland hit a 3-pointer for Hayes and they continued to chip away, finally getting to within one point as Rhys Pihl struck to make it 73-72 with 6:32 left.
Hayes finally missed a 3-pointer and they failed to capitalize on a Northwest turnover as Curtis hit a 3-pointer from Abby Henry, but then Kara McFarland hit a 3-pointer and a Northwest turnover led to a jumper from Traci Keyser to give Hayes its first lead since the first half at 77-76 with 3:17 left. Gentry Dietz hit a free throw to tie it up, but then Bearcat killer Traci Keyser struck again, this time at the free throw line where she is the leading free throw shooter in the league to put Hayes up for good at 79-77 with 2:40 left. Dietz hit another free throw to make it 79-78 with 2:27 left and Hayes got a rare miss of a 3-pointer, but Gabby Curtis had a layup attempt blocked with 1:10 left and missed a 3-pointer with 59 seconds left and Hayes got the ball back up one.
Kara Champlin hit one out of two free throws for Hayes with 40 seconds left, giving Northwest a chance to tie or take the lead, but Gabby Curtis missed a layup and Kyla Roehrig missed the putback try and Christa Bechard hit two free throws with 24 seconds left to make it a two possession game at 82-78. Abby Henry missed a layup with 17 seconds left and Gabby Curtis missed a 3-pointer with 12 seconds left and Hayes hit two more free throws in the last 12 seconds for the final score.
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