Worth County’s girls won their first district title game since 2004, beating North Harrison 51-46 in overtime and ending North Harrison’s season at 23-5. The last time Worth County had won a district title game, they had beaten the same team, again in overtime. Worth County, with their win, won their 20th game of the season, their first 20-win season since that 2003-2004 season.
For North Harrison, it was the second time in the last three years they had won 23 games. This season and the 2015-2016 season were their highest win total since the 2003-2004 season, in which they went 24-3. Seniors Brandy Rivet and Payton Craig had the most successful run of any group of players to come through North Harrison, with 84 wins over the last four years, since the teams from 1974-75 to 1977-78, which won 86.
But for the Tigers, assuming they stay healthy, their story is only half-written. Their core group of players consists of sophomores, and they will return everybody next year. They are already running ahead of April Miller (now Healy) and Charlea Lewis’ teams as far as postseason goes. While Miller and Lewis’ group dominated the GRC and won more regular season games, that team couldn’t get past Northeast Nodaway in districts for two years before they finally broke through in 2002-2003 after most of NEN’s players had graduated; that Tiger team went to state that year. April gave the current group of Tigers a pep talk before Saturday’s game.
Both teams Saturday afternoon laid it all on the line. At one point, it looked like Worth County was finished, only for them to fight back and take the lead. At another point, it looked like North Harrison was finished, only for them to fight back and take the lead. But at the end of the day, three factors decided the game in Worth County’s favor – they had a little more depth, they shot an insane 25 for 29 from the free throw line, and they forced 20 North Harrison turnovers while surrendering it only 12 times themselves.
It was the third time in the last 14 years that Worth County had broken North Harrison’s hearts in districts. The first was in 2004 in Pattonsburg in one overtime. The second was last year in North Harrison, when Jessi Badell’s putback with six seconds left in double overtime turned out to be the dagger in Worth County’s 54-50 win, which gave Worth County its first winning season since 2005-2006. In all three cases, North Harrison had beaten Worth County during the regular season.
For most of the year, Worth County had been flying under the radar. But they will not be able to remain under the radar anymore. They have won eight out of their last nine games as their postseason run has kicked into high gear.
The question was how Worth County would match up with North Harrison. They put Anna Gladstone on Payton Craig in the first half; Anna not only kept her off the scoreboard for extended periods of time, but took her first-ever charge in her high school career. Kristin New guarded Craig in the second half.
But none of that seemed to matter at first. Worth County was missing everything in the first quarter, while everyone was chipping in for North Harrison as they built up an 11-4 first quarter lead. Worth County’s only points game from a pair of free throws and a steal from Regan Allee. Meanwhile, Payton Craig hit Addie Slaughter backdoor and Brandy Rivet for three. Emma Craig scored off a drive, while Payton finally got untracked with a steal and added a putback later for four in the period.
Kaylee McElvain finally hit a pair of outside shots to make it 13-8 for Worth County early in the 2nd.
But again, none of that seemed to matter. Olivia Babinski threw a pass into three different black shirts that somehow found Payton Craig, who converted a three point play. Brandy Rivet scored off a Craig steal, while Rivet hit Emma Craig inside to make it 20-8 as Worth County’s shots were hopelessly clanking off the rim.
But then Worth County put on a full court man to man press, which seemed to bother the Shamrocks enough that they burned a timeout. Then, Kaylee McElvain and Kristin New took charges on consecutive possessions. Then, Worth County figured out that they could drive to the basket at will on North Harrison, something that they did for the remainder of the game. The Tigers chipped away at the free throw line, missing a couple but still getting to within 20-12 at the break.
Anna Gladstone then drove on Payton Craig and dropped one in over her outstretched hands to make it six. Kristin New hit a free throw off a drive to make it 20-15. Payton Craig hit a 3-pointer to temporarily restore order for North Harrison and then got a monster stuff on Anna Gladstone trying to get to the rim again, but Worth County kept right on coming. Kaylee McElvain connected from outside again and Kristin New aired one out to Anna Gladstone for a three point play to make it 23-20.
It seemed like the bleeding would stop as Gladstone went to the bench with three fouls, but then Jill Hardy, with Payton Craig draped all over her, somehow got a wraparound pass into Jessi Badell to make it 23-22. Payton Craig went coast to coast against the press to make it 25-22 and Brandy Rivet dove headfirst into the stands trying to save a ball from going out of bounds, but then Regan Allee got a putback to make it one again and the Tigers kept coming. Allee hit Kaylee McElvain from the wing and Kristin New hit from the wing off another pass from Allee. Olivia Babinski, who is taller than Regan, kept her from getting a 3-pointer all night, but Regan was still able to drive into the lane and set everyone else up.
But with Worth County’s conditioning kicking in and the Tigers threatening to run the Shamrocks out of the gym, Brandy Rivet came out of a prolonged shooting slump right when it was needed the most to tie it at 28 going into the fourth. Kaylee McElvain got loose outside again, Kristin New got a steal and a free throw as Payton Craig picked up her third foul, and Anna Gladstone hit two free throws to make it 33-28, but then Rivet carried the team on her shoulders to get the Shamrocks back into the game.
Emma Craig hit Addie Slaughter inside to make it 33-30 and then Brandy Rivet ran over Jessi Badell for her fourth foul, hitting both free throws to make it 33-32. Anna Gladstone scored off a drive, but then Rivet hit a triple to tie it up again at 35. Once again, Anna Gladstone drove in, leaned forward, and hit the deck similar to the South Nodaway game and made both free throws to make it 37-35, but once again, Brandy Rivet drove and hit two free throws to tie it up again. Payton Craig, not normally given to emotional displays even in the toughest games, gave Rivet a hug after that play.
Worth County went to the rim again to take the lead, but then Addie Slaughter blocked a shot and Payton Craig scooped up the carom and went coast to coast to put North Harrison up 39-37 with 1:49 left. But once again, the Tigers came through as Anna Gladstone drove and kicked it out to Kaylee McElvain to tie it up again at 39.
Worth County put on their 1-3-1 halfcourt trap and Regan Allee got a tieup to give the ball back to Worth County. They ran it down to 20 seconds and they called timeout to set up a play for the win. But then one of their players caught the ball in frontcourt and jumped into the backcourt during the inbounds play instead of catching it in midair and landing in backcourt, which would have been a legal play. That gave North Harrison a chance to win it in regulation.
The Shamrocks ran it down to 6.9 seconds and set up a drive for Payton Craig into the middle. But several black shirts clogged up the lane, the ball pinballed off several different players and rolled into the backcourt, and Anna Gladstone couldn’t get it corralled before time expired.
Worth County controlled the opening tap in overtime and couldn’t do anything, but then Anna Gladstone played perfect help defense and took her first-ever charge, drawing Payton Craig’s fourth foul in the process. With several of their players with three or four fouls, North Harrison had trouble guarding against Worth County getting to the rim. Regan Allee went to the rim with 2:57 left and drew what should have been Payton Craig’s fifth foul as she was the only player in the vicinity, but the referees assessed it to Addie Slaughter instead and Allee hit both free throws. After a Tiger stop, Allee went to the rim again and drew Emma Craig’s fifth foul and hit both free throws with 2:25 left to make it two possessions at 43-39.
Payton Craig drove and threw up a contested shot on the left wing, but missed short and this time, Kristin New hit both free throws to make it 45-39. But there was a heartstopping moment as Payton Craig drove in against three black shirts and got a three point play to make it 45-42 again with 1:20 left. Was a miracle comeback like the Shamrocks had against Mercer and NEN in the offing?
It didn’t matter as Worth County kept hitting their free throws. Jessi Badell hit two more to make it 47-42 and North Harrison had to use its last timeout as Worth County trapped Olivia Babinski just across halfcourt with 47.9 seconds left. Addie Slaughter converted an offensive board into two free throws to make it 47-44, but then Worth County ran it all the way down to 30 seconds before North Harrison could foul and Regan Allee hit both free throws to make it 49-44.
Payton Craig scored off a drive with 9 seconds left after Worth County played stubborn defense to make it 49-46, but then Worth County got it all the way down to 4.4 seconds before using their last timeout – in order to take extra time off before North Harrison could foul. Kristin New hit two more free throws to clinch it at the end with 3.4 seconds left.
For Worth County, Regan Allee had 14, Anna Gladstone 13, Kaylee McElvain 12, Kristin New 8, and Jessi Badell 4.
Kaylee McElvain and Kristin New each had 1 block.
Regan Allee had 6 rebounds, while Jessi Badell had 4, Anna Gladstone, Kaylee McElvain, and Kristin New had 2, and Merrideth Spiers had 1.
Kristin New had 7 assists. Regan Allee had 3, Jill Hardy 2, and Megan Cassavaugh, Jill Hardy, and Anna Gladstone had 1.
Kristin New had 8 tips for the Tigers, who were constantly in the passing lanes all night even when things looked to be heading south. Regan Allee had 5, Jessi Badell and Kaylee McElvain 4, Anna Gladstone 3, and Jill Hardy had 1.
Regan Allee had 5 steals for the Tigers. Kristin New had 4, Kaylee McElvain 3, Anna Gladstone 2, and Jessi Badell 1.
For North Harrison, Payton Craig had 19 points. Brandy Rivet had 15, Addie Slaughter 8, and Emma Craig 4.
Payton Craig and Addie Slaughter had 1 block each.
Emma Craig had 11 boards. Payton Craig, Olivia Babinski, Addie Slaughter, and Mason Cracraft had 3 each.
Payton Craig had 6 assists. Brandy Rivet and Olivia Babinski had 2 each, while Mason Cracraft and Emma Craig had 1.
Payton Craig had 5 tips while Mason Cracraft had 2.
Payton Craig had 4 steals, while Emma Craig and Addie Slaughter had 1.
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