In a heart-stopping conference battle that went down to the final seconds of regulation, the Van Buren County girls basketball team demonstrated excellence in the clutch, erasing a late fourth-quarter deficit before outlasting rival Central Lee 54-48 in overtime.
A Game of Momentum Swings
The Warriors started strong, taking a 12-11 lead after the first quarter. However, the Hawks claimed a 25-19 halftime advantage with 11 points from Kenna Sandoval throughout the first half. Adalyn Snowgren matched Sandoval’s output with 11 first-half points as well for Van Buren County, with Marlee Mertens adding four.
The third quarter belonged to the Warriors. Van Buren County exploded out of the locker room, outscoring Central Lee 18-5 to seize a 37-30 lead heading into the fourth quarter. Mertens punctuated the period with a buzzer-beating layup that extended the momentum.
With seven minutes remaining in regulation, Van Buren County held a commanding 39-30 advantage. But Central Lee refused to fold, mounting a furious comeback to take a 42-41 lead with 1:27 left on the clock.
Trailing 45-41 with just 39 seconds remaining, Van Buren County found itself in desperation mode. What happened next will be remembered as one of the season’s signature moments.
With 24 seconds left, the Warriors inbounded to Mertens in the right corner. She pump-faked a three-pointer, drove baseline, then kicked the ball back out to Sophia Jirak on the right wing. Jirak’s three-pointer swished through the net, cutting the deficit to 45-44 with 19 seconds showing.
After a Van Buren County timeout, the Warriors fouled Central Lee. The Hawks missed both free throws but grabbed the offensive rebound. Kayley Snowgren committed her fourth foul of the second half on Sandoval, who converted both attempts to push the lead to 47-44 with nine seconds remaining.
Out of a scrambled possession, Kayley Snowgren found herself open on the left side of the key off of a pass from Mertens. Her three-pointer at the buzzer left her hands as time was expiring and it rattled home, sending the game to overtime tied at 47.
Van Buren County seized control in the extra period, outscoring Central Lee 7-1. Daphny Wells contributed four crucial overtime points, while Jirak and Aubrey Loeffler contributed three points to seal the victory.
Statistical Leaders
Adalyn Snowgren led Van Buren County with 17 points, six rebounds, and one assist before fouling out. Sophia Jirak and Daphny Wells each contributed 11 points, with Jirak scoring all of her points in the second half and overtime while adding six rebounds, three assists, and two steals. Wells was equally efficient with six rebounds and one assist, including four crucial overtime points, and she committed zero turnovers. Marlee Mertens finished with six points, five rebounds, and two assists, while Kayley Snowgren added five points (including the game-tying three-pointer), two rebounds, and four assists.
Off the bench, Aubrey Loeffler provided two points, one rebound, one steal, and zero turnovers, while Elli Daugherty chipped in two points and one rebound. Ava Loeffler also saw action for the Warriors.
For Central Lee, Kenna Sandoval dominated with a game-high 27 points and nine rebounds.
As a team, Van Buren County shot 18-48 from the field, 6-16 from three-point range, and 12-19 from the free-throw line. The Warriors grabbed 27 rebounds, distributed 11 assists, recorded three steals, committed 18 fouls, and turned the ball over 18 times. Central Lee shot 18-61 from the field, struggled from beyond the arc at 3-29, and made 9-13 free throws. The Hawks dominated the glass with 41 rebounds, handed out 15 assists, forced 11 steals, committed 20 fouls, and had 17 turnovers.
Coach’s Corner
Van Buren County head coach Randy Smith praised his team’s resilience while acknowledging the challenges they faced down the stretch.
On the team’s composure and late-game execution:
“They kept fighting. The fourth quarter, we lost our composure a little bit. We had a lead and we were trying to force the ball. It seemed we were on one side of the floor on the left hand side and we didn’t bring it around to Sophia, who is probably one of our better passers and one of our better shooters. But, you know, they battled, and Kayley—I don’t know how many times she’ll hit that shot, but at least she knew how much time was left. Sometimes you don’t even get a shot when that’s happening.”
On the crucial inbound play that led to Jirak’s three-pointer:
“A big play. I don’t think I’ve ever ran a play where it isn’t part of what we were doing on an inbound. We tried to set a screen for Marlee to go to the corner—we’re down six, and we know we needed two threes. Then Kayley set the screen and peeled off, and screened again for Sophia who took the ball out of bounds and we found her and she hit the shot. I mean, we have two great big threes there. Then you have a chance. I was really proud of the way they fought. Central Lee, that Sandoval, she is a horse inside.”
On the team effort:
“I told them in the locker room that this was a team win. There were people coming—you know, Marlee coming—she didn’t have a huge scoring night, but she’s coming through, and saying, ‘Hey, you know, we can get Daphny on a backdoor cut here.'”
On Aubrey Loeffler’s defensive contribution off the bench:
“I really thought a key was Aubrey Loeffler coming in off the bench. She did a great job on Sandoval inside.”
On Sandoval’s performance:
“Their coach did a good job putting her on the weak side and took a shot, and that’s where the rebound’s going to go, and she was there. When she gets the ball at the low block, she’s going to score.”
Looking Ahead
With the victory, Van Buren County improves to 7-3 overall and 5-3 in conference play, positioning themselves firmly in third place. Central Lee falls to 4-3 in conference (4-3 overall). The Warriors will be battling the Nikes of Burlington Notre Dame next at home on Friday, January 9th.
Photography courtesy of Jaime Moquin.
