Eight minutes played and one made shot from the field is not much of a statistical line, but they were enough for Maranatha Christian Academy forward Jayzryn Thompson to make magic.
Thompson fought past a Mountain Iron-Buhl player, grabbed the rebound of a missed free-throw and hit a layup with three seconds left to clinch a 75-74 overtime victory for the Mustangs in the Class 1A girls' basketball state semifinals Friday at Williams Arena.
"I knew I had to get the rebound … and I did," said Thompson, a sophomore role player. "It feels great and I'm so glad that we are able to advance."
Moments earlier, Thompson seemed headed for a much different role in this drama. She was called for a foul at the three-point line with eight seconds left, giving the Rangers' Allie Negen three free throws.
No. 3 seed Maranatha (26-6) never lost faith, even as Negen, a freshman, made all three shots to give No. 2 seed Mountain Iron-Buhl a 74-73 edge.
"When that foul happened, I could have told you who was going to come up with that play," said Chris Buerman, coach of the Brooklyn Park-based private school. "I even turned to my bench and said, 'Jayzryn has this one.' "
On Maranatha's ensuing possession, Kylie Post drew a foul near the Mountain Iron-Buhl basket. She missed both her shots but Thompson had her back, ending the foul-plagued game — the teams were whistled for a combined 41 fouls – with a flourish.
"It was an emotional game, a lot of energy," coach Jeff Buffetta of the Rangers (29-3) said. "The game came down to somebody making the last play and, unfortunately, they had the last second to make the last play and we didn't."
Thompson's rebound stood as the last of several clutch Mustangs' shots. Down 58-51 with 2 minutes left, Maranatha players fought back. Alaina Jarnot forced overtime, hitting a three-pointer with less than a minute left. She led all scorers with 21 points.
Goodhue 74, Wheaton/ Herman-Norcross 35: The No. 1 seed Wildcats did not wedge a practice or even a film session between state tournament games Thursday and Friday. Goodhue would attack Wheaton/Herman-Norcross with its press defense and hope that was good enough.
Was it ever.
Goodhue dominated the Warriors, forcing 31 turnovers.
"They had a really good press, probably the best we've seen this year," Warriors senior guard Jordan Stafford said. "It was scary out there."
Goodhue's Maddy Miller and Sydney Lodermeier combined for 36 points as Goodhue built a 50-25 halftime lead. The Wildcats committed just two turnovers while their press defense forced 21 turnovers by No. 5 seed Wheaton/ Herman-Norcross (29-3). Those miscues led to 32 Goodhue points in the first half.
Goodhue (29-4) only grabbed seven steals, but its press defense, led by the team's guards, forced other Wheaton/Herman-Norcross breakdowns.
"A lot of credit to them because a lot of times they'll cause a steal in the backcourt or get one for themselves," said Lodermeier, a forward who finished with 18 points. "They're really what gets our offense going."
The Wheaton/Herman-Norcross size advantage was of little help as Goodhue outscored the Warriors 42-16 in the paint.
"We could've scored down low, we just couldn't get it to them," Warriors coach Tim Gail said. "I thought we had good hands — Goodhue's got great hands."
The Wildcats' Miller had 24 points. Jordan Stafford scored 12 points to lead Wheaton/Herman-Norcross.