The Borowicz sisters — sophomore Katie and senior Kacie — are known for their offensive prowess. In the end it was their defense that kept top-seeded Roseau from being upset by Redwood Valley.
Katie Borowicz kept Cardinals sophomore guard Sydney Sommers on the perimeter instead of penetrating into the lane to dish to 6-foot sophomore center Haley Garman after a timeout with 5.9 seconds left in the game Wednesday at Williams Arena. Sommers found senior guard Amy Martius as a secondary option, but her missed three-pointer at the buzzer allowed the Rams to escape with a 75-74 victory in the Class 2A quarterfinals.
"We couldn't allow them to drive and get the ball inside," Katie said. "There was no way No. 35 [Sommers] was going to get around me."
Redwood Valley's first option was to get the ball in the paint to Garman against the undersized Rams. Garman finished with 21 points, including 12 in the first half when the Cardinals took a 39-31 lead.
"We were looking to go down low, but couldn't get there," Redwood Valley coach Taya Kockelman said. "Sydney did a great job finding another option to get a shot off."
The Borowiczes combine for 70 points — Katie with 37, Kacie 33. They also had 15 rebounds and 10 steals between them.
"The two of us have never had a scoring game like this in the same game," Kacie said.
The matchup featured contrasting styles, perimeter vs. paint. Roseau (29-2) had its hands full from the opening tip with Redwood Valley (19-9).
Garman scored eight of the Cardinals' first 10 points. Once Roseau turned its defensive focus to the paint, it freed up sophomore guard Aubree Hicks from long distance.
Hicks went 3-for-3 from three-point range and made all five of her shots to contribute 13 first-half points. She finished with 20 points while Sommers had 14.
Kacie (16) and Katie (15) accounted for all 31 of the Rams' first-half points.
"We had a difficult time finding a defense to work against them," Kacie said.
Until the last possession when the Rams went man-to-man.
