MONEY IN THE BANK
Triple at OT buzzer lifts Grosse Pointe North to regional victory over Dakota
Annabel Ayrault went in an instant from passer to shooter to hero.
The senior banked in a 3-point shot at the overtime buzzer to lift Grosse Pointe North to a 55-52 victory over Dakota in a Division 1 regional basketball semifinal on the Cougars’ court Tuesday night.
“The game was tied, I just kind of threw up a Hail Mary, hoping it would go in,” Ayrault said after she was mobbed by teammates and fans along the Grosse Pointe North bench. “I knew if I didn’t make it, it was double overtime.
“No,” Ayrault added when asked if she’d ever hit a more important shot. “No — seriously.”
Ayrault, who assisted on the three field goals that preceded the winner, finished with 22 points and Jenna Winowiecki had 11 for Grosse Pointe North (22-3), which trailed 30-14 at halftime.
Ayrault said the Norsemen talked at halftime about their situation.
“We talked about that we’ve been down by more points,” she said. “We know each other, we know how we’re supposed to be playing. We had to pick up our defense, pick up our energy, and that’s what we did.”
Samone Andrews scored 16 points and Tambre Williams 12 for Dakota(14-11), which was trying to turn the tables after losing twice to the Norsemen in Macomb Area Conference Red Division games.
Grosse Pointe North plays Detroit Cass Tech at 7 p.m. Thursday for the championship. The Technicians advanced by defeating Fraser 77-38.
Williams, who played several minutes with four fouls, scored four of Dakota’s six points in the overtime, and senior Enddiea Reese’s putback with five seconds left created a 52-all tie.
But after Reese’s basket Grosse Pointe North pushed the ball up the right side of the court and got it to Ayrault in front of the Norsemen bench for the final shot.
“We took the fifth-ranked team in the state, got a big lead,” Dakota coach Phil McCune said. “Obviously, it was tough losing it.
“I thought our first half was the best first half we had all year long. We played with a lot of confidence. Maybe we wore down a little bit. Give Grosse Pointe North credit, they made the shots they needed.”
Dakota led 18-12 after one quarter four apiece from Andrews and Gracie Maloney helped the Cougars stretch their lead in the second.
“I thought Dakota played a phenomenal first half,” Norsemen coach Gary Bennett said. “Their defense was outstanding. They shot the lights out.
“Could we have played a little bit better defense? I think so. Were we a little tight on offense? I think so.”
The lead changed hands four times in the final 4:17 of the fourth quarter. Winowiecki’s triple put North ahead 42-41 with 4:17 left.
Andrews, Natalie Babcock (off a pass from Ayrault) and Williams gave their teams the lead with the next three baskets.
Dakota missed six free throws in little more than two minutes, but still led by two before Winowiecki converted a pass from Ayrault for a basket that tied the game 46-46 with 12 seconds left.
North started to make its move
in the third quarter by outscoring the Cougars 16-8 behind six points from Ayrault.
“At halftime we talked about, ‘This is do-able,'” Bennett said. “But you can't look at it as we're down 16 at halftime. All you've got to do is chip away, win every two minutes.
“I thought our defense picked up in the second half, and their defense wasn't quite as good in the second half. And then we shot the ball better in the second half, and they didn't shoot the ball as well in the second half.”
North scored the first seven points of the fourth quarter, cutting Dakota's lead to 38-37.
“If we'd have lost the game, I would have been just as proud of my kids,” Bennett said, “because they gave a fantastic effort in the second half.
“Anybody who watched the game knows how hard we worked. Good things happen when you work hard.”
CASS TECH 77, FRASER 38
Freshman guard Kanaya Watts scored 21 points to lead four Cass Tech players in double figures and the Technicians defeated Fraser in a Division 1 regional semifinal at Dakota.
Ari Parker had 16 points, Maya Anderson 14 and freshman Kayla Mount 12 for Cass Tech (13-10), which plays Grosse Pointe North for the championship at 7 p.m. Thursday.
Claire Wise of Fraser drives to the lane during the second quarter of a regional semifinal game against Cass Tech on Tuesday. Claire Wise scored 10 points to lead Fraser. Jaida Oxendine and Kiera Quinn added eight apiece.
The Ramblers, winners of the Chippewa Valley district last week, finished 15-10.
Cass Tech led 21-13 after one quarter and extended its lead by outscoring the Ramblers 16-8 in the second.
The Technicians made four 3-point shots in the first half, and Mount helped them control the boards.
“We knew they were extremely talented, and we knew they had great athletes on the perimeter that could all shoot very well,” Fraser coach Rob Fulgenzi said of the Technicians. “The big girl inside (Mount) is a handful, and we're a little undersized as a team.
“When they're getting out in transition and hitting 3s and banging on the inside and finishing, they can really balloon things up pretty quickly.”
Fraser cut into the Cass Tech lead early in the second half.
“Then a couple possessions here and there and — bang — it was back up to 20,” Fulgenzi said. “I thought we fought as hard as we could, did the best we could, but they're an extremely talented team and it's no fluke they are here and advancing.”