The second game on tap from Williams Arena on this Thursday was the other Class AAA semifinal pitting Fergus Falls against Marshall. The Otters got here by knocking off Kasson-Mantorville while the Tigers took care of business against Chisago Lakes.
Things would stay nip and tuck in the opening minutes of this one with neither side able to gain any noticeable advantage. The Otters held a slim 6-5 lead by the 14:28 mark and a "3" at the 11:14 mark by senior guard Brianna Ramusson from the left wing gave Fergus Falls a 9-7 advantage and a score in the paint off of an inbounds pass by junior reserve forward Kathryn Sawtell made it an 11-7 Otter lead. The Fergus Falls lead would grow to 15-9 with 8:40 left before Marshall's junior forward Callie Graff was able to cut into the deficit with her two charity stripes to trim the Otters lead to 15-11.
Fergus Falls, however, would go on a 5-0 push and senior forward Anna Monke put an exclamation on that burst with a "3" from the top of the key with 7:06 left and a 20-11 Otter lead that had Marshall Head Coach Dan Westby clamoring for a timeout to try and get his team settled down. The Tigers, however, soon found themselves down by 13 at 24-11 when Monke got into the paint for a score with 5:11 left. Marshall would be able to whittle the Otter lead down to single digits and a "3" by junior guard Sarah Buysse from the right corner with 1:47 left had the Tigers within seven trailing 28-21 but a late Fergus Falls score by senior guard Bailey Strand allowed the Otters to take a 30-21 lead into the locker room at the half. Strand led the Fergus Falls efforts in the first half with 12 points while Marshall had a balanced attack with Graff's eight points, Buysse's seven points and six points from senior forward Hannah Bennett. Fergus Falls did enjoy a decided advantage on the glass with 23 rebounds to Marshall's 19. That was definitely going to have to change if the Tigers were going to entertain hopes of getting their teeth back into this one.
Marshall appeared to get off on the right foot when senior forward Kenzie Beekman drilled a "3"from the left wing at the 17:49 mark that sliced the Otter lead to 30-24. Graff was able to sneak into the paint for a score at the 14:32 mark that drew the Tigers to within five trailing 35-30 and two Buysse free throws at the 14:21 mark got Marshall even close trailing 35-32. A drive and finish by Bennett at the 12:03 mark got her fouled as well and the obligatory freebie kept the Tigers close trailing 39-35. A score in the paint by Beekman off of an inbounds pass at the 11:01 mark enabled Marshall to still stay in the thick of things trailing 41-37 at the 10:46 mark.
But as hard as Marshall worked to get themselves back into this game, you couldn't help but wonder if some of the missed opportunities the Tigers had were going to catch up with them. Still, Marshall had a lot of fight left in them and a Buysse "3" from the left wing with 6:19 left along with a free throw from junior forward Morgan Saugstad drew the Tigers agonizingly close; trailing 46-44 with plenty of time remaining. With 2:40 left, Marshall's Beekman snuck into the paint for a score that finally tied the issue at 46-all and Fergus Falls; with cobwebs seemingly formed on its basket in this second half struggled to find answers. The Otters junior reserve forward Rachel Johnson had a temporary one as she made one freebie after getting fouled with 2:15 left that gave Fergus Falls a 47-46 lead but then Marshall's Bennett got into the paint for a score after a steal and put in a shot to let Marshall regain the lead at 48-47. A jumper from sophomore reserve forward Marah Mulson from the left wing put Marshall up 50-47 with 1:20 left but the Otters who went on a dust bowl-like drought for a good chunk of the second half were able to regain a 51-50 advantage with just :20.1 left. However, on Marshall's last possession, they stayed patient and with just :03.7 remaining on the clock, Graff took a daring foray into the paint and drew a foul and was able to sink the ensuing free throws despite the Fergus Falls student section doing everything possible but throwing sticks and stones her way. Trailing 52-51, the Otters had one final shot but a missed desperation shot by Rasmusson off the glass allowed Marshall to capture a gritty 52-51 win.
Marshall Head Coach Dan Westby remained cool and calm while his team let loose with various whoops and cheers in the adjoining locker room. I asked him how his squad stayed determined despite all the missed opportunities they had earlier in the second half. "We haven't had a lot of close games this year" Westby replied "but the ones we did have we won." About moving on to the title game, Westby simply replied "We're excited to have an opportunity." I also asked him about Buysse; his junior guard. "She's a big track kid and has a lot of speed". That athleticism definitely helped Marshall in the clutch moments. Buysse herself admitted that this was what they wanted. "This was a goal we wanted to achieve.....We never stopped fighting and we found a way." Buysse and Bennett each tallied 13 points in this win for Marshall while Graff netted 12 points and Beckman was right behind with 11 points; a very balanced attack. Fergus Falls' Strand led her team with 22 points.
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