Lions Squeak Past Fergus Falls

NSO NEWS RELEASE

Providence Academy showed the value of balance and depth, with important contributions up and down the lineup proving the perfect counterbalance to an amazing individual effort from Fergus Falls guard Ellie Colbeck for a 55-53 victory in the Class 2A championship game Saturday at Williams Arena.

The Lions, seeded No. 1 in the tournament and ranked No. 1 in Class 2A all season, leaned on strong games from all three long-and-strong Counts sisters.

Grace, a junior, set the pace early, getting free inside for 13 points in the first half as Providence built 26-22 halftime lead. She finished with 17 points, six rebounds and six assists.

Maria, a senior forward, picked up the slack in the second half as the Otters clamped down Grace. She scored 15 of her team-high 19 points after halftime and added nine rebounds and six assists of her own.

Youngest sister Hope, a freshman who was the only player off the bench for the Lions, didn’t find her way into the scoring column but made her presence felt with a game-high 10 rebounds.

With eighth-grade dynamo Maddyn Greenway running the show and chipping in with 15 points and four assists, alongside key contributions from guards Brooke Hohenecker and Emma Millerbernd, it was just enough to overcome a 41-point effort from Colbeck.

Providence Academy, located in Plymouth, is accustomed to big state tournament performance from opponents. Last year, Duluth Marshall’s Gianna Kneepkens set a state tournament record with 67 points in against them in the quarterfinals. Goetz said Colbeck’s 41 was equally as impressive.

The Lions extended a four-point halftime lead to as many as 11 in the second half before Colbeck began to lead the Otters back. She had stretches when she scored 15 and nine points in a row and brought Fergus Falls to within two points twice in the final minutes.

Providence put the game on ice with three free throws in the last 17 seconds to take a 55-50 lead. Fergus Falls’ Brynn Sternberg hit a three-pointer at the buzzer for the final score.

While winning a state title was ultimately the goal, Maria Counts said the journey to get to that point resonated most of all.