Clutch and gutsy. Coach Mac would’ve been proud.
St. Cloud senior point guard Arianna Viera went 6-for-6 from the foul line in the final two minutes, and the sixth-seeded Bulldogs held on to upset Oak Ridge, 65-62, in a Class 7A, Region 2 quarterfinal playoff game Thursday at Coach Mac Court.
The win moves the Bulldogs (19-8) into a regional semifinal next Tuesday against No. 2 seed Centennial (17-8), a 57-34 winner over Jupiter.
“This is the best,” an emotional Bulldogs Coach Chad Ansbaugh said after the contest. “Our teams have had some special moments and big wins through the years, but based on what we had going into this season, the injuries and adversity we faced, and the odds that were stacked against us tonight, this win is the best.”
As expected, a taller, faster and more athletic Oak Ridge team (17-10) took control of the game early. Only an outstanding nine-point effort from senior Savannah Kroener kept it a five-point game after one quarter. Oak Ridge used a couple of threes from Bithania Juseppe and some second-chance baskets to maintain that five-point lead at half. St. Cloud did nothing to close the gap as the Bulldogs committed 11 first-half turnovers.
The tide changed in the third. Kroener slashed her way to the basket for three layups and hit a three-pointer while Viera tallied seven points. Meanwhile, Oak Ridge went ice cold from the floor, hitting just four of 19 shots. St. Cloud used the 22-11 quarter to take a six-point lead into the fourth quarter.
In the final six minutes, the game went into a frantic mode. Oak Ridge went on an 8-0 run, capped by a Sarah Jean layup off a missed free throw, to take a 51-49 lead.
Over the next three minutes, the game saw five ties or lead changes until the 1:59 mark, when Kroener – St. Cloud’s best player who had 29 points – committed her fifth foul and left the game.
“When she picked up her third midway through the third period, I would normally have taken her out, but we had absolutely no one who could match-up and cover number 24 (Jean), we had to leave her in. She quickly picked up a fourth but we still needed her on the floor,” Ansbaugh said.
After a timeout, Vanessa Vohs hit one of two free throws to put St. Cloud up 59-55 with 1:03 remaining. A Khalsie lay-up off a steal cut the lead to 59-57, but Viera followed with two free throws to extend the lead to four. After a St. Cloud stop, Viera was fouled intentionally and made two more free throws to make it a 63-57 game with 19 seconds remaining.
But Oak Ridge was far from done. Khalsie Vidal knocked down a three to make it a 63-60. Jean then stole the ball off the inbounds pass for a quick two and suddenly it was a one-point game with eight seconds remaining.
This time, St. Cloud was able to get the ball into Viera’s hands on the inbounds and once again she was fouled. She hit both free throws to make it a three-point game with 3.8 seconds remaining.
Although the Pioneers fumbled the inbounds pass, Campbell did manage to get a potential tying three-pointer off, but the shot bounced hard of the backboard and St. Cloud had its win.
Viera scored 27 points as she and Kroener accounted for 56 of St. Cloud’s 65 points.
The Bulldogs won the game at the free throw line, hitting 10 of their final 11 shots after missing five in their first 12.
“This was a tough game to get ready for because Oak Ridge is so fast and athletic and our second team players simply could not replicate that in practice,” Ansbaugh said. “Getting the ball inbounds, taking care of it, and making free throws is something we spend a lot of time on and frankly we didn’t do a great job there—especially early in the game. Fortunately we knocked down our free throws when we had to.”
Oak Ridge, who had a significant rebounding edge inside, seemed content to fire the ball from outside rather than work the ball inside. They made just 7-of-30 from beyond the arc. Jean was the leading scorer for the Pioneers with 20 points; Vidal added 19.
“I’m happy for our seniors, especially Savannah who played her heart our tonight,” Ansbaugh added. “I certainly didn’t want to see her career end on a game where she fouled out and was sitting on the bench after carrying the team on her shoulders. I’m so happy for all our kids. We get another bus ride, another game and another chance to make some memories.”
