BELMONT — For the first time since the 2021-22 season, the Warriors ended their season on the right side of .500. It’s too bad that it had to end on a loss 6-point loss, however.
“Against Belmont, our game plan was to not allow them to get as easy of shots as we did the first time we played them at the end of January,” Black Hawk head coach Kaylee Meyers said of her team’s priority coming into the 4th-seeded Braves’ house on Feb. 28. “Overall, I though we did just that.”
The teams’ previous meeting on Jan. 31 ended in a 21-point loss for the Warriors (15-11, 7-7 Six Rivers East). The defeat sparked a 7-1 run that stretched into the postseason, including a win over No. 7 Barneveld on Feb. 6, 48-42, after losing to the Eagles by double figure a month earlier.
Despite entering the break behind 6-seeded Belmont (18-8, 11-4 Six Rivers West), 29-25, Meyers felt her squad was performing to its full potential defensively.
The offense was another story as the first frame advanced. After opening at a 10-2 deficit to the Braves, Maddy Place sparked the travelling Black Hawk team out of a timeout with a three. Molly Edler followed suit soon after to outpace a Belmont layup. The Braves added another two off a steal, before the Warriors evened things up at 14-14 at 9:07 with points from Maddy Lange, Mya Milz, and Jaci Kammes.
Black Hawk was patient with its opportunities and that patience was paying off. Belmont struggled to keep the Warriors away. The traveling team took over the lead in a brief spurt by as much as four points late, 22-18, before the Braves regained the advantage by the same split on a buzzer beater.
“In the first half, we made a lot of defensive mistakes with slow rotations and transition, so that was our biggest point of emphasis coming out of halftime,” she said. “We talked about getting three stops in a row to start the half, and the girls executed that perfectly. That led to great offensive possessions for us.”
The kill for Black Hawk set the tone early as the Warriors sought to retake the lead. They did just that, and held as much as a 39-34 lead with over 10 minutes remaining as Lange sank a wide open three off an inbound pass. The teams proceeded to trade blows — and the lead — a number of times.
Lange earned her squad its final advantage, 42-41, with a fadeaway in the paint as the clock crossed the 5-minute mark. Unfortunately, the score proved to be the Warriors’ final. Belmont retook the lead its next possession, and finished out the matchup with eight points.
“As the game continued, we struggled to play with the lead and make free throws, and that hurt us,” Meyers said. “Going three-for-eight from the free throw line isn’t great when playing in a regional semifinal game, and ultimately, those free points mattered.”
The Warriors’ 8-player roster was led by Lange’s 20 points — which also led all players — and her six rebounds tied her for the team lead with Place. The co-leading rebounder also finished second on the team in points with seven.
“This season, I think the girls realized that we had something pretty special despite a healthy eligible roster of only eight players all season long,” Meyers said. “Practices were difficult, and we had to be creative, but I’m proud of the energy and get-after-it mentality that everyone brought each practice all season long. It could’ve been easy for the girls to get burnt out, to get too comfortable, but they didn’t, and that shows the type of people they are.”
Meyers also expressed hope for the future of the program with the foundation this year’s team helped lay.
“Hopefully, our numbers can continue to improve as a program as these girls really sparked a positive conversation back into Black Hawk girls basketball,” she said. “I’m super proud of them this season, and I was very fortunate to have coached and led a group like this in my first year here.”
