Viqueens fall short against FM

TABOR — For the second straight season, the Stanton Viqueens fell short in the Corner Conference Championship game. This time around, it was against a different team.

Fremont-Mills point guard Macy Williams hit two free throws with 5.7 seconds left to secure the Knights their first ever Corner Conference tournament championship with a 39-38 victory over previously unbeaten and No. 3 ranked Stanton in front of a capacity crowd at Tabor’s Lied Gymnasium.

“That was a hard fought game on both sides,” Fremont-Mills coach Rod Williams said after the game.

The Knights, who lost an early January match-up to the Viqueens 55-52, came out determined to win this game with its defense.

The Knights opened the game in a triangle-and-two defense that had their defense matched up man-to-man on Subbert and Sederberg and front court playing a 1-2 zone.

The defense worked early as the Viqueens struggled to adjust to the Knights’ pressure and switching on ball screens.

“We’ve done it a couple times before against some other teams and we were very successful with it,” Williams said. “We rotate the triangle a little bit different. We figured we had the personnel to do it. We almost stayed in it too long.”

After trading the lead a half dozen times and the Knights’ taking a four point lead on three different occasions in the first half, Fremont-Mills led 21-19 at halftime.

The Knights came out in a 1-2-2 zone in the second half and again Stanton seemed to struggle in adjusting to the pressure. Fremont-Mills went on an 8-3 run and it appeared to put the Knights in command with five minutes go in the third quarter.

But Stanton wouldn’t go away easily.

A three pointer by Sederberg and a steal leading to a Macy Elwood runner knotted the score at 29-29 with 1:51 to go in the frame. Three Knight turnovers in the final :58 led to a 4-0 Viqueen run to close the quarter. Stanton led 33-29 heading into the final frame.

The teams traded baskets to open the fourth before Taryn Williams connected on her third three pointer of the game to tie it once again at 35-35 with 3:41 to go. A minute later Macy Williams’ lay-up gave the Knights the lead back at 37-35.

The Knights attempted to run out the clock but a jump ball gave Stanton the ball back on the alternating possession. After running off more than 30 seconds of clock, Sederberg found Moriah Kammerer alone on the wing and the senior drained a three pointer and was fouled on the play. Kammerer missed the free throw but Stanton led at 38-37 with 19.2 seconds to go.

Following a timeout, the Knights’ game plan was simple: let Macy Williams drive for the game-winning lay-up or dish for a teammate. Macy chose the former and the junior dribbled through two defenders for a sweeping lay-up that just clanged off but the resulting foul put her at the line.

Williams made the first free throw. Coach Williams called a timeout before the second free throw.

“There was no doubt in my mind she was going to make the second one,” Coach Williams said. “We called the timeout because they only had four team fouls and it was very loud and I wanted us to tail them twice to run out the clock after she made it.”

Stanton turned the ball over on the inbounds play, following the free throws.

Sederberg and Subbert were held to a combined 20 points. The pair had entered averaging a combined 33 points per game.

Macy Williams finished with 13 points.

Stanton finished with a season-low in points and shot a season-worst 32 percent from the field. The Viqueens had entered averaging better than 60 points per game in a 15-0 start.

Semifinals

Stanton reached the championship game with a 52-30 win against East Mills, last Wednesday in the semifinals in Stanton.

East Mills stayed close in the first half, trailing 29-20 at halftime.

However, the Viqueens were able to pull away and clinch the berth to the championship game of the tournament.

Subbert led the way with 22 points and seven rebounds. Kammerer scored 12 points, while Macy Elwood finished with eight.

Stanton will be playing both East Mills and Fremont-Mills this week. They’re home to play East Mills Tuesday and Fremont-Mills Friday night.

Thursday night, they will be on the road to play Essex.