A McKailey Reisen putback with 6.5 seconds left in the game drowned out four years of agony in the WIAA Tournament as Gibraltar beat the higher-seeded Niagara Badgers 45-43.
Neither team could get much going offensively in the first half as both teams went nearly five minutes without hitting a shot from the field. Slowly but surely, the Vikings and Badgers players found their stride, with Niagara's Sydney Swanson and Gibraltar's Andie Schar and Anna Jarosh able to hit baskets. Mikala Gorham gave her team a huge boost heading into the break when she converted on a three-point play at the line to give the Vikings a 19-17 advantage at the break.
The Vikings would have to weather the Badgers' attack early in the second half as Mallory and Bristol Sanicki combined to hit five of their six three-pointers in the opening minutes as they built an eight-point lead. The free throw line and offensive rebounding helped the Vikings claw back into the game and even take small leads into the latter stages of the game.
Bristol Sanicki would add drama to the game's final moments when she hit a corner three-pointer to tie the game at 43 apiece. That's when a missed shot and an offensive rebound and put back from Reisen became the game-winner as the Badgers' final attempt came up empty, giving the Vikings their first playoff win in four years.
The Vikings were led in scoring by Andie Schar's 15 points, which were complemented by 12 points from McKailey Reisen and 10 points from Mikala Gorham. The Sanicki sisters combined for 23 points, including eighteen from behind the arc, in the loss for the Badgers.
On Friday night in Institute, the tenth-seeded Vikings will now face a familiar opponent in the Sevastopol Pioneers. The Pioneers dominated St. Thomas Aquinas 65-7 on Tuesday, not allowing the Cavaliers to score in the second half. The Vikings lost both matchups to the Pioneers during the regular season. The game will air on 105.1 The GOAT, 96.7 WBDK, and NEWRadioSportsNetwork.com beginning at 6:45 p.m. with the pregame show followed by the opening tip at 7 p.m.
