Oconto Falls made four free throws in the final minute as the Panthers ended New London’s 52-game Bay Conference winning streak 55-54 Feb. 18 in girls basketball action.
“We went into the game wanting to be the team that discontinued the streak,” Oconto Falls coach Mike Kaczmarek said. “Not just discontinue the streak, but to be in a place where we can win a share of the conference championship.”
The win put the Panthers (16-2, 11-2 Bay) 1.5 games behind New London (15-4, 13-1 Bay) in the conference standings heading into their Tuesday showdown with second-place Hortonville (15-4, 12-1 Bay). Results from that game were not available by the Times Herald’s press time.
Hortonville will host New London on Thursday in both teams’ regular season finale. Oconto Falls will close out league play Thursday at home against West De Pere (9-11, 7-8 Bay).
Playing at home, Oconto Falls gave the Bulldogs their first loss since Jan. 28, 2011.
After falling behind 18-8 in the first quarter, Oconto Falls rallied in a big way, outscoring New London 17-4 in the second quarter and 14-10 in the third. New London regained the lead late in the fourth quarter.
Kaczmarek said he told his players before the game that both teams would make big runs.
“I was very proud of my team,” he said. “When we gave up the lead in the fourth quarter, we were able to dig deep and found a way to win the game.”
Down 52-51 with less than a minute to go, sophomore guard Bailey Wolf made two free throws to give the Panthers a lead. In the final seconds of the game, senior guard McKenna Larsen added two more free throws to seal the victory.
Larsen finished with game-high 25 points.
“McKenna played McKenna basketball,” Kaczmarek said. “She played real consistently.”
Elizabeth Manns scored 17 points, including 13 in the first half.
“She carried us in the first half,” Kaczmarek said. “She played real well that first half.”
Payton Mix led New London with 14 points. Lexi Roland added 11.
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