Marquette, MI – March 11, 2019 – The Marquette Redettes Varsity Basketball team weathered a season-ending 49-38 loss in the MHSAA Girls Basketball Regional Semifinal against the Midland Dow Chargers tonight on Fox Sports Marquette 105.1-99.9 and 103 FXD.
The Redettes started out strong in the first half, giving the Chargers a run for their money. A late surge and stellar final quarter for Midland Dow did the trick as the Chargers will advance to the Regional Finals.
Both teams were a little stiff at the beginning of the first period. A couple of turnovers for Marquette and no score for the first few minutes contributed to the slow start. The Redettes were the first to strike though, and got things rolling in a little back and forth for some time.
Sydney Kivi asserted herself in the quarter, getting 8 of the Redettes’ 13 points. Kivi’s final bucket before the buzzer put the Redettes out front with a score 11-9. An Avery Ledy lay-up put Marquette at 13-9 going into the second period.
A quick bucket from the Chargers got things going in the second. An Avery Ledy double, however, kicked off an 11-0 run for the Redettes. Kayley Elmblad followed up Ledy’s double with a huge triple, and Sophie Bartlett drilled a two-pointer in short order to contribute to the run.
Midland Dow experienced a bit of a Renaissance late in the period. They went on a 7-0 run to improve to 24-18 behind the Redettes going into halftime.
The shift in momentum carried over into the third period for Midland Dow.
Another quick scoring run gave the Chargers their first lead since early in the first quarter with a score of 25-24. Sophie Bartlett followed up with a quick response to give the Redettes a brief lead once again.
The Chargers took it away from there though, and the Redettes fought to stay within 10 points of Midland Dow before the buzzer. The Chargers led Marquette 37-30 going into the final quarter.
Midland Dow’s defense kept the Redettes at bay in the final quarter. The Chargers’ Molly Davis really heated up as well, contributing 15 points in the second half alone, and 26 points overall. Some offensive turnover issues also contributed to an embattled Marquette team in the last quarter.
Midland Dow will compete in the Regional Finals on Wednesday after their 49-38 victory over the Redettes.
In spite of the loss, there is no denying the Redettes had a great 2018-2019 season. Marquette are your District Champions and Regional Championship semifinalists.
Listen to a recording of the live broadcast.
