The 2018-2019 season came to an end for the Heron Lake-Okabena / Fulda varsity girls’ basketball team last Thursday evening (February 21) as the Coyotes were defeated by Westbrook-Walnut Grove in sub-section tournament action by the final score of 39-31.
Seeded ninth in the tournament, the Coyotes battled well against the eighth-seeded Chargers and stayed in contention throughout the low-scoring, defensive-oriented contest. HL-O / Fulda earned several leads, including holding a 22-20 edge with 6:23 remaining in the second half after Coyote senior McKenzie Evers scored off an offensive rebound basket.
The Chargers, however, fueled by the scoring prowess of senior veteran Grace Woelber, responded with a 7-0 run and had a 27-22 advantage with 4:17 showing on the clock.
Woelber scored five of her game-high 22 points during that surge, taking a nifty pass from junior guard Alli Vande Kieft on a big play to cap the run. Sophomore Bethany Byers drilled a clutch shot from the left corner during the middle of that burst, which put the Chargers ahead by one, 23-22.
The Coyotes countered again as back-to-back three-pointers by freshman Chrissy Hermeling and junior Kailee Haberman sliced W-WG’s lead to one again (29-28) with 3:33 left.
W-WG junior Kelly Berglund scored inside for the Chargers in between those two accurate long-range shots by Hermeling and Haberman.
Making a dandy move, right to left, Woelber scored on a strong drive which put W-WG up by three points (31-28). The lead became five at the 1:30 mark when freshman guard Kelsey DeSmith found Byers open underneath for an easy score which made the score 33-28.
