Furious comeback catapults Waterford into first place in Southern Lakes

Waterford hangs on late to hand rival Grove first SLC loss

By Mike Ramczyk

Sports Editor

It was everything you could ask for when two state-ranked teams collide with a conference title on the line.

One team dominates the first half, only to have its opponent come back to tie the score with minutes to play.

The fans erupt at everything positive and boo the refs’ ears off with any “bad call.”

Each play seems like the biggest of the season, and the passion of the game exudes from everyone involved, from the superstar player to the team manager.

On Tuesday night at Waterford Union High School, this was the setting as the No. 7 Union Grove Broncos faced No. 11 Waterford with first place on the line.

Waterford overcame a double-digit halftime deficit to take a lead in the fourth quarter, and a Grove missed free throw with 2 seconds on the clock led to a 47-46 edge-of-your-seat thriller of a win for the Wolverines.

Waterford avenged an earlier loss to Union Grove and improved to 16-2 overall and 11-1 in the Southern Lakes. The Broncos dropped to 11-1 in the SLC and 16-3 overall.

It was the Wolverines’ ninth straight win. They haven’t lost since Dec. 29.

“It feels really good,” said Waterford senior Madison Blair, who led all players with 17 points. “We’ve been waiting a long time to get revenge on them. They’re our favorite opponent to play because they always bring it.”

What the Grove brought was a first half of execution and dominance that resulted in leads of 17-10 after one quarter and 30-19 at the half.

Union Grove coach Rob Domagalski said his team lost its composure early in the second half, as the Wolverines went on a game-changing 22-11 third-quarter run.

“We did a great job scoring 30 points in the first half,” he said after the game. “We had a little bit of swagger, but then we got a little tight in the third quarter. We lost our composure and had some rotation errors.”

“That was a big momentum swing. But a lot of teams can fold there. Our girls stuck with it and had an opportunity to win, so I’m very happy about that.”

Blair sparks Waterford

Like great players always find a way to do, Blair took over in the second half.

Her high-post game caused fits for the Grove’s 1-1-3 zone defense. Blair consistently found a way to drive past defenders and swoop in for layups or kick out to the open shooter when the defense collapsed.

Hannah Duerst canned a corner triple off a perfect Blair pass at the end of the third quarter to tie the game at 41-41. Then, Blair did the damage herself, spinning past two defenders at the elbow and finishing around a Bronco at the rim, giving Waterford its first lead, 43-42, with 5:40 to play.

Blair hit another layup to put Waterford up 45-42, and the Wolverines forced a couple turnovers defensively. Combine that with the Broncos’ absent shooting, and Waterford was in a position to dribble the clock out with less than two minutes to play.

Point guard Jenna Bouffiou, who was a rock all game for the Waterford offense, drove the lane and dished to Tiffany Stiewe, who was wide open on the other side of the paint thanks to a Rylee Chart screen.

Stiewe popped a 10-foot jumper in rhythm, and the swish seemed to be the dagger.

But the Grove’s Emily Garbie had other plans. Her blanket-like defense on a mid-court inbounds pass led to a steal and layup, but she was fouled. Garbie calmly hit both foul shots, and the Grove was within a bucket at 47-45 with less than a minute left.

Waterford missed the front end of a one-and-one, and the Grove eventually took the ball out of bounds under its hoop with 8 seconds left.

The first option underneath wasn’t there, so Sara Hartl ended up taking a quick three. The short shot air-balled, but it went off a Wolverine out of bounds with 3 seconds left.

This time, the inbounds pass came to Garbie, who went right up and was fouled. She sank the first free throw, and her next shot circled around the rim slowly but bounced in and out.

The rebound landed in a Waterford player’s waiting arms, and time expired.

“It’s not an easy way to go down, but I’m just glad I could give my team an opportunity to try and get back into the game,” said Garbie.

For the full story and more photos from Tuesday’s game, pick up Thursday’s Waterford Post and Westine Report.