By Ronica Thousand
The postseason began for the pointers Friday night as they hosted the Cambridge Blue Jays. The Pointers looked dominant coming into the postseason off an 18-game win streak to conclude their regular season.
The Pointers continued their poised play to begin the postseason. The first half began as a seesaw battle with the pointers closing out the first 18 minutes on a 14-7 spurt, going into the half with a 24- 17 lead.
The Pointers looked promising to get their first postseason victory under head coach Merrill Brunson, as they strung together a 21-4 spurge out of the 10-minute break to put them up 45-21 with just under 12 minutes left, conducted by Sadie Miller with 14 and Ava Ingwell tallied on 10. But in basketball, a 24-point lead can disappear quickly, giving the Blue Jays plenty of time to mount a comeback.
The Blue Jays remained tranquil as they cut down the 24-point deficit in half to 12 with just over 2 minutes remaining, with Mya Robinson ending the game with an explosive 15 points and 8 rebounds. After a couple of quick jumpers down the line, the Pointers were able to seal their first playoff victory as they extended their lead to 52-36 and took the first regional semifinal game in convincing fashion.
SCORE BY HALVES
Cambridge 17 19 36 Mineral Point 24 28 52
BOX SCORE:
CAMBRIDGE 36 (fg-ft-tp): M. Robinson 5-5-15, T. Bittenhausen 4-0-9, F. Tuslie 3-2-8, E. Van Den Einde 1-2-4, G. Rude 0-0-0, F. Lealana 0-0-0, E. Buckman 0-0-0, K. Roidt 0-0-0, V. Eckirman 0-0-0, B. Killy 0-0-0, G. Knutson 0-0-0. Totals 13-9/11-36. Fouls- 11.
MINERAL POINT 52: Sa. Miller 5-0-14, A. Ingwell 4-1-10, M. Kabat 3-1-7, J. Schultz 3-0-7, So. Miller 2-0-5, B. Swenson 2-0- 4, S. Wallace 1-0-2, L. Houtakker 1-0-2, P. Christopher 0-1-1, M. Wagner 0-0-0, K. Prust 0-0-0, K. Wenger 0-0-0, K. James 0-0-0. Totals 21-3/10-52. Fouls- 13.
3 Pointers Made:
CB- T. Bittenhausen 1.
MP- Sa. Miller 4, A. Ingwell 1, J. Schultz 1, So. Miller 1.