MARYSVILLE — On a night filled with frenetic moments, the Marysville High School girls basketball team found just enough rhythm.
The Vikings survived a back-and-forth battle to beat St. Clair, 48-36, in an MHSAA Division 2 district final at home Friday, March 6.
Harper Sharrow scored a game-high 20 points for Marysville, which improved to 16-8 overall and advanced to Monday’s regional semifinal against Goodrich at North Branch High School.
“Give St. Clair a lot of credit,” Marysville coach Ryan Rathje said. “They have a great team. Even though our girls came out and got off to a good start, St. Clair came storming back … it was definitely a game of momentum swings … I was proud of (our kids). They just kept battling throughout the whole game.”
Gracie Pickelhaupt had 10 points for the Saints, who finished the season 19-4.
“We knew it was going to be a battle coming into a hostile territory (against) a well-coached team,” St. Clair coach Darren Pietrykowski said. “We sustained (Marysville’s) first run … we crawled back in it and had a seven-point lead at the half … but they made shots (down the stretch). We didn’t.”
The Vikings opened the game on a 9-0 run that began with Kendal Quain’s 3-pointer just 38 seconds in.
St. Clair stopped the bleeding with 4:39 left in the first quarter, thanks to a pair of free throws from Pickelhaupt. Less than a minute later, she delivered the Saints’ first field goal on a turnaround jumper in the lane.
Both teams exchanged buckets for the remainder of the period, which Marysville won, 17-10.
However, St. Clair clawed back and grabbed its first lead, 22-21, on a free throw from Ella Groeneveld at 3:19 in the second quarter.
That foul shot was part of a 7-0 Saints tear to close the half. Maliyah Smith punctuated the run when she turned a steal into a transition layup with 13 seconds left.
“At halftime, we realized that we had to lock in,” Quain said. “It was now or never. Everyone came out, gave their best effort, went all out and we pulled it off.”
The Vikings began the third quarter with a spurt of their own, scoring 12 straight points to regain the edge, 33-28.
St. Clair quelled the momentum with Ella Komarowski’s 3-pointer at 3:09. Two minutes later, Pickelhaupt tied the game on a spinning floater.
Marysville, leading 37-34 after three quarters, blew the game open in the fourth.
The Saints were held scoreless in the period until 1:25, when Sofia Russell’s driving layup made it a 43-36 deficit.
Tipoff for Monday’s regional semifinal between Marysville and Goodrich is 5:30 p.m.
Yale 42, Imlay City 33
Sadie Dykstra scored a team-high 20 points to lead Yale (21-3). Olivia Runnals and Rori Cowhy each added six points.
The Bulldogs advanced to the Division 2 regional semifinal against Warren Regina. Game time is 7 p.m. on Monday, March 9, at North Branch High School.
Alexis Bruyere dropped a game-high 27 points for Imlay City (11-13).
Sandusky 33, Brown City 29
Maggy Keinath amassed 11 points, three rebounds, two assists and two steals to guide Sandusky (22-1). Caroline Reinke contributed five points, six steals and five assists.
The Wolves advanced to the Division 3 regional semifinal against Genesee. Tipoff is 7 p.m. on Monday, March 9, at Burton High School in Bendle.
Anchor Bay 51, Port Huron 43
Mariah Turner posted a team-high 19 points for Port Huron (14-10). Brooklyn Ware followed with 15 points.
Contact Brenden Welper at bwelper@usatodayco.com. Follow him on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, @BrendenWelper.
This article originally appeared on Port Huron Times Herald: Marysville girls basketball grinds past St. Clair for district title
Reporting by Brenden Welper, Port Huron Times Herald / Port Huron Times Herald
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