Midway Lady Waves are going to the ‘Boro!
Tension! Stress! Heartbreak! Pandemonium! Choose whichever term you want and it fits the last few minutes of Midway’s miraculous comeback to defeat North Greene 54-52 to earn a berth in the State Tournament next week.
It was not a game for the faint of heart. Down 51-45 with 2:41 remaining, the Lady Waves pulled the rabbit out of the hat, outscoring North Greene 9-1 before the final buzzer and taking the victory.
Caitlyn Ross tied the score 52-52 with 47 seconds to go, with North Greene looking to go ahead in the final seconds. But North Greene failed to seal the deal, and the scrappy Lady Waves had one last opportunity. Just like her heroic drive at the end of the first half that gave Midway a 24-23 halftime lead, Emily Cawood drove the lane for a shot over North Greene’s 6’2” Charlotte Roschkowski with 15 seconds left. Pandemonium broke loose among Midway fans as the ball dropped through the net, giving Midway a 54-52 lead. The Lady Waves’ defense held and the Roane State gymnasium erupted as the South of the River folks celebrated the victory.
Midway struggled to overcome the North Greene defense much of the game. Shots that found nothing but net in the pregame warmup simply would not fall. The Lady Waves had difficulty driving the lane for layups. North Greene’s defense shut down Midway’s fast-break offense, forcing the Lady Waves into a half-court game.
Midway jumped out to an early 6-0 lead, only to see North Greene dominate for the next five minutes and take a 13-7 lead over the Lady Waves. Midway pulled within one point, 13-12, when Sophia Patterson drained a 3-point shot at 6:06 to go in the first half. The Lady Waves finally tied the score at 15-15 with 4:20 left on the clock. North Greene forged ahead once again to lead 23-17 with 2:33 remaining.
Trailing 23-20 with 15 seconds to go, Rebecca Lemasters hit from 15 feet at the left side of the lane, pulling the Lady Waves within one point at 23-22. Taking the ball from North Greene, the Lady Waves had one last opportunity. Emily Cawood drove the right side of the lane and hit a layup just before the buzzer, giving Midway a 24-23 halftime lead.
Midway came out cold and North Greene scored the first nine points of the second half, taking a 32-24 lead at 5:28. North Greene led 36-28 at 3:41 when Paige Bacon connected for a 3-pointer, closing the gap to five points, 36-31. Caitlyn Ross was fouled while shooting and sank two free throws to bring the Lady Waves within three points at 36-33. Emily Cawood drove the right side of the lane for a layup at 2:35 and narrowed North Greene’s lead to 37-35. Caitlyn Ross drove the left baseline for two points, tying the score at 37-37 with two minutes remaining in the third period. North Greene closed out the third period leading 41-40.
North Greene once again pulled away from Midway and led by seven points, 50-43, with 5:20 remaining in the game. Paige Bacon drove for a layup to close the gap to 50-45 with 3:32 on the clock. North Greene scored again, increasing its lead to 52-48 with two minutes remaining. Sophia Patterson hit for two from the left side of the lane to close the gap to 52-50 with 1:50 to go. Ross then tied the game at 52-52 with 47 seconds to go, and Emily Cawood pulled the Lady Waves ahead for good at 54-52 with 15 seconds left.
While the Midway victory can be described as miraculous, the real miracle came in holding North Greene’s potent offense to two points in the last 5:20 of the game. Even when their offense was not hitting on all cylinders, the Lady Waves kept up their tenacious defense to provide the opportunity to win the game.
Caitlyn Ross and Emily Cawood led the Lady Waves in scoring with 17 points each. Paige Bacon added 11 points for Midway. Breezy Savage led North Greene with 14 points, while Haleigh Bernard scored 11 points.
With the victory, Midway earned a spot in the elite eight teams that will compete for the State Class A Championship beginning next Thursday. Oneida, which Midway defeated for the Region 2 Championship, won their sub-state matchup with Cosby and will also be in the State Tournament.
Congratulations to the Lady Waves for a hard fought victory!