Lady Macks knock off unbeaten Prairie Farm, advance to sectional championship

Mar. 2—The McDonell Lady Macks are one win away from a trip to state.

The Lady Macks knocked off the undefeated Prairie Farm Panthers 61-57 in the sectional semifinals on Thursday night at Chippewa Falls High School.

Prairie Farm was 26-0 entering the contest and every win was by a double-digit margin.

With the game tied and a minute left, McDonell senior Marley Hughes was sent to the free throw line on two straight possessions and went 4-4 to clinch the win for the Lady Macks.

With the win, the Lady Macks advance to the sectional championship on Saturday, where they will face third-seeded Siren. Tip-off is scheduled for 1 p.m. on Saturday afternoon at Barron High School.

The Panthers took an early lead in the opening minutes of the game. After a 7-2 run by Prairie Farm to begin the game, a driving layup by senior Marley Hughes got the Lady Macks back within three, 7-4, with 13:30 remaining in the first half.

Junior guard Emily Cooper hit the Lady Macks' first three-pointer a minute later, which made the score 10-7 Panthers.

The Lady Macks were finding most of their offense inside the paint early. A low post score by Aubrey Dorn made it 14-11 Panthers with 10:30 left. Dorn scored again on their next possession to bring the Lady Macks within one point.

Midway through the first half, Prairie Farm led 16-13.

With the Macks down by one, Cooper got a steal in the full court press and took it to the hoop, giving the Lady Macks their first lead, 17-16, with just under eight minutes remaining in the first half.

After a fastbreak layup by sophomore Sophie Schmidgall, the Lady Macks led 21-16 with five minutes left in the first half.

Prairie Farm's offense went through a dry spell in the second portion of the first half. The Lady Macks were able to pressure them and force some turnovers that resulted in points on the other end for them.

Prairie Farm senior forward Sydney Junkans drilled a mid-range jumper at the buzzer to end the half, but the Lady Macks still led at halftime 27-22.

The Panthers got two quick baskets to begin the second half to tie the game at 27-27. Cooper responded with a three-pointer to put the Lady Macks back ahead by three points two minutes into the second half.

Back to back three-pointers by Prairie Farm junior Paige Richards gave them the lead back, 36-32, with 14 minutes left to play.

Prairie Farm took a seven-point lead, but it didn't take long for the Lady Macks to battle back.

Down four, Lady Macks senior Marley Hughes hit a three-pointer to bring them back within one, 41-40, with 10 minutes left to play.

Dorn's presence in the paint was huge for McDonell throughout the game. After back-to-back low post scores by Dorn, the Macks took the lead back, 44-41, with 7:30 left.

Two minutes later, after two free throws by Prairie Farm senior Avery Hansen, the game was tied at 48-48 with 5:30 remaining.

Two minutes later, after two makes from the free throw line from Dorn, the Macks led by three, 54-51, with 3:30 left.

After a three-pointer by Prairie Farm senior Marnie Kahl, the game was tied up at 54-54 with three minutes left.

With the game still tied, Schmidgall got a steal and took it all the way to the hoop. The Lady Macks led 56-54 with two minutes left to play.

After tying up the game at 56-56, on McDonell's next possession, the Panthers committed a costly foul at the top of the key on Hughes. She made both free throws, giving the Lady Macks a 58-56 lead with 52 seconds left.

The Lady Macks got a stop on Prairie Farm's next possession, which forced them to foul McDonell on the other end.

With a chance to put McDonell up by four, Hughes drained two more free throws. McDonell led 60-56 with 30 seconds left.

The Lady Macks held the Panthers scoreless on several key possessions in a row down the stretch. Cooper hit one out of two free throws for McDonell on their last possession, which was enough to finish out a 61-57 win.

Dorn led the Lady Macks with 20 points in the game. Hughes had 15 points, Schmidgall had 12 points and Cooper had 11 points.

After the win, Hughes praised Dorn for her huge 20-point performance.

"Aubrey is amazing," Hughes said. "She gets in there, she works really hard, and she always knows when to finish and where to finish."

McDonell head coach Don Cooper said after the game how great it is to be able to rely on his two captains—Emily Cooper and Hughes—in crunch time.

"We want the ball in Emily and Marley's hands," he said. "They're the best guards in this area."

Cooper said the way his team responded after falling behind by seven points in the second half showed what they are made of.

"We learned that our girls can certainly play no matter what," Coach Cooper said. "When we get down we don't lose our composure."