MINNEAPOLIS -- They took one and made it insurmountable.
Only the Hawley Nuggets.
Staying offensively patient and defensively tenacious, Hawley protected a one-shot lead for the final 5:04 of regulation to beat No. 6-ranked Janesville-Waldorf-Pemberton 44-43 Friday in the Minnesota Class 1A girls basketball semifinals at Williams Arena.
The Nuggets did it their way, earning a spot in today's noon title game against Fosston.
"We are different, but that's what makes our team great," said sophomore guard Katie Walden, who scored 11 points, including the game-winner on a free throw with 21 seconds to go. "If you play like everybody else, you never know which way it's going to go. We like the way we play."
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It wasn't always Hawley's game. The Bulldogs (30-2) led 20-12 early in the second quarter following an 8-0 run.
However, the Nuggets (23-7) retaliated with their own 8-0 spurt, including six points in 14 seconds off two consecutive steals, for a 25-24 lead. That was it, basically.
Though Hawley would trail again briefly, it was close enough to turn the contest into a battle of execution.
"They weren't to be stopped early on," Nuggets coach Bill Gottenborg said of the Bulldogs. "The kids were willing to do whatever we needed to do."
"We had our opportunities, it just didn't happen," J-W-P coach Mike Meihak said. "It's a style we're not used to. "They're very well coached and very disciplined. They obviously practice it a lot, because they're good at it. And it worked."
The Nuggets claimed the lead for good late in the third quarter, extending to a 40-36 margin with 6:13 left in the fourth quarter.
Four Hawley free throws in the last 48 seconds sealed the victory. J-W-P missed two shots to tie in the final 35 seconds and settled for a two-pointer at the buzzer.
Despite not scoring a field goal in the final seven minutes, the Nuggets got by on graceful, looping ball movement and sneaky hands.
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All that half-court passing and Hawley committed only six turnovers to the Bulldogs' 16.
"We pride ourselves on defense so we can get easy points," Walden said. "And when we are on offense, we're still going to look for easy points so we don't throw up any wild shots."
Who needs wild when controlled can be so effective?
"Teams look at us and say we don't have a big girl, and we really don't," said Hawley senior guard Anna Walden, who scored a team-high 12 points. "But we have the ballhandlers and quickness."
And with that all the Nuggets need is one.
J-W-P 17 26 36 43
Hawley 12 25 37 44
J-W-P: Johnson 3-7 0-0 8, Jewison 1-3 1-2 3, von Holtum 1-4 2-4 4, Priem 3-4 2-3 8, Ziemke 6-10 8-9 20, Monaham 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 14-28 13-18 43.
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HAWLEY: K. Walden 4-11 3-4 11, Sorenson 4-9 0-0 9, A. Walden 4-11 3-3 12, Gottenborg 3-8 2-2 9, Ulven 0-1 1-2 1, T. Jetvig 0-0 0-0 0, VanHavermaet 1-1 0-0 2. Totals 16-41 9-11 44.
3-point goals: Johnson 2, Sorenson, A. Walden, Gottenborg. Total fouls: J-W-P 11, Hawley 15. Fouled out: Ulven. Rebounds: J-W-P 25 (Priem, Ziemke 7), Hawley 16 (K. Walden, Sorenson, A. Walden 3). Assists: J-W-P 7 (Jewison 4), Hawley 4 (Gottenborg 3). Turnovers: J-W-P 16, Hawley 6. Steals: J-W-P 2 (von Holtum, Priem), Hawley 6 (A. Walden, Gottenborg 3).
Readers can reach Forum reporter Terry Vandrovec at (701) 241-5548
