Niagara junior hoopster Morgan Borchardt (13) battles two Three Lakes players as she tries to bring down an offensive rebound during the first half of the WIAA regional final hosted by the Bluejays on Saturday Night. Borchardt finished the tournament clash with a game-high 21 points. But that wasn’t enough, as Three Lakes advanced to the sectional semifinals with a 48-42 victory over Niagara. Three Lakes will next play Laona-Wabeno on Thursday night in Gillett. (Dennis Mansfield/Daily News photo)

THREE LAKES, Wis. — A basketball team can have talent and experience, but sometimes the

importance of the inner resolve of a squad is overlooked.

While host and second-seeded, Three Lakes was favored to defeat the third-seeded Niagara Lady Badgers in Saturday’s regional final, the Bluejays found out about Niagara’s tenaciousness and unwillingness to go away softly and quietly.

The Bluejays overcame an early-nine point lead, courtesy of three 3-pointers by Niagara freshman Mallory Sanicki, to take a 15-point lead at halftime and an 18-point advantage early in the second half. But the Lady Badgers charged back to cut the lead to three with just over three minutes to play before falling short in their 48-42 season-ending defeat.

No one in the Three Lakes gymnasium could miss the fighting spirit of the team in purple-and-white.

“I am so proud of them,” Niagara varsity coach Kark Lamoreaux said of his group. “I just told them, ‘I’ve never been more proud of a team and I’ve had some really good teams.’ The mental strength and the heart that they just showed to bring that game back from 18 points to three with a chance to tie, it’s amazing.”

Down 36-18 with 15:11 left, Niagara began to make its stand. Morgan Borchardt kicked off a 22-7 stretch over an 11-minute span that left the Lady Badgers trailing just 43-40 with 3:25 left.

The Lady Badgers (16-9) rode the scoring of Borchardt, who finished with a game-high 21 points, and Josie Rock during their impressive comeback.

While Borchardt was Niagara’s most aggressive player and scorer throughout the game, it was Rock who shot the Lady Badgers back into the fight. The junior, who was held scoreless in the first half, buried four triples during the comeback and changed the vibe in the gymnasium with her marksmanship.

Rock ran the point in the first half against the Three Lakes extended 1-3-1 halfcourt trap and had difficulty finding open shots against the Bluejays’ length. But when Rock simply needed to score, Lamoreaux said enough was enough.

“I had to sit her down at one point and tell her it was time,” he said. “It was time that she needed to shoot. She told me that she was too deep. And I told her, ‘I need you to shoot. And she came out of her shell a little bit and started shooting.”

Rock’s fourth 3-pointer sliced the Three Lakes lead down to three, and the Bluejays, though at home, began to feel the heat. They committed three straight turnovers which gave Niagara chances to pull within one or tie, but the Lady Badgers couldn’t get the big hoop they needed.

The biggest play of the endgame came when Three Lakes senior point guard Kara Sowinsky drove and scored off the glass to put the Bluejays (17-6) up 45-40 with 1:22 to play. Niagara was unable to get shots to fall afterwards and the Bluejays sealed their win from the foul line.

The Lady Badgers would never have been in position to make their impressive comeback without the play of Borchardt, their 5-foot-7-inch junior who plays much bigger than she is. Borchardt was able to split Three Lakes’ deep-corner trap and force her way into the lane for buckets and free-throw opportunities throughout the game. Plus, she was able to secure offensive rebounds against players four and five inches taller.

How did she do it?

“I have a lot of jump,” Borchardt said laughing.

In all, the junior hit six shots from the field and sank 9-of-14 from the line. She was the only Niagara player to get to the foul line in the game and ended up scoring half of her team’s points.

“For her size, she can jump higher than anybody I’ve ever seen,” Lamoreaux. “She’s a very good long jumper, she gets up quick and she can get up high and she’s afraid of nothing.”

“Whenever I drove, I looked for a foul or a kick-out to Josie Rock, who’s great at threes,” Borchardt said. “And I really hoped that I had my free throws down.”

With their victory, the Bluejays advance to the sectional semifinals where they will face Laona-Wabeno on Thursday night in Gillett.

On the other hand, the Lady Badgers spoke of pride in this year’s team and the promise of next year’s team, which will be almost the same except for the loss of senior starting post Bailey Pearson.

“Thinking about next year, the sky is the limit,” Lamoreaux said. “We have to replace Bailey, who’s been a really good defender and a really good rebounder. But the other four starters (Rock, Borchardt, Sanicki and Abigail Wells) and key reserves come back. So there’s high hopes for sure.”

“I think we definitely can,” Borchardt said when asked if she felt her team could win the regional trophy next year. “I mean, we have about the same team as this year, and with the just amazing personalities and the hype that this team brings, it’s going to bring twice that next year. It’s going to be great.”

Jerry DeRoche can be reached at 906-774-2772, ext. 244, or at jderoche@ironmountaindailynews.com.