A game that came down to free throws narrowly slipped out of the grasp of the Lady Rangers last night. With FHC’s first conference game tied in the final 20 seconds, a Northview Wildcat was sent to the line and made both free throws, securing the Wildcat victory with a final score of 43-41.

FHC was led by junior Claire Baguley once again with 16 points on the night, as well as seniors Madi Winter, Emma Yoder, and Ashley Lutkenhoff combining for 19 rebounds. Defense is the key to this team’s style of play and they continued to execute air-tight zone and man defense throughout the entire game. Despite ten steals from the Rangers, this Northview team was quick and very talented.

The Rangers took a 4-0 lead to start the game with two baskets from Emma. The Wildcats then went on a five-point scoring run. The first quarter continued in this back-and-forth manner and ended with FHC narrowly ahead 12-10. FHC’s tight defense was frustrating the opponent and the Rangers extended their lead in the second quarter, leading 24-17 going into the half.

When the Wildcats came out of the locker room fired up, FHC looked flat and let the lead dissipate. Northview tied it up with three minutes left in the third quarter and continued to score, giving themselves a 33-29 lead at the end of three. With all the momentum on the opponent’s side, FHC had to fight hard to get back in the game.

After coming out much more aggressive in the fourth, Madi tied the game up at 39 on two free throws with three minutes left. With 35 seconds remaining, Northview tied it up once again and then retook the lead with five seconds left. A last hail mary inbound play was unsuccessful for FHC and the Wildcats won it 43-41.

This heartbreaker puts the Rangers at 0-1 in conference play and 3-4 overall. This loss will be a motivating factor for the ladies and they will look to come out hot against Greenville in their next game this Friday. The Yellow Jackets picked up their first conference win last night in a nailbiter against Forest Hills Northern with a final score of 38-37.