MFL MarMac beats East Buchanan in a Rivalry Saturday thriller

CEDAR RAPIDS — Bailey Winter was relegated to the bench, disqualified with fouls, as the final seconds ticked away.

'I was so nervous,' she said. 'It was nerve racking.'

MFL MarMac survived a last-minute surge by East Buchanan and won at the Rivalry Saturday girls' basketball event, 50-49, Saturday afternoon at Kohawk Arena.

Down by six seconds with less than a half-minute to go, East Buchanan had a shot to win, but Erica Hoffman was short on a 15-footer just before the buzzer.

MFL MarMac (1-0) scored the first seven points of the fourth quarter for a 41-36 advantage. The Bulldogs' advantage grew to six on two occasions before East Buchanan (1-1) made a furious bid in the closing seconds.

Olivia Donlea hit two free throws, then Lara Fox converted a layup to make it 50-48. Fox made 1 of 2 free throws to cut it to 50-49 with 8 seconds left.

Miranda Lang missed a pair of foul shots, and the Bucs rebounded and scurried upcourt before Hoffman missed in traffic at the end.

Both teams were led in scoring by freshmen.

Riley Moreland paced MFL MarMac with 19 points, and Winter chipped in with 18 points and 17 rebounds.

'(Moreland) is really good,' Winter said. 'We do a lot of high-low stuff. She's a good ball handler, as well.'

For East Buchanan, rookie Lauren Donlea joined her junior sister Olivia with 14 points. Hoffman added 13.

MFL MarMac jumped to a 7-0 lead, then the Bucs stormed back for a 12-9 advantage at the end of the first quarter. The Bulldogs started the second period with a 12-2 run and led 25-21 at halftime.

The Bulldogs prevailed despite 24 turnovers, partly because East Buchanan was 14 of 55 (25.5 percent) from the floor. 

MFL MARMAC 50, EAST BUCHANAN 49

At Kohawk Arena

EAST BUCHANAN (49): Lauren Donlea 4-10 4-9 14, Katie Gee 1-6 0-0 3, Hayley Hamilton 0-5 0-0 0, Erica Hoffman 2-13 9-11 13, Olivia Donlea 5-13 3-4 14, Lacy Anderegg 0-0 0-1 0, Hannah McMurrin 0-0 0-0 0, Emma Cook 1-1 0-2 2, Lara Fox 1-7 1-2 3. Totals 14-55 17-29 49.

MFL MARMAC (50): Jordan Schubert 0-2 0-0 0, Rosemary McGeough 1-3 4-4 7, Bailey Winter 8-14 2-6 18, Riley Moreland 7-12 5-8 19, Jayde Schubert 1-5 0-1 2, Kayden Gillitzer 0-2 0-0 0, Lauren Gillitzer 1-1 0-2 2, Rachel Davis 0-2 0-0 0, Summer Schutte 0-0 0-0 0, Miranda Lang 1-1 0-2 2. Totals 19-42 11-22 50.

Halftime: MFL MarMac 25, East Buchanan 22. 3-point goals: East Buchanan 4-19 (L.Donlea 2-7, Gee 1-4, Hoffman 0-2, O.Donlea 1-5, Fox 0-1), MFL MarMac 1-4 (McGeough 1-1, Schubert 0-2, K.Gillitzer 0-1). Team fouls: East Buchanan 19, MFL MarMac 23. Fouled out: O.Donlea, Schubert, Winter. Rebounds: East Buchanan 34 (Hamilton 7), MFL MarMac 39 (Winter 17). Assists: East Buchanan 7 (O.Donlea 3), MFL MarMac 9 (Schubert 4). Steals: East Buchanan 11 (L.Donlea, Anderegg 3), MFL MarMac 7 (Moreland 2). Turnovers: East Buchanan 11, MFL MarMac 24.

l Comments: (319) 368-8857; jeff.linder@thegazette.com