Hanson couldn’t come up with an answer for 6-foot-2 senior Shelby Selland Friday night, as she scored repeatedly from inside the paint to lead the Blackhawks to a 67-46 win and a place in the State Championship game.
The Hawks used the game plan of “get it to Shelby” and it worked perfectly to put them up 38-17 by halftime, at which point she had scored over 60 percent of the Blackhawks’ points.
Dominance by SCW continued into the third quarter, but with three and a half left in the third, the arena went silent when number one back up Savannah Swenson went down hard on one knee. The crowd held its breath as the air was filled with her shriek of sudden pain.
Swenson was unable to clear the floor on her own, so Coach Rob Baruth scooped her up and carried her to the sidelines where she met with a trainer and was wheeled away. She spent the rest of the game with an ice pack on her knee and would only return to the floor the following night with crutches and a large knee brace.
Another substantial fourth quarter lead by the Hawks allowed local hero Tanna Kingsbury another few seconds on the court. This time her teammates and coaches were hoping to get her open for a basket.
The ball was checked in from the baseline, directly to Kingsbury at the low post, who had an open shot, thanks to the cooperation of the Hanson players. The arena went crazy as the girl who was given such poor odds just a year ago, beat all odds and scored two points in a State “B” basketball game.
Shelby Selland ended her extraordinary evening shooting 65 percent from the field, finishing up with 34 points and 11 rebounds.
Myah Selland had nine points and six rebounds. Morgan Selland added eight points, while Rachel Selland and Swenson each had five points.
My. Selland also had five steals and three assists and Mo. Selland and Marissa Weber each had three steals. SCW had two blocks on the night, one by Weber and one by R. Selland, who also had two assists.
SCW had a total of 25 rebounds, four less than Hanson, and 15 steals to the Beaverette’s eight. The Hawks committed 14 turnovers and forced 20 Hanson turnovers.
The Hawks shot 29-of-50 for 58 percent from the floor and 6-of-10 from the line. SCW made three out of five three-point attempts, two by Mo. Selland and one by Swenson.
Hanson shot for 15-of-43 for 35 percent from the field and 12-of-17 from the line.
This was the second meeting of these two teams this season. The Blackhawks also beat Hanson, 56-49, on Jan. 27 in Forestburg.