The Sanborn Central/Woonsocket Blackhawks fell just shy of the state championship Saturday night, 44-49, as they fought back from a three-quarter-long deficit to force defending champion Warner into overtime.
The Lady Blackhawks trailed throughout the game by no more than seven points before battling their way back each time to nearly grasp the lead, before Warner would again spread the gap.
Warner started out the fourth quarter scoring two, to put the Monarchs up by seven. But the Blackhawks came back again, scoring the next five points, including Marissa Weber’s third three-pointer.
The Lady Monarchs again answered with four more to put their lead at six with less than three minutes to play.
Down, but not out, the girls of SCW came back within two points after a Morgan Selland free throw and a Myah Selland three-point shot with a minute and a half in regulation.
After Warner missed a couple chances to score, a field goal by Shelby Selland tied the game at 38 with 20 seconds to go. A timely Warner double-dribble put the ball back in the Hawks’ hands for the chance to win it in regulation, but a long three by Myah Selland with one second left fell short, sending the game into overtime.
Both teams came out in OT with renewed vigor, but the ball just wouldn’t fall through the hoop for the Hawks, while the Monarchs scored 11 more.
The Blackhawks got an outstanding performance out of freshman Myah Selland, with 26 points, including two three-pointers. Marissa Weber added up 11 points, nine of those points coming from behind the three-point line.
Shelby Selland fought a double-team all night for four points, including the critical two to tie the game. She also had 10 rebounds. Morgan Selland added on three points and three assists.
The Blackhawks committed 20 fouls to Warner’s 11 and were outrebounded 27 to 34. SCW had five steals and 13 turnovers. Warner stole the ball 10 times, had two blocked shots and 11 turnovers.
Warner shot 15-of-37 for 41 percent from the field and 17-of-27 for 63 percent from the line.
Sanborn Central/Woonsocket shot 17-of-47 for 36 percent from the field and 5-of-11 from the free throw line.
The Lady Blackhawks ended their extraordinary 2013-14 season 24-2 and the State Class “B” Runners-Up.

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.