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Maranatha edges Hancock in 2OT

By Michael Rand, Star Tribune, 03/18/11, 2:00PM CDT

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The Mustangs advanced to Saturday's title game.


Hancock's Illissa Koehl drove to the basket as Maranatha's Onye Osemenam blocked her shot. /Bruce Bisping, Star Tribune

When Maranatha Christian’s top scorer and playmaker, Alexis Long, fouled out with 4:33 left in regulation with her team clinging to a 44-42 lead against Hancock, teammate Josie Taggatz-Ott had a natural reaction.

“To be honest, I got a little nervous,” she said.

And that was before the Mustangs knew just how long they would have to play without Long.

But Taggatz-Ott and her teammates made enough big plays to win a battle of attrition, 60-57 in double-overtime, sending the Mustangs into Saturday’s championship game for the first time in program history. Hancock standout Illissa Koehl fouled out in the first overtime, leaving both teams shorthanded.

“Both stars on both teams fouled out,” said head coach Jim Hammond of Maranatha, which is located in Brooklyn Park. “It was a matter of, ‘Who can put it together?’ We withstood it. … I told [the players], ‘Nobody thinks you can win without Lexi.’ I challenged them.”

Onye Osemenam had two points and two rebounds for Maranatha at halftime but sprang to life in the second half as the Mustangs withstood a Hancock rally.

Maranatha trailed early at 4-3, but the Mustangs held the lead after that until the final minute,  when Koehl’s basket put Hancock up 48-46. Hancock had a chance to extend the lead but missed a pair of free throws with 21 seconds left.

“If we make our free throws,” Hancock coach Jodi Holleman said, “we’re in the title game.”

The 6-2 Osemenam — who finished with 11 points, 10 rebounds and seven blocked shots — worked inside for a layup that sent the game into overtime with eight seconds left in regulation. In the second extra session, she made a tie-breaking free throw with a minute and 50 seconds  left, and Taggatz-Ott (a team-high 17 points) sank two free throws to help ice the game.

Both players said Maranatha’s rugged schedule — which included games against larger metro powers Hopkins, DeLaSalle and Minneapolis South — helped prepare it for the rigors of closing out a state tournament game without Long (14 points).

“We played so many great teams,” Osemenam said. “It really did help us.”

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No stats available for Hancock