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Waterville-Elysian-Morristown erases double-digit deficit against Mayer Lutheran for four-point victory

By Mike Randleman, SportsEngine, 01/18/21, 4:30PM CST

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The Buccaneers made some key free throws along with important defensive stops to take the lead over the Crusaders late in the game and finish with a win.

Waterville-Elysian-Morristown senior Brielle Bartelt (2) and Mayer Lutheran sophomore Stella Maass track a loose ball during the Buccaneers' 59-55 victory. Photo by Mark Hvidsten, SportsEngine

Waterville-Elysian-Morristown senior Brielle Bartelt (2) and Mayer Lutheran sophomore Stella Maass track a loose ball during the Buccaneers' 59-55 victory. Photo by Mark Hvidsten, SportsEngine

Senior night ceremonies might take the entire night when the time comes for Waterville-Elysian-Morristown.

A whopping 11 Buccaneers are donning the black and green for the final time this season. Every guard and wing returned from a group that reached the state tournament for the first time in school history a year ago.

When Waterville-Elysian-Morristown faced a double-digit deficit in the second half, the experienced Buccaneers didn’t crumble. They came back late in the game to beat Mayer Lutheran 59-55 on Tuesday night in Waterville, Minnesota.

“We needed to find something to stem the tide a little bit. Their length was giving us some trouble. They’ve got some big, long, athletic girls,” said Waterville-Elysian-Morristown head coach Ty Kaus. “I didn’t like our energy in the first half. Once we brought our energy up we were able to get some turnovers, get some momentum going then we were rolling from there.”


Waterville-Elysian-Morristown's Toryn Richards (3) looks to an official for the call after she was fouled in the final two minutes. She made two free throws to give W-E-M its first lead of the game. Photo by Mark Hvidsten, SportsEngine

First Report

Waterville-Elysian-Morristown erased a double-digit second-half deficit to down Mayer Lutheran in a match of top-10 teams.

The host Buccaneers grabbed their first lead with under three minutes left in the game and held on for a 59-55 win Tuesday night in Waterville.

Mayer Lutheran (1-1), ranked No. 6 in the Minnesota Basketball News' Class A ranking, used its size to engulf No. 4 Waterville-Elysian-Morristown early on. The Crusaders held the Bucs scoreless for the first three minutes and opened up a 32-23 halftime advantage.

Waterville-Elysian-Morristown (1-1) bounced back from a season-opening loss to Lake Crystal-Wellcome Memorial by ramping up the defensive pressure full court.

Mayer Lutheran led by as much as 11 before Waterville-Elysian-Morristown slowly clawed back.

Senior forward Toryn Richards had 10 of her game high 17 points in the second half to lead the Bucs. Senior guard Brielle Bartelt also had 12 of 14 in the second half.

Junior guard Emma Lade led Mayer Lutheran with 16 points and was joined in double figures by junior forward Lilly Wachholz.


Mayer Lutheran sophomore Madeline Guetzkow took the ball to the basket for a first-half score. Photo by Mark Hvidsten, SportsEngine

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