Springs survives at the buzzer

Lomira's Rachel Chervenka got an offensive rebound with about five seconds left and passed the ball to Josie Christian.

The freshman got the shot off in time, but it rattled off the rim and narrowly missed as the buzzer sounded.

The miss secured a 56-55 Flyway road win for St. Mary's Springs on Friday night.

Christian caught fire in the second half, scoring 21 points and sparking a pair of big scoring runs that got Lomira (5-6 overall, 2-3 in Flyway) back into the game. She finished with a game-high 27.

One was a 9-0 run near the start of the second half, which got the Lions within four. The second was a 16-2 run to give Lomira a 53-49 lead with 3:24 to play.

"We came out a little slow in that second half," Springs coach Mitch Redig said. "Josie got hot, but we had a couple girls dig deep.

"It wasn't just our girls stepping up to score baskets. It's defensively getting stops, getting rebounds, making the correct pass."

Despite allowing Lomira back into the game, Springs (9-2, 4-1) made the necessary adjustments to regain control and finish the game on a 7-2 run.

One of those adjustments was to switch senior Anna Willis onto Christian defensively.

"Anna's super long, probably our longest defender," Redig said. "Josie is 5-[foot]-7, Grace Coon is 5-[foot]-4, and she was hitting those floaters right over the top of her. Then just doing a better job off the ball being in the gap as well."

Willis also hit a pair of bonus free throws, which gave Springs the lead with 14 seconds left.

Sophomore Lauren Baker also played a key role in the win. She hit a 3-pointer and got a steal just seconds later with just under 2:00 left. Baker hit four 3s and finished with a team-high 14 points.

"I was on with my 3s," Baker said. "I just felt it today and when I feel it, I shoot it."

The Ledgers built their lead in the first half to as many as 13, including a quick start during which they scored on their first four possessions.

The recipe was much of the usual, forcing Lomira into turnovers and scoring in transition. However, the Ledgers also dominated the offensive glass, especially in the first half and used it to convert second-chance points.

"We do a nice job attacking the paint," Redig said. "Sometimes that's a finish at the rim, sometimes that's a kick-out. When it becomes that kick-out, we've got to make sure the girls aren't standing and watching, we've got to continue to attack the rim."

Jasline Loynes and Gracie Konkol both found success driving to the basket as well as on the offensive glass. The pair combined for 17 in the first half.

In addition to the usual outburst from Christian, Lomira got several big shots from senior Katie Krestchmer. She had 13.

PHOTO GALLERY: Springs at Lomira girls basketball - 1/3/2025