In a packed gym filled with postseason energy, the West De Pere Phantoms and Xavier Hawks battled through a defensive slugfest in the sectional semifinal.
In the end, Xavier escaped with a narrow 42-39 win, ending West De Pere’s season in a hard fought game that stayed tight from start to finish.
The atmosphere was intense from the opening tip as both teams traded baskets and defensive stops.
Early on, scoring was difficult to come by, and West De Pere found itself stuck at 13 points for several minutes in the first half.
With just over six minutes remaining before halftime, Khloe Hannula broke the drought with a 15-foot jumper, putting the Phantoms ahead 15-14 and bringing life back into the crowd.
The teams continued to grind through a physical stretch filled with fouls, turnovers, and strong defensive possessions.
Neither team scored for nearly two minutes late in the half before Xavier hit a three-pointer with just over two minutes remaining to take the lead.
Hannula responded moments later with a three of her own, but Xavier carried a 20-18 advantage into halftime.
West De Pere quickly tied the game with a layup to open the second half, and the back and forth battle continued.
After Xavier knocked down a three, Molly Walder answered with a three-pointer of her own to even the score with 12 minutes remaining.
The Hawks briefly pulled ahead after hitting three consecutive three pointers, but the Phantoms continued to fight back.
Hannula scored again inside to cut the deficit to two, and later Clara Hoffman tied the game as the clock ticked under five minutes.
With three minutes remaining, Xavier held a three point lead, and the tension inside the gym reached another level.
West De Pere had several chances late, including multiple steals from Alexa Rattray, but the Phantoms were unable to convert those opportunities.
A missed three pointer that could have tied the game and several late free throw situations ultimately allowed Xavier to hold on.
Head coach Chris Abaray said the effort his team showed reflected the identity they carried all season.
“The fight they showed tonight is kind of the fight they showed all season,” Abaray said. “Our girls are mentally tough and they’re unselfish, and I think those two things kinda shined through tonight. When we needed to get stops late in the game, we got them over and over again, unfortunately we couldn’t find ways to score.”
Abaray said the team’s challenging schedule prepared them for games like this.
“Battle tested,” he said. “We had a tough non conference schedule, our conference schedule was better – the FRCC – and we asked a lot of these girls coming into the year. We told them we weren’t taking a step back, and even though our record didn’t always show it, most of our games were close and competitive.”
He also praised the leadership of the senior class.
“I’ve been coaching a long time, and every senior class is a little different,” Abaray said. “This senior class… you talk about toughness and taking on a role, they did that all year. They were a top notch senior class and they led by example and left their mark on this program.”
Though the season ended just short of a sectional final appearance, the Phantoms’ resilience and determination were evident until the final buzzer.
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