LIVONIA — It wasn’t pretty, but it was intense.
Clarkston Everest Collegiate and Riverview Gabriel Richard fought each other to a 29-29 halftime standstill, extended it to 43-43 after three quarters, and were still deadlocked 45-45 two minutes into the fourth quarter.
Everest erupted in a 13-2 rally that included eight free throws for a 58-47 victory to claim its third consecutive Catholic League Ste. Anne Division girls basketball championship at Madonna University’s Alliance Catholic Credit Union Arena.
“It was a full court battle for the entire game,” Mountaineers coach Erin VanWagoner said. “It was a game of runs where we would go up, they would go up, you know, it was a battle. It was a physical game, but again, both teams stepped up to the challenge and the physicality of it and really thrived.”
Gabriel Richard built its largest lead of the game, 27-20, midway through the second quarter. After the intermission, Everest regained the lead, 37-29, fired up by three baskets in a row by junior guard Elena Neiman.
A pair of triples by Pioneers senior guard Mia Paniasigue and a three-pointer by her sophomore sister Danielle Paniasigue tied the game after three quarters to set the stage for the dramatic conclusion.
“This is our third time playing Everest,” said Tom Fasca in his second season as coach. “They took it to us the first couple of times. They beat us by 27 and 20 points. We had a really tight semi-final win overtime (four days earlier 56-53 vs. Cranbrook) to get here. And just kind of telling them the pressure's not on us, that nobody expects us to do this. It was really inspiring how hard they did out there.”
Mia Paniasigue had 14 points, sophomore guard Peyton Liedel 13 and senior guard Alexa Humerez 11 to lead Gabriel Richard’s offense.
The Pioneers (10-10) open state tournament Division 4 playoff March 2 at Ottawa Lake Whiteford.
VanWagoner, who has coached at Everest since the school opened 17 years ago, has a squad of three juniors, six sophomores and a freshman. The lone senior, Kirsten McBride, suffered a season-ending injury at the beginning of the schedule.
Elena Neiman’s 21 points and sophomore guard Celia Kratt’s 13 points topped the offense for Everest (14-4), who will play an opponent to be determined March 4 in a Division 4 state tournament game at Waterford Our Lady of the Lakes.
Contact Don Horkey at [email protected].
