Article by Adam Hefty.
Wednesday was a night that almost seemed inevitable for the past few months. The Braham and Ogilvie girls basketball squads were not only the class of Great River Conference, along with Pine City, but also the class of the east subsection of section 5A.
Saturday was an obstacle for that fate, however. Ogilvie withstood a late rally from Upsala, and Braham needed a miracle to get past third-seeded Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa. After that afternoon, both teams prepared to face a familiar foe.
The game did not disappoint. Despite being without team leader, Grace Heins, Ogilvie fought hard. The Lions were a team that would not go away. Staying within shouting distance for much of the game before ultimately falling to the Bombers 90-62.
Unfortunately for Ogilvie, every time they made a run, Braham responded. Head coach Zach Loy said of his team after the victory, “Our kids are locked in right now. They weren’t afraid of the moment. Rather, they’re starting to embrace the moment.”
The blue and gold seem to be playing at a whole new level. Every player is hitting on all cylinders. With senior leader, Madison Davis saddled with foul trouble for much of the game, Braham didn’t skip a beat. The bench held up their end of the bargain. Loy said of their depth, “There’s no drop in the level of trust if a bench player comes into the game. Everybody who’s in has the full trust of everybody else.”
Braham moves on to the Section 5A Championship on Friday at St. Cloud State against Walker-Hackensack-Akely. A team they defeated on January 12, 58-48. The Wolves are a talented team in their own right. Going 23-6 on the season and earning the top seed on the west side of the section. That game will be on 100.9 FM, or on our YouTube channel with audio only at approximately 7:45.
Photo credit: Darwin Nelson/dnimages
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