Fossil falls short in narrow loss to defending champs
Ella Lavigne driving into the lane against a Grandview defender.
January 6, 2023
The Fossil Ridge girls basketball team lost to the reigning champion Grandview Wolves 50-49 in a highly competitive overtime game.
The Sabercats fell behind 8-5 after a defensive showcase during the first quarter. The game was close for all 36 minutes, with neither team possessing a lead of more than five.
Both teams found themselves in foul trouble early, reaching the double bonus in each half. Fossil’s Ella Lavigne and Carmen Arkin had to sit late in the first half after picking up early fouls. The team pushed through to take a 21-18 lead heading into halftime. Most of the Sabercats’ contributions came from the midrange and three point range, thanks to Kaycee Steinke and Kate Davis.
After another tightly battled quarter, Fossil and Grandview found themselves tied at 31 heading into the fourth.
Lavigne and Davis led the way in the fourth, as things were tied at 40 with less than a minute left. But the foul trouble finally caught up with the Sabercats, as Davis fouled out late in the fourth quarter.
Fossil continued to battle, with Steinke drawing a foul and shooting free throws with five seconds left. With all the pressure on her shoulders, Steinke sank them both to give Fossil a 42-40 lead. However Grandview immediately came back the other way, making a layup at the buzzer to send the game to overtime.
The final four minutes were back and forth as usual, with Fossil getting major baskets from both Arkin and Gianna Leone. Grandview pushed back with several shots of their own, holding a 49-47 lead over the Sabercats with less than 30 seconds remaining. With the game once again hanging in the balance, Steinke drove to the rim and came up with a massive game-tying layup.
Unfortunately Fossil couldn’t hold on defensively, as they were called for a foul with less than ten seconds. After a made free throw and an offensive rebound, Grandview was able to walk away with a one point overtime win.
Fossil now falls to 3-4 on the season after a strenuous non-conference schedule with every loss coming against teams ranked top twelve in either 6A or 5A. The Sabercats now fully turn their attention to conference play. The team is currently 1-0 in Front Range League play, defeating Loveland 50-42 before the holiday break. Their next game will be on the road against Erie High School on Saturday, January 7.
