BY RICK ARGALL
MMC STAFF
The Merrill Lady Jays put one in the win column versus non-conference opponent Adams Friendship High School (AFHS) Saturday night, Jan. 27, 2024, at home as part of Merrill Basketball Hall of Fame (HOF) Night. The game was part of a doubleheader that featured the Boys Varsity game immediately following the Varsity Girls matchup.
Fans were treated to a back-and-forth game where there were multiple lead changes throughout the contest. After AFHS took an early 2-0 lead, Merrill got on the board with a 3-pointer from downtown by Mia Ott (10 pts, 2 3pt, 4 FT) that gave the Lady Jays a 3-2 lead at the 16:05 mark of the first half. Merrill built a 6-2 lead on a basket by Maddie Ott (9 pts, 1 FG, 2 3pt, 1 FT) and a made free throw to complete the And-1 three-point play. Both teams played solid defense through the midway point of the first half, as the game was tied 9-9 before the first timeout at 10:48. The Lady Green Devils went on a 5-0 run to lead 14-9 when Coach Debuhr used a timeout to regroup. After the timeout, the Lady Jays went on a roll with consecutive 3-pointers by Freshman Grace Reimann (19 pts, 6 FG, 1 3pt, 4 FT) and Senior Maddie Ott as Merrill pulled to within 1 point, trailing 16-15 at the 5:05 mark. Haley Rindt (7 pts, 2 FG, 3 FT) gave Merrill the lead, 17-16 with a key basket late in the half. The teams traded baskets as Grace Reimann scored consecutive hoops and Mia Ott hit 2 free throws to close out the half 23-23 as both teams headed to the locker room.
Merrill came out and started off with a big 3-pointer by Mia Ott to grab a 26-23 lead. A quick 8-0 run by AFHS built their lead to 31-26, with 12:30 remaining in the game, but the Lady Jays tightened up their defense and closed the gap again to 1 point, trailing 31-30 after baskets by Grace Reimann and Haley Rindt. Maddie Ott hit another 3-pointer to put Merrill up 33-31 and played tough defense down the stretch to maintain a 34-31 lead with 5:40 left in the game. After a timeout by AFHS, the teams battled down the stretch as AFHS took their final lead, 35-34, prompting Merrill to call a timeout to discuss strategy. Grace Reimann hit another key basket and Senior Sophie Wendorf (3 pts, 1 3pt) hit a crucial 3-pointer to extend their lead to 39-35 with 2:40 left in the game, a lead Merrill would not relinquish. Junior Haley Rindt hit 2 free throws to increase the lead to 41-35, and Grace Reimann added another 3-point play with a basket and free throw as Merrill pulled away 44-35 in the last minute of play. The Lady Jays continued their hot free-throw shooting in the closing seconds, hitting all 4 attempts, and the final buzzer sounded for a final score of 48-38, lifting Merrill’s record to 9-8 overall.
Merrill was led by Grace Reimann (19 pts), Mia Ott (10 pts), Maddie Ott (9 pts), and Haley Rindt (7 pts). The Lady Jays return to conference play Tuesday night, Jan. 30, 2024, hosting Wisconsin Rapids Lincoln High School (WRLHS).
Box Score
AFHS 38 @ Merrill 48
