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So close ...
Tigers fall in subsection finals

It was a heartbreaking loss for the Rush City girls basketball squad, particularly when the team knew it could defeat its opponent.
The Tigers faced East Central in the subsection 1A of Class 4A finals last Tuesday at Becker. The game pitted the No. 1 seeded Eagles against the No. 2 seeded Tigers.
Rush City knew it would be a tough game, but had also tasted victory before against East Central, handing the Eagles its only Great River Conference loss of the season in Feb.
The game started extremely close, as both teams went scoreless in the first minute-and-a-half.
East Central was first on the board after sinking a free throw, but Rush City took over after hitting a field goal for 2.
After being tied at 5-5, the Eagles went on a run and ended the first quarter with an 11-7 lead.
The second quarter saw East Central come out strong, racking up 7 points in the opening two minutes for an 18-7 lead.
After trailing by as much as 12 at 20-8, Rush City capitalized on turnovers to add 5 and narrow the gap to 20-13. At the half, the Tigers still had a big East Central lead to overcome at 26-17.
Normally a strong team at the free throw line, Rush City struggled in the first half, missing 6 free throw attempts as East Central was charged with 11 fouls. For the game, the team was only 9 of 23 at the line, which is crucial in a playoff game.
East Central continued to control in the third, despite poor shooting. The team was able to use its height advantage to snag rebounds and block Rush City shots, as the third ended with the Tigers trailing 42-34.
Rush City battled back in the fourth, staying alive by getting 4 quick points to open the stanza.
Midway through the fourth, the Tigers had East Central on the run, coming within 1 point at 42-41. The Eagles put the game out of reach by hitting a three-pointer and free throws, however, to take the 47-41 lead and eventually the game at 52-46.
ìThe pressures of playing in a championship game got to us,î Head Coach Stuart Lang said. ìWe hustled and played very hard, causing 23 turnovers by East Central, but we couldnít put the ball in the basket and that came down to nerves.î
Lang said it was a great championship atmosphere to play in and the Tigers played an excellent game overall. ìWe just couldnít get the ball to go in.î
Junior Christine Moore had a stellar game for the Tigers, leading with 13 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists. ìShe really stepped it up for a big game like this,î Lang said.
Sophomore Holly Grimes was second in scoring with 11 points, while senior Maria Kuhlman added 7 and senior Jess Prettner added 6.
The game ended Rush Cityís season with its best record in the last several years at 19-6 overall; the team had recorded losing records for the previous three seasons. The team was also 13-1 in front of the hometown crowd. ìIf you came to a game at home this season, you probably saw us win,î Lang said.
An emotional Rush City squad was presented with its subsection runner-up medals and trophy following the game.
It was the first time the Tigers had advanced to the finals during the careers of seniors Maria Kuhlman, Jess Prettner, Britta Johnson and Page Rieland.
The four will be missed as a strong nucleus on next yearís squad, as juniors Christine Moore, Mindy Scott and Meghan OíShea and sophomores Breann Stottler and Holly Grimes will be looked upon to provide leadership on the 2003-04 team.
ìWeíre losing four seniors but we will return many talented players,î Lang said of next yearís squad. ìIím looking forward to next season being as successful as this one.
Another highlight of the successful season was Rush City breaking the conference three-point scoring record with 778 three-pointers this year.
At a winter activities awards banquet at Rush City High School Monday, Lang was presented with the Great River Conference coach of the year award for girls basketball. Also for her efforts, Kuhlman received the conference MVP award, which is voted on by all eight head coaches.

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