Hope Ostrander

Box Score

The Sabercast season ends after a semifinal loss to Great Lakes.

Maranatha MBU

Great Lakes GLCC

Maranatha MBU

Final

Mar. 01, 2024

Great Lakes GLCC

Score By Periods
Team	1	2	3	4	F
Maranatha MBU	8	14	5	19	46
Great Lakes GLCC	17	23	4	23	67

Game Recap: Women's Basketball | 3/1/2024 11:59:00 PM | Ashley Nerat

The Road Ends Here

No. 3 Maranatha finishes season with a 46-67 loss to No. 2 Great Lakes in the NCCAA Midwest Region Semifinals

LEAD

WYOMING, Mich.- Maranatha's season came to a close after losing in a tough battle against the number two seeded Great Lakes Christian College (46-67).

Katelyn Brown led the Sabercats in her final game with the team. She finished with 21 points. Paige Joiner found her spark in the second half, collecting 14 points.

OVERVIEW

Result: No. 3 Maranatha 46-67 No. 2 Great Lakes
Venue: Aldrich Athletic Center - Grace Christian University
Location: Wyoming, Mich.
Event: NCCAA Midwest Region Semi-final
Attendance: 90
Records: No. 3 MBU (7-17) No. 2 GLCC (14-10)

STORY

It was a slow start to the game as both teams struggled to finish at the hoop. With only one shot connecting for each team within the first four minutes of play, the score remained small with Great Lakes leading 3-2.

But a second three pointer from Crusaders' Devan Buda sparked some fire in her team, leading to a 9-0 run and extending their lead 12-2. Still, the Sabercats were able to remain in the game through the end of the quarter, keeping their deficit at single digits (17-8 GLCC).

But this single-digit deficit quickly turned to double-digits in the second quarter. While Katelyn Brown fought hard to get to the rim, scoring 10 of the Sabercats 14 second quarter points, Maranatha's defense could not stop the Crusaders on the other end. Great Lakes added 23 more point to their total before the half, extending their lead to 18 points and sending the Sabercats to the locker room with shaken confidence (40-22 GLCC).

Something changed in Maranatha's defense in the third quarter. They put up 10 consecutive stops and held the Crusaders to their lowest scoring quarter of the game with only four points. Unfortunately, the Sabercats were unable to take advantage of this as they continued to miss the shots needed to get back into the game. Converting only one basket, which came from Paige Joiner, Maranatha was only able to put up five points sending them into the fourth quarter still 17 points behind.

With the clock not in their favor, Maranatha left everything they had on the court. They wasted no time in pushing the ball up the floor every chance they got, taking Great Lakes by surprise with the change of pace.

A five-point run brought the Sabercats' deficit to 11 points with just over 6 minutes to go. But the little hope that was gained was quickly extinguished as the Crusaders went on a seven-point run of their own to extend their lead by to 18.

With the end of their season looming over them, the Sabercats kept their head held high until the final buzzer, leaving every ounce of energy they had on the court. One final bucket from the Crusaders with three seconds on the clock awarded them a 67-46 victory. Great Lakes later went on to defeat Kuyper College 80-73 the next afternoon in the NCCAA Midwest Region Championship.

The loss ended the season for the Sabercats and while it was the way they had hoped to go out, Maranatha has a lot to be proud of this season. Fifth-year player Katelyn Brown who finished with 21 points and Sophomore Kaili Swaffer who added three points and five rebounds, both will not be returning next season. Both players brought a lot to the table for the team and will be greatly missed.

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