Pemberton Leads Walnut Grove to Another Finals Appearance with Win Over OKM
Walnut Grove vs. Okanagan Mission Huskies
December 9, 2021
Girls semi-final action has Walnut Grove, the No Regrets champions in 2017 and 2021, up against OKM who are playing in their first every No Regrets Tournament. Walnut Grove has a short bench with only 4 subs on the pine. OKM appears to be missing Kanani Coon tonight, which could be a big loss for the team.
Walnut Grove Gators got off to a very quick 15-0 start in just the first 4 minutes of the game. OKM Huskies had challenges scoring, as an aggressive Kiera Pemberton, #9 for the Gators, was a force defensively. With just over 4 minutes left in the quarter, #5 Tia Rowell puts Walnut Grove up 18 with a three. OKM takes their second timeout of the quarter to try to settle the Huskies. #11 for the Huskies, Presley Hopf, opens up scoring with a nice lay-in followed by a three. A beautiful pass from #4, Anna Koo, for the Gators inside to #9 Kiera Pemberton takes Gators to 20 points, but this is returned by a Huskies three pointer from #6, Payton Friesen. At the end of the first quarter, it’s 22-10 for the Gators.
OKM comes into the second quarter with a game plan and proceed to go on a 7-0 run. An OKM three from #11, Hopf, followed by a reverse lay-up by Gator’s #9 Pemberton has these two teams going back and forth swapping baskets. A sequence that consisted of Tia Rowell giving it to Sarah Cowley for a missed basket, and Pemberton getting the put-back gives Pemberton her 13th point of the game. A “high-post entry” call from Gator’s Coach Darren Rowell for the gators has Pemberton getting the ball and driving to the basket for another 2. OKM’s #7, Kyanna Knodel, is guarding Pemberton but Pemberton must have at least 5 or 6 inches on Knodel, making it a challenging matchup for the Husky.
Halftime score: Walnut Grove Gators 43- OKM Huskies 26
Gators come out of half with a partial press but OKM’s guard, #11 Hopf, is doing a good job of getting around her defender. OKM is mounting a comeback and with just over 5 minutes left in the half, is down 12. Walnut Grove takes a timeout just after Pemberton gets the hoop and the harm. Huskies continue to match the Gator’s buckets, and at the end of the third quarter, Grove is up 56-39.
Huskies come out of the huddle and hit a three right away, get a stop on D, and then score another layup, which pumps up the OKM fans (including the OKM boys team) who are now chanting “D-Fence”. OKM is now within 11 points of the Gators. Head Coach for the Grove, Rowell, is trying to get his players to slow the game down, but the girls keep pushing the ball, getting it to #9 Pemberton under the hoop for another And-One reverse layup. With 5 minutes left in the game, Gators lead 65-49.
OKM’s #6, Payton Friesen, then hits a three and forces a turnover, causing the Gators to take a timeout. Pemberton gets a breakaway, and despite the possibility of her dunking the ball, she makes a spin move on the defense that has caught up and lays one in for her 41st point of the game.
Quick fact: the current record for the most points in a single game on the girls’ side of the tournament is held by Jessica Wisotzki in 2017, who also played for the Gators, scoring 39 points against Handsworth.
Neither team is slowing down, but it appears to be out of reach for OKM as they are down 12 points with one minute to go. Gators will take this one and head to the finals with a final score of 77-65 over OKM.
Player of the Game: Gator’s #9 Kiera Pemberton with 47 points.