Humboldt High’s Lady Cubs came within an eyelash of securing one of their signature wins of the 2024-25 campaign Thursday.
Humboldt held a 45-40 lead in the final minute of regulation against Cherryvale in the championship semifinals of Iola’s War on 54 Midseason Tournament.
But Cherryvale, which beat this same Lady Cub squad by 11 points six days earlier, turned to senior Kadynce Forman for some late heroics.
Forman drained a 3-pointer and then two free throws to force an overtime, where a shell-shocked Humboldt squad saw its offensive opportunities go awry in a 51-46 loss.
“Our kids really showed some stuff,” Lady Cub head coach Aubrey Jones said. “Unfortunately, we were plagued with the turnover bug. You’re not gonna beat good teams when you commit turnovers.”
Humboldt stayed in front for much of the evening, thanks to timely contributions up and down the lineup.
Skylar Hottenstein hit a 3-pointer in the second quarter as Humboldt forged ahead, 22-17, at the break.
The third and fourth quarters became a sequence of scoring runs.
Every time Cherryvale threatened to seize momentum, Humboldt was there for a response.
Chanlynn Wrestler and Laney Hull both hit from 3-point range in the third quarter as Humboldt stayed on top, 34-28.
And things looked even better as Hottenstein and Jo Ellison both hit critical free throws down the stretch. Ellison’s scores came with just over a minute left, pushing Humboldt up by five.
But that’s when Cherryvale’s press, and Forman’s shooting, took hold of the narrative.
Forman connected twice from downtown in the last two minutes as part of her 21-point night.
“That felt like a championship game,” Jones said.
While Humboldt’s defense was still solid in the overtime, the offensive struggles persisted.
