HUMBOLDT March madness came five weeks early for Humboldt Highs girls, particularly for senior Maggie Johnson.
Johnson drilled the tie-breaking 3-pointer with 48 seconds left, as the Lady Cubs withstood a tense late charge by Erie High to win, 43-40. Her memorable night grew even more special a bit later in the evening when she was crowned homecoming queen.
But she was hardly the only hero.
Senior Kaylie Johnson slammed the door on Eries last possession of the game, when she leapt and snared a Red Devil pass in the waning seconds. A disheartened Red Devil squad simply let her hold onto the ball until the final buzzer sounded.
Meanwhile, sophomore Jada Dangerfield stepped forward at several crucial moments. She racked up a double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds.
Finally, senior Aricah McCall finished the night with eight points and 11 boards. The eight points pushed her to 10th place all time in Humboldt scoring history, with 650 points. She supplants Kendy Kaufman, who scored 643 points from 1992 to 1996.
Add it all up, and you have a happy team, head coach Aubrey Jones said.
It feels very good, she said. Sometimes the girls get a little panicky in tight situations. We needed this win for so many reasons.
It was anything but easy.
The fourth quarter alone featured four ties, three lead changes and a handful of sterling defensive stands by both squads.
Kaylie Johnson and Dangerfield each went 1 of 2 from the line as the Lady Cubs took a 34-33 lead. But Erie responded with six straight points, including a traditional 3-point play from Ashlynn Aikins to lead 39-34.
Dangerfield got loose inside before Maggie Johnsons trey at the 3:03 mark knotted the score at 39-apiece. McCall hit the first of two charities to give Humboldt the one-point lead, but was whistled for an offensive foul on Humboldts next possession. Eries Molly LaForge, who scored a game-high 19, hit a free throw with 1:05 left to tie things up at 40-40.
Some nifty ball movement, in an attempt to get Dangerfield free inside, led to an ancillary benefit for Humboldt. Eries defense keyed on the powerful forward, leaving Johnson all alone on the left wing.
Her attempt hit nothing but nylon.
Thats the way Maggie is, Jones said. She wants the ball in those pressure situations, and shes come through for us time and time again.
Erie misfired on its next possession. Humboldts Morgan Mauk was unlucky on a pair of subsequent free throws. Dangerfield snaked her way inside for the offensive rebound, but she, too, missed the follow.
Erie had one final reprieve following a pair of missed Humboldt free throws with 10 seconds left, but that door slammed shut with Kaylie Johnsons steal.
Kaylie can jump, thats for sure, Jones said. Shes athletic to make a play like that.
And it really came together for Jada tonight, she continued. I think shed been putting too much pressure on herself. Tonight, she just played ball. It was great. We all forget shes a young player. They make mistakes, but hey make up for it by playing hard.
