PHS ekes out dramatic regional win

PLYMOUTH – Junior guard Kaitlyn Hoffmann came through in the clutch in the waning seconds to give the Plymouth Panthers a thrilling 56-55 victory over Berlin in a Division 2 girls basketball regional opener Tuesday night at the PHS gym.

It looked grim for the Panthers when they trailed 55-54 with only 4.8 seconds left and Berlin with possession. Hoffmann stole the inbounds pass under the PHS basket and was fouled on a layup attempt with just 2.2 seconds remaining.

Hoffmann had ice in her veins as she swished both free throws to put PHS ahead 56-55. The Indians’ Callie Walker threw the inbounds pass to midcourt but Hoffmann swatted the ball away and time expired. The Panther players then celebrated together on the court while their fans roared with excitement.

“It feels great,” said Hoffmann after the game about helping her team win.

“It was nerve-racking [shooting the winning free throws]. I was trying to stay calm. It felt so good to win, especially for the seniors to play at least one more game.

“I was trying to get the ball without getting a foul,” she said, referring to her steal.

The No. 4-seeded Panthers, 14-9, advance to the semifinals against Eastern Wisconsin Conference archrival and No. 1-seeded Sheboygan Falls. The game will be played Thursday, March 11, at Falls at 7 p.m.

The Falcons routed Mayville, 71-46, in a first-round game Tuesday night. The PHS-Falls winner moves on to the finals Saturday against the Ripon-Kettle Moraine Lutheran semifinal victor at Fond du Lac High School at 1:30 p.m.

“It was so exciting. We stuck with it,” said Panther senior guard Amanda Gumm. “I’m very proud of the team. We wanted to win more than they did.

“I’m so proud of Kaitlyn. I knew she could do it [make the free throws],” Gumm said.

“I didn’t have a doubt that she [Hoffmann] would make the free throws,” said PHS head coach Brad Shutter.

“The last two minutes were crazy. The girls held their composure and did what we needed to do.

“Kaitlyn was able to step in there and get a steal. She stepped up and hit the free throws. I’m so happy for her,” Shutter said.

“It was a great game. It was a was a great team effort.”

The game was very fast-paced and close throughout until the Panthers had a 6-0 run to push their lead to 51-44 with 4:00 left. Lizzy Stanczyk nailed a short jumper and Emily Cecka followed with two baskets inside, including a follow-up, during the stretch.

The fifth-seeded Indians (10-13) answered with an 8-0 spurt to go ahead 52-51. Berlin, which relied mostly on three-point shooting, scored all of the points during the run on inside shots, including two driving layups. Sara Trochinski’s layup off a lob pass gave Berlin the lead with 2:40 left.

Hoffmann’s short jumper gave PHS a 53-52 lead but the Indians regained the advantage at 55-53 when Lindsey Swansby drained a three-pointer with 1:55 remaining.

Berlin led 55-54 when it turned the ball over with 25 seconds left. The Panthers called a timeout with 17.5 seconds remaining.

Center Chrissy Perl took a pass inside but missed a shot under the basket. Forward Emily Cecka missed a follow-up attempt and PHS was called for a foul with 4.8 seconds left. Hoffmann then stole the inbounds pass.

The Panthers’ defense tightened up after giving up 20 points in the first quarter, including four threepoint goals. The Indians attacked Plymouth’s zone defense well in the opening period with quick ball movement.

Plymouth also did a better job of getting back on defense after the first period in which Berlin scored two fast-break layups.

The Panthers’ swarming defense forced 10 turnovers in the third quarter as PHS outscored Berlin 13-9 to erase 30-28 halftime deficit and go ahead 41-39.

Plymouth was more effective with its low-post attack in the second half, keyed by Cecka and Perl. The Panthers committed several turnovers in the first half because they forced passes inside.

“The key was getting the ball into the bigs [post players Cecka and Perl], and we were more patient in the second half,” Gumm said.

“They were hitting threes against our 1-3-1 zone, so we switched to man-to-man. We played our man-toman really well,” Shutter said.

Berlin hit an incredible 10 three-pointers, led by Swansby’s five. “Chrissy and Emily played very well. Our inside game was a key,” Shutter pointed out. “Lizzy Stanczyk had a really good game.” PHS shot a season-high 63 percent from the field.

Hoffmann had an outstanding overall performance. She had a game-high 22 points and led PHS in steals with five and rebounds, seven. Cecka also grabbed seven boards.

Gumm shared the team lead in steals with Hoffmann and dished out a team-high eight assists.

Hoffmann exploded for nine points of Plymouth’s 16 points in the first quarter as she scored on drives and from the outside, including a three-ball.

Swansby paced Berlin in scoring with 15 points on three-point goals.

“We played with pride and didn’t quit,” said Indian head coach Joel Johansen.

“You had to good teams battling. I would’ve been disappointed if the game didn’t go down to the last few seconds.

“Lindsey had an outstanding performance,” Johansen said.

Score by Quarters Berlin..………………….20 10 9 16 – 55 Plymouth………….…..16 12 13 15 – 56

Berlin scoring: Kattie Gregor 13, Lindsey Swansby 15, Breanna Polk 6, Sia Gonyo 10, Sara Trochinski 11.

Plymouth scoring: Kaitlyn Hoffmann 22, Amanda Gumm 5, Ali Thompson 3, Emily Cecka 7, Lizzy Stanczyk 10, Chrissy Perl 9.

Three-point goals: Gregor 1, Swansby 5, Polk 2, Gonyo 2, Hoffmann 2, Thompson 1, Stanczyk 1. Field goals: Berlin 20-41, 49%; Plymouth 22-35 63%. Free throws: Berlin 5-10, 50%; Plymouth 8-13, 62%. Rebounds: Berlin 16, Plymouth. Turnovers: Berlin ___________________________ 22, Plymouth 20.