Freeport Aquin 43, Dakota 36: The Land of the Undefeateds just grew a tad smaller.
In the past four years, Dakota has won undefeated state titles in football (twice) and wrestling and also had undefeated regular seasons in boys basketball and football. The Indians girls basketball team, ranked No. 1 in Class 1A, lost its chance to make it six perfect records when Freeport Aquin pulled off a 43-36 upset Saturday in Dakota’s final home game before a packed gym on Senior Night.
“I don’t think we pulled off anything,” Aquin coach Bill Pospischil said. “We know we haven’t played our best basketball. When you walked into that gym tonight, even as reporters, you knew there was a rivalry here. We wish we could have this more often. This is what basketball is all about, and our kids responded.”
Aquin (15-6, 7-2) kept Dakota (22-1, 8-1) from clinching the NUIC East title, but the Indians can still win the crown outright with a win at Forreston in this week’s season finale.
“It would have been nice to get that undefeated season,” Dakota coach Kevin Cline said. “It’s something in the back of your mind. But an undefeated season doesn’t get you any postseason hardware. That’s what we’re focused on, making a deep run in the postseason.”
Dakota led 16-15 at the half despite shooting 26 percent (6-for-23). But Aquin took control in the third quarter, outscoring the Indians 17-2. Nicole Plum (15 points) started the run with a 3-pointer and a coast-to-coast layup in heavy traffic.
Dakota pressed the Bulldogs into 25 turnovers, but could never get closer than seven points after that, not with 30 percent shooting (13-for-43).
“We had decent looks; we just couldn’t make a shot,” Cline said. “We shot very tentative, a lot of alligator arms. Everything seemed to be short. That was just simple nerves. We got the shots we were looking for, but if you don’t make any, you can’t win.”
Erin Thill added 10 points for Aquin, which would have dominated even more if it hadn’t shot 12 of 27 on free throws. The Bulldogs, though, didn’t get an extra boost out of beating a top-ranked team.
“It wasn’t the No. 1 team; it was Dakota,” Pospischil said. “Dakota and Aquin is a great rivalry.”
The Indians, who were led by Erika Lawson’s 10 points, took the loss hard, but not too hard.
“It stinks,” senior forward Alexys Cleaver (eight points) said. “It’s not a good feeling.
“But it’s also a big relief. It’s a weight off our shoulders knowing that we had a loss, but it didn’t come in the postseason and end our entire year.”
- Matt Trowbridge, rrstar.com
