Nevis 41, Verndale 37
The key: Nevis outscored Verndale 3-0 in the game's final 3:51
Overall: Verndale finishes 21-7, Nevis 27-1
Next: No. 1 Nevis vs. Browerville/Kimball winner for Section 5-1A championship site TBA 7 p.m. Friday.
PEQUOT LAKES-When Verndale and Nevis met during the regular season, the Tigers scratched the Pirates by 27 points in a virtual track meet.
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So Pirates coach Jordan Hinkle decided to slow the pace in Tuesday's North Subsection 5-1A championship game and his strategy almost produced a victory. In the end, the top-seeded Tigers prevailed over the No. 3-seeded Pirates 41-37 in a defensive struggle.
For the last two minutes, and maintaining a 38-37 lead, Nevis drained the clock as much as possible. With 44.4 seconds left, the Tigers' Michael Landquist buried a free throw for a 2-point lead.
Verndale called timeouts with 38.8 and 14.0 seconds remaining but was unable to get off a quality shot. After a steal by Michael Landquist, his two free throws sealed the Tigers' championship.
"We allowed it last time to be a track meet, only we were chasing the last game the whole time," Hinkle said. "We knew the last game was not who we were and if we came out and played with intensity, we would be able to compete with them.
"A little bit of the tricky part was on the offensive end-could we score enough? It was contested shots. It was tough sledding as you saw."
The Pirates were limited to 36-percent shooting from the field (15 of 42) and had several shots blocked or altered. They were restricted to 15 second-half points and received second-half scoring from only three players.
Nathan Sabinash paced the defending subsection champion Pirates with 13 points. No other Pirate scored more than seven.
Nevis, ranked second in Class 1A, was led by Michael Landquist's game-high 15 points. Griffen Chase added 13 for the Tigers who have won 22 straight since their only loss-73-70 Dec. 27 to Cass Lake-Bena.
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The Pirates barged out of the locker room after the intermission to score five unanswered points and seize a 27-23 edge as Sabinash provided three points and Jordan Brownlow two. But an 8-point Nevis run put the Tigers in front 31-27 and they never trailed.
Twice down the stretch Nevis led by five but the Pirates slashed their deficit to 38-37 with 3:51 remaining on Brownlow's trey but that turned out to be their last basket.
In the first, Nevis opened in a zone and the Pirates waited patiently, not taking a shot until Sabinash's layup 1:40 into the game. Verndale led 16-11 after Sabinash's old-school 3-point play with 7:33 left in the first.
Nevis seized the lead in the final minute of the first on a jumper by Michael Landquist. His layup with 38 seconds remaining gave the Tigers a 23-22 edge at the break.
Sabinash's seven points paced the Pirates in the first. Michael Landquist scored eight for Nevis in the first, Griffen Chase added seven and Andrew Dudley six.
This group of Verndale seniors won 40 of 57 games the last two seasons.
"I told the guys I hope they don't think about those things like the missed shots and what not," Hinkle said. "I hope they think about the great run these guys had. It's the greatest group of kids I've ever coached.
"We had a great two years. I'm going to miss them to death. Outside of a 'W,' I don't know how else I would have played this game out differently.
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"We gave them everything that we had. They're top five in the state for a reason."
Verndale 22 15 - 37
Nevis 23 18 - 41
VERNDALE
Kyle Schmitz 2, Luke Weniger 4, Mac Schluttner 3, Jordan Brownlow 7, Nathan Sabinash 13, Taylor Willis 6, Tyler Willis 2. FG 15-42 (36 percent). FT 5-6 (83 percent). 3-point 2-8 (25 percent). Turnovers: 7.
NEVIS
Andrew Dudley 9, Griffin Chase 13, Jack Landquist 2, Michael Landquist 15, Tom Wormley 2. FG 16-36 (44 percent). FT 3-4 (75 percent). 3-point 6-20 (30 percent). Turnovers: 6.
