It took the single greatest individual performance in girl’s basketball history to eliminate the Buchanan girls basketball team from the state tournament Monday.

Benton Harbor senior Kryse Gondrezick showed why she is a finalist for Miss Basketball as she scored a state record 72 points in the Tigers’ 80-78 win over the Bucks in double overtime.

Gondrezick, who will attend the University of Michigan, hit 27-of-54 shots, including the tying 3-pointer at the end of the first overtime and the game-winner with 6.2 seconds remaining.

Detroit Mumford’s Debra Walker set the former record of 63 points in 1979. She also surpasses Cassopolis’ Billie Goins as the area’s all-time single game scorer. Goins had 55 against Coloma in 1976.

How dominating was Gondrezick?

She scored 49 of those points in the second half and two overtimes. She scores all 23 of the Tigers’ points in the two overtimes, including going 5-for-5 in the second overtime.

“My mother tells us never to give up,” Gondrezick said of her mother, who also happens to be Benton Harbor coach Lisa Harvey-Gondrezick. “In practice yesterday (Monday) we discussed having to play over adversity and not give up. Game situations, I’m supposed to put the team on my back. I’m the leader, I’m a four-year varsity starter and the girls look up to me. I’m just glad that we all embraced each other tonight.”

Gondrezick’s performance overshadowed a tremendous effort by the Bucks to avenge last year’s loss to Benton Harbor in the district.

After being outscored 17-9 in the opening quarter, Buchanan (14-5) took control of the game and led 34-29 at halftime.

But the second half was a much different story.

Buchanan made just six field goals in third and fourth quarters, started missing free throws it had been making in the opening half and turned the ball over more frequently.

The Bucks, behind a pair of 3-pointers by Brooke Wesner, led 69-64 with 17 seconds remaining in the first overtime and had the ball.

But a turnover on a long pass led to a deep 3-pointer by Gondrezick to make it 69-67.

Buchanan’s Jade Mosier hit one of two free throws with 11.7 seconds remaining before Gondrezick came down the floor and hit another deep 3-pointer to tie the game at 70-70 and send it into a second overtime.

“I knew it was going in,” Gondrezick said of the shot.

The Tigers scored first in the second overtime, but four points by Wesner and a basket by Jaya Bibbs with 40.4 seconds remaining left the score deadlocked at 78-78.

From there it was all up to Gondrezick and she delivered.

“We fight until the end,” Harvey-Gondrezick said. “We play every play and play every moment like it’s our last. And tonight was not our last.”

Despite outrebounding the Tigers 61-37, the Bucks turned the ball over 18 times and made just 24-of-40 free throws, including 2-of-8 in the first overtime.

Wesner led Buchanan with 26 points, while Mosier added 20. Bibbs finished with 20 points and 22 rebounds.

Benton Harbor (9-10) faces host Dowagiac (1-19) at approximately 7 p.m. Wednesday.

The first game will pit Lakeshore (17-2) against Berrien Springs (7-13) in the opening game at 5 p.m.

The Shamrocks advanced to the semifinals with a 60-33 win over Coloma.

Isabella Vaz scored 16 points to lead Berrien Springs, which also got 13 points from Gabby Yankey and 11 points from Mara McFarland.

Kayla Yore scored 12 and Morgan Wagner 10 for the Comets, who finish the year at 4-16.

 

Class B District

At Dowagiac

BENTON HARBOR 80, BUCHANAN 78 (2 OT)

BENTON HARBOR 80

Briana Rimpson 0, Tamara Cloy 0, Kaleia Easterling 2, Jawana Young 3, Kysre Gondrezick 72, Jurnee Agbowu 0, Na’Chell Dudley 3, Janeeah Tinney 0, Aaliyah Payne 0. TOTALS: 30 9-18 80.

BUCHANAN 78

Jayla Bibbs 20, Ali Kyles 7, Morgan Zelmer 3, Jade Mosier 20, Brooke Wesner 26, Brooklyn Krumrie 2, Ally Stephenson 0. TOTALS: 24 24-40 78.

 

Benton Harbor          17       29       42       57       70       80

Buchanan                   9          34       44       57       70       78

3-point baskets: Benton Harbor 11 (Gondrezick 10, Young 1), Buchanan 6 (Wesner 5, Zelmer 1). Total fouls (fouled out): Benton Harbor 26 (Young, Dudley), Buchanan 17. Varsity records: Benton Harbor 9-10, Buchanan 14-5.

 

BERRIEN SPRINGS 60, COLOMA 33

COLOMA 33

Hannah Mathis 2, Kayla Yore 12, Paige Derrick 2, Morgan Wagner 10, Jenna Walter 1, Nicolle Larson 6. TOTALS: 10 12-19 33.

BERRIEN SPRINGS 60

Amanda Forraht 3, Ja’Nya Burton 6, Isabella Vaz 16, Mara McFarland 11, Gabby Yankey 13, Narpreet Singh 6, T. Stahl 5. TOTALS: 23 7-14 60.

 

Coloma                       7          27  ��    31       33

Berrien Springs         16       29       42       60

3-point baskets: Coloma 1 (Yore 1), Berrien Springs 7 (Vaz 4, McFarland 1, A. Forraht 1, Stahl 1). Total fouls (fouled out): Coloma 12, Berrien Springs 19 (Singh). Varsity records: Coloma 4-16, Berrien Springs 7-13.