By By TOM NYHUIS / Niles Daily Star
NILES - Danielle Bachleda. That was the difference for the Lady Bucks (10-11) in the second half to take a 44-41 win in the Class C district semi final game Wednesday night over River Valley (8-13) to advance to Friday nights district final at Watervliet.
Buchanan will face Watervliet, a 37-18 winner over Berrien Springs, for the championship game on Watervliet's home court.
Bachleda scored all 13 of her points in the second half to propell the Lady Bucks to the win. “We had to hit some shots and we did,” Buchanan coach Bill Weaver said. “Danielle came up big with those two 3-pointers to turn the tide. That was the turning point right there.”
Bachleda not only came up with some clutch shooting she also pulled down the biggest offensive rebound of the game off a missed free throw attempt by Hayley Cashier.
With 12.1 seconds to play Cashier stood at the free throw line with the Lady Bucks leading by one, 42-41. Cashier nailed the first but the second rimmed out and Bachleda controlled the board and passed the ball back out to Cashier who was again fouled and sent to the charity stripe to shoot a one and the bonus with five seconds to play.
Again Cashier hit the front end to give Buchanan a 44-41 lead. The second was missed and the Mustangs final shot fell short as the final seconds ticked off the clock sending the Lady Bucks to the Championship game. “We gave them a couple of chances when we only had a one point lead,” said Weaver.
When asked about Bachleda's rebound Weaver's only word was “huge”.
River Valley took a 19-17 lead into the locker room after a three point bucket by Maggie Hausmann with two minutes remaining in the second quarter. The Mustangs stretched the lead to eight, 25-17 in the first minute and a half of the third quarter but the Bucks fought back to tie the game at 28 with 2:30 to play in the quarter on a rebound basket by Cashier.
Bachleda gave the Lady Bucks the lead, 32-30, one they would hold onto for the rest of the game with 1:20 to play in the third quarter.
Buchanan entered the final quarter with a two point lead 34-32. That's when Bachleda nailed back to back 3-point bombs to give her team a 40-32 advantage.
River Valley's Valerie Schlutt pulled the Mustangs to within two, 40-38, at the 3:00 mark of the fourth quarter on a trey from the left sideline. Valley had the opportunity to tie the game at 40 from the free throw line, but Schlutt could only hit the front end of a one and one to leave the Mustangs trailing 40-39.
Buchanan's final field goal of the game came on a coast-to-coast bucket by Cashier with 1:37 to play and a 42-39 lead.
Cashier finished with a game high 17 points and eight rebounds to lead the Bucks. Freshman Anna Callahan came in the game off the bench and picked up five steals for the Bucks. Heather Totzke led the Mustangs with 13 and Schlutt finished with nine
The Mustangs held a slight edge, 30-27, on the boards but had two more turnovers, 28-26, then the Bucks.
Friday's championship game will begin at 7 p.m.