Rogers girls basketball’s comeback falls short against Buffalo

by Erik Jacobson

Contributing Writer

The Rogers girls basketball hosted the Buffalo Bison (3-22) on senior night at The Den on Wednesday, Feb. 21, as they honored their lone senior, Abby Hanks, in an emotional pre-game ceremony. Buffalo would spoil the night, however, when it came away with a 48-45 victory.

This game was a defensive battle from the start with both offenses having a tough time scoring points. Rogers (5-20) would take a 13-5 lead at the 10:36 mark of the first half, and looked to be in control. But the shots stopped falling for the Royals, and Buffalo would go on a 9-0 run over the next six minutes to take a 14-13 lead. The Royals would regain the lead in the closing minutes, and the half ended with the Royals up 21-20.

The second half remained a close game until Buffalo used a 16-3 run to take a 44-30 lead with 8:35 left in the game. The Bison, who had lost 21 straight games, could smell victory, if only they could hold on.

It was then that the Royals started their comeback.

After chipping away at the lead, the Royals trailed 46-37 with 2:47 left in the game. Hanks and Chloe Netzinger then each converted old-fashioned, three-point plays to cut the lead to 46-43 with 1:26 remaining. After a missed layup by the Bison, Netzinger grabbed the rebound and found a wide-open Kinnley Colligan for a breakaway layup to make the score 46-45 with 35 seconds remaining. The Royals would have to foul, however, and Buffalo was able to convert two free throws to make the score 48-45. The Royals had one last shot, but a last second, three-point shot attempt was off the mark.

The Royals were led by Netzinger with a game-high 14 points, with Gwyneth Strassburg and Colligan adding 12 apiece.

Rogers will wait for their Section 8-4A placement next week.