Foresters Win Record 22nd Game but Fall in MWC Championship Thriller
Bid for fourth straight title fails in double-overtime
  

 Sherry Wagner was the only Forester to score in double figures in both games.

Despite entering the weekend averaging a combined 10.7 points per game, junior guards Tiffany Rudak (Tinley Park, IL/Victor J. Andrew) and Sherry Wagner (Chicago, IL/Mother McAuley) led the Foresters with a total of 25 on Friday. Rudak matched her career-high with 13 and made three of five attempts from beyond the three-point arc. Wagner was three-for-four from long range and scored 12.

Although senior forward Katie McCants' (Menasha, WI/Menasha) streak of 20 consecutive games with at least 10 points came to an end, she did score eight and pulled down a team-high eight rebounds.

Lake Forest shot 44.9% (22-of-49) from the field and 47.1% (8-of-17) from three-point range. The Redhawks shot just 30.5% (18-of-59) from the floor and 16.7% (2-of-12) on three-pointers, but outrebounded the Foresters 42-29.

Ripon's only lead of the game lasted less than two minutes during the first half. An 8-0 Lake Forest run gave the tournament's #2-seed a 15-10 lead with 7:27 left in the period. The Redhawks cut the margin to three twice but saw it grow to eight points (27-19) by halftime.

The Foresters scored the first ten points of the second half and Rudak's third three-pointer of the night gave them their largest lead (40-21) of the game with 13:44 remaining. Ripon rebounded with an 8-0 run and later scored nine straight points to trim the difference to five (47-42) with four minutes left. The Redhawks cut the lead to five (52-47) again with two-and-a-half minutes to play but could get no closer.

In Friday's second semifinal, host St. Norbert College eliminated Lawrence University with a 65-45 win.

On Saturday, four Foresters reached double figures in scoring, led by sophomore forward Shannon Clerkin (Barneveld, WI/Barneveld) with 23. She shot 10-for-14 from the field, made each of her three attempts from the free throw line, and added seven rebounds.

Sophomore guard Kristy Freeman (Palatine, IL/Palatine) was next on the team with 16 points. She connected three times from three-point range and added a team-high six assists. Wagner scored 10 points, as did junior forward Stephanie Fink (Menasha, WI/St. Mary's Central), who set a new career-high.

Lake Forest shot 42.6% (29-of-68) from the floor but just 20% (3-of-15) from beyond the arc. St. Norbert made 46.6% (27-of-58) of its field goal attempts, including 46.7% (7-of-15) from long range. The Foresters shot 14-of-16 (87.5%) from the free throw line while St. Norbert was 16-of-20 (80%). McCants's game-high 10 boards helped Lake Forest outrebound the home team 41-30.

The score was tied at every even number through 18 in a highly contested first half. There were a dozen ties in the period and the lead changed hands seven times after a Freeman three-pointer at the buzzer gave the visitors a 31-30 halftime advantage.

The Foresters scored the first five points of the second half and held an eight-point lead (40-32), the largest of the afternoon for either team, with 17 minutes to play in regulation. The Green Knights gradually chipped away at the lead and used a 9-1 run to turn a four-point deficit into a 60-56 advantage with a minute-and-a-half left. Wagner made a pair of free throws with 1:06 to go and a layup under two defenders with just seven seconds left to tie the game at 60 and send it to overtime.

Lake Forest never led in the first overtime and trailed by four (69-65) again with a minute-and-a-half to go. Clerkin scored on the team's next two possessions to tie the score. St. Norbert had the ball for the final 51 seconds but were unable to score on the Forester defense.

In the second extra period, the visitors actually led by three (75-72) with a minute-and-a-half to play before St. Norbert scored the game's final five points. A desperation three-point attempt by Wagner at the buzzer caromed off the backboard and rim before falling to the floor.

McCants is the team's only senior this season. She finished her career ranked fourth in school history with 1,075 points, fifth with 550 rebounds, and third with a .516 field goal percentage. Lake Forest won 81 games (against just 19 losses) during her career, the most of any four-year span in the program's history.

Clerkin and Freeman also placed their names in the Forester record books. Clerkin's .562 field goal percentage is the second-highest mark in school history and Freeman's 50 made three-pointers rank fifth.

Lake Forest - Ripon Box Score
Lake Forest - St. Norbert Box Score