After hanging with 15-8 Louisville for three quarters, the Arlington girls basketball made its move Friday during the regular season finale.
The 8-13 Eagles made three 3-pointers in the fourth, cut the Lions' lead to as little as two and nearly came away with an upset win on their home floor. Ultimately, though, the visitors held on, 43-40.
“If we could of made some of our outside shots in the first half, it could have been a little bit different in the second half,” AHS coach Luke Brenn said. “But I told the girls I was very proud of them.”
He was proud of their effort and resilience. The Lions — who defeated the Eagles by 31 on Jan. 27 — built leads as large as eight points during the first 24 minutes, but the home squad kept itself in position to pull the four-quarter battle out.
One such eight-point Louisville advantage lasted through Brenn's timeout with 6:20 left in the fourth period. It didn't hold for long after that, though, as Keelianne Green and Kailynn Gubbels hit back-to-back 3-pointers to pull within two, 33-31.
The Lions answered with four-straight points, but Gubbels' second long-range make of the quarter pulled Arlington back within three points. When Louisville again pushed the margin to five, Kate Miller knocked down AHS foul shots.
“Free throws kept us in the ballgame as well,” Brenn said.
Overall, the Eagles were 11-for-13 from the foul line.
Unfortunately for Arlington, the Lions also made nine from the stripe during the final quarter, spoiling Kylee Bruning's final home game as an Eagle. She was honored after the game alongside fellow 12th-graders Maddie May of the cheer squad, Mallory Ruwe of the dance team and the senior members of coach Tyler Spitser's boys program.
