WAUKEE — Less than five seconds. Not more than five feet. Three hotly contested shots that did everything but fall through the net, and 15 young ladies with broken hearts.
Tenth-ranked Van Meter (21-3) avoided certain disaster in the waning seconds of Monday’s Class 2A Region 4 Final as No. 6 Panorama (22-2) simply could not get the basketball to fit inside the perimeter of the rim on three shots within two steps of the rim as time expired, sending the Bulldogs to the state tournament with a 39-38 come-from-behind win.
The highly-anticipated showdown was the third meeting of the season between the two West Central Conference rivals, and the third in which both teams were ranked in the top 10. Panorama won, 59-51, in Van Meter January 23, then claimed a 50-44 victory four days later in Panora, with both contests going to overtime.
It appeared that Monday’s classic, if not headed toward extra time, was at the least going to provide a thrilling finish, and the two teams did not disappoint the huge crowds supporting each school.
Panorama raced to a 15-9 lead after one quarter and entered the intermission with a 21-12 edge, but Van Meter had no intention of going quietly.
The Bulldogs chipped away at the Panther lead, closing to within 28-24 entering the fourth quarter. Van Meter senior guard C.J. Jones was instrumental in the comeback, draining four second-half 3-pointers, including the shot that gave the Bulldogs a 35-33 lead with just over two minutes left to play.
Panther junior Devyn Kemble sank a pull-up 12-footer to tie the score at 35-all, but Mackenzie Roberts drained two free throws with 59.8 seconds left for a 37-35 lead after a Panther turnover when it appeared Panorama may have been opting to run down the clock for a final shot.
Kemble coolly responded, stepping back to bury a stare-down 22-foot 3-pointer over the Bulldog defense for a 38-37 Panther lead with 33 seconds on the clock.
Van Meter called a timeout and set up a play for the burly 5-9 Roberts, who cut down the middle of the lane and scored for a 39-38 edge with 13.4 seconds left.
Panorama used a timeout, brought the ball quickly up court and got off a tough shot from roughly five feet that went off the back of the rim. An offensive rebound and tipped shot skipped off the far side of the rim, with a second offensive carom amidst a tangle of hands resulting in a final attempt, which lay on the iron briefly before falling off, ending the game.
Jones finished with a team-best 16 points for Van Meter, 14 of which came in the second half. Mackenzie Roberts had 15 points, Emily Roberts six and Chelsea Bright two for the Bulldogs.
Kemble’s game-high 19 paced the Panthers, with Hope Wilderman scoring eight points, Bailey Beckman six, Morgan Johnk four and Kellie Prince one.
No seniors graduate for the Panthers, who started juniors Kemble, Wilderman and Faith Powell and sophomores Beckman and Johnk, with juniors Kellie Prince and Nicole Rolfes seeing time off the bench for veteran coach Dan Druivenga.
