Donielle Landreville of Cedarville scored 25 points in this game despite being surrounded by Whittney Kerridge (12), Elicia Derusha (21), and Tristina Browning (23) of Engadine.

With a combination of their victory over Cedarville Tuesday, October 25, and Pickford’s triumph over the Trojans two days later, the Engadine Lady Eagles have clinched their first Eastern Upper Peninsula Conference (EUPC) title in 18 years.

Tuesday, Kristyn Emery’s rebound and putback with 19 seconds on the clock put Engadine up by one point and, with 2.9 seconds remaining in the game, the senior drained two free throws to ice the 69-66 win over Cedarville and clinch a share the title.

Kristyn Emery attempts this short first-half jumper, but the Engadine senior rebounded and scored a field goal and made two clutch free throws down the stretch to ice the win for the Eagles over Cedarville. Then in Thursday’s showdown, Pickford trailed by 10 points in the fourth quarter before staging a comeback with a strong performance to edge the Lady Trojans, 53-52, and run its winning streak to 13 games.

The Lady Eagles have a 6-0 record in EUPC play with two league games left, while Cedarville and Pickford each have three losses. Engadine has won just two EUPC titles, in 1978 and 1987.

Jessie Ledy Pickford Eagles Top Trojans

"We executed well down the stretch to post the win," said Eagles Coach Joel Schultz. "We gave up the big lead (15 points), but stayed focused and gave ourselves a chance to win."

Elicia Derusha led the Eagles with 25 points, 18 rebounds, and four blocked shots. Shauni Rutledge added 13 points that included three triples, Tristina Browning chipped in eight, Desi Derusha notched seven, Nicole Benoit tallied six, Emery charted six points, five boards, and three steals, Whittney Kerridge marked two points and three assists, and Rose Paquin counted two.

Chelsey O’Connor Pickford Danielle Landreville scored 25 points to lead the Trojans. Emily Feldhake added 19, Jessie Duncan chipped in seven, Lindsay McLeod notched six, Lauren Izzard tallied five, and Kara Griffin and Marcelle Reno charted two.

Engadine, 6-0 in the conference, built a 46-31 lead at the 5:34 mark of the third quarter and looked to have control over the Trojans at the John Duncan Gymnasium.

Cedarville, 4-2 in the EUPC, put together a scoring run as Landreville scored eight points and Feldhake chipped in four for a 12-2 advantage, slicing the Eagles’ lead to 48-43. The Trojans scored the final five points of the quarter to close the margin to 52-48 with eight minutes left in the game.

Elicia Derusha opened the final period with five unanswered points to extend the Eagles’ lead to 57-48 with 6:30 remaining in the game.

Engadine held a 61-54 lead at 4:33, when Feldhake scored eight consecutive points that included two free throws at 2:08 for the Trojans’ first lead, 62-61, since a 2-0 margin to begin the game. Izzard made one free throw at 1:37 and Reno hit a jumper seconds later off the Feldhake rebound, for a 65-61 advantage.

Elicia Derusha and Kerridge made two free throws each to notch the score at 65. Landreville connected on one charity shot with 31 seconds left for a one-point Cedarville lead before Emery's field goal and two free throws.

"In the last 1:20 we hit six consecutive free throws as Elicia, Whittney, and Kristyn made two apiece, and that will give us confidence for future games," added Schultz.

Engadine led 12-6 at 1:32 of the first quarter, as Rutledge knocked down two triples before Duncan scored five points and McLeod chipped in two to cut the Eagles’ lead to 15-13 after the first eight minutes.

The Eagles flew high in the second quarter, outscoring the Trojans 25-15 as five players scored for Engadine. They were led by Elicia Derusha with eight, Browning off the bench with seven, Rutledge chipped in five that included her third trey, Benoit notched three, and Desi Derusha tallied two for a 40-28 halftime lead.

Pickford Keeps on Rollin’

With 13th Consecutive Win

Cedarville led 40-32 after three quarters before Pickford drained nine of 15 free throws in the final period en route to a 21-12 advantage, as Caitlin Mortinsen scored seven, with five for six from the charity stripe, Renae Reich chipped in four that included a key triple, and Veronica Gough recorded one trey.

Jessie Ledy led the Panthers, 13-3 on the season and 4-3 in the league, with 15 that included four treys, six rebounds, four assists, and three steals. Caitlin Mortinsen tallied 10 points, eight boards, and three steals. Veronica Gough added nine points, five boards, and three assists. Renae Reich chipped in nine points and three boards. Chelsey O'Connor notched seven points, Kacey Nyberg charted two points and five rebounds, and Melissa Kucharczyk marked one point and three steals. Lauren Waybrant and Kaylynn Portice registered two boards apiece.

Emily Feldhake scored 12 points to lead the Trojans. Jessie Duncan and Lauren Izzard added eight, Donielle Landreville chipped in seven, Lindsay McLeod, Billie McLeod, and Kara Griffin notched four apiece, Marcie Mason and Marcelle Reno tallied two, and Caitlin Wright marked one point.

The Trojans held a 38-37 margin from the floor, but the Panthers outscored Cedarville 16-14 from the free throw line. Pickford made 15 field goals, seven triples, and 16 of 23 from the charity stripe. The Trojans scored 17 field goals, four treys, and 14 of 20 from the charity stripe.

The Trojans, 13-3 on the season and 5-3 in the EUPC, led 14-12 after the first eight minutes as Izzard and Feldhake scored five points and held a 24-21 lead at halftime with a 10-9 scoring edge. Billie McLeod went four for four from the charity stripe for Cedarville and Ledy hit two treys for Pickford.

The Trojans outscored the Panthers 16-11 in the third quarter to extend their lead to 32-24 before Pickford stormed back with a strong fourth quarter showing.