When the Highland women's basketball team hosted Triton a month ago on February 4th, the outlook for the Lady Cougars was not too bright. Despite a solid effort on their home court, Highland dropped the game to the Lady Trojans 80-66 to fall to 7-14 on the season. This was an improvement over their first matchup, where they were dismantled 99-65 back in December, but was a difficult loss to swallow. 

A lot has changed since then, as the Cougars have found their stride, going on an impressive 7-1 run to close out the season. The run has culminated in an upset over Triton (23-7), as they were able to close out a memorable 89-86 shootout that saw a number of lead changes and offensive firepower from both sides. 

Early in the game, Highland was able to control the tempo and take control behind red-hot shooting from Corrina Noble (23 pts) and Marija Markovic (21 pts).  Behind a raucous crowd, the Lady Cougars scored 29 in the first quarter and were able to build on the lead going into halftime up 48-41. 

The Trojans showed why they were favored with a run of their own in the third quarter, led by hot shooting from sophomores Monraia Wilson (21 pts,  12 rebs, 9 ast),  and Linarys Burnett-Romero (25 pts). Both players were playing in their third consecutive Region IV championship game, and their big-game experience showed as they were able to chop away at the Highland lead. 

Triton continued their push into the 4th quarter, and even surged ahead 81-75. The Highland depth and balance ultimately proved to be too much, as they matched every Triton basket and then some. 

The efforts of several Cougars helped ensure the win -  the tenacious rebounding of Maddie Hildebrand (14 pts, 19 rebs), the clutch shooting and defense of Laura Ortega Mora (16 pts), the handling of pressure by Natalija Beleska, and the composure and effort of Tone Lacy (11 pts) were all vital to the end result. 

The outcome was not decided until the final buzzer, when Beleska blocked Wilson's game-tying 3 point attempt at the horn. The Cougars swarmed the floor to celebrate their second consecutive Region 4 Championship and enjoy the moment with their fans. 

Hildebrand was honored as the Tournament MVP, and Ortega Mora named to the All-Tournament Team. 

Highland now looks forward to another rematch - this time against Region 13 Champions North Dakota State College of Science. The Wildcats bested the Cougars last year in Freeport, before advancing to the NJCAA National Tournament.

The Lady Cougars get their chance at redemption this Saturday at 1 pm in Wahpeton, ND.