ANDERSON - Mt. Shasta’s Lady Bears flirted with an upset of top-seeded Anderson Thursday night, but came up two buckets short in their second-round NSCIF D IV playoff game, 37-33.

Things didn’t start well, as Anderson bolted out to a 10-0 lead in the first period. But, Bear senior Molly Abbott drained a 3-pointer that sparked a 9-0 run, making it a 1-point game going into the second period.

However, Anderson quickly pushed the lead back to double digits, and took a 24-15 lead into the locker room. Mt. Shasta came out strong in the third quarter, with a couple of quick buckets by Abbott, but were held scoreless in the final three minutes of the period, and trailed 31-21 going to the fourth.

The Bears continued to play aggressive defense, forcing the Cubs into turnovers and bad shots, but Anderson was doing the same thing to them at the other end of the floor. The game looked out of reach with 3:35 remaining, as Amrallina Rowland broke free for an easy bucket, and a 37-25 Anderson lead.

But, Mt. Shasta had one last run in them, ripping off eight straight points over the next 2:25, to make it a 4-point game with 50 seconds remaining. Anderson, clearly panicked and worried about the upset, turned the ball over three times in those final seconds, but the Bears were not able to get off a clean shot, and the Cubs (21-4) advanced into the semifinals.

Anderson had pummeled Mt. Shasta in a pre-season game in December, and appeared shocked to be in a close game. Rowland led the way with 13 points, while teammate Megan Remley added 12, all in the first half.

Mt. Shasta (16-10) lost in the second round for the second straight year. They lost to eventual section champion Yreka in a close game at Miner Gym last February. Molly Abbott finished her high school career by scoring 13 points. Fellow seniors Bella Campbell and Megan Reed added 10 and 6 points, respectively.

Story by Rick Martin, KNTK radio