GRIDLEY – The Yreka Lady Miners (16-6) ran into difficult times this past week, when they lost their second leading scorer and rebounder. However, the team pulled together and pulled out an overtime-win against the Gridley Bulldogs to punch their ticket to the NSCIF D-IV championship game.

Yreka scored the first four points of the game, but Gridley responded with a 12-0 run to take a lead that they wouldn’t relinquish until midway through the fourth quarter. The Lady Miners trailed by as many as 10 points in the first half and eight points in the third quarter.

Yreka played full court pressure defense for most of the fourth quarter and into overtime which led to several turnovers by the Bulldogs. With the Lady Miners trailing 40-37, Kaitlin Weckerle hit the first of her three fourth quarter 3-balls to tie it at 40-40, with 4:20 remaining in regulation. A bucket by Ashlie Smith gave the Miners their first lead since the start of the game, 42-40.

A pair of Gridley freebies made it 42-42, and a Bulldogs’ steal led to a bucket that gave them the lead back 44-42. Weckerle then dialed long distance twice in a row to put the Miners back on top 48-44.

Gridley cut Yreka’s lead to 48-45 on a free throw. Then, with four seconds remaining Nancy Santana hit a 3-pointer for the Bulldogs to force overtime with the score knotted at 48-48.

Gridley scored first in the overtime to make it 50-48. Seconds later, Weckerle hit a shot to tie the score 50-50. Ashlie Smith dropped in a couple from the charity stripe to give the Miners the lead back at 52-50. Gridley then tied the contest 52-52 with a pair from the line with 1:55 left on the clock.

A bucket by Smith put the Miners up 54-52 with about a minute and a half remaining in overtime. Alyssa Scala hit two clutch free throws with 32 seconds to go for what proved to be the game winners. A bucket by Gridley with six seconds left made the final 56-54.

“Defense is what did it for us—defense and the two 3-pointers,” said Yreka coach Bill Mittan.

For the Lady Miners, Smith and Scala each had 14 points. Weckerle had 13, and Jenny Hopkins dropped in 9 points.

Gridley was led by Aida Vance with 19 points. Santana had 13. Leeann Kossow put up 12, and Sarah Nichols added 11 points.

The Miners’ win broke a 23-game win streak by second-seeded Gridley (23-2). Yreka will play at Chico State Saturday, March 1 at 2:30 against number-1 Anderson (22-4) which defeated Corning (14-11), 61-51 in the other semi-final.