Scott Keyes
Sports Scene
Freeland coach Tom Zolinski called it one of the best performances he has ever coached against in his seven years as coach of the Falcons.
He was probably right.
Alma’s Maddy Seeley single-handedly nearly willed her team to victory. She scored 39 points, including 21 of 21 from the free throw line, and added four rebounds and two steals, but it wasn’t enough, as Freeland held on to defeat the Panthers 68-62 in a regional semifinal game held at Carrollton High School.
“We did everything we could against Maddy Seeley, but she is that good, and she kept her team in the game,” Zolinski said. “Maddy gave one of the best performances I’ve ever seen in a game played against us since I’ve been coaching here. We had help defense, we tried trapping her, and nothing worked.”
That is a huge pat on the back coming from Zolinski, who coached last year’s Miss Basketball and current Michigan State Spartan Tori Jankoska for four seasons, but watching Seeley provide a Tori-like performance against Jankoska’s former team was impressive.
“To watch Maddy play the way she did and just being so aggressive going to the basket was special to watch,” Zolinski said. “A performance like that is what the month of March is all about.”
Seeley admitted that she was nervous going into the game. “I was pretty nervous all day leading up to the game,” she said. “Knowing it could be your last game, you leave everything you have out there on the court. I felt good. My shot was falling. You know, I’m just really proud of my team. We really came together towards the end of the season. I am proud of winning a district title, and I am proud of the effort we gave tonight. It’s sad it’s over, but I couldn’t be prouder of my team.”
Seeley closed the first quarter with a lay-up at the buzzer, and she scored 13 of Alma’s 15 points in the second quarter. The Panthers, who lost 61-49 and 49-38 to the Falcons during the regular season, held a 32-31 lead at halftime.
“Maddy Seeley played an unbelievable game,” Freeland junior Taryn Taugher said. “That was one heck of a performance.”
When Seeley cut the lead to three points late in the game, Taugher made 3 of 4 free throws to ice the victory. She finished with 25 points, including 15 of 17 at the free throw line, and had nine rebounds with seven steals.
Taugher has had huge shoes to fill with the loss of Jankoska to graduation. Taugher admitted that the transition was slow, but mid season, things started to pick up, and Freeland started to play a more consistent brand of basketball.
Breanne Short added 10 points, eight rebounds, and four blocked shots, while Sofia Gutierrez and Tina Miller each had eight points.
Kendall Vedrode added 12 points for Alma, which finished the season with a record of 11-10.