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Regis 56, Algoma 42 (Box Score)

Two words best used to sum up Saturday’s Division 4 state final showdown: Heather Bowe.

Behind a tournament-high 26 points and 17 rebounds, Regis junior and University of Wisconsin recruit Heather Bowe proved far too much for Algoma as Regis took home the Division 4 gold ball via a 56-42 final.

Aside from Bowe, Rachel Stone added 13 points and seven rebounds, while point guard Katie Stone was just short of a double-double with eight points and 10 rebounds.

But it was Bowe’s tenacity and drive that carried the Ramblers through the first half as she shouldered much of the scoring burden and was just as stellar on the defensive end, recording a game-high four blocks.

“She’s one solid post player,” Algoma head coach Mark Zastrow said. “There’s a reason Wisconsin went after her right away. A lot of kids who are 6-1 aren’t able to handle the ball, but she’s tough.”

Regis’ swarming defense inside wreaked havoc on Algoma’s ability to run their offense through its bigs, as Regis’ size was an obvious factor.

“Their length, size and physicality was very tough for us,” Algoma head coach Mark Zastrow said. “Their defense had a lot to do with [our struggles] and they did a good job of that.”

The final score was a bit un-telling as to how closely the game was played, as Regis never held more than a two-possession lead for much of the first three quarters. From the tipoff, Regis went inside early and often, but Algoma was able to hang around until midway through the fourth quarter.

That’s when the wheels fell off the wagon.

After a Kennedy Blahnik jumper at the 4:25 mark, the Wolves missed their final 18 shots of the game as Regis blew it open with clutch free-throw shooting in the final stanza.

“We went small and became perimeter-oriented,” Zastrow said, “but we failed to play the perimeter game well down the stretch.”

The Ramblers hit 22-of-27 from the charity stripe for the game, including 10-of-12 from Bowe alone.

Algoma got 11 points from junior Lindsey Kirchman, many of those coming in the first half. The Wolves shots just 28 percent from the floor in that game, including going 4-for-25 in the fourth quarter alone.

“We did what we do—we forced 22 turnovers to a good team,” Zastrow said. “Unfortunately we didn’t take very good advantage of those turnovers.”

With the win, the Ramblers finish with a 27-1 overall record and a second gold ball in three tries. Regis won the Division 4 state title in 2003 and lost in the semifinals the following year.

“We set this goal back in November,” Hoolihan said. “The girls worked hard to get here. We’ve been close and now we got over that hump. This will build that excitement back with the Regis community.

“We have such a close-knit team and these girls carried us through.”

While this season may be over for both teams, a potential matchup in the future is well-within reach as both teams bring back the majority of their rosters next season—Regis loses a quartet of seniors that combined for about four points per game. Algoma will be without two seniors, including Lizzy Dier, who had a very strong tournament on both sides of the floor.