ARLINGTON With the season on the line, Arlington guard Sheryl Scheppele did what she does best for the team.
I shoot, the Arlington junior said. I like to be there to support my team.
The Eagles trailed for 30 minutes of play, by margins as wide as eight and 10 points, but big games from Scheppele and sophomore guard Quinn Kesselring and a never-say-die effort across the board kept Arlington in a Feb. 26 loser-out game against Mount Vernon.
After a three-point shoot-out in the third quarter between Scheppele and Mount Vernons Cheyenne Walker that saw the Bulldogs leading 45-35 at one point Scheppele hit two threes and Walker three Arlington could have given up on the game and their season.
They didnt.
We just played with a lot of heart, we really did, said Arlington coach Nathan Davis. We were down the whole game and just kept clawing and clawing.
Late in the third period, Jessica VanLoo, Kesselring and junior guard Kyra Prause each hit field goals to close within two possessions of the Northwest Conferences second seed in the 3A district playoffs.
Throughout the fourth quarter, the Eagle girls kept chipping away at Mount Vernon. A pair of free throws by junior Christina White put the game within two points with five and a half minutes to go. A reinvigorated crowd rose to their feet.
A shot from VanLoo with two and some change remaining closed Arlington to within a point.
Then Scheppele hit her fourth three-pointer of the night to put Arlington up 54-52 for its first lead of the game. It couldnt have come at a better time. As Mount Vernon struggled to regain the lead, they were forced to foul for possessions. Kesselring punished them at the line, shooting 4-for-4 down the stretch.
Mount Vernon wouldnt score again, and the Eagles won 58-52 for a chance to play Shorecrest.
Kesselring led the Eagles with a game-high 19 points, shooting 7-for-10 from two-point range and 5-for-6 at the charity stripe. Scheppele was 4-for-9 from beyond the arc to contribute 16 points of her own.
Mount Vernon held Arlington leading scorer Kyra Prause to six points, but Davis said she stepped up on the court in other ways, fighting for rebounds and passing the ball well.
Scheppele tried to explain how Arlington went on a 23-7 run in the last third of the game to pull off the win.
I was just thinking we needed to stay in it and stay focused, she said after the game. I think everyone just wanted it really bad.
Coach Davis take?
Calling his girls scrappy, he added, We just hustled.

At Arlington H.S.

Arlington 9 18 14 17 58
Mount Vernon 15 15 15 7 52

Arlington Prause 6, Scheppele 16, White 7, Kesselring 19, Murrin 2, VanLoo 6, Jensen 2. Mount Vernon Walker 16, Squires 4, Kutz 7, Ridenhour 10, Bohn 15. 3-point goals Prause 1, Scheppele 4, White 1, Walker 4, Kutz 1, Ridenhour 2.