News File Photo Posen’s Makayla Kamyszek (3) puts up a shot while being defended by Pickford’s Kadence Potoczak (31) during the second quarter of a Division 4 regional championship game at Rogers City High School.

ROGERS CITY — Posen head coach Karl Momrik knew going into Thursday’s regional championship game against Pickford that the Panthers could be tough to beat if they shot well.

Unfortunately for Posen, the Panthers didn’t just shoot the ball well on Thursday, they put on an unbelievable shooting display, draining 13 three pointers on their way to a 72-44 victory to put an end to Posen’s season.

“We just got beat by a better team, that’s all,” Momrik said. “We couldn’t stop the three, they only had two the other night, we wish we could have played them the other night. They have a great team and I’m so proud of our kids. We kept fighting, had a great season, 21 wins and not many teams can say that.”

Pickford’s Madison Thurmes and Posen’s Makayla Kamyszek put together stellar games, but it was Thurmes and the Panthers catching fire late in the first half and dominating the second half to win a Division 4 regional championship in convincing fashion.

The Vikings and Panthers went back and forth from the opening tip and it was a game of runs.

Thurmes got Pickford rolling in the first quarter displaying her sharpshooting to help the Panthers open up a 17-10 lead after hitting three triples in the first four minutes of the game.

Posen responded and Kamyszek kept the Vikings afloat early, scoring the first 12 Posen points.

The Vikings ended the quarter scoring 10 unanswered to take a 20-17 lead.

Posen kept the momentum going early in the second as Kamyszek scored the first four points of the quarter to put the Vikings up 24-17.

After taking control with a 14-0 run and Kamyszek scoring 18 of her team-high 24 points in the first half, Thurmes and the Panthers answered in a big way.

Pickford closed the half on a 22-4 run which included eight team threes, six of which came from Thurmes who poured in 21 of her team-high 24 points in the first half.

The Vikings had no answer for her unlimited range and efficient shooting from beyond the arc.

“This Pickford team was primed for this year. We knew this was coming, we knew how good this team was,” Momrik said. “We had the run early, they made some serious adjustments and we just couldn’t hang with them. Their speed and experience was too much.”

Pickford continued to shoot the lights out from behind the three point line in the second half, scoring the first eight points, which included a pair of threes to take a 47-28 lead.

The timeout did nothing to slow the Panthers down as the shots continued to fall and the lead continued to grow for Pickford.

Posen finished the year with a 21-2 record, won division and district titles, but came up just short of winning its first region title since the 2013-2014 season.

——

BOX SCORE: Field Goals Made/Free Throws Made/Free Throws Made/Total Points

PICKFORD (72): M. Thurmes, 8 3-4 24; L. Bennin, 4 1-3 12; L. Storey, 5 0-0 12; M. Fox, 1 6-6 8; J. Crimin, 1 0-0 2; K. Guild, 6 2-4 13; A. Prucha, 1 0-0 2.

POSEN (44): M. Kamyszek, 8 8-9 24; E. Szatkowski, 5 0-0 8; S. Hincka, 0 2-4 2; S. Romel, 1 0-0 3; A. Schellie, 1 0-0 3; L. Romel, 1 0-0 3; A. Wesner, 0 1-2 1.