Staff photo by Jake Olson: Granada Huntley East Chain/Truman/Martin Luther guard Addison Nowicki lines up a 3-point attempt during Monday night's matchup against Martin County West in Sherburn.

SHERBURN – It felt like a repeat of history.

Fans stuffed inside the Maverick gymnasium saw a similar game script unfold between the Martin County West and Granada Huntley East Chain/Truman/Martin Luther girls basketball teams on Monday night.

The previous Feb. 7 matchup saw a substantial Jaguar lead whittle away in the final moments of the second-half, with Emily Schettler scoring MCW’s final five points to secure the 45-43 victory in Trimont.

The stars were aligning for a similar recipe this time around when GHEC/T/ML’s nine-point advantage ultimately fell to two with six minutes to play.

But Jaguar head coach TJ Pytleski’s team had a different ending in mind. GHEC/T/ML outscored the Mavericks by seven down the stretch to seal a 56-47 victory and advance to the second round of the 2026 Section 2A Girls Basketball Tournament. The Jaguars lost to MCW by a combined three points in the two regular-season matchups.

“We did a better job of controlling the ball,” Pytleski said. “We slowed down a little bit, moved the ball around and found some girls open under the basket. We didn’t make all of those shots, but it really put them on their heels.”

The senior backcourt trio of Keira Benck, Londyn Bowers and Addison Nowicki combined for 45 points for GHEC/T/ML. Benck led all scorers with 22 points while collecting five steals and four rebounds. Bowers had 13 points while Nowicki had 10.

Schettler had another strong outing for head coach Cliff Anderson’s team after racking up 17 points and six made free throws. Maddie Carlson chipped in eight points, Ivy Olson added seven and Courtney Anderson, Bailey Larson and Ida Rohman each scored four.

Benck had her fingerprints all over the opening minutes of the second half to help GHEC/T/ML gather its largest lead of the night. After hammering home an and-one layup and a top of the key 3-pointer, Benck found a cutting Ava Donohue for a close-range finish. Coach Anderson called an immediate timeout with his team trailing 36-27.

The Jaguar lead went back to multiple possessions five minutes later after a pair of mid-range jumpers from Charlotte Berhow marked the scoreboard with a 40-32 cushion.

Following Larson’s two free throws the next time down the court, coach Anderson implemented a 2-2-1 full-court press in hopes of sparking a rally with nine minutes to play.

“We couldn’t get our offense going,” coach Anderson said. “We had to try and get some turnovers in the frontcourt so we could attack the basket. …It was just trying to change the tempo of the game a little bit.”

This shifted the mood of the game completely. The Mavericks’ pressure forced three consecutive empty possessions from GHEC/T/ML’s offense, allowing MCW to claw back into the contest after buckets from Carlson and Rohman.

However, no matter how close the Mavericks got, the Jaguars always had a response. Bowers countered baskets from Schettler and Carlson with three layups of her own that staved off the MCW rally. She finished the mini scoring run with a kick-out pass to an awaiting Nowicki behind the 3-point line, who rattled in the deep shot to boost GHEC/T/ML’s lead back up to 49-42 with four minutes to go.

“They were massive,” Pytleski said in reference to his senior players. “Keira is a four-year starter, Londyn is a four-year varsity player, so we go to their leadership to start with. …It goes to that senior leadership. They have seen the stuff for a while now, can anticipate better and just did a great job.”

Berhow knocked down four clutch free throws and a Bowers backcut layup gave the Jaguars a final push to victory. GHEC/T/ML will play Sleepy Eye Saint Mary’s this Thursday at St. Peter High School. Tip-off is set for 6 p.m.