KALAMAZOO, Mich. — It almost didn't happen.
Down by nine points with 1:34 left against Kalamazoo, all hope seemed lost for Albion head coach
Doreen Carden to achieve her 400th career win.
What ensued were sequences of unthinkable proportions.
Albion rallied and scored 14 points in 94 seconds — while
Payton Baker hit a game-tying triple to force an overtime period.
The Britons never looked back, always holding an advantage in the extra stanza and beating the Hornets, 79-75.
"It just shows the resiliency of our kids never giving up," Carden said. "I'm proud of them for not quitting at all. I think the resiliency of this team to come back being down and never being out of it shows what kind of character they have. They just compete, and they're going to find ways to win."
Meghan Trewhella — who came into the game 15 points shy of breaking Hall of Famer Sarah Caskey's 21-year-old single-season program record — had 13 at the end of regulation.
She broke it less than a minute later on the first points of overtime and notched 10 of the Britons' 14 points in the extra period.
"She finds ways for us to score and win," Carden said about Trewhella. "She's come a long way since her freshman year and has trusted the process. She's a competitor and a great human, and it was awesome for us to share that record with her in this type of game."
All of the points scored in the first for both teams came in the middle 3:23 of the stanza, and Albion found themselves down 13-9 at the conclusion of the quarter.
The Britons took their first lead of the game, 15-13, on a
DJ Pannell layup with seven minutes left in the half. They stretched their advantage to four, but the Hornets went on a 9-3 run in the final five minutes to take a 24-22 lead into the locker room.
Albion retook the lead on a Baker triple and held it for the next four minutes before the Hornets went on a 9-2 run to close out the quarter up 43-38.
The Britons did not hold an advantage for the entire fourth period.
A free throw from
Ava Guilford knotted the contest up at 46-46 with 7:47 left before Kalamazoo notched a 13-5 run before their nine-point advantage.
Anna Honnen made an and-one plus the free throw to cut the lead to six before the Hornets made two from the charity stripe with 1:08 left.
Pannell made a quick three seven seconds later and then posted another one with 38 seconds left after another Hornet free throw.
With 23 seconds remaining, Kalamazoo missed went 1-for-2 at the line. On the Britons' ensuing possession, Pannell was fouled off a rebound following a Guilford missed triple.
Pannell made both to make it a two-point game. Guilford immediately fouled and sent the Hornets' Elisabeth Wilks to the line who missed her first but made her second with four ticks left.
On the inbound, Guilford let the ball roll to midcourt before picking it up to save time. She shoveled it over to Baker, who stepped just inside the volleyball line at the top of the key and shot the game-tying three.
The Britons took over in overtime, never surrendering their lead after Trewhella's layup to break the program record.
She went 6-for-6 on free throws in the period and was a perfect 11-for-11 in the game from the line.
Trewhella led the way with 23 points, while Baker had a career-high 18. Honnen had 15 points and nine rebounds, and Pannell posted 14 points and nine boards in her first start of the season.
With the victory, Carden became the 41st active head coach in Division III to reach 400 career wins. She also joined Hope's Brian Morehouse as the only coaches in MIAA history to accomplish the feat.
"It gives me time to reflect on all the teams and people I've coached," Carden said. "I've had a lot of good teams, players and assistants, and they're all a part of it. It's everyone else around that's helped me get to where I'm at."
Carden's first career win was also in overtime, an 81-75 final score at Goshen.
Her top scorer that day — Amanda Yeager — also notched a game-high 23 points.
"[That team] really bought into our system, believed and fought to the end," Carden remembered. "We had really similar players back then as we do now. They loved to compete and played for each other."
That belief hasn't changed. It's always happened — from victory No. 1 to No. 400.
Up Next
Albion will head to nationally ranked Hope on Wednesday, February 18 for a 7 p.m. tipoff. The Britons beat the Flying Dutch, 60-54, in overtime at Kresge Gymnasium back on January 28.
Doreen Carden Milestone Victories
No. 1: 11/17/2001 at Goshen (81-75 OT)
No. 100: 11/25/2006 vs. Bethany (85-71, at Wilmington)
No. 200: 2/6/2013 vs. Alma (68-54)
No. 300: 1/8/2020 at Adrian (65-47)
No. 400: 2/14/2026 at Kalamazoo (79-75 OT)
