LSJ prep video of the week winner: St. Johns' Brooke Mazzolini

St. Johns’ Brooke Mazzolini, left, drives against Port Huron Northern’s Bree Bauer during the Class A state quarterfinals Tuesday. St. Johns won 48-35.

It was a play made out of duress. And it helped the St. Johns girls basketball team do something it hadn’t done since 2005.

With 2.3 seconds remaining in the third quarter of the Redwings’ Class A regional championship game against No. 2-ranked Saginaw Heritage last week, Brooke Mazzolini received an inbounds pass and connected on a floater from the free throw line as time expired to giver her team a 36-33 lead.

Kirk Cousins to headline LSJ’s sports awards dinner

St. Johns went on to win the game, 46-43, and pick up its first regional title in 11 years.

Mazzolini’s play was voted the LSJ prep video of the week.

“That wasn’t our initial play, but we definitely needed to get the ball (inbounds),” said the senior forward, who scored 12 points in the game. “One of us had to come get the ball, and they seemed to be guarding Maddie (Maloney) pretty well.

“I thought I had a little less time, but I’m glad it worked out. We definitely needed to get to the basket soon.”

Here's Mazzolini's bucket as the third quarter expired... https://t.co/kFD629eGmG

—
James Edwards III (@JLEdwardsIII) March 11, 2016

Things have gotten better for St. Johns since Mazzolini’s buzzer beater. After trumping Saginaw Heritage, the Redwings (23-3) topped Port Huron Northern, 48-35, in the state quarterfinal Wednesday night.

St. Johns will face No. 4-ranked Detroit Martin Luther King in the semifinals at 1 p.m. Friday at Michigan State’s Breslin Center.

Hafner helps St. Johns girls grab first Class A regional title in 11 years
St. Johns girls Breslin bound after state quarterfinals win

Mazzolini said she started realizing the Redwings had an opportunity to do something special in the postseason after they defeated the Haslett Vikings, who, along with DeWitt, were the co-champions of the CAAC Red, in the first meeting between the two teams earlier this season.

And she said she was reassured after they won the regional title.

“That was a big one for us,” Mazzolini said. “(I knew) if we stuck together and kept playing like a team that we could make it far.”

Contact James L. Edwards III at jledwards@lsj.com. Follow him on Twitter @JLEdwardsIII.