Staff photo / Brian Yauger. Mineral Ridge senior Gianna Gilbert dribbles the ball up the court during Tuesday’s game against Waynedale in Weathersfield. Gilbert finished with nine points.

WEATHERSFIELD — Mineral Ridge was ready to battle in the post, and despite the size difference, they handled the challenge well. But sometimes, it just isn’t your night.

Apple Creek Waynedale adapted, shifting their focus offensively beyond the arc, as the Golden Bears shot 11 3-pointers to take down the Rams 57-40 in a Division VI, district semifinal matchup on Tuesday.

“Tonight we ran into a buzzsaw. That team played lights out,” Mineral Ridge coach Matt Cluse said. “How many times are you going to see a team make 11 threes in a game and we play pretty good defense. We just got stuck. Here you’ve got three girls on the floor that are 5-foot-10, 5-foot-11 and you’re like, ‘Okay, we gotta stop that inside game,’ and then boom (Natalie Clever) lit us up (from deep.)

“We were banking that our zone could hold them, and I thought we did pretty good with it. But then, after four or five passes, they would knock down a three.”

Waynedale struggled from beyond the arc in the games Cluse saw, but the Golden Bears hit 11 shots from deep. Clever had five of those in her 26-point effort.

“In the last game, they were 0-for-16 from 3, and they hit 11 in this game. You’re not going to overcome 30-plus points in threes,” Cluse said. “You gotta tip your hat when teams play that well defensively, and they do. They don’t give up 40 points too often. I’m proud that we were able to score the way we did. We just got in a hole with the 3-pointer and it’s hard to overcome.”

Junior Sullivan Sandy led the way for Mineral Ridge with 15 points. Senior Gianna Gilbert added nine.

Mineral Ridge’s season ends with a 20-4 mark, one of the best records in program history.

They graduate two seniors, Gilbert and Kelcee Dye. Gilbert finishes her Rams career just shy of the all-time assist record.

“Both of them meant a lot in the locker room to a lot of girls. There’s a lot of girls in this locker room that look up to Kelcee for not only basketball, but softball, and how she is with the younger girls,” Cluse said. “Gianna has been maybe one of the biggest impact players this program has ever had. A four-year starter that has sacrificed a lot from the team. There’s games where we could have let her loose and let her score, but she would prefer to get everybody else scoring and be the assist creator and run the offense. When we needed her to take over, she’s able to do it, and she’s done it this year.”

Had the Rams’ first tournament opponent, Our Lady of the Elms, not forfeited, Gilbert likely would have gotten the record.

“She’s been a big part of this program,” Cluse said. “I’m sad to see her go, and I’m sad for the way it ended for her, not getting that record.”

Despite an unceremonious ending to the season, finishing just shy of a league title and an early tournament exit, Cluse added that he hopes this group gets remembered as a special one.