After going over a week without taking in any action (mainly thanks to Tsnownami 2010 the previous weekend) I headed over to the Butler Center on the campus of St. Kate's as the Wildcats prepared to host Valley City State; an interesting match-up between the MIAC and Dakota Athletic Conference (NAIA). Upon watching the teams warm-up prior to the tip-off, I noticed that the 'Cats were without three players for one reason or another; notably both starter Kristen Lee (ankle) and back-up post Andrea Gould (Nichole Kesgard was also MIA).
Perhaps the very beginning of this game should have been a clear indicator that this was not to be St. Kate's day; a snafu with the national anthem, a botched tip-off by both teams, and the referees stopping the game twice within the first 30 seconds of the contest due to troubles with the shot clock were a foreboding sign for the 'Cats. Still, sophomore Adele Simerson-Wallfred, starting in place of the injured Lee, got the Cats off to a 2-0 start. But VCSU's Kristin Bearstail, coming off an explosive 37-point performance against UM-Morris the night before in a thrilling double OT win, canned a "3" to put the Vikings up 3-2. But the 'Cats senior star Laura Kalbfell would quickly respond with a "3" of her own to put the home team back up 5-3. Fellow senior Quin Halverson would follow suit at the 16:34 mark and the 'Cats looked like they were in good shape in the early stages.
After both teams traded baskets, junior shooting guard Megan Zillmer was on the receiving end of a fast break pass and got the lay-up for a 12-7 St. Kate's lead. A bit later, Simerson-Wallfred scored off of an offensive rebound and was fouled but couldn't convert from the charity stripe, but did give St. Kate's a 14-7 lead at the 14:18 mark. But VCSU would start to climb back into things from that point. After freshman Brittany Lehner's short jumper, 5'9" senior Mandy Johnson's short shot pulled the Vikings to within 3 at the 14:02 mark. Junior Mandi Bindas' two free throws pulled VCSU to within 1 before Kalbfell was able to stem the tide with her jumper for a 16-13 'Cat lead. Zillmer would can two freebies of her own at the 11:09 mark that pushed St. Kate's lead back up to 5 points at 18-13. But just when the 'Cats LOOKED like they might be in good shape VCSU methodically went to work and tied things up at 18-all at about the midway point of the first half. VCSU took a brief 20-18 lead on senior Jacklyn Mitchell's shot before the 'Cats were able to muster one more push that allowed them to get a 23-20 lead.
But the wheels were slowly falling off for St. Kate's as this first half progressed; particularly in the form of missed EASY short shots and layups; simply NOT finishing. What little fire the 'Cats may have had early on slowly faded and, once again, VCSU was able to claw back; tying things up at 23-all at the 4:52 mark and then proceeded to go on a 8-2 run in the closing minutes of the first half giving the Vikings not only a 31-25 halftime lead but a shot of confidence after going through an exhaustive game the night before - both mentally and physically.
Things would only get worse for St. Kate's in the second half. Johnson got the show started off for VCSU as she cooly canned two freebies from the charity stripe. Despite senior Sonja Ellingson's "3" at the 15:04 mark, the 'Cats were simply colder than a rock from any and all points on the floor. Even more discouraging for Head Coach Gary Rufsvold, the plethora of missed free throws, short shots and lay-ups; i.e. NOT FINISHING, would continue to rear their ugly head. But perhaps the moment that would extinguish any wisp of hope for St. Kate's would come at the 13:17 mark when Kalbfell made a strong move inside and scored and was fouled - or at least pretty much everyone inside the Butler Center (including me) thought so. The officials, however, had different ideas and instead called Kalbfell for charging. A horrible call, IMHO, but the Vikings took full advantage of the Metrodome-like deflating effect it had on the 'Cats. Bindas' layup got VCSU to 39-30 and senior Caitlyn Wojahn's "3" from the right wing pushed the Vikings advantage to 42-30. Lehner followed with a short shot soon after and suddenly St. Kate's found itself down by 14.
Predicatably, a downtrodden 'Cat team would not be able to fight back in this one. VCSU pushed their advantage to 20 points on Lehner's two freebies at the 6:42 mark and they would maintain that cushion enroute to a seemingly easy 71-49 win at the bell. You have to be impressed with this VCSU squad that not only knocked off UM-M the night before but also has an earlier win under their belts against St. Cloud State. Mitchell, Bearstail, Johnson, and Wojahn are all very good players and VCSU could be in store for some very good things after the first of the year. St. Kate's, meanwhile, not only has to get healthy again but has to be clicking on all cylinders and taking full advantage when opportunities present themselves. They CANNOT afford to not being able to FINISH on easy shots if they want to snare that sixth MIAC playoff spot. The conference is simply too competitive and close this year.
Los Angeles Rams
Saturday, December 18, 2010
Sunday, December 12, 2010
St. Olaf vs UST 12-9-10
OK, so here I am; only 4 days late. Throw in getting up early in the A.M. for work, Toastmasters meeting on Thursday night, an indoor practice and workout on Friday after work, working OT on Saturday and THEN snownami 2010 that can REALLY, really foul things up and keep me from getting in my game stories on a timely basis. God, I HATE winter.
In any event, I was very much looking forward to taking in this game this last Wednesday night between host UST and a suddenly resurgent St. Olaf team that had lost two very close games at home to Concordia and Gustavus but did manage to knock off CSB by one point in Northfield. I was anxious to get a look at this team to see what kind of potential it has and, from just taking a look at them in warm-ups you can understand why Head Coach Dave Stromme has to be excited about the future.
The first half would stay relatively close for the first 6-7 minutes. Lanky 6-2 sophomore Erin Haglund would things started for the Oles with a nice move and finish inside but Tommie PG Carolyn Dienhart would quickly respond for the Tommies. UST's Sarah Smith's basket off the glass got the Tommies a 7-4 lead at the 16:35 mark but St. Olaf would then respond a mere minute later as Haglund made another pretty move down low for a bucket inside and then sophomore Kirstee Rotty knocked down a short shot that would give the Oles a brief lead of 8-7. Things would be knotted up at 9-all when freshman Elise Raney sank a FT at the 13:42 mark.
But at 13:34 UST would make their move that would allow them to pull away. UST freshman Maggie Weiers sank two FTs from the charity stripe to put the Tommies back in front. At exactly the halfway point senior Rachel Booth made an incredibly sweet spin move and finished off the glass that pushed the lead to 13-9. Even more ominous for St. Olaf was the fact that UST was already in the bonus at the 9:34 mark that gave the Tommies a green light to start working inside. And the Tommies would do just that. Sophomore Kellie Ring drove from the left side and finished for a 16-9 UST lead. Junior Ali Johnson made her presence felt when the willowy swing forward sank one of her trademark "3's" to make it a 22-10 UST lead. Weiers would add to the carnage a few minutes later as she got an inbound pass and scored off of it to make it 27-12. Fellow freshman phenom Taylor Young got in on the act at the 2:07 mark with a nice move inside of her own and finish that got UST to 29-12. St. Olaf stopped the bleeding momentarily when sophomore Mackenzie Wolter connected behind the arc but UST went into the locker room at halftime enjoying a comfortable 33-17 lead.
St. Olaf would come out in the second half and cut into the Tommie lead some. Freshman Brittany Webber was able to score inside and Haglund's left-handed shot off the glass narrowed UST's lead to 33-21. Wolter would hit another "3" at the 17:27 mark that cut the deficity to a slightly more manageable 11 points at 35-24. But being the experienced and defending conference champs that they are UST would respond as senior Jazmin Townsend knocked down a shot and Dienhart would light it up from the outside at the 16:21 mark to push UST's lead back to 40-24. Dienhart would also show how comfortable she is at the PG spot as she would score on a strong move down the middle at the 15:18 mark and finish and then scoot along the baseline and finish as well at the 13:33 mark that got the Tommies to a 20-point lead at 44-24. Raney would try to get St. Olaf back into it with another left-handed shot off the glass at the 12:34 mark but a little more than a minute later she had the misfortune of stepping on a Tommie player's foot and apparently rolled her ankle that would force her to watch the rest of the game from the bench. Coming down the stretch with UST comfortably in front allowed Head Coach Ruth Sinn to empty her bench and, although St. Olaf would make a flurry of a run at the end, UST wound up winning this one 61-52 which is really not indicative of how dominant UST was in this one.
Still, I like this St. Olaf team and it's going to be fun to watch this team grow. This is a young team right now; not high profile yet but they've got some serious size down low with both Haglund and Raney and Webber and Wolter look like they have the potential to be very, very solid in the backcourt. Once this team gets some experience under their belt and, more importantly, LEARNS how to take care of the basketball and be efficient with the small teams I fully expect this squad to move into the upper echelon of the MIAC where they can be in the mix for not only a playoff spot but a conference title as well.
In any event, I was very much looking forward to taking in this game this last Wednesday night between host UST and a suddenly resurgent St. Olaf team that had lost two very close games at home to Concordia and Gustavus but did manage to knock off CSB by one point in Northfield. I was anxious to get a look at this team to see what kind of potential it has and, from just taking a look at them in warm-ups you can understand why Head Coach Dave Stromme has to be excited about the future.
The first half would stay relatively close for the first 6-7 minutes. Lanky 6-2 sophomore Erin Haglund would things started for the Oles with a nice move and finish inside but Tommie PG Carolyn Dienhart would quickly respond for the Tommies. UST's Sarah Smith's basket off the glass got the Tommies a 7-4 lead at the 16:35 mark but St. Olaf would then respond a mere minute later as Haglund made another pretty move down low for a bucket inside and then sophomore Kirstee Rotty knocked down a short shot that would give the Oles a brief lead of 8-7. Things would be knotted up at 9-all when freshman Elise Raney sank a FT at the 13:42 mark.
But at 13:34 UST would make their move that would allow them to pull away. UST freshman Maggie Weiers sank two FTs from the charity stripe to put the Tommies back in front. At exactly the halfway point senior Rachel Booth made an incredibly sweet spin move and finished off the glass that pushed the lead to 13-9. Even more ominous for St. Olaf was the fact that UST was already in the bonus at the 9:34 mark that gave the Tommies a green light to start working inside. And the Tommies would do just that. Sophomore Kellie Ring drove from the left side and finished for a 16-9 UST lead. Junior Ali Johnson made her presence felt when the willowy swing forward sank one of her trademark "3's" to make it a 22-10 UST lead. Weiers would add to the carnage a few minutes later as she got an inbound pass and scored off of it to make it 27-12. Fellow freshman phenom Taylor Young got in on the act at the 2:07 mark with a nice move inside of her own and finish that got UST to 29-12. St. Olaf stopped the bleeding momentarily when sophomore Mackenzie Wolter connected behind the arc but UST went into the locker room at halftime enjoying a comfortable 33-17 lead.
St. Olaf would come out in the second half and cut into the Tommie lead some. Freshman Brittany Webber was able to score inside and Haglund's left-handed shot off the glass narrowed UST's lead to 33-21. Wolter would hit another "3" at the 17:27 mark that cut the deficity to a slightly more manageable 11 points at 35-24. But being the experienced and defending conference champs that they are UST would respond as senior Jazmin Townsend knocked down a shot and Dienhart would light it up from the outside at the 16:21 mark to push UST's lead back to 40-24. Dienhart would also show how comfortable she is at the PG spot as she would score on a strong move down the middle at the 15:18 mark and finish and then scoot along the baseline and finish as well at the 13:33 mark that got the Tommies to a 20-point lead at 44-24. Raney would try to get St. Olaf back into it with another left-handed shot off the glass at the 12:34 mark but a little more than a minute later she had the misfortune of stepping on a Tommie player's foot and apparently rolled her ankle that would force her to watch the rest of the game from the bench. Coming down the stretch with UST comfortably in front allowed Head Coach Ruth Sinn to empty her bench and, although St. Olaf would make a flurry of a run at the end, UST wound up winning this one 61-52 which is really not indicative of how dominant UST was in this one.
Still, I like this St. Olaf team and it's going to be fun to watch this team grow. This is a young team right now; not high profile yet but they've got some serious size down low with both Haglund and Raney and Webber and Wolter look like they have the potential to be very, very solid in the backcourt. Once this team gets some experience under their belt and, more importantly, LEARNS how to take care of the basketball and be efficient with the small teams I fully expect this squad to move into the upper echelon of the MIAC where they can be in the mix for not only a playoff spot but a conference title as well.
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
St. Kate's vs Macalester 12-6-10
Took in the contest over at the Leonard Center in St. Paul between host Macalester and visiting St. Kate's last night. While not one of the marquee match-ups in the MIAC on this night, it was still very much worth the watch and a reminder that even the lower-tier teams can be very, very dangerous on any given night.
The 'Cats would get off to a fairly fast start in this game; getting a 5-0 lead early on that was punctuated by promising FY player Kristen Lee's trey. Though always-dangerous Jessica Rene would sink a "3" of her own, St. Kate's would race to a 13-3 lead at the 16:08 mark before Macalester was able to slow the tide somewhat. Majra Mucic's layup cut St. Kate's lead to 13-7 at the 15:03 mark and a couple of minutes later Holly Schiedermayer made a couple of baskets that sandwiched the 'Cats Andrea Gould's bucket to cut St. Kate's lead to 15-13.
The 'Cats would then embark on another mini-run of their own; a nice 6-0 sprint that Gould finished for St. Kate's. But just when the 'Cats were feeling good about themselves again Jessica Rene stuck another dagger in the 'Cats heart with her long "3". Still, the Cats would recover enough to step on the gas again; this time with senior Sonja Ellingson doing a lot of damage with a "3" at the 7:43 mark that was followed shortly thereafter with a nice move along the baseline and a finish. Fellow senior Laura Kalbfell would soon score and be fouled as well. Although she couldn't convert from the charity stripe, the 'Cats had stretched the lead to a more comfortable 28-20 margin. St. Kate's would hold that advantage at the 2:59 mark thanks to Ellingson (again) and junior shooting guard Megan Zillmer. Coming down the stretch, Kalbfell's power move inside got St. Kate's its biggest lead of the night at 36-24 before the Scots Audrey Mills' basket would trim the 'Cats lead to 36-26 which is how things stood at the half. I thought Mac was somewhat fortunate to be down by only 10 at the half as it seemed as if St. Kate's didn't cash in on all the opportunities they had to expand their lead in that first half. The Rene Sisters were doing most of the damage for Macalester and they needed Mucic, Mills, and Kyanna Jones to step up for them. Obviously, Head Coach Ellen Thompson had to make some adjustments at the half.
Thompson and her Macalester squad would respond in the second half. Mucic and Jessica Rene both scored early and then at the 16:34 mark Mills' 10 footer cut the 'Cats lead to 37-32. You could just tell that Macalester suddenly looked energized and St. Kate's had that collective worried look on their faces. Their somewhat marginal shooting in the 1st half turned ice-cold in the second half from the perimeter. Perhaps even more important, they started looking VERY sloppy with taking care of the ball and committing turnovers. Sensing the 'Cats tentativeness, Macalester turned up the heat on defense bringing some half-court pressure that caused all sorts of problems for St. Kate's.
The 'Cats would manage to hold a 44-38 lead but at the 9:36 mark the Scots would make their charge. Shannon Rene's "3" from the left corner cut the 'Cats margin to 44-41 and 20 seconds later Holly Schidermayer would sink one free throw to cut it to 2 points. Then, at the 8:27 mark Mucic's rebound and putback would tie things up at 44 and it was all downhill for St. Kate's from that point on. Schiedermayer would put Mac ahead for good at the 7:41 mark and Mucic would continue her second-half tear with a "3" that got Macalester a 53-48 lead. Ellingson would manage to hit a late "3" for the Cats in a vain comeback attempt but the Scots were able to ice things away at the charity stripe and they closed the issue with a 58-51 win.
St. Kate's Head Coach Gary Rufsvold was obviously disappointed afterward with his team's performance; particularly in the second half. While the 'Cats shot a decent 45.7% in the first half, it was a dismal 20% in the second half and 3-point shooting was worse as the 'Cats were 4-19 from behind the arc. I thought Thompson made some very good adjustments at halftime and, just as important, Mac got a huge lift from Mucic who would finish with a career-high 22 points.
The 'Cats would get off to a fairly fast start in this game; getting a 5-0 lead early on that was punctuated by promising FY player Kristen Lee's trey. Though always-dangerous Jessica Rene would sink a "3" of her own, St. Kate's would race to a 13-3 lead at the 16:08 mark before Macalester was able to slow the tide somewhat. Majra Mucic's layup cut St. Kate's lead to 13-7 at the 15:03 mark and a couple of minutes later Holly Schiedermayer made a couple of baskets that sandwiched the 'Cats Andrea Gould's bucket to cut St. Kate's lead to 15-13.
The 'Cats would then embark on another mini-run of their own; a nice 6-0 sprint that Gould finished for St. Kate's. But just when the 'Cats were feeling good about themselves again Jessica Rene stuck another dagger in the 'Cats heart with her long "3". Still, the Cats would recover enough to step on the gas again; this time with senior Sonja Ellingson doing a lot of damage with a "3" at the 7:43 mark that was followed shortly thereafter with a nice move along the baseline and a finish. Fellow senior Laura Kalbfell would soon score and be fouled as well. Although she couldn't convert from the charity stripe, the 'Cats had stretched the lead to a more comfortable 28-20 margin. St. Kate's would hold that advantage at the 2:59 mark thanks to Ellingson (again) and junior shooting guard Megan Zillmer. Coming down the stretch, Kalbfell's power move inside got St. Kate's its biggest lead of the night at 36-24 before the Scots Audrey Mills' basket would trim the 'Cats lead to 36-26 which is how things stood at the half. I thought Mac was somewhat fortunate to be down by only 10 at the half as it seemed as if St. Kate's didn't cash in on all the opportunities they had to expand their lead in that first half. The Rene Sisters were doing most of the damage for Macalester and they needed Mucic, Mills, and Kyanna Jones to step up for them. Obviously, Head Coach Ellen Thompson had to make some adjustments at the half.
Thompson and her Macalester squad would respond in the second half. Mucic and Jessica Rene both scored early and then at the 16:34 mark Mills' 10 footer cut the 'Cats lead to 37-32. You could just tell that Macalester suddenly looked energized and St. Kate's had that collective worried look on their faces. Their somewhat marginal shooting in the 1st half turned ice-cold in the second half from the perimeter. Perhaps even more important, they started looking VERY sloppy with taking care of the ball and committing turnovers. Sensing the 'Cats tentativeness, Macalester turned up the heat on defense bringing some half-court pressure that caused all sorts of problems for St. Kate's.
The 'Cats would manage to hold a 44-38 lead but at the 9:36 mark the Scots would make their charge. Shannon Rene's "3" from the left corner cut the 'Cats margin to 44-41 and 20 seconds later Holly Schidermayer would sink one free throw to cut it to 2 points. Then, at the 8:27 mark Mucic's rebound and putback would tie things up at 44 and it was all downhill for St. Kate's from that point on. Schiedermayer would put Mac ahead for good at the 7:41 mark and Mucic would continue her second-half tear with a "3" that got Macalester a 53-48 lead. Ellingson would manage to hit a late "3" for the Cats in a vain comeback attempt but the Scots were able to ice things away at the charity stripe and they closed the issue with a 58-51 win.
St. Kate's Head Coach Gary Rufsvold was obviously disappointed afterward with his team's performance; particularly in the second half. While the 'Cats shot a decent 45.7% in the first half, it was a dismal 20% in the second half and 3-point shooting was worse as the 'Cats were 4-19 from behind the arc. I thought Thompson made some very good adjustments at halftime and, just as important, Mac got a huge lift from Mucic who would finish with a career-high 22 points.
Thursday, December 2, 2010
CSB vs St. Kate's 12-1-10
Was at the Butler Center last night to take in the MIAC opener between perennial powerhouse St. Ben's and host St. Kate's. Going in, I felt that St. Kate's could hang tough with CSB IF they did some things right and keep the turnovers to a minimum but also felt that CSB could waltz in this one if the 'Cats got down early. What a game I was in store for!
CSB admittedly looked rather flat and out of sorts at the beginning as the 'Cats were able to build a 12-4 lead by the 13:04 mark thanks to some smart plays by PG Quinn Halverson and shooting guard Megan Zillmer. Cold-shooting from the perimeter continued to plague the Blazers as things progressed and after Laura Kalbfell (who has adjusted nicely to her present post position) finished with a putback to push the 'Cats lead to 14-5 CSB Head Coach Mike Durbin had seen enough and called time-out to admonish his Blazers.
The "wood-shedding" seemed to have some effect as the Blazers responded with a 7-1 run that cut St. Kate's lead to 15-12 at the 6:58 mark with Amy Stifter and Heather Gillund doing most of the damage. But the 'Cats would respond with a 7-0 run of their own that got them back up to 19-12 thanks to Kalbfell's aggressiveness on both offense and defense. Not to be upstaged, the defending regular-season co-champ Blazers then responded with an 13-5 run down the home-stretch of the first half which was highlighted by sophomore Whitney Canton's (younger sister of senior Laura Canton) coast to coast trek that was punctuated with a buzzer-beating lay-up to give CSB a 25-24 lead at the half. Given the fact that St. Kate's had squandered several opportunities to expand on the leads they had earlier in the half, they let the Blazers methodically claw their way back in despite the fact they looked downright ragged at times.
The first five minutes of the second half saw both sides trading leads. At the 18:20 mark Zillmer broke inside with a pretty move and finished that put the 'Cats back out in front but then the Blazers got on a little mini-run of their own to reclaim the edge at 29-26. Both teams would trade punches over the next few minutes as things stayed close. Then, at the 12:38 mark with the 'Cats clinging to a 31-30 lead, Kalbfell made a great move inside on Gillund and finished off the glass that would start the 'Cats on an 8-2 run of sorts that found them up 39-32 at the 9:23 mark. CSB would then cut that deficit to a mere two points in just a little over a minute that made me think that the Blazers were ready to seize control as I anticipated.
But the 'Cats took the audience by surprise as they made a mighty push beginning at the 7:21 mark with freshman Kristen Lee's "3" from the top of the key. At the 6:26 mark another freshman, Cristin Haase got into the act with a "3" of her own. At 6:17 Zillmer was fouled and calmly drained two free throws and suddenly St. Kate's looked to have CSB in a very, very tough spot leading 47-37. But just when you thought that maybe, MAYBE the 'Cats might have it in them to pull off a huge upset at home things began to slowly unravel and the senior-laden and experienced Blazers would pounce on the opportunity.
CSB was able to cut the 'Cats lead to 47-42 on Gillund's nice move and finish inside. But perhaps the critical point of the game came at the 4:20 mark when, trying to recover a loose ball on the floor, 'Cat senior Sonja Ellingson was surrounded by a host of Blazers and, instead of calling a quick time-out tried desperately to hang on to the ball and get it to a teammate. Unfortunately for her and the 'Cats, she lost control and the Blazers quickly got downcourt and converted to cut St. Kate's lead to a tenuous 47-44 advantage. At the 3:24 mark, Stifter, showing why she is a valid MVP candidate, made a sweet drive inside to score and was fouled in the process. Her charity-strip finish knotted things up at 47-all. Zillmer would respond for St. Kate's on a nice drive and finish that gave her team their last lead at 49-47 at the 2:56 mark. Just a little more than a minute later, Stifter again made her move inside to score that knotted the issue at 49. At exactly the 1:00 mark sophomore Morgan Dale stuck a dagger in St. Kate's back with a "3" of her own to give the Blazers a 52-49 lead. Still, the 'Cats wouldn't quit. Ellingson's heroics knotted the game at 52-all with :35.8 seconds left. Then, at the :19.7 mark and CSB in possession of the ball the referees made a VERY strange reversal of a call that was originally whistled against CSB and was later changed to go against St. Kate's (I STILL have not received ANY clarification of this one and how/why this was done). The subsequent free throws by senior Laura Canton put CSB back up 54-52 and the Blazers would be able to ice the game from the charity strip to come out on top of this one 57-52.
I thought CSB did a great job of keeping their composure when St. Kate's had them in seemingly dire straits. When I chatted with Mike Durbin afterward, he admitted his team did not bring their "A" game into this one and seemed to lack that "sense of urgency" at times. In short - quite ragged. But again, the Blazers showed what they're made of when it counted and FOUND ways to win which is exactly what championship teams do. You had to feel badly for the 'Cats afterward as they seemingly were in position to steal this one at home. I sensed the disappointment from Head Coach Gary Rufsvold whose team AGAIN put up a great effort against CSB for the third time in a row but came up just a bit short. While I still feel they can compete for that sixth playoff spot, the 'Cats have GOT to find ways to close things out against the top teams if they want to make that move into the upper echelon.
Not entirely sure how this coming weekend is going to work out for sure. I WAS planning to go to the scheduled Finlandia - Northwestern game tomorrow night but the impending winter storm approaching could easily scuttle those plans. Am still planning to be at Hopkins H.S. Saturday for the Breakdown Event there as several top teams will be there. Of course, for me anyway, the REALLY big event this weekend is Saturday night at the Rose Bowl when my UCLA Bruins host those rotten classless Trojan scumbags from South Central. UCLA Fight Fight Fight!!!!!!
CSB admittedly looked rather flat and out of sorts at the beginning as the 'Cats were able to build a 12-4 lead by the 13:04 mark thanks to some smart plays by PG Quinn Halverson and shooting guard Megan Zillmer. Cold-shooting from the perimeter continued to plague the Blazers as things progressed and after Laura Kalbfell (who has adjusted nicely to her present post position) finished with a putback to push the 'Cats lead to 14-5 CSB Head Coach Mike Durbin had seen enough and called time-out to admonish his Blazers.
The "wood-shedding" seemed to have some effect as the Blazers responded with a 7-1 run that cut St. Kate's lead to 15-12 at the 6:58 mark with Amy Stifter and Heather Gillund doing most of the damage. But the 'Cats would respond with a 7-0 run of their own that got them back up to 19-12 thanks to Kalbfell's aggressiveness on both offense and defense. Not to be upstaged, the defending regular-season co-champ Blazers then responded with an 13-5 run down the home-stretch of the first half which was highlighted by sophomore Whitney Canton's (younger sister of senior Laura Canton) coast to coast trek that was punctuated with a buzzer-beating lay-up to give CSB a 25-24 lead at the half. Given the fact that St. Kate's had squandered several opportunities to expand on the leads they had earlier in the half, they let the Blazers methodically claw their way back in despite the fact they looked downright ragged at times.
The first five minutes of the second half saw both sides trading leads. At the 18:20 mark Zillmer broke inside with a pretty move and finished that put the 'Cats back out in front but then the Blazers got on a little mini-run of their own to reclaim the edge at 29-26. Both teams would trade punches over the next few minutes as things stayed close. Then, at the 12:38 mark with the 'Cats clinging to a 31-30 lead, Kalbfell made a great move inside on Gillund and finished off the glass that would start the 'Cats on an 8-2 run of sorts that found them up 39-32 at the 9:23 mark. CSB would then cut that deficit to a mere two points in just a little over a minute that made me think that the Blazers were ready to seize control as I anticipated.
But the 'Cats took the audience by surprise as they made a mighty push beginning at the 7:21 mark with freshman Kristen Lee's "3" from the top of the key. At the 6:26 mark another freshman, Cristin Haase got into the act with a "3" of her own. At 6:17 Zillmer was fouled and calmly drained two free throws and suddenly St. Kate's looked to have CSB in a very, very tough spot leading 47-37. But just when you thought that maybe, MAYBE the 'Cats might have it in them to pull off a huge upset at home things began to slowly unravel and the senior-laden and experienced Blazers would pounce on the opportunity.
CSB was able to cut the 'Cats lead to 47-42 on Gillund's nice move and finish inside. But perhaps the critical point of the game came at the 4:20 mark when, trying to recover a loose ball on the floor, 'Cat senior Sonja Ellingson was surrounded by a host of Blazers and, instead of calling a quick time-out tried desperately to hang on to the ball and get it to a teammate. Unfortunately for her and the 'Cats, she lost control and the Blazers quickly got downcourt and converted to cut St. Kate's lead to a tenuous 47-44 advantage. At the 3:24 mark, Stifter, showing why she is a valid MVP candidate, made a sweet drive inside to score and was fouled in the process. Her charity-strip finish knotted things up at 47-all. Zillmer would respond for St. Kate's on a nice drive and finish that gave her team their last lead at 49-47 at the 2:56 mark. Just a little more than a minute later, Stifter again made her move inside to score that knotted the issue at 49. At exactly the 1:00 mark sophomore Morgan Dale stuck a dagger in St. Kate's back with a "3" of her own to give the Blazers a 52-49 lead. Still, the 'Cats wouldn't quit. Ellingson's heroics knotted the game at 52-all with :35.8 seconds left. Then, at the :19.7 mark and CSB in possession of the ball the referees made a VERY strange reversal of a call that was originally whistled against CSB and was later changed to go against St. Kate's (I STILL have not received ANY clarification of this one and how/why this was done). The subsequent free throws by senior Laura Canton put CSB back up 54-52 and the Blazers would be able to ice the game from the charity strip to come out on top of this one 57-52.
I thought CSB did a great job of keeping their composure when St. Kate's had them in seemingly dire straits. When I chatted with Mike Durbin afterward, he admitted his team did not bring their "A" game into this one and seemed to lack that "sense of urgency" at times. In short - quite ragged. But again, the Blazers showed what they're made of when it counted and FOUND ways to win which is exactly what championship teams do. You had to feel badly for the 'Cats afterward as they seemingly were in position to steal this one at home. I sensed the disappointment from Head Coach Gary Rufsvold whose team AGAIN put up a great effort against CSB for the third time in a row but came up just a bit short. While I still feel they can compete for that sixth playoff spot, the 'Cats have GOT to find ways to close things out against the top teams if they want to make that move into the upper echelon.
Not entirely sure how this coming weekend is going to work out for sure. I WAS planning to go to the scheduled Finlandia - Northwestern game tomorrow night but the impending winter storm approaching could easily scuttle those plans. Am still planning to be at Hopkins H.S. Saturday for the Breakdown Event there as several top teams will be there. Of course, for me anyway, the REALLY big event this weekend is Saturday night at the Rose Bowl when my UCLA Bruins host those rotten classless Trojan scumbags from South Central. UCLA Fight Fight Fight!!!!!!
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Northwestern vs Augsburg 11-30-10
Was over at Augsburg's Si Melby Hall last night to take in the clash between Northwestern and host Augsburg last night which was the final non-conference game for both squads. Although I've already seen Northwestern play at least three times so far this season, I was anxious to get my first look at the revamped Auggie squad to see what (if any) improvements there might be.
Northwestern would alter its starting line-up with the insertion of Kristin Sczublewski at the PG spot; taking the place of an injured Kelsey Kosman. Both teams were ineffective offensively early on and it wasn't until the 16:42 mark that Sczublewski got the Eagles on the board with a long trey for a 3-0 lead and she would drain another "3" from the left corner at the 15:34 mark. Those two long-range shots which sandwiched an easy 2-point basket by Allison Johnson and was soon followed by a Katie DeWitt finish gave Northwestern a 10-0 lead and had them feeling good about themselves - at least for the short-term anyway. It wasn't until the 14:52 mark that Augsburg was finally able to break the ice and get something going. Over the next two minutes, they would go on a 7-0 run of their own to slice the deficit down to a scant three points.
Augsburg got to within one of Northwestern at the 12:13 mark before the Eagles kicked it in again; thanks to Tanya Dickey and Allison Johnson that propelled the Eagles to 15-9. But from that point on, things began to slowly unravel for the team wearing purple. Augsburg would go on an 8-2 run and tie things up at 17-all at the 7:57 mark. Perhaps even more ominous for Northwestern, Katie DeWitt was whistled for her third foul and had to ride the pine for the rest of the first half. It would be a tight battle down the stretch before halftime score-wise as Augsburg held a 26-24 lead but in actuality this game was more noteworthy for the comedy of errors on both sides - Augsburg with several missed EASY shots inside and Northwestern with a plethora of turnovers. In short, U-G-L-Y.
Things wouldn't change that much in the beginning part of the second half. But Augsburg had changed up its strategy somewhat; doing some half-court pressing and trapping that really took Northwestern out of its offensive rythym; forcing several turnovers. Newcomer Tracee Schrank nailed a "3" for the Auggies from the left corner at the 15:42 mark and a putback on a rebound by the Auggies extended their lead to 35-28. Despite DeWitt's presence in the second half, not much went right for the Eagles down the home stretch. At 9:36, the Auggies with two quick scores from Nikki Borkhuis and lanky Brittany Dyshaw would give Head Coach Jennifer Britz' squad a 45-34 lead. This was when the wheels REALLY fell off as far as Northwestern was concerned as Augsburg would reel off a 9-2 run that got them to 54-36 at the 7:41 mark.
Northwestern wouldn't quit, however, as Katie DeWitt's heroics trimmed the Augsburg lead to 57-47 at the 4:44 mark but each time Northwestern looked like it might be able to make a run at the Auggies the home team would respond with some clutch 3-point shooting that would keep the pesky Eagles at bay. Augsburg would be able to ice the issue away at the charity stripe and, at the end, claimed a 70-62 victory.
As expected, a nearly hoarse but excited Jennifer Britz would credit her squad's victory to a change-up on defense; doing some trapping and getting more up-tempo with the ball. And, not surprisingly, Aaron Kahl of Northwestern was disappointed afterward, saying his team has a "lot of work to do." It will be interesting to see how Augsburg responds from this win as they host St. Mary's in their MIAC opener tonight. Northwestern gets a couple of extra days to lick their wounds as they will host Finlandia on Friday evening.
Northwestern would alter its starting line-up with the insertion of Kristin Sczublewski at the PG spot; taking the place of an injured Kelsey Kosman. Both teams were ineffective offensively early on and it wasn't until the 16:42 mark that Sczublewski got the Eagles on the board with a long trey for a 3-0 lead and she would drain another "3" from the left corner at the 15:34 mark. Those two long-range shots which sandwiched an easy 2-point basket by Allison Johnson and was soon followed by a Katie DeWitt finish gave Northwestern a 10-0 lead and had them feeling good about themselves - at least for the short-term anyway. It wasn't until the 14:52 mark that Augsburg was finally able to break the ice and get something going. Over the next two minutes, they would go on a 7-0 run of their own to slice the deficit down to a scant three points.
Augsburg got to within one of Northwestern at the 12:13 mark before the Eagles kicked it in again; thanks to Tanya Dickey and Allison Johnson that propelled the Eagles to 15-9. But from that point on, things began to slowly unravel for the team wearing purple. Augsburg would go on an 8-2 run and tie things up at 17-all at the 7:57 mark. Perhaps even more ominous for Northwestern, Katie DeWitt was whistled for her third foul and had to ride the pine for the rest of the first half. It would be a tight battle down the stretch before halftime score-wise as Augsburg held a 26-24 lead but in actuality this game was more noteworthy for the comedy of errors on both sides - Augsburg with several missed EASY shots inside and Northwestern with a plethora of turnovers. In short, U-G-L-Y.
Things wouldn't change that much in the beginning part of the second half. But Augsburg had changed up its strategy somewhat; doing some half-court pressing and trapping that really took Northwestern out of its offensive rythym; forcing several turnovers. Newcomer Tracee Schrank nailed a "3" for the Auggies from the left corner at the 15:42 mark and a putback on a rebound by the Auggies extended their lead to 35-28. Despite DeWitt's presence in the second half, not much went right for the Eagles down the home stretch. At 9:36, the Auggies with two quick scores from Nikki Borkhuis and lanky Brittany Dyshaw would give Head Coach Jennifer Britz' squad a 45-34 lead. This was when the wheels REALLY fell off as far as Northwestern was concerned as Augsburg would reel off a 9-2 run that got them to 54-36 at the 7:41 mark.
Northwestern wouldn't quit, however, as Katie DeWitt's heroics trimmed the Augsburg lead to 57-47 at the 4:44 mark but each time Northwestern looked like it might be able to make a run at the Auggies the home team would respond with some clutch 3-point shooting that would keep the pesky Eagles at bay. Augsburg would be able to ice the issue away at the charity stripe and, at the end, claimed a 70-62 victory.
As expected, a nearly hoarse but excited Jennifer Britz would credit her squad's victory to a change-up on defense; doing some trapping and getting more up-tempo with the ball. And, not surprisingly, Aaron Kahl of Northwestern was disappointed afterward, saying his team has a "lot of work to do." It will be interesting to see how Augsburg responds from this win as they host St. Mary's in their MIAC opener tonight. Northwestern gets a couple of extra days to lick their wounds as they will host Finlandia on Friday evening.
Sunday, November 28, 2010
Hamline Pat Paterson Memorial Thanksgiving Tip-Off Tournament
Was at Hamline yesterday (Friday 11-26) and today for the 11th Annual Hamline Pat Paterson Memorial Thanksgiving Tip-Off Tournament 12 teams in three different brackets. Since I was doing color commentary for Community Hoops/Grand Stadium with Tony Geer and Mike Peden, I'll just provide a summary of how the brackets panned out.
In Bracket "A", defending Class 4A Champion Lakeville North breezed to the championship title, easily defeating Minneapolis North on Friday and then taking down Northwest Suburban Conference foe Osseo today 68-47. This was a game that featured two future Minnesota Golden Gophers squaring off against one another - Lakeville North's standout senior Rachel Banham and Osseo junior Mikayla Bailey. Osseo hung tough early on but their lack of a true post player eventually did them in as the Panthers rolled to a decisive victory.
Bracket "B" provided the best games of this classic as St. Paul Central had to overcome a double-digit deficity to defeat DeLaSalle to get to the Championship of this bracket where they would face South Surbaban Conference powerhouse Eastview which easily dispatched Centennial in their opening game. This clash would be the game of the tournament as Eastview overcame foul trouble and a furious St. Paul Central comeback to hold on for a 58-54 victory. I personally had to give a lot of credit to the Eastview senior trio of Jen Dockter and the Beckman twins (Amanda and Alex) for this one.
Bracket "C" was known as the Hopkins show as the Royals were able to methodically mow down both Class 4A runner-up White Bear Lake and then Northwest Suburban Conference foe Blaine to claim the Championship in this bracket. The amazing thing about Hopkins is that they go deeper than most nuclear subs as they essentially have 2 1/2 starting line-ups. Will be VERRRY interesting this next weekend at the Breakdown Tournament this next weekend at Hopkins as they will face off against Lakeville North.
In Bracket "A", defending Class 4A Champion Lakeville North breezed to the championship title, easily defeating Minneapolis North on Friday and then taking down Northwest Suburban Conference foe Osseo today 68-47. This was a game that featured two future Minnesota Golden Gophers squaring off against one another - Lakeville North's standout senior Rachel Banham and Osseo junior Mikayla Bailey. Osseo hung tough early on but their lack of a true post player eventually did them in as the Panthers rolled to a decisive victory.
Bracket "B" provided the best games of this classic as St. Paul Central had to overcome a double-digit deficity to defeat DeLaSalle to get to the Championship of this bracket where they would face South Surbaban Conference powerhouse Eastview which easily dispatched Centennial in their opening game. This clash would be the game of the tournament as Eastview overcame foul trouble and a furious St. Paul Central comeback to hold on for a 58-54 victory. I personally had to give a lot of credit to the Eastview senior trio of Jen Dockter and the Beckman twins (Amanda and Alex) for this one.
Bracket "C" was known as the Hopkins show as the Royals were able to methodically mow down both Class 4A runner-up White Bear Lake and then Northwest Suburban Conference foe Blaine to claim the Championship in this bracket. The amazing thing about Hopkins is that they go deeper than most nuclear subs as they essentially have 2 1/2 starting line-ups. Will be VERRRY interesting this next weekend at the Breakdown Tournament this next weekend at Hopkins as they will face off against Lakeville North.
Monday, November 22, 2010
NIACC vs Anoka-Ramsey 11-22-10
Was up in Coon Rapids this evening to take in the rematch between NIACC of Mason City (IA) and Anoka-Ramsey; just a little more than a week after NIACC beat ARCC in the NIACC Classic back in Mason City 60-55. Considering that plus the fact that ARCC had to hang on for dear life to edge Ellsworth the day before their first clash with NIACC, I had a feeling this had the makings of a pretty good contest.
In what was perhaps an eerie foreboding for ARCC early on was that the scoreboard on the east end of the gym was malfunctioning and, considering how cold and ineffective ARCC was for as long as they were it probably didn't make much difference. For a good chunk of the first half the question was who would score first and when as defense stole the spotlight for both squads. ARCC started off in their aggressive man "D"; a staple trademark of ARCC Head Coach David DeWitt. However, DeWitt was not at all pleased with his team's effort from the get-go and called a time-out at the 19:17 mark to collectively "woodshed" the squad and implore them to do what he wanted. NIACC, on the other hand, went to a 2-3 zone; presumably in an effort to force ARCC to try to beat them with perimeter shooting and limit post Marie Hanson's touches. For a while, it looked like Head Coach John Oertel's strategy might work as ARCC struggled mightily in their half-court offense; looking very out of synch. Both teams remained scoreless until the 16:06 mark when Jamella Hudnell of NIACC finally broke the ice to get the Trojans on the board first. Amazingly, it would be almost five more minutes before ARCC was able to record some points on the functioning west scoreboard when freshman Alyshia Daniels snatched a loose ball and finished at the other end and would do the exact same a mere 20 seconds later that gave ARCC a 4-2 lead.
Both teams would continue to scratch and claw their way to a 6-all deadlock before ARCC FINALLY got their act together. At the 8:43 mark, sophomore Stephanie Pilgrim knocked down a long "3" for the Rams that would begin a 16-0 run that, for all intents and purposes, was the difference maker in this contest. NIACC would go scoreless until the 2:25 mark when Courtney Chrencik was able to stop the bleeding with a steal and finish of her own. Both teams would score five more points until the half which saw ARCC up by a score of 25-13. And, though NIACC was able to close the gap a bit, the big thing that stuck out in my mind during the ARCC run was that the Rams jacked up their defensive intensity several notches that didn't allow NIACC much breathing room in their half-court offense; forcing a handful of bad passes and creating turnovers that led to easy ARCC points. In short, ARCC made the most of their opportunites and NIACC didn't when they had them early on.
As the second half began, the east scoreboard was finally working and ARCC continued to cook as well. Despite a Chrencik "3" to start the second half, ARCC would quickly score two baskets of their own that negated the dent NIACC tried to make. ARCC continued to make life miserable for the Trojans with that relentless man "D" plus the fact that the Rams were dominant on the boards as well; often limiting the Trojans to just one shot. NIACC, trying to show that their win over ARCC back in Mason City was no fluke, went on a 6-0 run of their own midway through the second half but any hope they had of a miracle comeback was quickly squashed by the hot-shooting Stephanie Pilgrim who nailed some killer "3's" in the home stretch; one that arced so high that, when it came down and into the basket it hardly ruffled the net! ARCC would enjoy a roughly 15-point cushion the rest of the way and closed it out 60-43.
Obviously, ARCC had a big advantage on the boards this night but that suffocating man "D" that they play is not only tough to handle for opponents, it's also demoralizing and a strength/stamina sapper as well when you're up against it. I think ARCC is likely a much better team now than it was perhaps a week ago now that Marie Hanson is back playing and, if not at 100%, presumably close to it. They need her to stay healthy if they want to win it all this year, IMHO. Also pleasantly surprising to see tonight was the emergence of sophomore Jenna Anderson as she canned a long "3" of her own in the second half. She's definitely a solid player out there and, while not one of the leading scorers on the team, makes good decisions with the ball. Personally, I'd like to see her break out of her shell and take more shots and I think she has it in her to do just that. Finally, the player that is catching my eye more and more is freshman Allison Ballstadt. She's quickly carving a niche for herself out there as she's not at all afraid to do the "dirty" work for her team; i.e., rebound, go after loose balls, and especially BOXING OUT. I think you're going to see her get better and better with each game.
In what was perhaps an eerie foreboding for ARCC early on was that the scoreboard on the east end of the gym was malfunctioning and, considering how cold and ineffective ARCC was for as long as they were it probably didn't make much difference. For a good chunk of the first half the question was who would score first and when as defense stole the spotlight for both squads. ARCC started off in their aggressive man "D"; a staple trademark of ARCC Head Coach David DeWitt. However, DeWitt was not at all pleased with his team's effort from the get-go and called a time-out at the 19:17 mark to collectively "woodshed" the squad and implore them to do what he wanted. NIACC, on the other hand, went to a 2-3 zone; presumably in an effort to force ARCC to try to beat them with perimeter shooting and limit post Marie Hanson's touches. For a while, it looked like Head Coach John Oertel's strategy might work as ARCC struggled mightily in their half-court offense; looking very out of synch. Both teams remained scoreless until the 16:06 mark when Jamella Hudnell of NIACC finally broke the ice to get the Trojans on the board first. Amazingly, it would be almost five more minutes before ARCC was able to record some points on the functioning west scoreboard when freshman Alyshia Daniels snatched a loose ball and finished at the other end and would do the exact same a mere 20 seconds later that gave ARCC a 4-2 lead.
Both teams would continue to scratch and claw their way to a 6-all deadlock before ARCC FINALLY got their act together. At the 8:43 mark, sophomore Stephanie Pilgrim knocked down a long "3" for the Rams that would begin a 16-0 run that, for all intents and purposes, was the difference maker in this contest. NIACC would go scoreless until the 2:25 mark when Courtney Chrencik was able to stop the bleeding with a steal and finish of her own. Both teams would score five more points until the half which saw ARCC up by a score of 25-13. And, though NIACC was able to close the gap a bit, the big thing that stuck out in my mind during the ARCC run was that the Rams jacked up their defensive intensity several notches that didn't allow NIACC much breathing room in their half-court offense; forcing a handful of bad passes and creating turnovers that led to easy ARCC points. In short, ARCC made the most of their opportunites and NIACC didn't when they had them early on.
As the second half began, the east scoreboard was finally working and ARCC continued to cook as well. Despite a Chrencik "3" to start the second half, ARCC would quickly score two baskets of their own that negated the dent NIACC tried to make. ARCC continued to make life miserable for the Trojans with that relentless man "D" plus the fact that the Rams were dominant on the boards as well; often limiting the Trojans to just one shot. NIACC, trying to show that their win over ARCC back in Mason City was no fluke, went on a 6-0 run of their own midway through the second half but any hope they had of a miracle comeback was quickly squashed by the hot-shooting Stephanie Pilgrim who nailed some killer "3's" in the home stretch; one that arced so high that, when it came down and into the basket it hardly ruffled the net! ARCC would enjoy a roughly 15-point cushion the rest of the way and closed it out 60-43.
Obviously, ARCC had a big advantage on the boards this night but that suffocating man "D" that they play is not only tough to handle for opponents, it's also demoralizing and a strength/stamina sapper as well when you're up against it. I think ARCC is likely a much better team now than it was perhaps a week ago now that Marie Hanson is back playing and, if not at 100%, presumably close to it. They need her to stay healthy if they want to win it all this year, IMHO. Also pleasantly surprising to see tonight was the emergence of sophomore Jenna Anderson as she canned a long "3" of her own in the second half. She's definitely a solid player out there and, while not one of the leading scorers on the team, makes good decisions with the ball. Personally, I'd like to see her break out of her shell and take more shots and I think she has it in her to do just that. Finally, the player that is catching my eye more and more is freshman Allison Ballstadt. She's quickly carving a niche for herself out there as she's not at all afraid to do the "dirty" work for her team; i.e., rebound, go after loose balls, and especially BOXING OUT. I think you're going to see her get better and better with each game.
Saturday, November 20, 2010
NWC Tip Off Tourney - UW-River Falls vs Northwestern 11-20-10
The Championship game of the NWC Tip Off Tourney featured Friday's winner UW-River Falls and Northwestern. UW-River Falls, I knew, had superior speed and quickness. Yet, on Northwestern's home court, I figured the Eagles could give their WIAC opponent a tough game. I was wrong.
The Eagles started off well enough with Katie DeWitt hitting a "3" at the 18:34 mark for Northwestern's only lead of the game. Over the course of nearly 11 minutes, UW-River Falls would proceed to go on an unbelievable 31-0 run before Northwestern scored again (finally) at the 7:48 mark. The Falcons love to press and create turnovers off that press and they did exactly that numerous time during the onslaught. Brittany Gregorich lit up the Ericksen Center with her fabulous three-point shooting during the run and Amanda Dohrn and Taylor House were unstoppable down low. Even more discouraging for Northwestern, the Falcons suffocating defense took the Eagles out of their offensive rythym and made Katie DeWitt a non-factor the rest of the first half as UW-River Falls took an insurmountable 45-14 lead into the locker room at the break.
The Falcons would not lose any momentum or touch going into the second half either as they were able to build up a 62-25 lead at the 11:35 mark. Northwestern would manage to get on a 12-0 run of their own midway through the second half but it wouldn't be nearly enough. Strangely quiet in this contest tonight was Allison Johnson who came away with only two points (scored with 1:23 left) and only three rebounds; a far cry from her dominating performance last night vs North Central. DeWitt would finish with an eerie-like performance; 10 points on 2-13 shooting (1-5 from three-point land) UW-River Falls would win this one in convincing fashion 74-43.
Without question, UW-River Falls brought their "A" game into tonight's Championship tilt. When they play their best (Dohrn, House dominant down low, Tiffany Gregorich hot from behind the arc and sister Brittany able to slash and drive, coupled with athletic defense and fast break opportunities) they're awfully tough to beat and, if things work out for them, they have an excellent shot at winning the WIAC this year.
The Eagles started off well enough with Katie DeWitt hitting a "3" at the 18:34 mark for Northwestern's only lead of the game. Over the course of nearly 11 minutes, UW-River Falls would proceed to go on an unbelievable 31-0 run before Northwestern scored again (finally) at the 7:48 mark. The Falcons love to press and create turnovers off that press and they did exactly that numerous time during the onslaught. Brittany Gregorich lit up the Ericksen Center with her fabulous three-point shooting during the run and Amanda Dohrn and Taylor House were unstoppable down low. Even more discouraging for Northwestern, the Falcons suffocating defense took the Eagles out of their offensive rythym and made Katie DeWitt a non-factor the rest of the first half as UW-River Falls took an insurmountable 45-14 lead into the locker room at the break.
The Falcons would not lose any momentum or touch going into the second half either as they were able to build up a 62-25 lead at the 11:35 mark. Northwestern would manage to get on a 12-0 run of their own midway through the second half but it wouldn't be nearly enough. Strangely quiet in this contest tonight was Allison Johnson who came away with only two points (scored with 1:23 left) and only three rebounds; a far cry from her dominating performance last night vs North Central. DeWitt would finish with an eerie-like performance; 10 points on 2-13 shooting (1-5 from three-point land) UW-River Falls would win this one in convincing fashion 74-43.
Without question, UW-River Falls brought their "A" game into tonight's Championship tilt. When they play their best (Dohrn, House dominant down low, Tiffany Gregorich hot from behind the arc and sister Brittany able to slash and drive, coupled with athletic defense and fast break opportunities) they're awfully tough to beat and, if things work out for them, they have an excellent shot at winning the WIAC this year.
NWC Tip Off Tourney - Simpson vs North Central 11-20-10
The 3rd place game for the NWC Tip Off Tourney took place Saturday afternoon at 1:00 P.M. over at Northwestern's Ericksen Center. To be honest, I was more or less expecting a blowout win by the Storm as they were likely still smarting from their heart-breaking loss to UW-River Falls yesterday and, as you can imagine, this one got coyote-ugly early on.
North Central started the game in a 2-3 zone in the hope of forcing Simpson to beat them strictly from the perimeter but those hopes were quickly dashed when the Storm's standout post Stacey Schutjer got an easy "bunny" and Mindy Hutchcroft followed it up with a steal and easy layup for a quick 4-0 Simpson lead at the 19:17 mark. A little more than two minutes later, Simpson had stretched things out at 13-2 with Amy Hamilton's 3-pointer and the slaughter on Lydia Avenue was on. Julia Skeesick of North Central would temporarily stop the bleeding at the 13:04 and 12:33 marks with a couple of pretty "3's" to cut in the Storm's romp at 22-7 but from then on Simpson would go on a 30-6 run the rest of the way to make it 52-13 at the half. In a nutshell, it was a matter of numerous steals and fast breaks by a superior team doing what they do best.
The onslaught continued in the second half as Simpson started out on an 11-0 run to extend the bulge to 63-13 before North Central was able to get a couple of meaningless baskets. Finally, at the 13:00 mark when the issue had LONG been settled, Head Coach Brian Niemuth sent in the scrubs and gave the mainstays the rest of the day off as Simpson cruised to an easy 88-41 win that could have been a lot worse.
Simpson definitely has a great team and you would expect them to be there at the end along with Coe; fighting it out for the IIAC title. Schutjer, when she's on her game, can be tough to stop down low. And she's a very versatile post player who can dribble and bring the ball up the floor if she has to. Also impressive to me for the Storm is Kate Nielsen coming off the bench. She's very physical and is a great perimeter shooter as well.
I'll give some credit to an otherwise hapless North Central program. They are taking baby-steps at becoming competitive although they arguably still have a long way to go yet. They at least have a few players on the squad who are genuinely decent players (Skeesick, for example, was on the '08 Chaska squad that made it to the state tournament). It takes time and you understandably have to take your lumps along the way.
North Central started the game in a 2-3 zone in the hope of forcing Simpson to beat them strictly from the perimeter but those hopes were quickly dashed when the Storm's standout post Stacey Schutjer got an easy "bunny" and Mindy Hutchcroft followed it up with a steal and easy layup for a quick 4-0 Simpson lead at the 19:17 mark. A little more than two minutes later, Simpson had stretched things out at 13-2 with Amy Hamilton's 3-pointer and the slaughter on Lydia Avenue was on. Julia Skeesick of North Central would temporarily stop the bleeding at the 13:04 and 12:33 marks with a couple of pretty "3's" to cut in the Storm's romp at 22-7 but from then on Simpson would go on a 30-6 run the rest of the way to make it 52-13 at the half. In a nutshell, it was a matter of numerous steals and fast breaks by a superior team doing what they do best.
The onslaught continued in the second half as Simpson started out on an 11-0 run to extend the bulge to 63-13 before North Central was able to get a couple of meaningless baskets. Finally, at the 13:00 mark when the issue had LONG been settled, Head Coach Brian Niemuth sent in the scrubs and gave the mainstays the rest of the day off as Simpson cruised to an easy 88-41 win that could have been a lot worse.
Simpson definitely has a great team and you would expect them to be there at the end along with Coe; fighting it out for the IIAC title. Schutjer, when she's on her game, can be tough to stop down low. And she's a very versatile post player who can dribble and bring the ball up the floor if she has to. Also impressive to me for the Storm is Kate Nielsen coming off the bench. She's very physical and is a great perimeter shooter as well.
I'll give some credit to an otherwise hapless North Central program. They are taking baby-steps at becoming competitive although they arguably still have a long way to go yet. They at least have a few players on the squad who are genuinely decent players (Skeesick, for example, was on the '08 Chaska squad that made it to the state tournament). It takes time and you understandably have to take your lumps along the way.
Friday, November 19, 2010
NWC Tip-Off Tourney - North Central vs Northwestern 11-19-10
The second womens game of the tourney featured UMAC also-ran North Central University against host Northwestern. To be honest, I initially feared this might have the makings of a boring blow-out and, although Northwestern would wind up winning comfortably enough, the first few minutes were, as General Birkhalter from "Hogan's Heroes" would say, "Verry interesting". North Central, starting out in man-to-man "D", got out to a quick 4-0 lead and, although Northwestern would respond to briefly take the lead at 5-4, North Central would go on a 9-0 run over nearly a 3-minute span that gave North Central a 13-5 lead at the 12:28 mark. Even worse for Northwestern, Allison Johnson picked up two quick fouls early on that sent her to the bench. But North Central would not be able to sustain the early charge they came out with. Even more important, Northwestern had standout senior Katie DeWitt back for this game and the Eagles wasted little time in getting things going again. Throw in reserve Kristin Sczublewski as well and the Eagles suddenly used their superior athleticism to go on a 16-0 run just under the 9 minute mark when things were still tight. All this enabled Northwestern to grab a 37-20 halftime lead.
DeWitt was in no mood to slow down once the second half began. Wanting to make up for her absence the other night against Hamline, she took over the game for the Eagles; scoring easy inside baskets and finishing break opportunities. The highlight of the evening came when, on a Northwestern fast break, Sczublewski threw a behind the back pass to an open teammate that resulted in an easy bucket but also made the crowd roar with approval. Even though Johnson fouled out for Northwestern at the 8:38 mark in this game, she made a real impact on the rebounding front for the Eagles. She still wears a protective device on the left wrist that was broken nearly a year ago. Northwestern would win this one easily 76-58 and now advances to tomorrow night's title game against UW-River Falls.
DeWitt was in no mood to slow down once the second half began. Wanting to make up for her absence the other night against Hamline, she took over the game for the Eagles; scoring easy inside baskets and finishing break opportunities. The highlight of the evening came when, on a Northwestern fast break, Sczublewski threw a behind the back pass to an open teammate that resulted in an easy bucket but also made the crowd roar with approval. Even though Johnson fouled out for Northwestern at the 8:38 mark in this game, she made a real impact on the rebounding front for the Eagles. She still wears a protective device on the left wrist that was broken nearly a year ago. Northwestern would win this one easily 76-58 and now advances to tomorrow night's title game against UW-River Falls.
NWC Tip Off Tourney - Simpson vs UW-River Falls 11-19-10
Was over at Northwestern today to take in the NWC Tip Off Tourney that features Simpson, UW-River Falls, North Central University, and host Northwestern. The first game of the day was the clash between defending IIAC Champ Simpson and UW-River Falls out of the WIAC which was coming off a road loss at GAC two nights ago. I knew that this had the makings of an incredibly intriguing contest and I would not be disappointed.
Simpson started off the game in a 2-3 zone that would prove very effective against the Falcons in the early going. After a pretty even start scoring-wise by both teams, Simpson would make a move at the 15:10 mark when post Stacey Schutjer drilled a sweet turnaround jumper that gave the Storm an 8-6 lead. Guard Kelsey Reeves followed soon thereafter with her own theatrics; a long "3" from the left corner to make it 11-8 Simpson. Shortly after that, guard Mindy Hutchcroft hit a "3" from the same spot. The three-point shooting barrage would continue as UW-River Falls tried to respond with senior guard Tiffany Gregorich's "3" that would close the gap to a mere two points at 16-14 but then Simpson came right back a drained yet another "3" to get to 19-14.
The Falcons would manage to hang in there; trailing 23-20 on Brittany Gregorich's drive and finish but they had some momentary lapses on defense and, around the 6:42 mark, they would go stone-cold from the perimeter and the Storm would capitalize; pushing their lead to 28-21. UW-River Falls was extremely fortunate that Simpson wasn't shooting any better than what they were or they would have been down much more than the halftime score of 31-24.
The second half would start in favor of the Storm as well as senior guard Amy Hamilton drained a "3" to stretch the lead to 34-24. Then, junior forward Ali Sokol would get an easy two-pointer and UW-River Falls looked like they were in a heap of trouble as they promptly turned the ball over as Simpson enjoyed a 12-point 36-24 lead at the 18:22 mark.
Simpson would continue to have things going there way around the 14-minute mark as Reeves sank a long "3" from the left corner to give the defending IIAC champs a 42-30 lead. But then, at the 13:34 mark, perhaps the most critical twist of the game occurred when UW-River Falls Head Coach Cindy Holbrook was assessed a technical foul. And, although she denied it afterward, it may have been the single spark the Falcons were looking for as the proceeded to go on a 7-0 run of their own that narrowed the Simpson lead to 43-39 and the Storm were clearly rattled. The Falcons used their trademark speed and athleticism to create havoc and forced several Simpson turnovers. Perhaps just as important, the UW-River Falls front line of Maranda Dohrn and Taylor House began asserting themselves down low; grabbing several rebounds and getting easy putbacks. Moreover, it was plain to see the frustration on Simpson's standout post Schutjer as she unraveled; missing easy short shots and committing silly fouls. At the 7:54 mark, Dohrn gave the Falcons their first lead at 49-48 and junior Alise Holst would add an exclamation point with a 3-pointer to give UW-River Falls a 52-48 lead capping a 20-5 Falcon run. Hamilton would can a "3" at the 2:43 mark that let Simpson whittle the UW-River Falls lead. But just when Simpson was on the verge of regaining the lead, it was Schutjer who missed an EASY bucket on a lay-up attempt and let the Falcons close it out; winning 58-54.
Definitely a GREAT game to watch. Despite the 2nd half comeback, UW-River Falls shot only 28% for the entire game (!) which shows you how incredibly cold they were early on. I asked Cindy Holbrook afterward if that technical was indeed the turning point of the game that gave the team the spark they needed. She said "No, but our kids responded very well in the face of adversity." Personally, I think Holbrook is incredibly lucky to have the Gregorich sisters (senior Tiffany and sophomore Brittany) on her team - and in the starting line-up. Tiffany is a great leader on the team and has been playing with very sore feet over the last few years that makes my sore left knee feeling somewhat guilty (she may win my Jack Youngblood award at the end of the season). Brittany is a versatile 5'9" who can do a lot on the court (score, run the floor, play "D") and she may very well be one of the WIAC's top players. I also think Simpson has it in them to make yet another strong run at the IIAC crown along with Coe and possibly Wartburg as well. So it was a great interconference clash between two very good teams that I wish we could see more often.
Simpson started off the game in a 2-3 zone that would prove very effective against the Falcons in the early going. After a pretty even start scoring-wise by both teams, Simpson would make a move at the 15:10 mark when post Stacey Schutjer drilled a sweet turnaround jumper that gave the Storm an 8-6 lead. Guard Kelsey Reeves followed soon thereafter with her own theatrics; a long "3" from the left corner to make it 11-8 Simpson. Shortly after that, guard Mindy Hutchcroft hit a "3" from the same spot. The three-point shooting barrage would continue as UW-River Falls tried to respond with senior guard Tiffany Gregorich's "3" that would close the gap to a mere two points at 16-14 but then Simpson came right back a drained yet another "3" to get to 19-14.
The Falcons would manage to hang in there; trailing 23-20 on Brittany Gregorich's drive and finish but they had some momentary lapses on defense and, around the 6:42 mark, they would go stone-cold from the perimeter and the Storm would capitalize; pushing their lead to 28-21. UW-River Falls was extremely fortunate that Simpson wasn't shooting any better than what they were or they would have been down much more than the halftime score of 31-24.
The second half would start in favor of the Storm as well as senior guard Amy Hamilton drained a "3" to stretch the lead to 34-24. Then, junior forward Ali Sokol would get an easy two-pointer and UW-River Falls looked like they were in a heap of trouble as they promptly turned the ball over as Simpson enjoyed a 12-point 36-24 lead at the 18:22 mark.
Simpson would continue to have things going there way around the 14-minute mark as Reeves sank a long "3" from the left corner to give the defending IIAC champs a 42-30 lead. But then, at the 13:34 mark, perhaps the most critical twist of the game occurred when UW-River Falls Head Coach Cindy Holbrook was assessed a technical foul. And, although she denied it afterward, it may have been the single spark the Falcons were looking for as the proceeded to go on a 7-0 run of their own that narrowed the Simpson lead to 43-39 and the Storm were clearly rattled. The Falcons used their trademark speed and athleticism to create havoc and forced several Simpson turnovers. Perhaps just as important, the UW-River Falls front line of Maranda Dohrn and Taylor House began asserting themselves down low; grabbing several rebounds and getting easy putbacks. Moreover, it was plain to see the frustration on Simpson's standout post Schutjer as she unraveled; missing easy short shots and committing silly fouls. At the 7:54 mark, Dohrn gave the Falcons their first lead at 49-48 and junior Alise Holst would add an exclamation point with a 3-pointer to give UW-River Falls a 52-48 lead capping a 20-5 Falcon run. Hamilton would can a "3" at the 2:43 mark that let Simpson whittle the UW-River Falls lead. But just when Simpson was on the verge of regaining the lead, it was Schutjer who missed an EASY bucket on a lay-up attempt and let the Falcons close it out; winning 58-54.
Definitely a GREAT game to watch. Despite the 2nd half comeback, UW-River Falls shot only 28% for the entire game (!) which shows you how incredibly cold they were early on. I asked Cindy Holbrook afterward if that technical was indeed the turning point of the game that gave the team the spark they needed. She said "No, but our kids responded very well in the face of adversity." Personally, I think Holbrook is incredibly lucky to have the Gregorich sisters (senior Tiffany and sophomore Brittany) on her team - and in the starting line-up. Tiffany is a great leader on the team and has been playing with very sore feet over the last few years that makes my sore left knee feeling somewhat guilty (she may win my Jack Youngblood award at the end of the season). Brittany is a versatile 5'9" who can do a lot on the court (score, run the floor, play "D") and she may very well be one of the WIAC's top players. I also think Simpson has it in them to make yet another strong run at the IIAC crown along with Coe and possibly Wartburg as well. So it was a great interconference clash between two very good teams that I wish we could see more often.
Thursday, November 18, 2010
UW-River Falls vs. GAC 11-17-10
Was down at St. Peter last night for the home opener for GAC as they hosted WIAC foe UW-River Falls. After getting bounced two nights before in Waverly by IIAC opponent Wartburg, you can imagine that the Gusties were anxious to get back on the court to try and right the ship.
But I could detect the nervousness on GAC Head Coach Mickey Haller's face before the game and her fears were justified as they were taking on a very athletic, fast and experience UW-River Falls team that has a ton of returning players from last year's team that got off to a 13-0 start. The Falcons started out pressing right away, forcing some Gustie turnovers. That, combined with two 3-pointers gave UW-River Falls a quick 10-2 lead just under the 17:00 minute mark in the first half. After a Gustie basket, the Falcons responded with yet another "3" that got them to 13-4.
It was apparent to me that the Gusties were having a difficult time adjusting to the speed and athleticisim that UW-River Falls has; particularly at the guard positions. Moreover, the Falcon front consisting of Maranda Dohrn and Taylor House were wreaking havoc down low on the Gusties who were often caught flat-footed as both Dohrn and House were able to find easy baskets and grab several key offensive rebounds. Despite a Molly Geske 3-pointer that got the Gusties to within six at 13-7, UW-River Falls would then go on a 8-2 run to get to 21-9 at the 8:27 mark. GAC looked as if they were in BIG trouble.
But, to the Gusties credit, the clawed and scratched their way back into the contest as they reeled off a 14-2 run of their own to eventually get the game knotted up at 23-all. The two teams would play relatively even steven for the rest of the 1st half that saw them knotted up at 32-all at the intermission.
My own feelings about the first half was that, despite the fact that GAC managed to get on a run of their own that enabled them to get even again, they really got outplayed for the most part by UW-River Falls. The Gusties looked S-L-O-W at times on defense and Dohrn and House made minced meat of the willowy Gustie front line. I give GAC a LOT of credit for keeping their composure and battling back. Still, you had to figure there was a lot of chewing and cussing going on in that locker room at halftime.
UW-River Falls started out the second half much the same way as they began the opening minutes of the 1st half; getting on a quick 5-0 run highlighted by Tiffany Gregorich's 3-pointer. But this time the Gusties ratched up the intensity; particularly on defense and they proceeded to go on a 10-0 tear that got them to 42-37. After forcing a handful of Falcon turnovers, the Gusties then went on another run; this time 10-4 that stretched the GAC lead to 52-41 with just over 10 minutes left in the game. GAC would hold this cushion the rest of the way and wind up with a 70-59 win.
When I look back on this game, particularly the 2nd half, this was, IMHO, a break-out game for sophomore post player Abby Rothenbuehler who was simply outstanding at times with her rebounding; using her slender 6'2" frame for all that it's worth. And not only that, she was a disruptive force on the defensive side as well for the Gusties as she forced several bad or rushed passes from the Falcons. Also (pleasantly) surprising for me were both Kelsey Florian and freshman newcomer Julia Dysthie. Molly Mathiowetz made up for a sluggish 1st half as well. Despite all the turnovers UW-River Falls had in the second half, for the game they outrebounded the Gusties 36-26; something that the Gusties will ultimately have to address as they head out to South Dakota to take on Augustana College. UW-River Falls will be in the Twin Cities tomorrow (Friday 11-19) as one of the teams in the Northwesten Tip-Off Classic this weekend as the Falcons will open with IIAC powerhouse (and defending Champion) Simpson. That should be a GREAT one to watch.
But I could detect the nervousness on GAC Head Coach Mickey Haller's face before the game and her fears were justified as they were taking on a very athletic, fast and experience UW-River Falls team that has a ton of returning players from last year's team that got off to a 13-0 start. The Falcons started out pressing right away, forcing some Gustie turnovers. That, combined with two 3-pointers gave UW-River Falls a quick 10-2 lead just under the 17:00 minute mark in the first half. After a Gustie basket, the Falcons responded with yet another "3" that got them to 13-4.
It was apparent to me that the Gusties were having a difficult time adjusting to the speed and athleticisim that UW-River Falls has; particularly at the guard positions. Moreover, the Falcon front consisting of Maranda Dohrn and Taylor House were wreaking havoc down low on the Gusties who were often caught flat-footed as both Dohrn and House were able to find easy baskets and grab several key offensive rebounds. Despite a Molly Geske 3-pointer that got the Gusties to within six at 13-7, UW-River Falls would then go on a 8-2 run to get to 21-9 at the 8:27 mark. GAC looked as if they were in BIG trouble.
But, to the Gusties credit, the clawed and scratched their way back into the contest as they reeled off a 14-2 run of their own to eventually get the game knotted up at 23-all. The two teams would play relatively even steven for the rest of the 1st half that saw them knotted up at 32-all at the intermission.
My own feelings about the first half was that, despite the fact that GAC managed to get on a run of their own that enabled them to get even again, they really got outplayed for the most part by UW-River Falls. The Gusties looked S-L-O-W at times on defense and Dohrn and House made minced meat of the willowy Gustie front line. I give GAC a LOT of credit for keeping their composure and battling back. Still, you had to figure there was a lot of chewing and cussing going on in that locker room at halftime.
UW-River Falls started out the second half much the same way as they began the opening minutes of the 1st half; getting on a quick 5-0 run highlighted by Tiffany Gregorich's 3-pointer. But this time the Gusties ratched up the intensity; particularly on defense and they proceeded to go on a 10-0 tear that got them to 42-37. After forcing a handful of Falcon turnovers, the Gusties then went on another run; this time 10-4 that stretched the GAC lead to 52-41 with just over 10 minutes left in the game. GAC would hold this cushion the rest of the way and wind up with a 70-59 win.
When I look back on this game, particularly the 2nd half, this was, IMHO, a break-out game for sophomore post player Abby Rothenbuehler who was simply outstanding at times with her rebounding; using her slender 6'2" frame for all that it's worth. And not only that, she was a disruptive force on the defensive side as well for the Gusties as she forced several bad or rushed passes from the Falcons. Also (pleasantly) surprising for me were both Kelsey Florian and freshman newcomer Julia Dysthie. Molly Mathiowetz made up for a sluggish 1st half as well. Despite all the turnovers UW-River Falls had in the second half, for the game they outrebounded the Gusties 36-26; something that the Gusties will ultimately have to address as they head out to South Dakota to take on Augustana College. UW-River Falls will be in the Twin Cities tomorrow (Friday 11-19) as one of the teams in the Northwesten Tip-Off Classic this weekend as the Falcons will open with IIAC powerhouse (and defending Champion) Simpson. That should be a GREAT one to watch.
Hamline vs. Northwestern 11-16-10
Ahhh...running late with this post as well. Nothing like trying to keep up with stuff when you've got to get your beauty sleep as well!
Anyway, Tuesday evening (11-16) I traveled over to Roseville as Northwestern of the UMAC hosted MIAC (and nearby) foe Hamline. This was an intriguing contest as it pitted two coaches making their debuts at their new schools - Aaron Kahl at Northwestern and Kerri Stockwell at Hamline. Also interesting was that it was a game where a former Hamline player (Kristin Sczublewski) now finds herself in a Northwestern uniform after transferring there over the summer.
Admittedly, Northwestern would be playing this game with one hand tied behind their back (for a lack of a better phrase) so to speak as standout Katie DeWitt was in street clothes and would not be playing this game (more on that later). Without DeWitt in the game, Northwestern is simply not the same team and it became more and more apparent that they would struggle some without her. Hamline would build up leads of 8-4 and 10-5 at the midway mark. Hamline was far from flawless, however, as turnovers would plague them in the first half. Also, senior standout PG Nikki Klinck picked up two quick fouls early on that prompted Stockwell to sit Klinck for the rest of the 1st half .
Hamline had the edge for most of the 1st half and, perhaps encouraging for Stockwell, was the emergence of junior forward/post Stephanie Rice and freshman Je'Naya Brown at the PG spot for Klinck. Rice showed her versatility by hitting a "3" at the 8:13 mark that gave the Pipers a 13-7 lead and Brown showed off her flashiness and speed on several occasions. That girl has incredible leaping ability as well for someone who's only 5'2". Still, Northwestern was able to scrap together a small run that got them to within one at 17-18 although Hamline did get a "3" right before the half to stretch the lead to 21-17. I thought that Northwestern was very fortunate to be within four of Hamline at the break as it was quite obvious that Hamline is a much quicker and more athletic team than a DeWitt-less Northwestern and the Eagles had to work very hard for every scoring opportunity they got.
For the second half, Stockwell installed Klinck back into the line-up and she responded by scoring right away for the Pipers that, along with a Kara Poirer 3-pointer, ignited a 7-0 Hamline run that found them up 28-17 at the 15:50 mark. Despite a nice drive and finish from the Eagles Sczublewski, Poirer of Hamline quickly answered with another "3" that got the Pipers to 31-19 from which Northwestern could never recover. Even worse for Northwestern was at the 9:30 mark when Eagle junior post Megan Myhre was on the bench for a spell that forced Kahl to stick willowy senior forward Allison Johnson on Hamline post Mary Wilkowski - a bad matchup that Wilkowski was able to exploit as Hamline stretched their lead to 14 at 40-26. Strangely quiet for Hamline for almost the entire game until (finally) the 5:53 mark was sharp-shooter Jackie Kelly as she drained a long "3" from the left side and a 43-29 Piper lead. Northwestern would make one last charge; highlighted by freshman phenom Mollie Sir's 3-pointer that got the Eagles to within 36-43 but Hamline would be able to close this one out with a 10-point cushion as they prevailed 52-42.
It will be interesting to see how Hamline adjusts to Stockwell's new system. She did retain assistant Angel Leon from the MY-K regime but I'm sure the atmosphere will be very different this season at Hutton Arena. I think she's got enough returning talent (Wilkowski, Klinck, Kelly as senior leaders) and an interesting mix of newcomers (particularly Brown) that can make the Pipers a dangerous team at least and certainly capable of being in the mix for that 6th playoff spot in the MIAC. But they've got to keep the main cogs healthy and injury-free to do that. As far as Northwestern, they'll have Katie DeWitt back for Friday's contest against North Central. Turns out that she apparently had to sit out this game (although Kahl didn't elaborate as to the "why"). They're certainly a team that, with a healthy DeWitt, can compete for a UMAC title.
Anyway, Tuesday evening (11-16) I traveled over to Roseville as Northwestern of the UMAC hosted MIAC (and nearby) foe Hamline. This was an intriguing contest as it pitted two coaches making their debuts at their new schools - Aaron Kahl at Northwestern and Kerri Stockwell at Hamline. Also interesting was that it was a game where a former Hamline player (Kristin Sczublewski) now finds herself in a Northwestern uniform after transferring there over the summer.
Admittedly, Northwestern would be playing this game with one hand tied behind their back (for a lack of a better phrase) so to speak as standout Katie DeWitt was in street clothes and would not be playing this game (more on that later). Without DeWitt in the game, Northwestern is simply not the same team and it became more and more apparent that they would struggle some without her. Hamline would build up leads of 8-4 and 10-5 at the midway mark. Hamline was far from flawless, however, as turnovers would plague them in the first half. Also, senior standout PG Nikki Klinck picked up two quick fouls early on that prompted Stockwell to sit Klinck for the rest of the 1st half .
Hamline had the edge for most of the 1st half and, perhaps encouraging for Stockwell, was the emergence of junior forward/post Stephanie Rice and freshman Je'Naya Brown at the PG spot for Klinck. Rice showed her versatility by hitting a "3" at the 8:13 mark that gave the Pipers a 13-7 lead and Brown showed off her flashiness and speed on several occasions. That girl has incredible leaping ability as well for someone who's only 5'2". Still, Northwestern was able to scrap together a small run that got them to within one at 17-18 although Hamline did get a "3" right before the half to stretch the lead to 21-17. I thought that Northwestern was very fortunate to be within four of Hamline at the break as it was quite obvious that Hamline is a much quicker and more athletic team than a DeWitt-less Northwestern and the Eagles had to work very hard for every scoring opportunity they got.
For the second half, Stockwell installed Klinck back into the line-up and she responded by scoring right away for the Pipers that, along with a Kara Poirer 3-pointer, ignited a 7-0 Hamline run that found them up 28-17 at the 15:50 mark. Despite a nice drive and finish from the Eagles Sczublewski, Poirer of Hamline quickly answered with another "3" that got the Pipers to 31-19 from which Northwestern could never recover. Even worse for Northwestern was at the 9:30 mark when Eagle junior post Megan Myhre was on the bench for a spell that forced Kahl to stick willowy senior forward Allison Johnson on Hamline post Mary Wilkowski - a bad matchup that Wilkowski was able to exploit as Hamline stretched their lead to 14 at 40-26. Strangely quiet for Hamline for almost the entire game until (finally) the 5:53 mark was sharp-shooter Jackie Kelly as she drained a long "3" from the left side and a 43-29 Piper lead. Northwestern would make one last charge; highlighted by freshman phenom Mollie Sir's 3-pointer that got the Eagles to within 36-43 but Hamline would be able to close this one out with a 10-point cushion as they prevailed 52-42.
It will be interesting to see how Hamline adjusts to Stockwell's new system. She did retain assistant Angel Leon from the MY-K regime but I'm sure the atmosphere will be very different this season at Hutton Arena. I think she's got enough returning talent (Wilkowski, Klinck, Kelly as senior leaders) and an interesting mix of newcomers (particularly Brown) that can make the Pipers a dangerous team at least and certainly capable of being in the mix for that 6th playoff spot in the MIAC. But they've got to keep the main cogs healthy and injury-free to do that. As far as Northwestern, they'll have Katie DeWitt back for Friday's contest against North Central. Turns out that she apparently had to sit out this game (although Kahl didn't elaborate as to the "why"). They're certainly a team that, with a healthy DeWitt, can compete for a UMAC title.
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Big First Game - UW-Stevens Point vs UST
Made my very first visit to UST's new Anderson Athletic & Recreation Complex - which houses the "new" Schoeneker Arena - for UST's home opener vs. nationally-ranked (#6 in the nation) UW-Stevens Point last night. First, I want to apologize for not getting this on last night like I wanted; I was so bloody tired when I got back and had to get up and go to work in the (early) A.M. that beauty sleep was a dire necessity. In any event, it was a great game to watch and it had the feeling of an NCAA Tournament game.
Ruth Sinn's starting line-up consisted of Carolyn Dienhart at the PG spot and willowy sharp-shooter Ali Johnson at the #2 spot while the front line consisted of Jazmin Townsend, Sarah Smith, and Rachel Booth at the post. UW-Stevens Point's line-up was just as formidable with Andrea Flease, Christin Coles, Brooke Allen, Ashley Averkamp, and Britta Peterson. UST got off to a good start in this one; grabbing a 5-0 lead and was able to hold a slim advantage over the Pointers until the 9:44 mark when UW-Stevens Point tied the game at 17-all. What impressed me about UST is how newcomers Maggie Weiers and Taylor Young were able to come in and make a huge impact right away. From a pure height standpoint, UST had a definite advantage but what concerned me over the course of the first half was UW-Stevens Point's quickness at all positions; even from post player Peterson who showed her versatility when she hit a trey to give the Pointers a brief lead at 22-19 at the 8:20 mark; capping an 8-2 run by UW-Stevens Point. You could see how Flease was making Dienhart's life totally miserable out on the perimeter. Still, UST managed to step on the gas and get the advantage again when Ali Johnson canned two big treys coming down the stretch and both Weiers and Young continued to do damage down low for the Tommies to give them a 40-37 halftime lead. I never did see or hear any shooting statistics but I'm guessing that both teams were shooting close to 50% perhaps which gives you an idea of the quality of play from both teams.
The second half also started well for the Tommies as the willowy blonde sharp-shooter Johnson drained another "3" at the 16:33 mark to give the Tommies their biggest lead of the night at 49-43. It was MAYBE there where UST needed to apply the thumbs to the proverbial windpipe of UW-Stevens Point. But the Pointers then showed why they're the #6 team in the country as they cooly responded; cutting the Tommie lead back down to a more manageable 2 points. Also, UW-Stevens Point was incredibly lucky in landing transfer Sam Barber from Winona State as she played a HUGE role for the Pointers in the second half that would eventually propel the Pointers on to ultimate victory. There was a shaky moment for the Pointers when post Peterson was out with a cramp around the 8:09 mark but less than two minutes later the score was tied at 61. Then, at the 4:11 mark, UW-Stevens Point made their move. They got on a quick 4-0 run that got them a 67-64 lead which they would never relinquish. A couple of minutes later with UW-Stevens Point clinging to a tenuous 2 point advantage, Barber again came through with a huge 3-pointer to give the Pointers a 70-65 lead. Booth was on the bench for UST at this critical point and, although she did come back in at the 2:20 mark, it may have been too little, too late. The Pointers would hang on to steal a huge, non-conference game on the road 72-67. I guess what stood out to me again was how UW-Stevens Point really turned up the heat defensively on the Tommies and made UST pay with turnovers. Another thing that hurt the Tommies down the stretch in a close game - MISSED FREE THROWS! Again, I don't have the stats but this really made a huge difference as UST had ample chances to knot the game back up again. Perhaps Coach Ruth Sinn summed it up best when I had a chance to speak with her afterward. She mentioned that "we did not do a good job with keeping our poise when they made their run at us." She also added that it was something of an aberration with the missed FTs as they had made 34 straight in practice the day before (!). Presumably, they'll have worked on this practice today and tomorrow before they head off to Los Angeles to take on Occidental.
Ruth Sinn's starting line-up consisted of Carolyn Dienhart at the PG spot and willowy sharp-shooter Ali Johnson at the #2 spot while the front line consisted of Jazmin Townsend, Sarah Smith, and Rachel Booth at the post. UW-Stevens Point's line-up was just as formidable with Andrea Flease, Christin Coles, Brooke Allen, Ashley Averkamp, and Britta Peterson. UST got off to a good start in this one; grabbing a 5-0 lead and was able to hold a slim advantage over the Pointers until the 9:44 mark when UW-Stevens Point tied the game at 17-all. What impressed me about UST is how newcomers Maggie Weiers and Taylor Young were able to come in and make a huge impact right away. From a pure height standpoint, UST had a definite advantage but what concerned me over the course of the first half was UW-Stevens Point's quickness at all positions; even from post player Peterson who showed her versatility when she hit a trey to give the Pointers a brief lead at 22-19 at the 8:20 mark; capping an 8-2 run by UW-Stevens Point. You could see how Flease was making Dienhart's life totally miserable out on the perimeter. Still, UST managed to step on the gas and get the advantage again when Ali Johnson canned two big treys coming down the stretch and both Weiers and Young continued to do damage down low for the Tommies to give them a 40-37 halftime lead. I never did see or hear any shooting statistics but I'm guessing that both teams were shooting close to 50% perhaps which gives you an idea of the quality of play from both teams.
The second half also started well for the Tommies as the willowy blonde sharp-shooter Johnson drained another "3" at the 16:33 mark to give the Tommies their biggest lead of the night at 49-43. It was MAYBE there where UST needed to apply the thumbs to the proverbial windpipe of UW-Stevens Point. But the Pointers then showed why they're the #6 team in the country as they cooly responded; cutting the Tommie lead back down to a more manageable 2 points. Also, UW-Stevens Point was incredibly lucky in landing transfer Sam Barber from Winona State as she played a HUGE role for the Pointers in the second half that would eventually propel the Pointers on to ultimate victory. There was a shaky moment for the Pointers when post Peterson was out with a cramp around the 8:09 mark but less than two minutes later the score was tied at 61. Then, at the 4:11 mark, UW-Stevens Point made their move. They got on a quick 4-0 run that got them a 67-64 lead which they would never relinquish. A couple of minutes later with UW-Stevens Point clinging to a tenuous 2 point advantage, Barber again came through with a huge 3-pointer to give the Pointers a 70-65 lead. Booth was on the bench for UST at this critical point and, although she did come back in at the 2:20 mark, it may have been too little, too late. The Pointers would hang on to steal a huge, non-conference game on the road 72-67. I guess what stood out to me again was how UW-Stevens Point really turned up the heat defensively on the Tommies and made UST pay with turnovers. Another thing that hurt the Tommies down the stretch in a close game - MISSED FREE THROWS! Again, I don't have the stats but this really made a huge difference as UST had ample chances to knot the game back up again. Perhaps Coach Ruth Sinn summed it up best when I had a chance to speak with her afterward. She mentioned that "we did not do a good job with keeping our poise when they made their run at us." She also added that it was something of an aberration with the missed FTs as they had made 34 straight in practice the day before (!). Presumably, they'll have worked on this practice today and tomorrow before they head off to Los Angeles to take on Occidental.
Sunday, November 14, 2010
Things Are Getting Underway!!
Things really get underway beginning tomorrow. GAC will be down in Waverly paying a visit to IIAC opponent Wartburg and it should be a challenging road opener for the Gusties. I'll be at the home opener for UST in their new crib as they host WIAC powerhouse UW-Stevens Point. This is without question a great match-up as both teams figure to be in the title hunt in their conferences. Then, Tuesday night Hamline goes up the road on Snelling Avenue to pay a visit to nearby Northwestern of the UMAC. Should be an intriguing game as both programs have new coaches at the helm. Then, on Wednesday night I'll be down at St. Peter as GAC has their home opener against WIAC opponent UW-River Falls. Again, a very intriguing match-up as both teams hope to do a lot of damage in their respective conferences. While I don't expect UW-River Falls to get off to another 13-0 start like they did last year, the Falcons pose a lot of problems with their up-tempo game and the Gusties won't have a lot of time to recover from their road trip at Wartburg.
While things have already started up on the Community College front, Anoka-Ramsey was down in Mason City on Friday and Saturday (they were able to escape the season's first big snowstorm) for the NIACC Classic. Despite doing several searches I was unable to get any scores from these two days. ARCC was to have played Ellsworth on Friday afternoon and then play host NIACC on Saturday. Illinois Central College was there as well and I personally feel it's a damn shame that ARCC didn't get a crack at this powerhouse program from downstate Illinois. That would have been special to have been able to have watched that.
As always, will provide details from the games I'm attending this week. As an added plus, I'll also be at the Hopkins Girls Basketball Jamboree this coming Saturday as a smattering of teams will be there participating.
While things have already started up on the Community College front, Anoka-Ramsey was down in Mason City on Friday and Saturday (they were able to escape the season's first big snowstorm) for the NIACC Classic. Despite doing several searches I was unable to get any scores from these two days. ARCC was to have played Ellsworth on Friday afternoon and then play host NIACC on Saturday. Illinois Central College was there as well and I personally feel it's a damn shame that ARCC didn't get a crack at this powerhouse program from downstate Illinois. That would have been special to have been able to have watched that.
As always, will provide details from the games I'm attending this week. As an added plus, I'll also be at the Hopkins Girls Basketball Jamboree this coming Saturday as a smattering of teams will be there participating.
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
Anoka-Ramsey Opens Up Season With Blowout Win
Attended the season opener for Anoka-Ramsey this evening as the Golden Rams took opponent St. Cloud Technical College to the woodshed in a 105-24 landslide that honestly could have been a lot worse. Because the game got out of hand quickly, head coach David DeWitt was able to substitute liberally. Because Marie Hanson is still out with a bum knee, DeWitt started three of his new incoming freshmen; Jayme Hill, Tacita Gonzalez, and Tracy McGregor along with sophs Mallory Cramer and Stephanie Pilgrim. Gonzalez has excellent speed and can shoot behind the arc. Also was impressed with a couple of other freshmen as well; Tamarra Shorter and Bailey Lund. As you can imagine from the score, ARCC had numerous easy fast break points from steals. Things will toughen up this coming Friday as ARCC heads down to Mason City, Iowa for the NIACC Classic with a matchup with Ellworth and then NIACC the following day.
Sunday, November 7, 2010
More Scrimmages!
Was able to take in the St. Kate's - Anoka-Ramsey scrimmage yesterday A.M. (Saturday 11-6) over at Anoka-Ramsey. The regulare season hasn't even started yet and already SK could possibly be without their starting PG, Quin Halverson, who injured her knee in practice late this last week and was in civies on the bench this day. Difficult to say how long she could be out; she was supposed to get the results of the MRI back by the first of this next week (perhaps Monday 11-8). In the meantime, for this scrimmage (and possibly beyond as well), SK Head Coach Gary Rufsvold was forced to shove Megan Zillmer from her shooting guard spot into the PG spot; a transition that's going to take some time for Zillmer to adjust to. Also, one of the new freshman players was inserted into the #2 spot as well (not sure what her name is right now). The first 20-minute set saw ARCC gradually pull away as the stanza progressed. SK looked lethargic in this one and was simply getting schooled on the perimeter (you could sense Zillmer's frustration out there) and ARCC took the first set 30-21 (not as close as the score would indicate.
For the second 20-minute set, Rufsvold sent out his second team (with notables Adele Simerson-Wallfred, Jessica Hoffman, and sophomore Andrea Gould. ARCC completely dominated this one in all aspects except the scoreboard which they did wind up winning 20-17.
The third and final 20-minute set was by far and away the most competitive of the day as the SK first team was in there for the bulk of this stanza. SK finally looked like it was clicking on all cylinders in this one and front-liners Laura Kalbfell and Sonja Ellingson were able to do a lot of damage inside on ARCC as they built up a 14-4 lead at one point. ARCC slowly chipped away at the SK lead, though, and once Rufsvold took out the starters and inserted the second-stringers again, the SK advantage quickly evaporated. Coming down to the final minute, ARCC was within one point and won it on a beautiful buzzer-beating drive 28-27. Definitely fun to watch.
Some observations here: SK's margin for error this year is extremely small; given that Cassie Hubler is no longer on the team and the uncertain status of Quin Halverson. To keep in playoff contention this season, the 'Cats are going to have to get a lot EACH night from Kalbfell, Ellingson, and Zillmer. Moreover, Rufsvold needs sophomore Simerson-Wallfred and junior Hoffman to really STEP UP and contribute. ARCC didn't get through this one without getting a little dinged up as well. Tacita Gonzalez diddled up her foot/ankle in the first set and was done for the day. One of the other freshman also suffered a sprained ankle early on in the 3rd set as well. And ARCC is still without the services of post Marie Hanson and Head Coach David DeDewitt was evasive when asked about when she might return to action.
Coming up this next week, ARCC tips off its regular season with a home tilt against St. Cloud Technical College on Tuesday night at 6:00 P.M. And most of the MIAC teams get their regular season underway this next weekend. Stay tuned.....
For the second 20-minute set, Rufsvold sent out his second team (with notables Adele Simerson-Wallfred, Jessica Hoffman, and sophomore Andrea Gould. ARCC completely dominated this one in all aspects except the scoreboard which they did wind up winning 20-17.
The third and final 20-minute set was by far and away the most competitive of the day as the SK first team was in there for the bulk of this stanza. SK finally looked like it was clicking on all cylinders in this one and front-liners Laura Kalbfell and Sonja Ellingson were able to do a lot of damage inside on ARCC as they built up a 14-4 lead at one point. ARCC slowly chipped away at the SK lead, though, and once Rufsvold took out the starters and inserted the second-stringers again, the SK advantage quickly evaporated. Coming down to the final minute, ARCC was within one point and won it on a beautiful buzzer-beating drive 28-27. Definitely fun to watch.
Some observations here: SK's margin for error this year is extremely small; given that Cassie Hubler is no longer on the team and the uncertain status of Quin Halverson. To keep in playoff contention this season, the 'Cats are going to have to get a lot EACH night from Kalbfell, Ellingson, and Zillmer. Moreover, Rufsvold needs sophomore Simerson-Wallfred and junior Hoffman to really STEP UP and contribute. ARCC didn't get through this one without getting a little dinged up as well. Tacita Gonzalez diddled up her foot/ankle in the first set and was done for the day. One of the other freshman also suffered a sprained ankle early on in the 3rd set as well. And ARCC is still without the services of post Marie Hanson and Head Coach David DeDewitt was evasive when asked about when she might return to action.
Coming up this next week, ARCC tips off its regular season with a home tilt against St. Cloud Technical College on Tuesday night at 6:00 P.M. And most of the MIAC teams get their regular season underway this next weekend. Stay tuned.....
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
Scrimmages!!
Finally - things are starting to happen since those first few opening practices.
First, was able to take in the Gustavus Intrasquad scrimmage this last Saturday (10-30) down in St. Peter. To say that Head Coach Mickey Haller has reeled in a bevy of young talent would be a massive understatement. This may very well be the best recruiting class she's ever had and it will be fun to watch this group develop and mix and mesh with the returning veterans. The newcomers include Eli Benz from Steele, North Dakota (Miss North Dakota Basketball), Julia Dysthie of White Bear Lake (starting PG for WBL team that made it to Class 4A State title game), Britta Rinke of Waconia, and Olivia Johnson of Red Wing, just to name a few. Add in the returning players from last year (Geske, Mathiowetz, Ruane, Perry, and sophomore Abby Rothenbuler) and you've got the makings of a team that certainly is a solid MIAC playoff contender although they're probably a year away from making a serious MIAC title run.
As for the scrimmage itself, I couldn't help but be impressed with Dysthie from WBL. She is an excellent shooter and she'll quickly adapt to the college game. Colleen Ruane, the heir apparent to Bri Radtke's PG spot, is more than ready to step in and run the offense for the Gusties. She sees the floor extrememly well and knows how to get all of her teammates involved. She has deceptive speed and isn't afraid to put the rock up if she has the good shot. EXACTLY what you want from your PG. Another player who caught my eye Saturday - sophomore Amanda Iverson of Waconia. Although not on the varsity squad last year, she's made some marked improvements in her game over the off-season and I think she's ready to make some major contributions over the next three years.
Then today, I was able to catch the scrimmage between Anoka-Ramsey Community College and Macalester; an interesting clash between the top junior college program in the state and a MIAC playoff qualifier from this last season. Because the bloody doors to the gym were inexplicably locked when I got to Leonard Center, I wasn't able to record the score for the first stanza (was finally able to get in after some confusion amongst the staff - weird) I did keep track of the next two stanzas between the teams. The second stanza saw Mac edging ARCC by a score of 29-22. At one point, Mac was up 23-12 but a 10-0 run by ARCC got the Golden Rams to within one of their MIAC foe but then the Scots answered with a 6-0 run of their own to close out this second 20-minute set. The 3rd and final stanza saw ARCC turn the tables on Mac as they won handily 28-11. Mac was playing their reserves exclusively in this set as I'm sure Head Coach Ellen Thompson wanted to see what they could do.
Macalester obviously will not be the team they had last year when they still had Ann Baltzer, Trina PaStarr, and Danielle Johnson; just so hard to replace that kind of talent AND senior leadership. They do return the sharp-shooting Rene Sisters (Shannon and Jessica; both juniors) along with (now) seniors Majra Mucic, Maddy Emanuel, and Jessica Ramirez. Also, Holly Schiedermayer (junior) is ready to step in at Baltzer's old post spot. Beyond that, there's a lot of unknown (and unproven newcomers). But you have to think that they'll at least be dangerous and can compete for that 6th playoff spot.
ARCC has the one thing that may have prevented them from winning a National Championship last year - a bench! Head Coach David DeWitt has brought in a load of newcomers to bevy his already-impressive sophomore group. Oddly enough, starting post Marie Hanson did not play in this game as she is recovering from a sore knee (hmmm....reminds me of yours truly who ALWAYS has a sore knee anymore!).
Will definitely be catching some more scrimmages in the next several days and will keep you posted on what I observe.
First, was able to take in the Gustavus Intrasquad scrimmage this last Saturday (10-30) down in St. Peter. To say that Head Coach Mickey Haller has reeled in a bevy of young talent would be a massive understatement. This may very well be the best recruiting class she's ever had and it will be fun to watch this group develop and mix and mesh with the returning veterans. The newcomers include Eli Benz from Steele, North Dakota (Miss North Dakota Basketball), Julia Dysthie of White Bear Lake (starting PG for WBL team that made it to Class 4A State title game), Britta Rinke of Waconia, and Olivia Johnson of Red Wing, just to name a few. Add in the returning players from last year (Geske, Mathiowetz, Ruane, Perry, and sophomore Abby Rothenbuler) and you've got the makings of a team that certainly is a solid MIAC playoff contender although they're probably a year away from making a serious MIAC title run.
As for the scrimmage itself, I couldn't help but be impressed with Dysthie from WBL. She is an excellent shooter and she'll quickly adapt to the college game. Colleen Ruane, the heir apparent to Bri Radtke's PG spot, is more than ready to step in and run the offense for the Gusties. She sees the floor extrememly well and knows how to get all of her teammates involved. She has deceptive speed and isn't afraid to put the rock up if she has the good shot. EXACTLY what you want from your PG. Another player who caught my eye Saturday - sophomore Amanda Iverson of Waconia. Although not on the varsity squad last year, she's made some marked improvements in her game over the off-season and I think she's ready to make some major contributions over the next three years.
Then today, I was able to catch the scrimmage between Anoka-Ramsey Community College and Macalester; an interesting clash between the top junior college program in the state and a MIAC playoff qualifier from this last season. Because the bloody doors to the gym were inexplicably locked when I got to Leonard Center, I wasn't able to record the score for the first stanza (was finally able to get in after some confusion amongst the staff - weird) I did keep track of the next two stanzas between the teams. The second stanza saw Mac edging ARCC by a score of 29-22. At one point, Mac was up 23-12 but a 10-0 run by ARCC got the Golden Rams to within one of their MIAC foe but then the Scots answered with a 6-0 run of their own to close out this second 20-minute set. The 3rd and final stanza saw ARCC turn the tables on Mac as they won handily 28-11. Mac was playing their reserves exclusively in this set as I'm sure Head Coach Ellen Thompson wanted to see what they could do.
Macalester obviously will not be the team they had last year when they still had Ann Baltzer, Trina PaStarr, and Danielle Johnson; just so hard to replace that kind of talent AND senior leadership. They do return the sharp-shooting Rene Sisters (Shannon and Jessica; both juniors) along with (now) seniors Majra Mucic, Maddy Emanuel, and Jessica Ramirez. Also, Holly Schiedermayer (junior) is ready to step in at Baltzer's old post spot. Beyond that, there's a lot of unknown (and unproven newcomers). But you have to think that they'll at least be dangerous and can compete for that 6th playoff spot.
ARCC has the one thing that may have prevented them from winning a National Championship last year - a bench! Head Coach David DeWitt has brought in a load of newcomers to bevy his already-impressive sophomore group. Oddly enough, starting post Marie Hanson did not play in this game as she is recovering from a sore knee (hmmm....reminds me of yours truly who ALWAYS has a sore knee anymore!).
Will definitely be catching some more scrimmages in the next several days and will keep you posted on what I observe.
Monday, October 11, 2010
Here We Go - A New Beginning
OK, here we go. This is my first attempt at ANY blog, much less anything related to the world of womens hoops so you'll have to bear with me here as I'm somewhat technologically "challenged" (although I'm slowly getting better).
So why did I decide to start this blog? I think the main reason I'm doing it is because womens hoops deserves much more attention than it's currently getting from tradmed/MSM. Quite simply, I've loved womens hoops ever since I was a young kid growing up in Iowa watching 6-on-6. Don't get me wrong; I like mens hoops as well but I think the women play it "better" somehow; they play as a true team better than the guys do because there's usually less room for individual stars to steal the spotlight. The game has come a long way in the past 15-20 years or so and it's getting better all the time. Moreover, the players are seemingly getting better and better each year. And I think it's worth mentioning that the passion and emotion the women and high school girls show on court during a game is incredibly captivating.
So what can you expect from this blog? First, from having followed the MIAC womens hoops scene for over the last 10-11 years and, being close to both the Gustavus and St. Kate's programs, this blog will focus PRIMARILY on the MIAC womens hoops scene. However, I'm planning to get on every angle of womens college and girls high school hoops whenever and wherever I can. And I might even throw in some WNBA tidbits here and there. So you'll get some stuff once in a while from the WIAC or UMAC and possibly the IIAC from my home state. And you'll certainly get some coverage of MCCC Community College action as well; particularly of one of the best programs in the country in Anoka-Ramsey. And I'll also be getting in a smattering of DII action as well with programs like Concordia St. Paul, St. Cloud State, and Minnesota State plus whatever else the NSIC can cook up for me. Also hope to get some notes from time to time on both the Minnesota and Iowa programs on the DI level. And yes, I'll be getting in on some high school action as well as there's plenty of angles to explore on both metro and outstate teams. Finally, I'll be reporting on action from Summer Leagues when the regular season has long since concluded.
One thing I want you to keep in mind about this blog: This is NOT going to be a "rah rah" type of board or a forum that tries to convey the message that all within the wonderful world of womens hoops is great and we should all just stick our heads in the sand at the first sign of trouble and pretend that everything is okay. Uh uh. Far from it. I don't make it a practice to pile on some college or H.S. kid but if something needs to be said I'll say it. I guess from having been a loyal reader (and participant) of the Bruins Nation blog (I am, after all, a DIE-HARD UCLA fan) and I have a great respect for the lead commentator/moderator (Nestor), I want to try and emulate the way he runs that great forum with class (kind of typical for UCLA). So yes, while I am close to both the Gustavus and St. Kate's programs, don't think I'm not going to say something if something needs to be said. As far as that goes, that goes for all programs, regardless of level, when I'm covering them. And if something good needs saying, I'll certainly be tooting that horn as well.
Also, I want all readers to know that I WELCOME comments to my coverage and the angles I have PROVIDED that they're in good taste and they're not harmful or degrading. I don't want that and I don't think you do either. So if you've got something constructive and a good argument to back your case, I WANT to hear about it.
OK, that out of the way now, I think it's a little ironic that my good friend, Tony Geer (who has done so much to promote womens and girls H.S. hoops here in the Twin Cities and the state) got me started with everything just as we're on the verge of another season about to get underway with most college teams starting up practice on or around October 15. Some programs (like Anoka-Ramsey) have already been practicing together as a team for at least a week or so. I hope I can get some glimpses of some of the early practices to try and piece together what a team may (or may not) have. I know that, at this time of year, there's a lot of anticipation and hope among players and coaches alike. If nothing else, getting to catch some early tidbits will at least temporarily take my mind off of how my poor Bruins are really struggling right now with a big road trip up to Eugene to take on the #2 Duckies lurking a little more than a week away.
So why did I decide to start this blog? I think the main reason I'm doing it is because womens hoops deserves much more attention than it's currently getting from tradmed/MSM. Quite simply, I've loved womens hoops ever since I was a young kid growing up in Iowa watching 6-on-6. Don't get me wrong; I like mens hoops as well but I think the women play it "better" somehow; they play as a true team better than the guys do because there's usually less room for individual stars to steal the spotlight. The game has come a long way in the past 15-20 years or so and it's getting better all the time. Moreover, the players are seemingly getting better and better each year. And I think it's worth mentioning that the passion and emotion the women and high school girls show on court during a game is incredibly captivating.
So what can you expect from this blog? First, from having followed the MIAC womens hoops scene for over the last 10-11 years and, being close to both the Gustavus and St. Kate's programs, this blog will focus PRIMARILY on the MIAC womens hoops scene. However, I'm planning to get on every angle of womens college and girls high school hoops whenever and wherever I can. And I might even throw in some WNBA tidbits here and there. So you'll get some stuff once in a while from the WIAC or UMAC and possibly the IIAC from my home state. And you'll certainly get some coverage of MCCC Community College action as well; particularly of one of the best programs in the country in Anoka-Ramsey. And I'll also be getting in a smattering of DII action as well with programs like Concordia St. Paul, St. Cloud State, and Minnesota State plus whatever else the NSIC can cook up for me. Also hope to get some notes from time to time on both the Minnesota and Iowa programs on the DI level. And yes, I'll be getting in on some high school action as well as there's plenty of angles to explore on both metro and outstate teams. Finally, I'll be reporting on action from Summer Leagues when the regular season has long since concluded.
One thing I want you to keep in mind about this blog: This is NOT going to be a "rah rah" type of board or a forum that tries to convey the message that all within the wonderful world of womens hoops is great and we should all just stick our heads in the sand at the first sign of trouble and pretend that everything is okay. Uh uh. Far from it. I don't make it a practice to pile on some college or H.S. kid but if something needs to be said I'll say it. I guess from having been a loyal reader (and participant) of the Bruins Nation blog (I am, after all, a DIE-HARD UCLA fan) and I have a great respect for the lead commentator/moderator (Nestor), I want to try and emulate the way he runs that great forum with class (kind of typical for UCLA). So yes, while I am close to both the Gustavus and St. Kate's programs, don't think I'm not going to say something if something needs to be said. As far as that goes, that goes for all programs, regardless of level, when I'm covering them. And if something good needs saying, I'll certainly be tooting that horn as well.
Also, I want all readers to know that I WELCOME comments to my coverage and the angles I have PROVIDED that they're in good taste and they're not harmful or degrading. I don't want that and I don't think you do either. So if you've got something constructive and a good argument to back your case, I WANT to hear about it.
OK, that out of the way now, I think it's a little ironic that my good friend, Tony Geer (who has done so much to promote womens and girls H.S. hoops here in the Twin Cities and the state) got me started with everything just as we're on the verge of another season about to get underway with most college teams starting up practice on or around October 15. Some programs (like Anoka-Ramsey) have already been practicing together as a team for at least a week or so. I hope I can get some glimpses of some of the early practices to try and piece together what a team may (or may not) have. I know that, at this time of year, there's a lot of anticipation and hope among players and coaches alike. If nothing else, getting to catch some early tidbits will at least temporarily take my mind off of how my poor Bruins are really struggling right now with a big road trip up to Eugene to take on the #2 Duckies lurking a little more than a week away.
Sunday, October 3, 2010
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