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.
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