After the exciting finish at St. Kate's, I hopped back into my car to head up Snelling Avenue and over to Bethel to catch what I could of their clash with St. Olaf. This was a critical game for both squads as St. Olaf was alive but on a respirator as far as their slim playoff chances while Bethel could clinch a spot in the MIAC playoffs with a win at home.
I got over to the Robertson Center and settled in at about the 17:15 mark with the game tied at 29 which was a pretty good indicator of how close this game really was. After senior Shana Grejtak sank a free throw to put the Royals back up 30-29; lanky freshman Elise Raney put the Oles back out in front with a hook shot and a 31-30 lead. St. Olaf was able to consolidate that lead somewhat when sophomore (and one of the best PGs in the MIAC) Mackenzie Wolter snared a rebound down low and finished with a putback for a 33-30 Ole lead. But any momentum that St. Olaf may have grabbed was quickly extinguished when St. Olaf head coach Dave Stromme, agitated by continuous questionable calls by the game officials, was hit with a "T" when sophomore Eileen O'Donoghue was whistled for a foul on Grejtak. Junior Taylor Sheley, who is almost automatic from the charity stripe (as Concordia will attest), calmly sank two free throws to pull the Royals to within one. Then, at the 14:52 mark, sophomore post Scotti Moats, who seems to get better with each game, knocked down a "3" from the top of they key that put the Royals back out in front 35-33. To their credit, the Oles knotted things up at 35-all when Raney pulled down a rebound and finished with a putback at the 13:44 mark.
The lead would bob back and forth over the next few minutes between the two teams. Bethel did get a 39-36 advantage when freshman Michaela Petrich got a rebound and a putback down low that gave the Royals a 39-36 lead. But St. Olaf would battle back once again. Wolter sank two freebies from the charity stripe at the 9:13 mark and at the 6:38 mark another one of those promising Ole freshman, this time Maddie Ehrich, sank a "3" that put St. Olaf back on top 41-39. But sophomore PG Rachel Gilbert answered quickly with a move and finish inside to tie things up at 41. The teams would once again trade leads over the next minute or so and Bethel was clinging to a one point lead after Grejtak connected with a short jumper that gave her team a 44-43 lead at the 5:01 mark.
With so much on the line for both teams you somehow knew someone would have to stand up to make a big play or hit a huge bucket somewhere along the line. After both teams struggled over the next couple of minutes (and missed out on some opportunities as well), the turning point in the game came at the 2:38 mark when Gilbert drained a "3" from the left corner with the shot clock winding down. Not only did it give the Royals a four-point 47-43 lead, it changed the complexion of the game as well considering that the Oles not only had to battle the Royals from behind but they had the clock against them as well now. Moats increased the lead to 49-43 with two free throw shots after being fouled at the 1:46 mark. Senior Terin Euerle did close the gap a bit for the Oles when she scored off the glass at the 1:15 mark but now St. Olaf had to foul to get the ball back. And with that kind of a situation, you knew who the Royals wanted to have handling the ball - Sheley. And she made the most of two opportunities at both the 1:15 and :48 marks that gave her team a seemingly insurmountable lead as Bethel was able to finish things off and clinch a treasured MIAC playoff spot winning 55-45.
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