Was down in St. Peter on this Sunday afternoon for the Gustavus Adolphus Black-Gold Intrasquad Scrimmage this Sunday afternoon. And even though my always and forever Los Angeles Rams were pulling off an improbable upset of the New Orleans Saints, I was glad to get a first-hand look at the Gusties before the upcoming season.
The afternoon's event was broken down into three separate 20-minute scrimmages; each with its own interesting flavor and twists.
1st Scrimmage
Black Team Starters
Eli Benz
Molly Geske
Julia Dysthie
Steph Comer
Amanda Iverson
Gold Team Starters
Abby Rothenbuehler
Liz Shay
Kelsey Florian
Abbey Arends
Colleen Ruane
Early on in this scrimmage, Arends was looking good for the Gold Team as she helped to propel them to an early 6-2 lead. The lead shortly ballooned to 12-2 before the Black Team finally got something going. Geske nailed a "3" at the 14:40 mark to cut the Gold Team's lead to 14-9 and then hit another at the 12:14 mark that cut the Gold Team's lead to 18-12. But the Gold Team would not let the Black Team get much closer than that. Gold Team reserve Britta Rinke knocked down a short jumper at the 11:20 mark. Consecutive buckets by Arends and a Rothenbuehler rebound at putback at the 5:40 mark pushed the Gold Team's lead to 29-20. Arends then finished inside at the 4:09 mark that gave the Gold Team a 35-24 lead and Ruane finished off the glass at the 3:44 mark for a 37-24 lead. Gold Team reserve Mia Sandstrom was able to finish off the glass with just :22 left to give the Gold Team its final margin of victory at 43-26.
2nd Scrimmage
Black Team Starters
Ruane
Dysthie
Rothenbuehler
Geske
Benz
Gold Team Starters
Iverson
Florian
Shay
Arends
Comer
In this scrimmage, the Black Team was able to get off to a quick 6-0 lead but the Gold Team was able to climb right back at the 17:25 mark to cut the Black Team's lead to 6-4. Benz then connected with a turnaround jumper at the 16:30 mark and then Rothenbuehler got a tough rebound and finish at the 15:45 mark and the Black Team was on its way. However, the Gold Team would not let this one go without a fight as Iverson made a sweet move inside and finished off the glass at the 14:11 mark and also knocked down a pair of free throws at the 13:43 mark. But the Black Team would continue its assault. Benz finished inside at the 12:53 mark and did likewise at the 10:18 mark. Then with 9:36 left Benz scored inside and was fouled in the process. Rothenbuehler also showed her stuff in this one as well with a finish in transition at the 8:09 mark and a "3" from the right corner with 2:48 left that got the Black Team to a 37-23 lead. Dysthie would do some late heroics in this one as well with a "3" at the 1:33 mark and a steal and layup the other way with :41 left that left the Black Team with a 45-28 win.
3rd Scrimmage
Black Team Starters
Shay
Geske
Rothenbuehler
Benz
Dysthie
Gold Team Starters
Freshmen Newcomers
The third and final scrimmage of the day had the Black Team going against the Gold Team that was comprised of the Freshmen newcomers; none of which I knew the names of yet save for FY player Emily Fitzsimmons from Maple River. Surprisingly, this one stayed scoreless until the 16:51 mark when Dysthie finished inside. The Gold Team was able to tie it up at 2-all before Benz scored on a lay-up at the 16:11 mark. But, very predictably, the dam then soon broke as the Black Team went on its much-anticipated tear enroute to an easy 26-9 win
So, what should we take from these three scrimmages? Well, I think you have to surmise that the Gusties have the potential to be very, very good this year. In fact, I will go as far to say that they SHOULD be right there with their arch-rival UST even though I give the Tommies a slight edge in the MIAC race. The Gusties are simply LOADED with talent. They have one of the top two or three PGs in the conference in senior Colleen Ruane; a very, very smart player who knows how to run the offense and get everyone involved. Perhaps even more important, they now have a post player who has the potential to be great in Abby Rothenbuehler. You can just tell how Rothenbuehler has improved so much over last year. She looks confident, poised and calm out there; ready to be one of the leaders for this squad. Oh, and we shouldn't forget senior Molly Geske who has the ability to do it all. Sophomore Eli Benz is ready to be a force inside as well for the Gusties as she looks very strong. Coming off the bench will likely be senior Ava Perry who can be deadly behind the arc and sophomore sensation Abbey Arends who will wow crowds (and opponents) with her play. The big question mark for the Gusties seems to be toughness - both mentally and physically - that may have cost them a shot at the MIAC title last year. Can they FINALLY get over that hump that has stopped them in years past and WIN the BIG ONE? UST would appear to be the only team standing in their way at the moment.
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