Was down at St. Peter on this sunny but cold afternoon for the 3:00 P.M. clash between visting St. Bens and host Gustavus Adolphus. Gustavus has rebounded nicely after the tough loss to UST a week ago but it's been a rough roller coaster ride for the Blazers and things have become even more precarious for Mike Durbin's team as of late as senior PG Cassie Dorschner went down this last Wednesday night in the home victory over St. Kate's with a broken leg; an incredibly tough break for this young lady who had big plans for her and her team in her senior season.
Despite all that, there was a part of me that had mixed thoughts about how this game could go as CSB and GAC historically have had very close, very tough games before and last year the Blazers spanked the Gusties right there in Lund Arena. Then again, I knew that if there was ever a year where the Gusties might really take it to the Blazers, this would probably be the year. Just how much CSB already misses their senior PG became obvious early on as the Gusties raced to a 9-0 lead fueled by a finish by senior guard Ava Perry in transition to get things going; sophomore Eli Benz' basket inside; a "3" by senior Molly Geske, and a lay-up by junior Kelsey Florian. The Gustie lead bulged to as much as 15-2 before CSB junior Jamie Wollin temporarily stopped the bleeding with baskets at the 14:06 mark and 13:39 mark. But no matter how the Blazers tried to counter, Gustavus simply had too many weapons to let the Blazers in this contest. "3's" by junior Steph Comer and ever-improving sophomore Britta Rinke from the right corner got the Gusties to a 25-12 lead by the 9:53 mark and Florian's "3" at the 8:39 mark gave the Gusties a two-touchdown lead at 28-14 by the 8:39 mark. Things would only get worse for the red-clad Blazers coming down the stretch. Perry finished in transition again at the 6:07 mark and sophomore reserve guard Shelly Blashko nailed a "3" (her specialty) at the 3:01 mark that enabled the Gusties to take a commanding 44-21 lead into the locker room at the half.
The Blazers showed that they can still play with a lot of heart as they got off to a good start in the second half. Sophomore Brianna Barrett connected with a turnaround jumper and was fouled in the process and, although she missed the ensuing free throw, it gave the Blazers a flicker of hope. Junior Whitney Canton did make two freebies after being fouled at the 19:02 mark and Barrett snared a rebound and got a putback at the 18:14 mark. A "3" by Barrett from the right wing at the 17:45 mark and another "3" by freshman PG Jessica Fischer briefly kept the Blazers to within 20 but the Gusties then went on yet another onslaught. Geske made a pretty move and finish inside at the 14:47 mark and senior PG Colleen Ruane finished in transition at the 14:12 mark. Both Comer and Blashko swished "3's" at the 11:11 and 10:38 marks, respectively and junior reserve post Amanda Iverson got in on the act as well with a charity stripe basket and a score inside a bit later. Another "3" by the dimunitive Blashko from the left wing gave the Gusties their largest lead of the day at 69-39 by the 8:51 mark. The Blazers would cut into that bulge coming down the stretch; never quitting; never giving up but the Gusties had the ample cushion that they needed to cruise to an easy 81-64 win.
Perhaps the most encouraging thing for Gustavus on this day was that Head Coach Mickey Haller had ample opportunities to use her bench and give her reserves plenty of playing time which, IMHO, really helps this team as they do seem (for whatever reason) to get into a stagnated mode offensively from time to time. Players such as reserve senior Liz Shay, sophomore Abbey Arends (who has an incredibly bright future ahead of her at GAC), and fellow sophomore Julia Dysthie can all figure into the equation that helps to give Gustavus an incredibly deep bench. As for CSB, Head Coach Mike Durbin knows he has a very young team and with Dorschner now out of the mix with her injury, this will likely be a rebuilding year for the Blazers. But don't expect CSB to just lay down and wave the white flag for the rest of the season. They are well-coached and will always be dangerous on any given night.
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