I apologize for getting this one in late as I've arguable been operating with one hand tied behind my back with no home computer. So bear with me!
Was at Osseo on this Friday night the 13th for the Northwest Suburban Conference's version of the "Civil War" - Maple Grove vs Osseo. I've always liked this rivalry because it reminds me a lot of the UCLA - USC rivalry (ahem.....GO BRUINS!!!!) as a lot of people from one school know a lot of (and are friends with) people from the other school. But it's war when they're on the court or field.
I got settled in the packed Osseo gym at the 14:40 mark with Maple Grove surprisingly up 4-0. Osseo looked strangely out of synch on offense and simply couldn't get anything going (and couldn't get shots to drop, either) so Maple Grove was able to take some advantage of it - early on anyway. As the Crimson upped the lead to 6-1, junior Kelly Olzenak drained a "3" from the left wing at the 12:34 mark that pushed the Maple Grove lead to a stunning 9-1 and started to make Osseo students (and parents) sweat a little. Those initial fears were calmed by a somewhat unlikely source - senior post Olivia Antilla - as she single-handedly brought the Orioles back. Consecutive baskets by the strongly built senior at the 12:18 and 11:58 marks and then again at the 9:07 and 8:45 marks cut the Maple Grove advantage to a shaky 11-9 score. Maple Grove senior forward Emily Eckberg gave the Crimson a brief reprieve with the shot off the glass at the 7:47 mark but another Antilla score at the 4:33 mark and then a steal and lay-up the other way by Oriole senior (and future Minnesota Golden Gopher) Mikayla Bailey cut the Crimson advantage to a scant one point at 16-15. Junior Janay Morton then gave the Orioles the lead for good at the 3:13 mark with her "3" from the top of the key to make the score 20-18 in favor of Osseo. Then it was Phyllis Webb's turn to get into the act as she grabbed a rebound off of a missed free throw and scored and got fouled in the process. Her ensuing freebie along with Antilla's long jumper before the buzzer at the top of the key enabled a surging Osseo team to take a 27-18 lead into the locker room at the break.
The Osseo onslaught picked up right where it left off when the second half began. Morton swished "3's" at the 15:55 and 15:23 marks and then Bailey drained one of her own "3's" from the left corner at the 13:44 mark that pushed the Osseo lead to 40-24. Junior Angie Davison was able to cut the lead the 42-30 at the 12:01 mark when she scored inside but she was already riding three fouls by this point and had to be very careful. But the Orioles simply were not to be denied on this night which was also the Osseo Basketball Coaches For Cancer Night with each team wearing pink t-shirts on the bench and Osseo students clad in pink t-shirts as well (very nice to see). Bailey scored in transition at the 10:39 mark that pushed the Osseo lead back up to 49-30. At the 4:38 mark, sophomore Avo Porte scored inside for Osseo to make the score 63-33 that had Osseo students gleefully chanting, "Up by 30!". Maple Grove would cut into that lead somewhat coming down the stretch but this is a young Crimson team still in the process of growing together and finding itself again - without the likes of Ellen Edison, Anna Gerdes, and Angie Davison's big sis Stephanie now at UNI. Osseo would win this one convincingly 65-42 with the rematch coming over at Maple Grove in the not too distant future - and perhaps again in Section play as well, just like last year.
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