On this Halloween afternoon I found myself over at Bethel's Robertson Center to catch the scrimmage between host Bethel and visiting Northwestern; just a stone's throw away from the Bethel campus which makes this an ideal get-together for both squads as they prepare for the upcoming season - just a mere 2 1/2 weeks away. What was really neat was that both former Bethel standout (and reigning MIAC Player of the Year) Taylor Sheley and former Northwestern standout Kristin Sczublewski were in attendance to watch and you knew that both wished they could be out there playing with their former teammates.
The opening minutes of the first half would be tight with neither team able to gain much of an advantage; mainly because both offenses looked totally out of synch and Bethel's seemingly cold touch from a shooting standpoint. Sophomore post Kia Dahlquist did get the Royals on the board first when she manuevered her way inside and finished at the 19:48 mark but that was quickly countered by Northwestern junior standout Mollie Sir's running jumper at the 18:47 mark. Dahlquist and Sir would trade buckets again at the 17:18 and 17:04 marks and then senior point guard Kristi Nye-Studanski briefly gave the Royals the lead again at 6-4 when she canned a jumper in the lane at the 16:47 mark. But the Eagles, peppered with an enthusiastic group of freshmen who are blending in well with the veterans, pulled even again with freshman Courtney Cunard's jumper at the 13:07 mark. The pattern would continue over the next few minutes as Northwestern would cling to a one point advantage at 12-11 by the 9:05 mark.
But the Royals were still having a ton of problems getting on the same page on offense and putting down potential easy finishes inside which would prove costly. It was here where the Eagles made a decisive 11-0 run over the next four minutes that helped put Bethel in a hole. After sophomore Chanel Madson put down two freebies after being fouled, Cunard connected with another jumper at the 8:01 mark. Junior post Jessica Fife - who should be one of the standout post players in the UMAC - snared a rebound and got a putback at the 6:49 mark. Then it was Sir's time to shine as the not only got a drive and finish at the 6:06 mark but also connected from 3-point range at the right top at the 5;22 mark. Bethel senior Kelly Swenson, who struggled all day with her shooting touch, finally ended the bleeding at the 3:52 mark with a jumper that cut the deficit to ten points at 23-13. The Royals would then actually go on a flurry right before the half fueled by two lay-ups in transition off of Northwestern turnovers by Nye-Studanski that made things much more manageable for Bethel at halftime now down only 23-19.
Northwestern would make another jump as the second half got underway. Fife was able to get a freebie to go in after being fouled at the 18:59 mark. After Bethel junior Nicole Berscheid's score at the 17:36 mark, Sir again connected from behind the arc at the 16:35 mark and freshman Kim Campbell was able to put down a jumper from along the left baseline at the 15:53 mark for a 29-21 Northwestern lead. Gradually, though, Bethel would battle back. Dahlquist scored inside at the 15:03 mark and was fouled in the process and the ensuing freebie cut the Eagle lead to five points. Then senior Alicia Montbriand, who also struggled with her shooting on this day, finally did connect with a short jumper at the 13:44 mark. Sophomore reserve post Lindy Parker was able to get a rebound at putback at the 12:40 mark and then scores by both Berscheid and Swenson knotted things up at 32. The Royals finally went ahead 38-35 when junior Katelyn Vavra nailed a "3" from the right wing at the 7:21 mark and it LOOKED as if Bethel might have finally righted the ship and was poised to take control.
But oh those tricky Northwestern Eagles had other ideas and refused to go quietly on this Halloween night and all the goblins and spooks out there may have had a hand in helping doom the Royals as well coming down the stretch. First, Sir connected with a jumper just as the shot clock was expiring at the 6:00 mark. After a lay-up by Swenson, Northwestern junior Kaia Larson made a lay-up at the 4:42 mark. Sir then tied things up again at the 3:08 mark with her jumper along the left baseline. Things would be incredibly tight in the last few minutes; a Bethel score tied things at 44-all with 1:49 left before Northwestern would reclaim the lead just a few seconds later. Then Vavra was able to get a lay-up to go in after a couple of roll-arounds on the rim with just :11 left on the clock that tied it again at 46-all. But with just :02 left on the clock, the freshman Cunard was able to get inside and give the Eagles the lead and the win, 48-46 in what was one of the wildest, weirdest scrimmages I have ever seen.
The two teams did also play an extra 20 minute session that featured continuous clock running after the 10-minute mark. Bethel would get a measure of redemption in this one as the starters gave way to let the younger players get some much-needed experience. While it was not one of the prettiest games to watch, it was good to see the new faces get some opportunites to show what they could do. With things tied at 8-all at the 10:07 mark, sophomore post Jami Friday made a single free throw that gave the Royals a lead they would not relinquish this time around. Freshman Kaia Carlson connected with a lay-up at the 6:58 mark and a score inside by Friday with 6:24 left had Bethel up 13-8. Freshman post Megan Brodeur also collected scores at the 3:58 and 2:04 marks that helped the Royals record a 20-12 win in this one.
While I try not to take too much from early-in-the-year scrimmages, it's obvious that the Royals have a lot of work ahead of them in if they plan to be a factor in the MIAC race again this upcoming season. While they may have lost Sheley to graduation, they still have Swenson who has a chance to become a dominating player in the MIAC this year; certainly from a defensive standpoint but she needs to step up from a scoring standpoint as well. Micaella Petrich, when she returns from her injury, will be an important factor as well as both Berscheid and Montbriand who will likely be the top three-point bomber for the Royals this season. Certainly their margin for error is smaller than what it was last year and they need to avoid some of the swoons this team has had in recent years if they hope to return to the conference playoffs. Kahl thinks his Northwestern squad SHOULD be in the upper half of the UMAC this season. Again, I think Fife can be dominating if she wants to be. Sir can be a deadly three-point shooter when "on" and junior Becca Kendrick should be a "go to" player as well.
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