Was up in Coon Rapids on this Friday evening to catch this match-up between host Anoka-Ramsey and visiting United Tribes Technical College out of Bismarck, North Dakota. The United Tribes roster, which consists of some native American players, has such exotic names like Jaimee White Bear, Sam Two Strike, Bobbi Three Legs, and Tai Pretty On Top. On this night, however, the United Tribes team only brought down six players which I thought was a bit odd considering that they list ten players on their roster.
In any event, the United Tribes squad managed to keep things close - in the first few minutes anyway. After Anoka-Ramsey sophomore forward Kelli Schramm snared the opening tip-off for an easy lay-up at the 19:56 mark and willowy freshman Nicole Schaub's "3" from the top at the 19:19 mark, the United Tribes team answered as freshman Lacy Leaf connected with a "3" from the right wing at the 18:12 mark and then Leaf sank two freebies after being fouled at the 17:45 mark; caused in part by a Golden Ram defensive lapse that quickly caught the ire of Head Coach David DeWitt as he admonished the guilty parties. That got their attention and from that point on, there was no looking back. Sophomore guard Tacita Gonzalez scored on a lay-up at the 17:35 mark and then it was freshman forward/post Nicole Howard who scored on consecutive possessions; snaring a rebound and getting a putback at the 15:49 mark and then connecting with a "3" from the right corner at the 15:33 mark. Anoka-Ramsey was now not only getting points, they turned up the heat on their trademark defensive pressure which causes so many problems for opponents and this night was no exception.
Leaf, who seemingly did everything for United Tribes in the first half, could not alone stem the Anoka-Ramsey tide as the Golden Ram lead began to bulge. After a Schramm score inside at the 14:20 mark, it was now freshman Tasha Ambrose's turn to steal the spotlight as she picked off an errant United Tribes pass like a thief in the night and went the other way for an easy lay-up at the 13:55 mark and then swished home a "3" from the top of the key on the ensuing possession. Leaf (a.k.a. Ms. Do Everything) was able to score on a lay-up in transition at the 12:40 mark that cut the Anoka-Ramsey lead to 22-9 but the Golden Rams were just getting warmed up. Schaub, the freshman from Park Center, showed her versatility as she made a sweet move along the baseline for a finish at the 12:26 mark and then connected with one of her patented "3's" at the 10:46 mark; this one from the left wing that upped the Anoka-Ramsey lead to 29-9. The Golden Rams would up their margin to 31-13 by the 8:41 mark before two scores by sophomore forward/post Shanaye Packineau briefly gave United Tribes some hope with scores at the 9:23, 8:41, and 8:04 marks. But again, Anoka-Ramsey would not let off with the choke-hold. Sophomore guard Cami Bauer banged home a "3" from the top of the key with 7:49 left and then it was Gonzalez' turn to shine as she did the honors from behind the arc from the right wing spot with 6:24 left that upped Anoka-Ramsey's lead to 40-18 and then sophomore from Fridley who has whipped herself into shape since the beginning of the season snared a steal and went the other way for an easy lay-up with 5:58 left. The United Tribes turnovers and subsequent steals by the Golden Rams were coming with ever-increasing frequency and, by the halftime break, Anoka-Ramsey was cruising with a commanding 54-22 lead.
Anoka-Ramsey picked up right where they left off before the halftime break. Schaub started things off by hitting a jumper along the left baseline at the 19:51 mark which was the start of a 32-3 run by the Golden Rams that lasted over ten minutes and showed the potential that this Anoka-Ramsey team has. Leaf briefly halted the carnage with two freebies at the 8:49 mark but this Anoka-Ramsey team doesn't seem to know (or care) of how big a lead they have on the scoreboard. They just want more. Bauer connected with a "3" with 7:39 left and then it was Ambrose doing likewise from the right top with 7:07 left as Anoka-Ramsey inched closer to the century mark with a 92-31 lead. The encouraging thing for the United Tribes squad was that they never quit working or hustling. Aside from Leaf (and perhaps Packineau) they simply don't have the abundant talent that Anoka-Ramsey possesses. Leaf especially has potential at the next level. Packineau hit one more "3" from the left top with 5:04 left and then Leaf scored inside with 3:51 left and then sophomore Kiri Schumacher banged home a "3" from the left corner with 2:04 left. Anoka-Ramsey got the easy "W" on this night, winning 98-39 but perhaps more importantly, they got some much-needed momentum for their game tomorrow against Gogebic which beat Anoka-Ramsey recently at Gogebic and from my conversations with some of the Anoka-Ramsey players afterward, they definitely have revenge on their mind.
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