Made the trip over to Wayzata High School last night to catch this intriguing match-up between the #4 and #5 seeds in Section 6AAAA - host Wayzata and visiting Armstrong. It always seems like the #4/#5 match-ups can be totally unpredictable and exciting plus that, when you look at two programs who have a rich tradition and history when it comes to girls basketball like Armstrong and Wayzata and the great players that have played there (April Calhoun and Missy Pederson for Armstrong and Kate Thompson and Kayla Timmerman for Wayzata) you can be sure that both sides take great pride in their respective history.
Not surprisingly, things would be relatively tight in the opening minutes with neither side being able to gain a decisive edge. After a lay-up by Armstrong sophomore sensation point guard Lyric Williams at the 17:31 mark that had the Falcons up 2-0, the host Trojans were unable to get much going offensively early on and the chaos and confusion on offense had Wayzata Head Coach Mike Schumacher fuming as he had to burn a timeout at the 16:27 mark to get his squad reorganized and calmed down. The "talking to" seemed to work as the Trojans responded and promptly bolted to a 5-2 lead by the 14:38 mark but Armstrong would come right back . Williams connected with a jumper at the 13:34 mark and then made good on a drive and finish at the 12:44 mark that had the Falcons up again at 6-5. The Trojans, featuring a much taller line-up, definitely had the height advantage - and opportunities inside - but anxiety or nerves caused them to miss out on several easy opportunities which allowed Armstrong to hang around early on.
Wayzata finally shook off those anxieties just before the midway point of the first half and got themselves untracked. After Armstrong sophomore forward Miranda Robinson's offensive rebound and putback at the 10:48 mark that had the Falcons back up at 10-9, the Trojans got going. Senior guard Jenna Rimmereid banged home a "3" at the 10:31 mark and then diminutive senior guard Kiana Nickel was able to manuever inside for a score on the next Trojan possession. Senior guard Summer Johnson was able to get into the paint as well for a score at the 9:50 mark and got fouled in the process doing so. Then Rimmereid knocked down a jumper from the left wing at the 8:56 mark and Armstrong Head Coach Antiwan Easley called a halt to the action to try and get his team calmed down. But the Trojans were far from finished with their first half run. Summer Johnson made good on a lay-up with 8:14 left and senior guard Katie Schulz made her presence felt by connecting with a pull-up jumper with 7:25 left and then knocking down two free throws with 6:14 left to complete a remarkable 17-2 run that had the young Falcons reeling. Armstrong, however, would find a way to cut the deficit into a somewhat more manageable point spread before halftime. Senior forward Emily Jacobson got inside for a score wotj 5:02 left and then Williams connected with another jumper with 3:48 left. Senior guard Kelsey Meredith slithered into the paint for a score with 2:21 left that got the Falcons to within single digits again at 26-18 and a jumper in the lane by Jacobson with 1:56 left kept the deficity at eight before Schulz' steal and putback iin the backcourt made it a 30-20 game in favor of the Trojans at halftime. Maybe not the single-digit deficit that the Falcons were hoping for but far better than the mountain they were looking at at the midway point of the first half.
One thing I learned about this relatively young Armstrong team is that they do not fade quietly into the night, even in a situation where everything is on the line for them. Rather, they seem to relish in the opportunity and slowly but surely this Falcon squad battled back. After Williams made good on one free throw after being fouled in transition, junior guard Hana Sacic got inside for a score at the 15:59 mark that cut the Wayzata lead down to 32-25. Williams then cut through the heart of the Wayzata defense for a lay-up at the 14:38 mark that cut the deficit to five and then further made life miserable for the Trojans as she was fouled again in a transition opportunity and made good on the ensuing freebies to cut the Wayzata lead down to 32-29. The Trojans would then make a push themselves to once again build a slight cushion. After Nickel made one free throw at the 12:01 mark, senior forward Reilly Johnson connected on a short jumper at the 10:09 mark and then Schulz knocked down a pull-up jumper in transition with 9:49 left. A drive and finish by Schulz with 8:47 left kept the lead at seven at 39-32 and, presumably anyway from a Wayzata standpoint, it looked as if the Trojans were in control of things once again. Or so they thought. Williams manuevered inside for a score with 8:37 left and then senior guard Sam Zbaracki uncorked a "3" from the left wing with 7:44 left that suddenly had the Falcons within two again at 39-37. After withstanding a "3" point shot from the Trojans' Nickel, Armstrong kept up their assault. Jacobson connected with a short shot with 7:12 left and then a sweet shot off the glass by Jacobson with 6:32 left pulled the Falcons to within one at 42-41. After Schulz sank one freebie for Wayzata after being fouled, Williams then knotted things up at 43-all with her jumper with 6:18 left. They had done it the hard way but Armstrong resourcefully battled and now could roll the dice in the hopes of pulling off the upset.
But just when it looked like Armstrong was primed to pull off this unlikely feat, things began to go awry for the Falcons and they simply ran out of gas while the Trojans put on a decisive run on the way to ultimate victory. Schulz made good on a drive and finish with 5:41 left that put Wayzata back into the lead for good. Senior guard Summer Johnson made two free throws after being fouled with 4:52 left. Then it was Summer Johnson again making an impact late as she made a strong move along the left baseline for a finish that made it 49-43 Wayzata with 3:38 left. Schulz then connected on a jumper with 2:34 left that completed this decisive 8-0 run and had Easley calling a timeout to see if he could get his team primed for one more run perhaps. The Falcons would make a last gasp push - Williams knocked down a short jumper with 1:42 left and, after a steal by Sacic Williams made good on a lay-up that cut the lead down to four at 51-47. Schulz, however, was nails at the charity stripe for Wayzata in the waning moments as she knocked down two freebies on two occasions that kept things just safe enough for the Trojans. Zbaracki did drain one more three for the Falcons from the right corner with just :07 left but it would not be enough as Wayzata would hang on to win by a final score of 55-50 that propels them into one of the section semifinals on Saturday against Minnetonka which knocked off #7 seed St. Louis Park.
Los Angeles Rams
Thursday, February 28, 2013
Monday, February 25, 2013
Selection Monday Aftermath - A Glass 2/3 Full For The MIAC
I guess that, when you consider how things have gone for the MIAC in recent years when it comes to Selection Monday for the NCAA Womens DIII Tournament, there is reason to feel good this afternoon. As expected, both UST AND Concordia got in although you can bet there was a lot of pacing back and forth across the room in Moorhead when lunchtime arrived and a lot of coaches, players and parents up that way that were sweating bullets - and heaved a giant sigh of relief when they saw the brackets revealed. So definitely there is reason to celebrate on both the UST and Concordia campuses tonight and I'm pleased that both of these teams got in.
At the same time, though, I can't help but feel badly for the SMU team and coaches down in Winona this afternoon. They made a giant leap this season in recording a 22-5 overall record (18-4 in MIAC play) and finished tied for second in the regular season with eventual MIAC Playoff Champion UST. Ultimately, however, despite their gaudy 22 wins, their overall body of work killed their chances as they only recorded one win over a regionally ranked team. I also wonder as well if that Sunday loss at home to Concordia back on February 3rd (a day after they beat Carleton at home) might have been the real killer. Had they won that I think it would have been impossible for them not to be ranked in the West Region. Even so, with 22 wins under their belt, that SHOULD have been good enough to have garnered more serious consideration by the NCAA Selection Committee. Moreover, it only underscores how incredibly broken and outdated the MIAC's round-robin regular season scheduling truly is. Consider this for a second: This is the first time since 2009 that the MIAC has been able to get more than one team into the Big Dance. That's saying something when you see the WIAC seemingly regularly getting three or even four teams in or the IIAC getting two teams in or even that one year when the UMAC incredibly got two teams in. As it is right now, MIAC teams can only play three (yes, that's right), THREE non-conference games. That's just not going to cut it when it comes to trying to garner national attention unless you've been incredibly fortunate as UST has been lately. Yes, I'm aware of the new system set to go in place beginning with the 2014-15 season that will FINALLY allow teams in the conference the opportunity to schedule more non-conference games. This was accomplished by the MIAC coaches who are among the brightest and the best in the nation coming through with a hard sell to the conference AD's to make this a reality. But even there I have to ask if this is enough. When I look at how teams that were left out in recent years (CSB and GAC in '10, UST in '11, and then GAC last year) I have to wonder sometimes if the damage hasn't already been done and if it may take the conference years to catch up with their neighbors to the east and south. In the end, though, you have to feel badly for the SMU seniors who are the real victims of all this - Jamie Stefely, Jessica Thone, Courtney Athnos and Brittany Begrowicz who must all be incredibly heartbroken tonight knowing now that they won't get a chance to show what they could do.
But let's try and look at the bright side here for a moment if we can. The MIAC has two teams in and I think both have a shot to do damage if they play their cards right. Sometime before Friday's games, I'll try and give a synopsis of what both UST and Concordia have to do to advance in this thing.
GO TOMMIES AND GO COBBERS! Do the MIAC proud!
At the same time, though, I can't help but feel badly for the SMU team and coaches down in Winona this afternoon. They made a giant leap this season in recording a 22-5 overall record (18-4 in MIAC play) and finished tied for second in the regular season with eventual MIAC Playoff Champion UST. Ultimately, however, despite their gaudy 22 wins, their overall body of work killed their chances as they only recorded one win over a regionally ranked team. I also wonder as well if that Sunday loss at home to Concordia back on February 3rd (a day after they beat Carleton at home) might have been the real killer. Had they won that I think it would have been impossible for them not to be ranked in the West Region. Even so, with 22 wins under their belt, that SHOULD have been good enough to have garnered more serious consideration by the NCAA Selection Committee. Moreover, it only underscores how incredibly broken and outdated the MIAC's round-robin regular season scheduling truly is. Consider this for a second: This is the first time since 2009 that the MIAC has been able to get more than one team into the Big Dance. That's saying something when you see the WIAC seemingly regularly getting three or even four teams in or the IIAC getting two teams in or even that one year when the UMAC incredibly got two teams in. As it is right now, MIAC teams can only play three (yes, that's right), THREE non-conference games. That's just not going to cut it when it comes to trying to garner national attention unless you've been incredibly fortunate as UST has been lately. Yes, I'm aware of the new system set to go in place beginning with the 2014-15 season that will FINALLY allow teams in the conference the opportunity to schedule more non-conference games. This was accomplished by the MIAC coaches who are among the brightest and the best in the nation coming through with a hard sell to the conference AD's to make this a reality. But even there I have to ask if this is enough. When I look at how teams that were left out in recent years (CSB and GAC in '10, UST in '11, and then GAC last year) I have to wonder sometimes if the damage hasn't already been done and if it may take the conference years to catch up with their neighbors to the east and south. In the end, though, you have to feel badly for the SMU seniors who are the real victims of all this - Jamie Stefely, Jessica Thone, Courtney Athnos and Brittany Begrowicz who must all be incredibly heartbroken tonight knowing now that they won't get a chance to show what they could do.
But let's try and look at the bright side here for a moment if we can. The MIAC has two teams in and I think both have a shot to do damage if they play their cards right. Sometime before Friday's games, I'll try and give a synopsis of what both UST and Concordia have to do to advance in this thing.
GO TOMMIES AND GO COBBERS! Do the MIAC proud!
Thoughts On The Morning Of Selection Monday
Hard to believe but here we are again. The close of yet another regular season and the MIAC Playoffs that saw UST repeating as champs in a year where everything did not necessarily go smoothly for them. Yet when the chips were down, they found a way to battle back and find themselves again and, just as important, get their mojo back as well. But let's also give some props to both Concordia and SMU as well. The Cobbers got the regular season title and got to host the MIAC Championsship Game for the first time since 2006. It's obviously disappointing for them not being able to close the deal but they have a lot to be proud of this year. And how about SMU down in Winona. Winning a season high of 22 games and fnishing tied for second with UST in the conference standings. They have definitely set the bar much higher there and I think they'll be one of the upper echelon teams in the MIAC now.
That said, how does all this parlay out in the big scheme of things; particularly on Selection Monday? It's difficult to tell, but I feel quite confident that the MIAC will get at least two bids this time around after being consistently short-changed by the mindless nimrods at the NCAA Selection Committee. There's just simply no, no way, that the MIAC doesn't get two bids this time around. I think things played out well enough around the West Region that makes this possible. I'd also like to think that there might be a miracle out there that would allow SMU to sneak into the dance as well. They're deserving of it and, while their body of work may work against them, their 22 wins can't be ignored either; especially in a conference as tough as the MIAC is from top to bottom. So, let's look at the prospects for the MIAC's best hopes:
UST - They can relax and enjoy the day today knowing that they're in with the AQ as MIAC Playoff Champions. The big question for them now is where are they going to be sent? It's unlikely, IMHO, that they'd get to host a Regional pod with Simpson winning the IIAC Championship Game and with a 24-1 Cornell team winning the MWC Championship Game as well. So the guess here is that they'll get sent to either Simpson (located in Indianola which is not that far from Des Moines) or possibly to Cornell (located in Mt. Vernon which is just a hop, skip and a jump away from Cedar Rapids on U.S. Highway 30 and the Union Pacific's "Overland Route" mainline). Personally, I'd like to see the Tommies shipped down to Mt. Vernon as it's a much better trip down there than it would be to Indianola and I would like the Tommies chances of making a deep run much better there than I ever would at Simpson.
Concordia - You know they'll be on pins and needles up in Moorhead today but it's just incredibly difficult for me to envision a scenario in which they get left out. With a 21-5 overall record and their body of work which includes a MIAC regular season title, it would be incredibly outrageous if they get the shaft here. Their opening season loss to UM-Morris hurts but that shouldn't be enough to damage the other good things they've done. Assuming they get in (they bloody well better) I'm guessing that they'll get shipped out west to either Cal Lutheran or perhaps Lewis & Clark (despite their loss in the NWC Championship Game). It would be a bonus for them to get sent to either of the possible Iowa destinations or perhaps over to UW-Stevens Point but I don't see it playing out like that.
SMU - They're a longshot here (and even they know that as well). Still, they're deserving of an invite to the dance and I would love this for seniors Jessica Thone and Jamie Stefely to get one more shot. IF, if they somehow garner an invite, they'll get sent over to UW-Stevens Point or to one of the Iowa destinations. Let's hope they have a reason to celebrate over at the Chula Vista restaurant in Winona tonight!
UPDATE - D3 Hoops' Pat Coleman has Concordia in - barely (!) - but in nonetheless! Even more interesting is that they have the Cobbers headed to Mt. Vernon to take in UW-Whitewater in a VERY intriguing 1st round match-up and instead have St. Scholastica headed out west. Hmmm...Well, in any event we'll find out at 1:30 this afternoon how this is all going to shake out!
That said, how does all this parlay out in the big scheme of things; particularly on Selection Monday? It's difficult to tell, but I feel quite confident that the MIAC will get at least two bids this time around after being consistently short-changed by the mindless nimrods at the NCAA Selection Committee. There's just simply no, no way, that the MIAC doesn't get two bids this time around. I think things played out well enough around the West Region that makes this possible. I'd also like to think that there might be a miracle out there that would allow SMU to sneak into the dance as well. They're deserving of it and, while their body of work may work against them, their 22 wins can't be ignored either; especially in a conference as tough as the MIAC is from top to bottom. So, let's look at the prospects for the MIAC's best hopes:
UST - They can relax and enjoy the day today knowing that they're in with the AQ as MIAC Playoff Champions. The big question for them now is where are they going to be sent? It's unlikely, IMHO, that they'd get to host a Regional pod with Simpson winning the IIAC Championship Game and with a 24-1 Cornell team winning the MWC Championship Game as well. So the guess here is that they'll get sent to either Simpson (located in Indianola which is not that far from Des Moines) or possibly to Cornell (located in Mt. Vernon which is just a hop, skip and a jump away from Cedar Rapids on U.S. Highway 30 and the Union Pacific's "Overland Route" mainline). Personally, I'd like to see the Tommies shipped down to Mt. Vernon as it's a much better trip down there than it would be to Indianola and I would like the Tommies chances of making a deep run much better there than I ever would at Simpson.
Concordia - You know they'll be on pins and needles up in Moorhead today but it's just incredibly difficult for me to envision a scenario in which they get left out. With a 21-5 overall record and their body of work which includes a MIAC regular season title, it would be incredibly outrageous if they get the shaft here. Their opening season loss to UM-Morris hurts but that shouldn't be enough to damage the other good things they've done. Assuming they get in (they bloody well better) I'm guessing that they'll get shipped out west to either Cal Lutheran or perhaps Lewis & Clark (despite their loss in the NWC Championship Game). It would be a bonus for them to get sent to either of the possible Iowa destinations or perhaps over to UW-Stevens Point but I don't see it playing out like that.
SMU - They're a longshot here (and even they know that as well). Still, they're deserving of an invite to the dance and I would love this for seniors Jessica Thone and Jamie Stefely to get one more shot. IF, if they somehow garner an invite, they'll get sent over to UW-Stevens Point or to one of the Iowa destinations. Let's hope they have a reason to celebrate over at the Chula Vista restaurant in Winona tonight!
UPDATE - D3 Hoops' Pat Coleman has Concordia in - barely (!) - but in nonetheless! Even more interesting is that they have the Cobbers headed to Mt. Vernon to take in UW-Whitewater in a VERY intriguing 1st round match-up and instead have St. Scholastica headed out west. Hmmm...Well, in any event we'll find out at 1:30 this afternoon how this is all going to shake out!
Sunday, February 24, 2013
MIAC Championship Game UST vs Concordia 2-23-13
Made the trip up to Fargo-Moorhead on Friday night after work to take in yesterday's MIAC Championship Game between UST and host Concordia. Although I've been to the area several times, this was my very first visit to Concordia's Memorial Auditorium and it's quite a place. I got myself settled in almost an hour before tipoff that gave me a chance to chat with a few of the coaches and parents of both teams beforehand which was pretty cool.
I have to admit that I was really looking forward to this titanic matchup simply because both teams appeared to be peaking at just the right time. UST, which had been riddled with injuries back in January and lost up here the last time they came up, now was healthy and rolling right along. The Cobbers were doing the same and have historically been so incredibly tough to beat at home. So it was tough for me to get a real "feel" for this game one way or the other. I knew it would be close (it was) and would probably come down to defense and taking care of the rock in the critical home stretch (it did) but you could easily make an argument for either team asserting its strengths to come out on top at the end.
Things were tight as expected in the opening minutes with neither side being able to gain a noticeable advantage. Concordia got a 4-0 lead early on thanks to senior Tricia Sorensen's jumper from the right baseline at the 18:29 mark and sophomore Alley Fisher's two free throws at the 18:03 mark. Senior guard Emily Thesing, who had a monster first half, would push that lead to 6-2 with her jumper just inside the arc from the right top area at the 17:16 mark but Tommie senior point guard Kellie Ring would pull her team to withing one with her "3" from the left top area at the 16:56 mark. Ring would connect with yet another "3" at the 14:54 mark from the right wing that gave UST a 10-8 lead but then Thesing made good on a lay-up cutting through considerable traffic on the way to knot the issue at 10-all. UST would then gain a slight edge over the next few minutes. Withstanding a three point bomb by Thesing at the 13:21 mark, sophomore guard Jen Dockter scored on a lay-up and was fouled in the process. She missed the obligatory freebie but junior teammate Kelly Brandenburg got herself positioned just right for an offensive rebound and putback for a 16-13 UST lead. Dockter would be fouled during another transition opportunity for the Tommies and made good on one of the ensuing charity stripe shots to get the Tommies up 17-15 by the 11:39 mark.
But now it would be the Cobbers turn to gain a slight edge. Reserve freshman guard Hannah Jeske baned home a "3" from the left wing at the 8:57 mark to reclaim the lead for Concordia. Then Sorensen was able to connect with a jumper in the lane as the shot clock expired for a 20-17 Concordia lead. A lay-up by Ring in transition with 7:14 left would knot things again at 20-all but then Thesing uncorked another three point bomb from way downtown in the right wing area for a 23-20 Concordia lead with 5:03 left. Another Cobber possession where they milked the shot clock for all it was worth happened with 3:13 left when lanky 6'4" junior post Alexandra Lippert hauled in a pass from reserve sophomore Erin Januschka and then connected with a shot off the glass for a 25-20 Cobber lead. Junior Erika Jossart also used the shot clock to her advantage as well when she was fouled going in for a shot as it was expiring and made good on two free throws for a 27-23 Cobber lead. UST junior Taylor Young would drain a "3" from the left wing with 1:26 left but then Jossart did the same for the Cobbers from the right wing area with just over a minute left. Fisher was also able to manuever inside for a score with :33 left and that gave the Cobbers a 33-27 lead going into the break at halftime.
The Cobbers made a push as the second half began that threatened to put the Tommies behind the 8-ball early on. Again, milking that shot clock, Thesing made a drive in the lane and finished at the 19:32 mark to up the Concordia lead to 35-27. Lippert would help the Cobbers keep that eight point advantage with one free throw at the 18:37 mark and then grabbing an offensive rebound for a putback at the 16:59 mark for a 37-29 ballgame. The Tommies would cut into that cushion with "3's" from both sophomore reserve Elaine Warner and Ring but then Thesing made another tough drive into traffic for a finish and was fouled in the process for a 39-35 Cobber lead. Then Sorensen made her presence felt as she hauled in an inbounds pass and promptly went in for a lay-up at the 14:59 mark and then the senior from Bismarck, North Dakota who can also juggle as well connected with a long jumper from the left corner just inside the arc to give Concordia a 43-37 lead at the 14:14 mark. You had to think, at this point anyway, that the Cobbers being in the friendly confines of Memorial Auditorium were going to start pulling away just as they had against CSB on Thursday night.
But this Tommie squad has been through so many tough battles and, having that remarkable run to the the Final 4 last year, this is a group that is incredibly resilient and cool as a cucumber under pressure and in a hostile environment. I sometimes think that they thrive on these situations. In any event, with the Cobbers still semingly in control you could just detect a subtle change in how things were going to go the rest of the way. Lippert's two free throws at the 11:48 mark made it a 45-41 game in favor of Concordia but it was here that the Tommies changed the game for good as they embarked on a stunning 12-0 run that turned things completely around. A freebie by Ring after she was fouled at the 11:35 mark and then an offensive rebound by Warner for a putback at the 10:37 mark cut the Concordia lead to one. Sophomore forward/post Anna Smith, who struggled somewhat in the first half, shined in the second half and she gave the Tommies the lead for good with her "3" from the top with 8:28 left. Brandenburg was fouled as the Tommies were in transition and made good on the ensuing freebies and Concordia Head Coach Jessica Rahman knew she had to call a timeout to try and put a halt to all this.
Concordia went into a 2-3 zone on defense but even this didn't seem to stifle the Tommie assault. Brandenburg went right into the heart of it with a drive and finish with 4:13 left and then Smith connected with a jumper from the right wing to complete the 12-0 run with 3:42 left for a 53-45 UST lead. But Concordia would not let UST escape Moorhead without throwing one more scare at them. Thesing connected with a jumper with 3:21 left and then Fisher was able to defy that tough Tommie "D" as she connected with a "3" from the top of the key (off the glass no less) that pulled the Cobbers to within three at 53-50. The critical moment for the Cobbers came when a three-point attempt by UST's Smith missed its mark and gave the Cobbers the chance they wanted with roughly two minutes left. The Cobbers were working the ball around the perimeter; desperately hoping to find an open shooter behind the arc but the UST defensive effort was so suffocating that this pivotal possession for the Cobbers was never as smooth as it should be and it just had disaster written all over it. An errant pass by Sorensen was stolen away by Smith of UST and that effectively ended any hope Concordia had for a late rally. Ring was fouled with :21.2 left and made good on two shots from the charity stripe and then a last gasp hope for Concordia was extinguished on another turnover with just :19.7 left and Smith made good on two freebies after she was fouled and then one more with just :06.2 left as UST claimed an incredibly tough 58-50 win to repeat as MIAC Playoff Champions and claim the MIAC's automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament.
A jubilant UST squad celebrated afterward and Head Coach Ruth Sinn shared with me her thoughts at halftime when the team was down. She challenged her team to show the confidence that they know that they have. "Don't have confidence with taking just one shot, be confident enough to do it again even if you miss. Be daring!" And they were. Sinn also emphasized her team's defensive efforts as the real key as it is the real trademark of this UST team. Rebounds, especially offensive rebounds, were huge in the second half for the Tommies as they registered an 8-4 advantage and a 21-15 advantage overall. Meanwhile, an emotionally reserved Concordia squad pondered their fate afterward although it would seem as if they're pretty much a lock for the NCAA Tournament as well given their #4 ranking in the West Region. Rahman confided to me afterward that UST's incredibly tough defense wore them down in the second half and played a big part in the Cobbers shooting a rather frigid 30.4% from the field in the second half not to mention the turnovers that plagued them as well. Rahman said that she just hopes her team gets another chance to prove themselves after Monday and I think they will.
I have to admit that I was really looking forward to this titanic matchup simply because both teams appeared to be peaking at just the right time. UST, which had been riddled with injuries back in January and lost up here the last time they came up, now was healthy and rolling right along. The Cobbers were doing the same and have historically been so incredibly tough to beat at home. So it was tough for me to get a real "feel" for this game one way or the other. I knew it would be close (it was) and would probably come down to defense and taking care of the rock in the critical home stretch (it did) but you could easily make an argument for either team asserting its strengths to come out on top at the end.
Things were tight as expected in the opening minutes with neither side being able to gain a noticeable advantage. Concordia got a 4-0 lead early on thanks to senior Tricia Sorensen's jumper from the right baseline at the 18:29 mark and sophomore Alley Fisher's two free throws at the 18:03 mark. Senior guard Emily Thesing, who had a monster first half, would push that lead to 6-2 with her jumper just inside the arc from the right top area at the 17:16 mark but Tommie senior point guard Kellie Ring would pull her team to withing one with her "3" from the left top area at the 16:56 mark. Ring would connect with yet another "3" at the 14:54 mark from the right wing that gave UST a 10-8 lead but then Thesing made good on a lay-up cutting through considerable traffic on the way to knot the issue at 10-all. UST would then gain a slight edge over the next few minutes. Withstanding a three point bomb by Thesing at the 13:21 mark, sophomore guard Jen Dockter scored on a lay-up and was fouled in the process. She missed the obligatory freebie but junior teammate Kelly Brandenburg got herself positioned just right for an offensive rebound and putback for a 16-13 UST lead. Dockter would be fouled during another transition opportunity for the Tommies and made good on one of the ensuing charity stripe shots to get the Tommies up 17-15 by the 11:39 mark.
But now it would be the Cobbers turn to gain a slight edge. Reserve freshman guard Hannah Jeske baned home a "3" from the left wing at the 8:57 mark to reclaim the lead for Concordia. Then Sorensen was able to connect with a jumper in the lane as the shot clock expired for a 20-17 Concordia lead. A lay-up by Ring in transition with 7:14 left would knot things again at 20-all but then Thesing uncorked another three point bomb from way downtown in the right wing area for a 23-20 Concordia lead with 5:03 left. Another Cobber possession where they milked the shot clock for all it was worth happened with 3:13 left when lanky 6'4" junior post Alexandra Lippert hauled in a pass from reserve sophomore Erin Januschka and then connected with a shot off the glass for a 25-20 Cobber lead. Junior Erika Jossart also used the shot clock to her advantage as well when she was fouled going in for a shot as it was expiring and made good on two free throws for a 27-23 Cobber lead. UST junior Taylor Young would drain a "3" from the left wing with 1:26 left but then Jossart did the same for the Cobbers from the right wing area with just over a minute left. Fisher was also able to manuever inside for a score with :33 left and that gave the Cobbers a 33-27 lead going into the break at halftime.
The Cobbers made a push as the second half began that threatened to put the Tommies behind the 8-ball early on. Again, milking that shot clock, Thesing made a drive in the lane and finished at the 19:32 mark to up the Concordia lead to 35-27. Lippert would help the Cobbers keep that eight point advantage with one free throw at the 18:37 mark and then grabbing an offensive rebound for a putback at the 16:59 mark for a 37-29 ballgame. The Tommies would cut into that cushion with "3's" from both sophomore reserve Elaine Warner and Ring but then Thesing made another tough drive into traffic for a finish and was fouled in the process for a 39-35 Cobber lead. Then Sorensen made her presence felt as she hauled in an inbounds pass and promptly went in for a lay-up at the 14:59 mark and then the senior from Bismarck, North Dakota who can also juggle as well connected with a long jumper from the left corner just inside the arc to give Concordia a 43-37 lead at the 14:14 mark. You had to think, at this point anyway, that the Cobbers being in the friendly confines of Memorial Auditorium were going to start pulling away just as they had against CSB on Thursday night.
But this Tommie squad has been through so many tough battles and, having that remarkable run to the the Final 4 last year, this is a group that is incredibly resilient and cool as a cucumber under pressure and in a hostile environment. I sometimes think that they thrive on these situations. In any event, with the Cobbers still semingly in control you could just detect a subtle change in how things were going to go the rest of the way. Lippert's two free throws at the 11:48 mark made it a 45-41 game in favor of Concordia but it was here that the Tommies changed the game for good as they embarked on a stunning 12-0 run that turned things completely around. A freebie by Ring after she was fouled at the 11:35 mark and then an offensive rebound by Warner for a putback at the 10:37 mark cut the Concordia lead to one. Sophomore forward/post Anna Smith, who struggled somewhat in the first half, shined in the second half and she gave the Tommies the lead for good with her "3" from the top with 8:28 left. Brandenburg was fouled as the Tommies were in transition and made good on the ensuing freebies and Concordia Head Coach Jessica Rahman knew she had to call a timeout to try and put a halt to all this.
Concordia went into a 2-3 zone on defense but even this didn't seem to stifle the Tommie assault. Brandenburg went right into the heart of it with a drive and finish with 4:13 left and then Smith connected with a jumper from the right wing to complete the 12-0 run with 3:42 left for a 53-45 UST lead. But Concordia would not let UST escape Moorhead without throwing one more scare at them. Thesing connected with a jumper with 3:21 left and then Fisher was able to defy that tough Tommie "D" as she connected with a "3" from the top of the key (off the glass no less) that pulled the Cobbers to within three at 53-50. The critical moment for the Cobbers came when a three-point attempt by UST's Smith missed its mark and gave the Cobbers the chance they wanted with roughly two minutes left. The Cobbers were working the ball around the perimeter; desperately hoping to find an open shooter behind the arc but the UST defensive effort was so suffocating that this pivotal possession for the Cobbers was never as smooth as it should be and it just had disaster written all over it. An errant pass by Sorensen was stolen away by Smith of UST and that effectively ended any hope Concordia had for a late rally. Ring was fouled with :21.2 left and made good on two shots from the charity stripe and then a last gasp hope for Concordia was extinguished on another turnover with just :19.7 left and Smith made good on two freebies after she was fouled and then one more with just :06.2 left as UST claimed an incredibly tough 58-50 win to repeat as MIAC Playoff Champions and claim the MIAC's automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament.
A jubilant UST squad celebrated afterward and Head Coach Ruth Sinn shared with me her thoughts at halftime when the team was down. She challenged her team to show the confidence that they know that they have. "Don't have confidence with taking just one shot, be confident enough to do it again even if you miss. Be daring!" And they were. Sinn also emphasized her team's defensive efforts as the real key as it is the real trademark of this UST team. Rebounds, especially offensive rebounds, were huge in the second half for the Tommies as they registered an 8-4 advantage and a 21-15 advantage overall. Meanwhile, an emotionally reserved Concordia squad pondered their fate afterward although it would seem as if they're pretty much a lock for the NCAA Tournament as well given their #4 ranking in the West Region. Rahman confided to me afterward that UST's incredibly tough defense wore them down in the second half and played a big part in the Cobbers shooting a rather frigid 30.4% from the field in the second half not to mention the turnovers that plagued them as well. Rahman said that she just hopes her team gets another chance to prove themselves after Monday and I think they will.
Friday, February 22, 2013
MIAC Playoff Semifinal: St. Mary's vs UST 2-21-13
Made the trip over to Schoenecker Arena on this Thursday night for the much-anticipated MIAC Playoff semifinal showdown between visiting St. Mary's and host UST. The Tommies knocked the Cardinals out in the semifinals last year and the teams split their series during the regular season - each winning at home. This latest go-around would be the latest test for this up-and-coming St. Mary's squad which has put together a very good regular season
The Tommies would hold a slight edge in the first half; in fact, they had three opportunities to give themselves some cushion but each time they threatened to open up some distance; the resilient Cardinals would always find a way to claw back which has been typical of their season where they seem to always start out slowly in the first half. With the Tommies up 10-6 after a lay-up by sophomore sensation Jen Dockter at the 14:47 mark, St. Mary's sophomore reserve guard Octavia Brown snared an offensive rebound on the Cardinals ensuing possession and got a putback to cut the deficit to a scant two points. But the Tommies would counter with another Dockter drive and finish at the 12:04 mark and then sophomore forward/post Anna Smith, who has had to fill some big shoes this season with Maggie Weier's injury, nailed a "3" at the 11:36 mark that had UST up 15-10. The Cardinals would narrow the deficit again on an offensive rebound and putback by junior post Courtney Euerle and a jumper by senior forward/post Jamie Stefely but the Tommies would respond with another push. Up 17-14, the Tommies would go on a 10-4 run; highlighted by a drive and finish by Smith with 9:14 left; a pretty turnaround jumper in the lane by junior sensation Taylor Young with 8:34 left; a lay-up by Dockter with 7:03 left and then a score in the paint by reserve sophomore forward Alyssa Favilla that had UST up 27-18 with 5:48 left and had St. Mary's Head Coach Mandy Pearson calling for a timeout to get her squad reorganized.
Whatever Pearson told her squad during that timeout seemed to work as the Cardinals calmly responded. Junior reserve guard Darcey Rice knocked down a trey from the left wing with 5:31 left and Stefely muscled her way into the paint for a score with 4:38 left that cut the deficit to four at 27-23. The Tommies could have put the Cardinals in a hole again after junior Kelly Brandenburg got inside for a score with 4:11 left and Dockter connected with another lay-up with just 1:48 left but St. Mary's refused to be fazed. Senior Jessica Thone, who was hounded all night by the stifling Tommie defense, got inside and connnected on an unbelievable reverse one-handed shot underneath the basket with 1:23 left and then freshman Shelby Auseth showed her shooting prowess from behind the arc with just :52 left as she banged home a "3" from the right top area that cut the Tommie lead to 31-28 going into the locker room at the halftime break. Being that St. Mary's has been a huge second half team all year long, this is likely just where they wanted to be in a hostile environment.
But if the Cardinals were going to shine in the second half, they were going to have to do it the hard way as UST came out firing after the halftime break. Smith made good on a hook shot in the paint and got fouled in the process. She missed the obligatory freebie but that was more than made up for by senior guard Kellie Ring as she drained a "3" at the 19:39 mark to make it 36-28 Tommies. The Tommies would keep that 7-8 point cushion over the next eight minutes before the Cardinals were able to make serious inroads on the Tommie advantage again. After another drive and finish by Dockter at the 10:44 mark (on her way to a game-high 19 points on this night) that had UST up 47-40, St. Mary's was finally able to put together a mini-push. A score in the paint by Euerle at the 10:23 mark and then a "3" by Stefely; the senior from Lisle, Illinois made it a 47-45 game. Would this be where the Cardinals finally make their big move to surge ahead?
If the Cardinals were thinking in those terms, the Tommies certainly had other ideas. Worse yet for St. Mary's, the fouls began piling up alarmingly as UST found themselves in the bonus at the 11:50 mark. With 8:58 left, Dockter made another one of her classic hard drives inside for a finish and drew a foul from Thone which suddenly saddled her with four fouls and left Pearson with no choice but to sit her until the home stretch. Still, this resilient bunch from Winona refused to fold up the tent when things were looking bleak. A "3" by Ring had the Tommies up 51-45 with 8:27 left but a tip-in by Stefely on a missed shot with 8:13 left and then a "3" from freshman Bridget Pethke from the left corner with 6:57 left brought the Cardinals to within two again at 52-50. A score in the paint by Stefely with 4:34 left kept the margin at two and then Thone took a sweet pass in the lane from Pethke to finish inside that cut the Tommie lead to 57-56. Unfortunately for St. Mary's, they simply could not get over the hump as the Tommies kept their cool and responded with a key 12-0 run fueled by Dockter and Smith. Moreover, UST would be in the double-bonus at the free throw line with 1:43 left after Smith was fouled and the Tommies would be able to salt this one away at the charity stripe. Thone would try and make a gallant comeback for her team when she was able to connect on a drive and finish with :49 left and then two free throws with :42.7 left but then she fouled out a few seconds later as did Rice and UST claimed a tough 69-60 win that sends them to Moorhead on Saturday to take on Concordia which defeated CSB on this night in the MIAC Championship Game. With the wins, both UST and Concordia are practically locks for the Big Dance regardless of the outcome on Saturday but now St. Mary's has to endure the painful realization that they might be on the outside looking in; even with their 22-5 record (more on that later). They now have to sit back, pace the floor back and forth endlessly and wait and see what happens on Monday with the announcement of the pairings for the NCAA Tournament.
The Tommies would hold a slight edge in the first half; in fact, they had three opportunities to give themselves some cushion but each time they threatened to open up some distance; the resilient Cardinals would always find a way to claw back which has been typical of their season where they seem to always start out slowly in the first half. With the Tommies up 10-6 after a lay-up by sophomore sensation Jen Dockter at the 14:47 mark, St. Mary's sophomore reserve guard Octavia Brown snared an offensive rebound on the Cardinals ensuing possession and got a putback to cut the deficit to a scant two points. But the Tommies would counter with another Dockter drive and finish at the 12:04 mark and then sophomore forward/post Anna Smith, who has had to fill some big shoes this season with Maggie Weier's injury, nailed a "3" at the 11:36 mark that had UST up 15-10. The Cardinals would narrow the deficit again on an offensive rebound and putback by junior post Courtney Euerle and a jumper by senior forward/post Jamie Stefely but the Tommies would respond with another push. Up 17-14, the Tommies would go on a 10-4 run; highlighted by a drive and finish by Smith with 9:14 left; a pretty turnaround jumper in the lane by junior sensation Taylor Young with 8:34 left; a lay-up by Dockter with 7:03 left and then a score in the paint by reserve sophomore forward Alyssa Favilla that had UST up 27-18 with 5:48 left and had St. Mary's Head Coach Mandy Pearson calling for a timeout to get her squad reorganized.
Whatever Pearson told her squad during that timeout seemed to work as the Cardinals calmly responded. Junior reserve guard Darcey Rice knocked down a trey from the left wing with 5:31 left and Stefely muscled her way into the paint for a score with 4:38 left that cut the deficit to four at 27-23. The Tommies could have put the Cardinals in a hole again after junior Kelly Brandenburg got inside for a score with 4:11 left and Dockter connected with another lay-up with just 1:48 left but St. Mary's refused to be fazed. Senior Jessica Thone, who was hounded all night by the stifling Tommie defense, got inside and connnected on an unbelievable reverse one-handed shot underneath the basket with 1:23 left and then freshman Shelby Auseth showed her shooting prowess from behind the arc with just :52 left as she banged home a "3" from the right top area that cut the Tommie lead to 31-28 going into the locker room at the halftime break. Being that St. Mary's has been a huge second half team all year long, this is likely just where they wanted to be in a hostile environment.
But if the Cardinals were going to shine in the second half, they were going to have to do it the hard way as UST came out firing after the halftime break. Smith made good on a hook shot in the paint and got fouled in the process. She missed the obligatory freebie but that was more than made up for by senior guard Kellie Ring as she drained a "3" at the 19:39 mark to make it 36-28 Tommies. The Tommies would keep that 7-8 point cushion over the next eight minutes before the Cardinals were able to make serious inroads on the Tommie advantage again. After another drive and finish by Dockter at the 10:44 mark (on her way to a game-high 19 points on this night) that had UST up 47-40, St. Mary's was finally able to put together a mini-push. A score in the paint by Euerle at the 10:23 mark and then a "3" by Stefely; the senior from Lisle, Illinois made it a 47-45 game. Would this be where the Cardinals finally make their big move to surge ahead?
If the Cardinals were thinking in those terms, the Tommies certainly had other ideas. Worse yet for St. Mary's, the fouls began piling up alarmingly as UST found themselves in the bonus at the 11:50 mark. With 8:58 left, Dockter made another one of her classic hard drives inside for a finish and drew a foul from Thone which suddenly saddled her with four fouls and left Pearson with no choice but to sit her until the home stretch. Still, this resilient bunch from Winona refused to fold up the tent when things were looking bleak. A "3" by Ring had the Tommies up 51-45 with 8:27 left but a tip-in by Stefely on a missed shot with 8:13 left and then a "3" from freshman Bridget Pethke from the left corner with 6:57 left brought the Cardinals to within two again at 52-50. A score in the paint by Stefely with 4:34 left kept the margin at two and then Thone took a sweet pass in the lane from Pethke to finish inside that cut the Tommie lead to 57-56. Unfortunately for St. Mary's, they simply could not get over the hump as the Tommies kept their cool and responded with a key 12-0 run fueled by Dockter and Smith. Moreover, UST would be in the double-bonus at the free throw line with 1:43 left after Smith was fouled and the Tommies would be able to salt this one away at the charity stripe. Thone would try and make a gallant comeback for her team when she was able to connect on a drive and finish with :49 left and then two free throws with :42.7 left but then she fouled out a few seconds later as did Rice and UST claimed a tough 69-60 win that sends them to Moorhead on Saturday to take on Concordia which defeated CSB on this night in the MIAC Championship Game. With the wins, both UST and Concordia are practically locks for the Big Dance regardless of the outcome on Saturday but now St. Mary's has to endure the painful realization that they might be on the outside looking in; even with their 22-5 record (more on that later). They now have to sit back, pace the floor back and forth endlessly and wait and see what happens on Monday with the announcement of the pairings for the NCAA Tournament.
Tuesday, February 19, 2013
MIAC Playoffs Preview 2-19-13
Oh yeah, that time of the year again to try and break down the MIAC Playoffs in what has been an incredibly unpredictable year.....Let's see I can make some sense out of all this and try and predict what MAY happen.
6. GAC - This has been arguably a trying season under new Head Coach Laurie Kelly that saw the Gusties bolt out to a good start only to have the bottom almost fall out come mid/late January. The tailspin this squad endured makes me hesitant to even think that they would even have a remote chance of doing the unthinkable. But the Gusties do have one element in their favor that some of the other teams in this mix don't have - experience. Seniors Abby Rothenbuehler, Kelsey Florian and Steph Comer have all been in these battles in past seasons and know what it takes to win these games. Junior Julia Dysthie can be one of the most dangerous players out there and can be deadly behind the arc. But if the Gusties are going to do this, they're going to have to do it the hard way - on the road.
Sure sign of trouble - If the turnovers start piling up early on and Rothenbuehler gets into foul trouble before halftime.
5. Hamline - This wildly unpredictable team has been one of the toughest puzzles to try and figure out this season and it's equally difficult to predict their chances beginning with tonight up at CSB. Yet if there's a longshot in this mix that can pull this off and shock the world in the process it's this group. There is simply no other team in the conference that possesses the kind of speed and athleticism they have and it's little wonder that a lot of teams hate having to play Hamline. They also have a trio of seniors who can light it up behind the arc as well; Steph Pilgrm, Cassidy Vogt and Kara Poirer. They are not a "big" team by any means and depth can be an issue for this squad. Yet, given their body of work during the regular season (road wins at both Concordia and UST) I can't put it completely past them to pull this off.
Sure sign of trouble - If the "3's" aren't falling and they are forced to play a slower-tempo halfcourt game where they get beat up in the paint.
4. CSB - The Blazers were aruably the hottest team in the conference not long ago; ripping off ten straight wins in a period from mid-January to early February; capped off by the big home win against Concordia. They then leveled off somewhat; dropping two straight before rallying at home in the regular season finale vs St. Olaf. This is a relatively young team but it does have two seniors who are leading the way nicely for Mike Durbin's squad - Whitney Canton and Morgan Dale. While this team has a lot of potential for the future, I think it's probably a bridge too far for this team to win it all and the late road losses to both UST and SMU I think reflect my cautious approach with this group.
Sure sign of trouble - If they start getting beat at the post position (especially now w/o Hylla) and Canton and the Lueck Sisters can't bail them out behind the arc.
3. SMU - Clearly one of the more pleasant surprises in this conference has been the emergence of former Cobber great Mandy Pearson's squad into one of the upper echelon teams in the MIAC. I only got to see them play once this season but was very impressed with what I saw. They have a great scorer from the outside in Jessica Thone and a dual big threat in both senior Jamie Stefely and junior post Courtney Euerle plus a very underrated player, IMHO, in Octavia Brown. Plus, you really have to like their body of work as well (18-4 conference, 21-4 overall) which SHOULD be good enough to get them into the Big Dance if they can manage to get past GAC tonight at home in Winona. I do have a bit of concern wrt their lack of experience in the MIAC playoffs despite their win at St. Olaf last year before falling to UST but this is a team that definitely can pull it off if everything fall into place for them just right.
Sure sign of trouble - If Euerle gets bottled up down low and Thone is unable to come to the rescue behind the arc.
2. UST - You had to wonder at one point in the season when the Tommies suddenly lost four out of six games in January if their aura of invincibility had finally dried up and if they were now mortal like the rest of us. Well, Ruth Sinn's squad proved that they could not only recover despite the inuries and other off-court happenings that tried this squad mightily but also look as good as ever in the latter stages of the regular season. Taylor Young LOOKS to be 100% right now and Anna Smith has done well in filling in for Maggie Weiers who was lost in the second game of the season to injury. The Tommies have also had a lot of young players step up this year as well. The bottom line here is that this team made a serious run to the whole ball of wax last year (probably should have won it) and they will be awfully tough for anyone to knock off whether it's at Schoenecker Arena or on the road.
Sure sign of trouble - If Young or Kellie Ring should be victim to a freak injury. The Tommies NEED those two. It's as simple as that.
1. Concordia - Am not at all surprised to see Jessica Rahman's squad in this spot as they ALWAYS seem to be in the thick of things in one way or another this time of the year. Having the #1 seed is a bit of a change but if there's one team that can handle it, it's these guys. They're not particularly flashy and they won't necessarily "wow" you with anything they do out there. They're just coldly and brutally efficient. At the same time, this paradoxically seems to be their undoing on the national stage as they haven't been past the first round in the NCAA Tournament yet in trips to both Wisconsin and Iowa in recent years. Still, I really like the core of this squad; seniors Emily Thesing and Tricia Sorensen and sophomore sharpshooter Alley Fisher and having the odds being on your side give this team the inside track to repeat their feat from two years ago.
Sure sign of trouble - If Lippert gets into early foul trouble the burden down low will fall on reserve junior Kelsey Walloch. And Fisher and Thesing have to keep defenses honest by hitting enough treys as well.
6. GAC - This has been arguably a trying season under new Head Coach Laurie Kelly that saw the Gusties bolt out to a good start only to have the bottom almost fall out come mid/late January. The tailspin this squad endured makes me hesitant to even think that they would even have a remote chance of doing the unthinkable. But the Gusties do have one element in their favor that some of the other teams in this mix don't have - experience. Seniors Abby Rothenbuehler, Kelsey Florian and Steph Comer have all been in these battles in past seasons and know what it takes to win these games. Junior Julia Dysthie can be one of the most dangerous players out there and can be deadly behind the arc. But if the Gusties are going to do this, they're going to have to do it the hard way - on the road.
Sure sign of trouble - If the turnovers start piling up early on and Rothenbuehler gets into foul trouble before halftime.
5. Hamline - This wildly unpredictable team has been one of the toughest puzzles to try and figure out this season and it's equally difficult to predict their chances beginning with tonight up at CSB. Yet if there's a longshot in this mix that can pull this off and shock the world in the process it's this group. There is simply no other team in the conference that possesses the kind of speed and athleticism they have and it's little wonder that a lot of teams hate having to play Hamline. They also have a trio of seniors who can light it up behind the arc as well; Steph Pilgrm, Cassidy Vogt and Kara Poirer. They are not a "big" team by any means and depth can be an issue for this squad. Yet, given their body of work during the regular season (road wins at both Concordia and UST) I can't put it completely past them to pull this off.
Sure sign of trouble - If the "3's" aren't falling and they are forced to play a slower-tempo halfcourt game where they get beat up in the paint.
4. CSB - The Blazers were aruably the hottest team in the conference not long ago; ripping off ten straight wins in a period from mid-January to early February; capped off by the big home win against Concordia. They then leveled off somewhat; dropping two straight before rallying at home in the regular season finale vs St. Olaf. This is a relatively young team but it does have two seniors who are leading the way nicely for Mike Durbin's squad - Whitney Canton and Morgan Dale. While this team has a lot of potential for the future, I think it's probably a bridge too far for this team to win it all and the late road losses to both UST and SMU I think reflect my cautious approach with this group.
Sure sign of trouble - If they start getting beat at the post position (especially now w/o Hylla) and Canton and the Lueck Sisters can't bail them out behind the arc.
3. SMU - Clearly one of the more pleasant surprises in this conference has been the emergence of former Cobber great Mandy Pearson's squad into one of the upper echelon teams in the MIAC. I only got to see them play once this season but was very impressed with what I saw. They have a great scorer from the outside in Jessica Thone and a dual big threat in both senior Jamie Stefely and junior post Courtney Euerle plus a very underrated player, IMHO, in Octavia Brown. Plus, you really have to like their body of work as well (18-4 conference, 21-4 overall) which SHOULD be good enough to get them into the Big Dance if they can manage to get past GAC tonight at home in Winona. I do have a bit of concern wrt their lack of experience in the MIAC playoffs despite their win at St. Olaf last year before falling to UST but this is a team that definitely can pull it off if everything fall into place for them just right.
Sure sign of trouble - If Euerle gets bottled up down low and Thone is unable to come to the rescue behind the arc.
2. UST - You had to wonder at one point in the season when the Tommies suddenly lost four out of six games in January if their aura of invincibility had finally dried up and if they were now mortal like the rest of us. Well, Ruth Sinn's squad proved that they could not only recover despite the inuries and other off-court happenings that tried this squad mightily but also look as good as ever in the latter stages of the regular season. Taylor Young LOOKS to be 100% right now and Anna Smith has done well in filling in for Maggie Weiers who was lost in the second game of the season to injury. The Tommies have also had a lot of young players step up this year as well. The bottom line here is that this team made a serious run to the whole ball of wax last year (probably should have won it) and they will be awfully tough for anyone to knock off whether it's at Schoenecker Arena or on the road.
Sure sign of trouble - If Young or Kellie Ring should be victim to a freak injury. The Tommies NEED those two. It's as simple as that.
1. Concordia - Am not at all surprised to see Jessica Rahman's squad in this spot as they ALWAYS seem to be in the thick of things in one way or another this time of the year. Having the #1 seed is a bit of a change but if there's one team that can handle it, it's these guys. They're not particularly flashy and they won't necessarily "wow" you with anything they do out there. They're just coldly and brutally efficient. At the same time, this paradoxically seems to be their undoing on the national stage as they haven't been past the first round in the NCAA Tournament yet in trips to both Wisconsin and Iowa in recent years. Still, I really like the core of this squad; seniors Emily Thesing and Tricia Sorensen and sophomore sharpshooter Alley Fisher and having the odds being on your side give this team the inside track to repeat their feat from two years ago.
Sure sign of trouble - If Lippert gets into early foul trouble the burden down low will fall on reserve junior Kelsey Walloch. And Fisher and Thesing have to keep defenses honest by hitting enough treys as well.
Sunday, February 17, 2013
MIAC Power Rankings 2-17-13
With the MIAC playoffs looming in a couple of days, I thought this A.M. might be a very good time to bang out the last power rankings for this season.
1. Concordia
2. (tie) SMU & UST
3. CSB
4. Hamline
5. GAC
6. St. Olaf
7. Augsburg
8. Bethel
9. Carleton
10. Macalester
11. St. Kate's
Congrats to the Corn on winning the MIAC regular season title and locking up the #1 seed in the MIAC playoffs this week. They survived the brutal MIAC regular season with the fewest nicks. Both SMU and UST are right up there as well and I think you have to give UST a lot of credit for turning things around when they went through a rough stretch not so long ago. CSB has leveled off a little bit but this is a young team with a bright future ahead of it. Hamline has a knack for living dangerously - and they survived two huge challenges this last week. GAC had to work hard to hold off Carleton at home and then, somewhat predictably fell to the Corn up in Moorhead yesterday.
Without question the most confounding team this year was St. Olaf which had so much hope, potential and promise at the beginning of the year only to have injuries and other misfortunes doom this talented group. Yesterday's loss at CSB in which they blew an 18-point halftime lead really was the season in a nutshell for this program and I can't help but feel badly for seniors Mackenzie Wolter, Erin Haglund, (C'mon) Eileen O'Donoghue, and Ashley Menzel who had set lofty goals at the beginning of this year. Augsburg never was consistent enough to put together a stretch run despite the talent it has. Bethel will be a team to keep your eye on in the next couple of years as this young group gains experience as the Royals have a bevy of talent. Carleton, Macalester and St. Kate's are all going through a lot of growing pains right now and can only go up.
Tuesday A.M. I'll handicap the MIAC playoffs and see if I can shed some light on who might emerge from the battles to claim the MIAC Championship game - and the automatic bid to the Big Dance.
1. Concordia
2. (tie) SMU & UST
3. CSB
4. Hamline
5. GAC
6. St. Olaf
7. Augsburg
8. Bethel
9. Carleton
10. Macalester
11. St. Kate's
Congrats to the Corn on winning the MIAC regular season title and locking up the #1 seed in the MIAC playoffs this week. They survived the brutal MIAC regular season with the fewest nicks. Both SMU and UST are right up there as well and I think you have to give UST a lot of credit for turning things around when they went through a rough stretch not so long ago. CSB has leveled off a little bit but this is a young team with a bright future ahead of it. Hamline has a knack for living dangerously - and they survived two huge challenges this last week. GAC had to work hard to hold off Carleton at home and then, somewhat predictably fell to the Corn up in Moorhead yesterday.
Without question the most confounding team this year was St. Olaf which had so much hope, potential and promise at the beginning of the year only to have injuries and other misfortunes doom this talented group. Yesterday's loss at CSB in which they blew an 18-point halftime lead really was the season in a nutshell for this program and I can't help but feel badly for seniors Mackenzie Wolter, Erin Haglund, (C'mon) Eileen O'Donoghue, and Ashley Menzel who had set lofty goals at the beginning of this year. Augsburg never was consistent enough to put together a stretch run despite the talent it has. Bethel will be a team to keep your eye on in the next couple of years as this young group gains experience as the Royals have a bevy of talent. Carleton, Macalester and St. Kate's are all going through a lot of growing pains right now and can only go up.
Tuesday A.M. I'll handicap the MIAC playoffs and see if I can shed some light on who might emerge from the battles to claim the MIAC Championship game - and the automatic bid to the Big Dance.
Saturday, February 16, 2013
UST vs St. Kate's Synopsis 2-16-13
After Bethel held off Macalester on the north side of town, I hurried down Snelling and Summit Avenues to get over to St. Kate's and the Butler Center as the Wildcats were hosting perennial MIAC powerhouse UST on this last regular season Saturday. By the time I got in at halftime, the Tommies had waltzed to a commanding 41-15 lead by the break and there wasn't too much doubt as to how the rest of this game was going to go.
Still, if there's one thing that St. Kate's Head Coach Sean Pinkerton has been able to instill into his team despite this trying season is to always keep scrapping and battling away; no matter how hopeless things look. To their credit, the 'Cats did just that. Junior guard Kristen Lee started the second half by connecting with a jumper at the 19:40 mark and, although UST junior sensation Taylor Young countered with a perfectly swishing "3" from the left wing at the 17:00 mark plus a lay-up in transition a bit later that made it a 46-17 game, Lee was also able to connect with another jumper at the 15:56 mark and then freshman forward Cynthia Cowan was able to manuever inside for a score at the 15:14 mark that cut the UST lead to 46-21.
Tommie sophomores Jen Dockter and Alyssa Favilla helped spark another UST surge over the next few minutes and another sophomore, Carley Emery, banged home a "3" from the right wing at the 11:10 mark that upped the Tommie lead to 55-26. After Lee's "3" from the right wing area at the 10:01 mark sliced off a little bit of that deficit for the 'Cats, the Tommies built it right back up again as sophomore post Anna Smith; the Bloomington Jefferson product, snared a steal and went coast to coast for a Tommie score and after sophomore reserve Elaine Warner knocked down a freebie after being fouled in another transition opportunity, Favilla made good on another transition opportunity for a 62-32 lead with 6:33 left. By this time, UST Head Coach Ruth Sinn was beginning to subtitute liberally and it gave some of her lesser-known reserves a chance to shine. Sophomore Danielle Dreier connected with a short jumper with 5:25 left and then freshman reserve Katie Stone strutted her stuff as she knocked down a jumper from the right wing with 4:45 left and on the ensuing Tommie possession she uncorked a three-point bomb from the left wing for a 69-36 UST lead. St. Kate's made two late stabs; "3's" by both sophomore Sarina Baker and junior Madison Pertler helped make the score respectable but the Tommie reserves were enjoying some rare fun. Stone snared a steal and went the other way for a lay-up with 1:26 left and then sophomore reserve Beth Wittry put an exclamation point on this rousing Tommie victory with her "3" from the left wing with just :44 left as UST cruised to a 79-42 romp on their neighbors located just south of the UST campus.
While Pinkerton obviously has a lot of work ahead of him in getting the St. Kate's program highly competitive again, UST appears to be peaking at just the right time after stumbling through January. Young appears to be back at full strength after battling through injuries earlier in the year and junior Kelly Brandenburg was out for a spell in January. Senior point guard Kellie Ring, though, has had to endure the loss of her father just before the first of the year and that's simply a tough thing to have to deal with but even tougher when you're one of the senior leaders on this squad. Still, this Tommie squad has great chemistry and a knack for pulling together when times are tough and they did just that when it looked like things could be falling apart at the seams. They know what it takes to rise to the occasion at this time of the year and they'll arguably have to be one of the favorites when the MIAC Playoffs begin this next week.
Still, if there's one thing that St. Kate's Head Coach Sean Pinkerton has been able to instill into his team despite this trying season is to always keep scrapping and battling away; no matter how hopeless things look. To their credit, the 'Cats did just that. Junior guard Kristen Lee started the second half by connecting with a jumper at the 19:40 mark and, although UST junior sensation Taylor Young countered with a perfectly swishing "3" from the left wing at the 17:00 mark plus a lay-up in transition a bit later that made it a 46-17 game, Lee was also able to connect with another jumper at the 15:56 mark and then freshman forward Cynthia Cowan was able to manuever inside for a score at the 15:14 mark that cut the UST lead to 46-21.
Tommie sophomores Jen Dockter and Alyssa Favilla helped spark another UST surge over the next few minutes and another sophomore, Carley Emery, banged home a "3" from the right wing at the 11:10 mark that upped the Tommie lead to 55-26. After Lee's "3" from the right wing area at the 10:01 mark sliced off a little bit of that deficit for the 'Cats, the Tommies built it right back up again as sophomore post Anna Smith; the Bloomington Jefferson product, snared a steal and went coast to coast for a Tommie score and after sophomore reserve Elaine Warner knocked down a freebie after being fouled in another transition opportunity, Favilla made good on another transition opportunity for a 62-32 lead with 6:33 left. By this time, UST Head Coach Ruth Sinn was beginning to subtitute liberally and it gave some of her lesser-known reserves a chance to shine. Sophomore Danielle Dreier connected with a short jumper with 5:25 left and then freshman reserve Katie Stone strutted her stuff as she knocked down a jumper from the right wing with 4:45 left and on the ensuing Tommie possession she uncorked a three-point bomb from the left wing for a 69-36 UST lead. St. Kate's made two late stabs; "3's" by both sophomore Sarina Baker and junior Madison Pertler helped make the score respectable but the Tommie reserves were enjoying some rare fun. Stone snared a steal and went the other way for a lay-up with 1:26 left and then sophomore reserve Beth Wittry put an exclamation point on this rousing Tommie victory with her "3" from the left wing with just :44 left as UST cruised to a 79-42 romp on their neighbors located just south of the UST campus.
While Pinkerton obviously has a lot of work ahead of him in getting the St. Kate's program highly competitive again, UST appears to be peaking at just the right time after stumbling through January. Young appears to be back at full strength after battling through injuries earlier in the year and junior Kelly Brandenburg was out for a spell in January. Senior point guard Kellie Ring, though, has had to endure the loss of her father just before the first of the year and that's simply a tough thing to have to deal with but even tougher when you're one of the senior leaders on this squad. Still, this Tommie squad has great chemistry and a knack for pulling together when times are tough and they did just that when it looked like things could be falling apart at the seams. They know what it takes to rise to the occasion at this time of the year and they'll arguably have to be one of the favorites when the MIAC Playoffs begin this next week.
Macalester vs Bethel 2-16-13
Made my way over to the Robertson Center on this sunny but cold Saturday afternoon for Senior Day at Bethel as they prepared to take on visiting Macalester. Before the game, Bethel's three seniors - Kristi Nye-Studanski, Alicia Montbriand and Kelly Swenson were honored and it always makes for a special day no matter what venue you're at.
As full of spirit that the Royals were on this day, they could do little offensively early on in this contest and Macalester was able to take advantage of Bethel miscues. With the score tied at 2-all after Montbriand was able to manuever inside for a score in the paint at the 17:57 mark, Macalester made its move. 6'3" junior post Veronika Jakubovie connected with a turnaround jumper down low at the 16:23 mark and then a lay-up by speedy senior point guard Kyanna Jones at the 15:59 mark made it a 6-2 game for the Scots. Although Jones misfired on two chances from the charity stripe after being fouled at the 14:05 mark, she made up for that just a little more than a minute later when she was sent to the line again and promptly knocked down both for an 8-2 Macalester lead. Finally, junior guard Katelyn Vavra got the home team untracked somewhat at the 12:44 mark when she nailed a "3" from the right wing and then, at the 9:57 mark the junior from Askov drained another "3"; this one from the left wing area to tie things up at 8 a piece. Freshman post Rachel Parupsky then gave Bethel its first lead of the afternoon when she scored on a lay-up at the 9:21 mark and then Parupsky extended the lead to 11-8 with a free throw with 8:43 left.
But the Royals were still way out of synch on offense and could not sustain the surge they had created. This gave the Scots the opening they had been searching for and, although they weren't setting the world on fire with their shooting on this day either they did take partial advantage. After Jakubovie knocked down one free throw with 8:28 left, it was the freshman guard from Sparta, Wisconsin, Erin Murray who provided the spark the Scots were looking for. She knocked down a short jumper with 8:03 left and Jones did the same at the 7:27 mark that gave Macalester the lead back at 13-11. Murray then connected with another jumper from the left wing with 6:45 left and then Jakubovie spotted Jones down low and made a sweet pass in the lane to feed her for an easy score that made it a 17-11 game for the Scots. Murray also connected with another short jumper with 5:16 left that upped the Macalester advantage to 19-11. An ice-cold Bethel squad; which shot a frighteningly icy 16.7% from FG range (yikes!) would not get any more perimeter scoring before the halftime break and had to settled for free throws from sophomore reserve post Lindy Parker and freshman reserve Megan Brodeur and freshman guard Hannah Niewald and Macalester would only register one more point the rest of the first half that made it a 20-15 game at the half but it seemed like Bethel was down way more than that.
Bethel made a concerted effort to attack the rim once the second half got underway. Parupsky scored down low at the 19:51 and Swenson knocked down two free throws at the 19:22 mark after getting fouled that made it a one point game at 20-19. But Macalester kept the Royals at bay early on in the second half; as the Royals still continued to struggle with their offensive cohesiveness. Trouble was, though, Macalester never could take full advantage of the situation that allowed them to open up even a little bit of a cushion that could have changed the complexion of the game. As such, the Scot lead teetered in the one to three point range for the most part over the course of the next several minutes. Oddly enough, even on this day which was Senior Day for the Royal seniors, it would be a freshman that would emerge as the savior for Bethel on this afternoon. Niewald, the 5'7" guard from suburban Fridley would slowly take over this game for the Bethel as she knocked down a jumper at the 17:01 mark that cut Macalester's lead to 24-23. After the Scots junior guard Emma Leyden scored on a lay-up in transition at the 16;11 mark and Murray knocked down two freebies at the 15:31 mark to make it a 28-23 ballgame, freshman guard Sydney "Bam Bam" Schultz, known more for her prowess behind the arc, made a drive and finish at the 13:45 mark and then Vavra made good on a left-handed lay-up attempt that cut the Scot lead to 28-27.
Then Niewald really went to work for the home team. After knocking down two free throws at the 12:36 mark when she was fouled in a transition attempt and doing an encore performance at the charity stripe at the 11:20 mark, Niewald was able to score inside at the 10:40 mark that tied things at 33-all. The Royals would force two more ties at 35-all and 37-all before Niewald got another chance from the line with 6:38 left. Once again, she knocked down to clutch freebies that forced another tie at 39-all. Then, with Niewald being as aggressive as ever she drew another another foul with 5:56 left that got her to the charity stripe again where she knocked down two free throws again that gave Bethel its first lead of the day at 41-39. That spark that Niewald provided seemed to rub off on her teammates as they stepped up in the crucial closing minutes. With Bethel up only 43-41 with 4:27 left, Vavra uncorked an ice water in my veins "3" from the right top area that got the Royals a 46-41 lead. With 3:32 left, Vavra spotted Parker cutting into an open area in the lane and made a sweet pass to find her teammate for the finish that made it 48-43 Bethel. But the Royals could not completely close the deal in the waning minutes either and it allowed Macalester to draw close again. Free throws by both Jones and Jakubovie made it a 51-49 game for Bethel and you could feel the tension on both sides as Macalester's Head Coach Ellen Thompson had to yell at the game officials when they inadvertently let the shot clock expire on a missed Scot shot that did indeed hit the rim. When the game officials were discussing the situation, Bethel Head Coach Jon Herbrecthsmeyer wanted to have a moment with his team and, when he initially could not get their attention he was agitated and yelled "White come here!!". In any event, on the last Bethel possession, Niewald managed to get fouled by Macalester junior Carmen Whitehead. However, Niewald could only sink the back end of the bonus situation freebie with just :19.4 left that made it a 52-49 game. Both Thompson and Herbrechtsmeyer charted their respectives team's strategies on this last few seconds. The Scots patiently brought the ball up the court and were rolling the dice as they had nothing to lose at this point. Finally, with just :05 left Leyden got just enough of a good look to launch a three-point attempt but it was a bit too hard off the glass and bounced off the front rim. However, Leyden hustled and snared the loose ball away from the Bethel defenders and whirled around for one more last-gasp attempt that was also off the mark and the Royals finally had reason to celebrate on Senior Day claiming a tough 52-49 victory.
As full of spirit that the Royals were on this day, they could do little offensively early on in this contest and Macalester was able to take advantage of Bethel miscues. With the score tied at 2-all after Montbriand was able to manuever inside for a score in the paint at the 17:57 mark, Macalester made its move. 6'3" junior post Veronika Jakubovie connected with a turnaround jumper down low at the 16:23 mark and then a lay-up by speedy senior point guard Kyanna Jones at the 15:59 mark made it a 6-2 game for the Scots. Although Jones misfired on two chances from the charity stripe after being fouled at the 14:05 mark, she made up for that just a little more than a minute later when she was sent to the line again and promptly knocked down both for an 8-2 Macalester lead. Finally, junior guard Katelyn Vavra got the home team untracked somewhat at the 12:44 mark when she nailed a "3" from the right wing and then, at the 9:57 mark the junior from Askov drained another "3"; this one from the left wing area to tie things up at 8 a piece. Freshman post Rachel Parupsky then gave Bethel its first lead of the afternoon when she scored on a lay-up at the 9:21 mark and then Parupsky extended the lead to 11-8 with a free throw with 8:43 left.
But the Royals were still way out of synch on offense and could not sustain the surge they had created. This gave the Scots the opening they had been searching for and, although they weren't setting the world on fire with their shooting on this day either they did take partial advantage. After Jakubovie knocked down one free throw with 8:28 left, it was the freshman guard from Sparta, Wisconsin, Erin Murray who provided the spark the Scots were looking for. She knocked down a short jumper with 8:03 left and Jones did the same at the 7:27 mark that gave Macalester the lead back at 13-11. Murray then connected with another jumper from the left wing with 6:45 left and then Jakubovie spotted Jones down low and made a sweet pass in the lane to feed her for an easy score that made it a 17-11 game for the Scots. Murray also connected with another short jumper with 5:16 left that upped the Macalester advantage to 19-11. An ice-cold Bethel squad; which shot a frighteningly icy 16.7% from FG range (yikes!) would not get any more perimeter scoring before the halftime break and had to settled for free throws from sophomore reserve post Lindy Parker and freshman reserve Megan Brodeur and freshman guard Hannah Niewald and Macalester would only register one more point the rest of the first half that made it a 20-15 game at the half but it seemed like Bethel was down way more than that.
Bethel made a concerted effort to attack the rim once the second half got underway. Parupsky scored down low at the 19:51 and Swenson knocked down two free throws at the 19:22 mark after getting fouled that made it a one point game at 20-19. But Macalester kept the Royals at bay early on in the second half; as the Royals still continued to struggle with their offensive cohesiveness. Trouble was, though, Macalester never could take full advantage of the situation that allowed them to open up even a little bit of a cushion that could have changed the complexion of the game. As such, the Scot lead teetered in the one to three point range for the most part over the course of the next several minutes. Oddly enough, even on this day which was Senior Day for the Royal seniors, it would be a freshman that would emerge as the savior for Bethel on this afternoon. Niewald, the 5'7" guard from suburban Fridley would slowly take over this game for the Bethel as she knocked down a jumper at the 17:01 mark that cut Macalester's lead to 24-23. After the Scots junior guard Emma Leyden scored on a lay-up in transition at the 16;11 mark and Murray knocked down two freebies at the 15:31 mark to make it a 28-23 ballgame, freshman guard Sydney "Bam Bam" Schultz, known more for her prowess behind the arc, made a drive and finish at the 13:45 mark and then Vavra made good on a left-handed lay-up attempt that cut the Scot lead to 28-27.
Then Niewald really went to work for the home team. After knocking down two free throws at the 12:36 mark when she was fouled in a transition attempt and doing an encore performance at the charity stripe at the 11:20 mark, Niewald was able to score inside at the 10:40 mark that tied things at 33-all. The Royals would force two more ties at 35-all and 37-all before Niewald got another chance from the line with 6:38 left. Once again, she knocked down to clutch freebies that forced another tie at 39-all. Then, with Niewald being as aggressive as ever she drew another another foul with 5:56 left that got her to the charity stripe again where she knocked down two free throws again that gave Bethel its first lead of the day at 41-39. That spark that Niewald provided seemed to rub off on her teammates as they stepped up in the crucial closing minutes. With Bethel up only 43-41 with 4:27 left, Vavra uncorked an ice water in my veins "3" from the right top area that got the Royals a 46-41 lead. With 3:32 left, Vavra spotted Parker cutting into an open area in the lane and made a sweet pass to find her teammate for the finish that made it 48-43 Bethel. But the Royals could not completely close the deal in the waning minutes either and it allowed Macalester to draw close again. Free throws by both Jones and Jakubovie made it a 51-49 game for Bethel and you could feel the tension on both sides as Macalester's Head Coach Ellen Thompson had to yell at the game officials when they inadvertently let the shot clock expire on a missed Scot shot that did indeed hit the rim. When the game officials were discussing the situation, Bethel Head Coach Jon Herbrecthsmeyer wanted to have a moment with his team and, when he initially could not get their attention he was agitated and yelled "White come here!!". In any event, on the last Bethel possession, Niewald managed to get fouled by Macalester junior Carmen Whitehead. However, Niewald could only sink the back end of the bonus situation freebie with just :19.4 left that made it a 52-49 game. Both Thompson and Herbrechtsmeyer charted their respectives team's strategies on this last few seconds. The Scots patiently brought the ball up the court and were rolling the dice as they had nothing to lose at this point. Finally, with just :05 left Leyden got just enough of a good look to launch a three-point attempt but it was a bit too hard off the glass and bounced off the front rim. However, Leyden hustled and snared the loose ball away from the Bethel defenders and whirled around for one more last-gasp attempt that was also off the mark and the Royals finally had reason to celebrate on Senior Day claiming a tough 52-49 victory.
Friday, February 15, 2013
Elk River vs Park Center 2-15-13
Made the short hop over to Park Center High School on this cold Friday evening after a hard afternoon practice and workout (yes, my body was - and is - very sore) to take in this Northwest Suburban Conference clash between visiting Elk River and host Park Center. The Pirates; perennial contenders in the Class AAA-Section 3 stable, were looking to improve their seeding potential as well as keeping abreast of the leaders in a very competitive Northwest Suburban conference. Elk River has been working on improvement over last year's seven-win season and hoping to improve their chances in the Class AAAA-Section 8. Interestingly enough, the Elks took it to the Pirates in their earlier meeting up in Elk River this season so obviously the Pirates had redemption on their mind on this night.
Despite the obvious advantage in speed that the Pirates possessed in this matchup, Elk River managed to stay even with their hosts. After senior wing Hollie Sorensen got the Pirates out in front with her short jumper at the 17:53 mark, the Elks came right back and knotted things at 2 a piece when junior forward Molli Detloff was able to get into the paint for a score at the 17:30 mark. Park Center would get the lead up to 6-2 by the 16:39 mark when junior sensation Cayla McMorris connected with a running lay-up but the Elks would get right back and tie things at 6-all when senior guard Jordyn Sohns snared a steal and went in for a lay-up the other way at the 15:33 mark. But turnovers galore were the rule for both teams in the early going and likely prevented Park Center from putting the Elks in their rear-view mirror earlier than what they did.
The Pirates finally did put some cushion between themselves and their visitors but again, they were doing it the hard way with turnovers keeping a lot of points off the board. Up 12-9 after a lay-up by senior guard Kate Simonet at the 13:00 mark, the Pirates extended the lead to 14-9 when sophomore reserve guard McKenna DuBois connected with a lay-up at the 12:38 mark. Elk River would briefly close the gap on two free throws and a score by lanky freshman post Abi Scheid but the Pirates gradually began to pull away; going on a 9-0 run over the course of almost two minutes that really changed the complexion of this game and, by the time the Pirates finished off this run at the 9:27 mark, they were already in the bonus which only made things that much tougher on this young Elk squad that features only two seniors. To their credit, the Elks did make a push that enabled them to close the gap to a mere four points with 6:26 left. Junior guard Shelby Gracik knocked down two free throws after being fouled at the 8:23 mark and then Gracik was able to snare an offensive rebound for a putback with 7:36 left. Then it was the lanky Sohns getting inside for a score at that 6:26 mark that suddenly cut Park Center's lead down to 25-21 but the Pirates would waste no time in getting their lead back up to double digits. Simonet scored on a lay-up in transition and was fouled in the process with 5:48 left and she made the obligatory freebies. Then it was sophomore sensation Hannah Schaub lighting up the Park Center gymnasium - with her older sister Nicole who now plays for Anoka-Ramsey in attendance as well - as she swished a "3" from the right top area with 5:25 left that got the lead back up to double digits that the Pirates would maintain the rest of the way. DuBois was fouled in a transition lay-up attempt with 4:39 left and got a free throw out of it as Park Center by this time was in the double bonus. Then it was Schaub again at the 3:52 mark as she scored inside after pressure defense from the Pirates forced an Elk turnover. With 2:36 left, McMorris pushed Park Center's lead to seventeen at 40-23 when she used her leaping ability to snare an offensive rebound for a putback. Late scores by sophomore guard Anna Rollag and Gracik made a dent into the Park Center advantage just before the half but not nearly enough as the Pirates were riding a 42-27 cushion at the break.
Things did not get any better for the visiting Elks once the second half got underway either. Scheid did use her height to grab an offensive rebound and putback for the Elks at the 16:04 mark and once again at the 15:01 mark but Elk River's frustration was beginning to show early on in the second half as they simply did not have the overall team speed to keep up with Park Center on this night. McMorris was intentionally fouled at the 14:31 mark and made two freebies out of it. Turnovers, too, killed any hopes that Elk River may have had about making a legitimate comeback in this game. Schaub drained another "3" from the left wing at the 12:32 mark and then McMorris completed the one-two punch with a score inside at the 12:12 mark that had Elk River Head Coach Reed Caouette calling for a timeout to stop the bleeding but this game would require quadruple bypass as far as the Elks were concerned as Park Center continued their assault. Simonet uncorked a three-point bomb from the left corner at the 11:30 mark and then it was McMorris with a drive and finish at the 11:02 mark that made it a 61-37 game.
Even worse for the Elks on this night was their woeful free throw shooting. They made a total of FOUR freebies in the second half alone and, considering the number of trips they made to the charity stripe in the second half, this had to be a a major factor in the Elks downfall in this one. Coming down the home stretch, Schaub scored on consecutive lay-ups for the Pirates at the 4:06 and 3:43 marks and then reserve senior Zaida Henry, sporting lime-green colored Nikes, made one freebie with 3:14 left and then scored on a lay-up in transition with 2:19 left for a 75-44 Park Center lead. With the game in the bag, Park Center Head Coach Patty Sorensen inserted her reserves as did Caouette for Elk River and the Pirates cruised to an 80-50 victory that eased the sting from their trip up U.S. Highway 10 and the BNSF's Staples Sub mainline to Elk River earlier this season. Afterward, I had the pleasure of getting to speak with all three of the Schaub Sisters who have all had a part in making this Park Center program a threat to make it to the big stage in March. This team has come up short the last couple of seasons; falling each time to powerhouse DeLaSalle in the section final but this squad has enough talent and athleticism - and hunger - to maybe, just maybe take that proverbial next step. The only negative I could take away from this game from a Park Center standpoint were the turnovers they committed but they have enough time between now and late February/early March to make amends that just might allow them to steal the spotlight in the Class AAA-Section 3 field and get to State.
Despite the obvious advantage in speed that the Pirates possessed in this matchup, Elk River managed to stay even with their hosts. After senior wing Hollie Sorensen got the Pirates out in front with her short jumper at the 17:53 mark, the Elks came right back and knotted things at 2 a piece when junior forward Molli Detloff was able to get into the paint for a score at the 17:30 mark. Park Center would get the lead up to 6-2 by the 16:39 mark when junior sensation Cayla McMorris connected with a running lay-up but the Elks would get right back and tie things at 6-all when senior guard Jordyn Sohns snared a steal and went in for a lay-up the other way at the 15:33 mark. But turnovers galore were the rule for both teams in the early going and likely prevented Park Center from putting the Elks in their rear-view mirror earlier than what they did.
The Pirates finally did put some cushion between themselves and their visitors but again, they were doing it the hard way with turnovers keeping a lot of points off the board. Up 12-9 after a lay-up by senior guard Kate Simonet at the 13:00 mark, the Pirates extended the lead to 14-9 when sophomore reserve guard McKenna DuBois connected with a lay-up at the 12:38 mark. Elk River would briefly close the gap on two free throws and a score by lanky freshman post Abi Scheid but the Pirates gradually began to pull away; going on a 9-0 run over the course of almost two minutes that really changed the complexion of this game and, by the time the Pirates finished off this run at the 9:27 mark, they were already in the bonus which only made things that much tougher on this young Elk squad that features only two seniors. To their credit, the Elks did make a push that enabled them to close the gap to a mere four points with 6:26 left. Junior guard Shelby Gracik knocked down two free throws after being fouled at the 8:23 mark and then Gracik was able to snare an offensive rebound for a putback with 7:36 left. Then it was the lanky Sohns getting inside for a score at that 6:26 mark that suddenly cut Park Center's lead down to 25-21 but the Pirates would waste no time in getting their lead back up to double digits. Simonet scored on a lay-up in transition and was fouled in the process with 5:48 left and she made the obligatory freebies. Then it was sophomore sensation Hannah Schaub lighting up the Park Center gymnasium - with her older sister Nicole who now plays for Anoka-Ramsey in attendance as well - as she swished a "3" from the right top area with 5:25 left that got the lead back up to double digits that the Pirates would maintain the rest of the way. DuBois was fouled in a transition lay-up attempt with 4:39 left and got a free throw out of it as Park Center by this time was in the double bonus. Then it was Schaub again at the 3:52 mark as she scored inside after pressure defense from the Pirates forced an Elk turnover. With 2:36 left, McMorris pushed Park Center's lead to seventeen at 40-23 when she used her leaping ability to snare an offensive rebound for a putback. Late scores by sophomore guard Anna Rollag and Gracik made a dent into the Park Center advantage just before the half but not nearly enough as the Pirates were riding a 42-27 cushion at the break.
Things did not get any better for the visiting Elks once the second half got underway either. Scheid did use her height to grab an offensive rebound and putback for the Elks at the 16:04 mark and once again at the 15:01 mark but Elk River's frustration was beginning to show early on in the second half as they simply did not have the overall team speed to keep up with Park Center on this night. McMorris was intentionally fouled at the 14:31 mark and made two freebies out of it. Turnovers, too, killed any hopes that Elk River may have had about making a legitimate comeback in this game. Schaub drained another "3" from the left wing at the 12:32 mark and then McMorris completed the one-two punch with a score inside at the 12:12 mark that had Elk River Head Coach Reed Caouette calling for a timeout to stop the bleeding but this game would require quadruple bypass as far as the Elks were concerned as Park Center continued their assault. Simonet uncorked a three-point bomb from the left corner at the 11:30 mark and then it was McMorris with a drive and finish at the 11:02 mark that made it a 61-37 game.
Even worse for the Elks on this night was their woeful free throw shooting. They made a total of FOUR freebies in the second half alone and, considering the number of trips they made to the charity stripe in the second half, this had to be a a major factor in the Elks downfall in this one. Coming down the home stretch, Schaub scored on consecutive lay-ups for the Pirates at the 4:06 and 3:43 marks and then reserve senior Zaida Henry, sporting lime-green colored Nikes, made one freebie with 3:14 left and then scored on a lay-up in transition with 2:19 left for a 75-44 Park Center lead. With the game in the bag, Park Center Head Coach Patty Sorensen inserted her reserves as did Caouette for Elk River and the Pirates cruised to an 80-50 victory that eased the sting from their trip up U.S. Highway 10 and the BNSF's Staples Sub mainline to Elk River earlier this season. Afterward, I had the pleasure of getting to speak with all three of the Schaub Sisters who have all had a part in making this Park Center program a threat to make it to the big stage in March. This team has come up short the last couple of seasons; falling each time to powerhouse DeLaSalle in the section final but this squad has enough talent and athleticism - and hunger - to maybe, just maybe take that proverbial next step. The only negative I could take away from this game from a Park Center standpoint were the turnovers they committed but they have enough time between now and late February/early March to make amends that just might allow them to steal the spotlight in the Class AAA-Section 3 field and get to State.
Thursday, February 14, 2013
Bethel vs Hamline 2-13-13
Was back over at Hutton Arena on this snowy, dreary February evening to take in senior night at Hamline as they got ready to take on Bethel in this last home game of the season. Hamline honored its three seniors that have all played an integral role in the success of the Pipers this season thus far; Kara "The Natural" Poirer, Steph "Silk" Pilgrim and Cassidy "Lightning" Vogt.
It's funny how you can sometimes have premonitions before a game about how it's going to go and, for whatever reason, I just had the feeling that this game could be one of those wild, weird games that you can only get at Hutton Arena. And, I was right. The first four minutes of this contest belonged to the Pipers as they reeled off an 8-0 run on the Royals. Sophomore sensation Jordan Sammons started it off with a short jumper in transition at the 18:42 mark and then connected again at the 18:02 mark on a score inside. Then it was Pilgrim getting lay-ups at both the 16:50 and 16:15 marks that had Bethel Head Coach Jon Herbrechtsmeyer calling for a halt to the action to reorganize his troops. It worked as the Royals responded with their own 8-0 run. Freshman prodigy Sydney "Bam Bam" Schultz showed that being outside of the Robertson Center doesn't faze her at all as she coldly drained a "3" from the left corner at the 16:00 mark and after freshman post Rachel Parupsky sank two freebies after being fouled, it was the senior from Dawson, Kelly Swenson, draining a "3" from the right top area at the 14:43 mark. Okay - now time for the Pipers to do their thing as they went on 13-0 run highlighted by a jumper from sophomore reserve Rachel Usgaard in the lane at the 12:39 mark a lay-up by Sammons in transition at the 11:25 mark, a "3" by junior guard JeNaya Brown from the left wing at the 10:58 mark and a lay-up in transition by Brown with just under 10:00 left that had Herbie burning yet another timeout.
The Royals would again get back into things but they did it the hard way. Parupsky was able to score inside at the 9:41 mark and Swenson connected with a jumper from the left wing at the 8:50 mark that cut the deficit back into single digits. Senior guard Kristi Nye-Studanski knocked down two free throws with 8:21 left and then it was "Bam Bam" uncorking yet another "3"; this one from her favorite camping spot - the right wing area - that whittled Hamline's lead down to 21-17 with 7:44 left. The Pipers would get their lead back up to double digits once again, however, as Sammons scored in the lane with 6:47 left and then Vogt drained a "3" from the right top area with 4:35 left. Sammons made it a ten point margin once again at 28-18 with her jumper along the left baseline with 4:05 left and Vogt kept it a ten-point ballgame with her long "2" from the left corner with 3:01 left. The Royals, though, would recover again. Junior guard Micaella Petrich bombed home a "3" from the top of the key with 2:13 left. Then, after withstanding a steal in the backcourt and score by Sammons, Parupsky was able to score down low with 1:32 left and then junior guard Katelyn Vavra was able to score on a lay-up with :54 left. Swenson then made good on two opportunites from the charity stripe with :29.7 left and Bethel was right back in it; trailing 32-29 going into the locker room at halftime.
Hamline, on this night, was looking to wrap up a spot in the MIAC playoffs but the Royals were determined to be heartbreakers on this Valentine's Day eve as they took charge once the second half began. Vavra banged home a "3" from the right wing at the 18:09 mark that tied things up at 32-all and then it was Parupsky, who had a monster second half, snaring an offensive rebound for a putback at the 17:37 mark that gave Bethel it's first lead of the evening at 34-32. Bethel would hold Hamline at bay for a bit but the Pipers would eventually tie things up at 40-all when Sammons connected with a "3" from the top at the 15:32 mark. This young Bethel team, however, refused to wilt and the adjustments at halftime made by Herbie and his staff gave the Pipers headaches for a good chunk of the second half as they were in a 2-3 zone most of the time that made it very difficult for the Pipers to get into the paint - and allowed the Royals to gain an edge. Scores in the paint by Parupsky at the 15:07 and 14:01 marks and a jumper by Swenson from the top made it 47-43 Bethel at the 12:14 mark. Parupsky upped that margin to 49-43 with two freebies at the 11:42 mark and another score down low by the Mounds View High product at the 11:13 mark kept the margin at six at 51-45 and had Hamline's post season hopes on the backburner.
But this Piper team seems to always respond in the face of adversity and tonight would be no different. After two free throws by Sammons with 10:58 left, Vogt, the wily senior, stole the rock from Bethel freshman Lexi Friesen and got it to Brown who raced downcourt with a behind the back dribble that wowed the Hutton Arena crowd and found Pilgrim camping out on the left wing. The former Anoka-Ramsey standout drained the "3" with 10:33 left that had the Pipers within one at 51-50. Bethel would find oxygen again and made it a 55-52 game on Petrich's lay-up with 8:50 left but a "3" by Brown with 7:57 left from the top of the key knotted this wild affair up again at 55 a piece and you knew the home stretch was going to be crazy.
Bethel briefly recaptured the lead at 58-57 when Vavra made a sweet drive and finish and got fouled by Vogt (her 4th foul) with 6:56 left but "The Natural"; Poirer gave it right back to the home team with her "3" from the top of the key with 6:30 left. Vavra, however, tied it right back up at 60-all with her jumper in the lane with 6:16 left. The Pipers would make it a 63-60 game thanks to a lay-up by Pilgrim with 5:49 left and a freebie by Sammons with 5:25 left. But guess who would step up for Bethel to draw the Royals even? "Bam Bam" Schultz, that's who as she calmly drained a "3" from the top of the key with 5:06 left. Now the Pipers had to make a push. Pilgrim got inside for a score off of a sweet pass in the lane by Sammons with 4:44 left and then a "3" by Pilgrim with 4:20 left made it LOOK like a safe lead for the Pipers at 68-63 with 4:20 left. Not so fast my friend as the Royals responded with a 6-0 run. And it was another freshman, Niewald, who made amends from an earlier turnover as she connected with a running one-handed jumper off the glass with 3:25 left and then was able to manuever into the paint for another score with 2:46 left. Parupsky's two free throws after a controversial foul called on Sammons made it 69-68 Bethel with just 1:22 left and had Hamline under the gun again. But Pilgrim, just as she had done two years ago in the National Championship game with Anoka-Ramsey, appeared to save the night with her clutch "3" from the left corner with :55 left that had the Pipers up again at 71-69. But then it was Niewald, once again trying to rain on the parade of the home team as she snuck inside for a score with just :22 left that knotted this thing up at 71-all and had the Hutton Arena crowd on its ear.
In the many decades that Hutton Arena has been around, there have been many heroes and heroines that have left their mark on this grand old palace that is the birthplace of intercollegiate basketball. I was lucky enough to witness the heroics of then-freshman Carolyn Korchik ten years ago as she let loose with a behind the halfcourt Hail Mary buzzer beater that gave the Pipers a one-point victory over Macalester. On this night, this venue would see another heroine emerge. After Hamline Head Coach Kerri Stockwell called a timeout, the Pipers brought the ball upcourt. It was apparent that they wanted to get a perimeter shot but Bethel was doing an excellent job of not letting anyone get a great look. Poirer and Brown each passed the ball to the other and, as Poirer admitted to me afterward as to what she was thinking in those last few final frantic seconds, she really had thought that it would be Brown who would launch the last attempt. But Brown; tightly guarded had no realistic shot at it and fed Poirer one last time. With :00.1 left, "The Natural" let fly with a bomb from the left top area that found nothing but net and gave the Pipers not only a thrilling 74-71 victory that had the team and the home crowd celebrating wildly but, more importantly, locked up a spot for the Pipers in the upcoming MIAC playoffs next week where they could be a real threat to topple the apple cart and make everything go kablooey.
It's funny how you can sometimes have premonitions before a game about how it's going to go and, for whatever reason, I just had the feeling that this game could be one of those wild, weird games that you can only get at Hutton Arena. And, I was right. The first four minutes of this contest belonged to the Pipers as they reeled off an 8-0 run on the Royals. Sophomore sensation Jordan Sammons started it off with a short jumper in transition at the 18:42 mark and then connected again at the 18:02 mark on a score inside. Then it was Pilgrim getting lay-ups at both the 16:50 and 16:15 marks that had Bethel Head Coach Jon Herbrechtsmeyer calling for a halt to the action to reorganize his troops. It worked as the Royals responded with their own 8-0 run. Freshman prodigy Sydney "Bam Bam" Schultz showed that being outside of the Robertson Center doesn't faze her at all as she coldly drained a "3" from the left corner at the 16:00 mark and after freshman post Rachel Parupsky sank two freebies after being fouled, it was the senior from Dawson, Kelly Swenson, draining a "3" from the right top area at the 14:43 mark. Okay - now time for the Pipers to do their thing as they went on 13-0 run highlighted by a jumper from sophomore reserve Rachel Usgaard in the lane at the 12:39 mark a lay-up by Sammons in transition at the 11:25 mark, a "3" by junior guard JeNaya Brown from the left wing at the 10:58 mark and a lay-up in transition by Brown with just under 10:00 left that had Herbie burning yet another timeout.
The Royals would again get back into things but they did it the hard way. Parupsky was able to score inside at the 9:41 mark and Swenson connected with a jumper from the left wing at the 8:50 mark that cut the deficit back into single digits. Senior guard Kristi Nye-Studanski knocked down two free throws with 8:21 left and then it was "Bam Bam" uncorking yet another "3"; this one from her favorite camping spot - the right wing area - that whittled Hamline's lead down to 21-17 with 7:44 left. The Pipers would get their lead back up to double digits once again, however, as Sammons scored in the lane with 6:47 left and then Vogt drained a "3" from the right top area with 4:35 left. Sammons made it a ten point margin once again at 28-18 with her jumper along the left baseline with 4:05 left and Vogt kept it a ten-point ballgame with her long "2" from the left corner with 3:01 left. The Royals, though, would recover again. Junior guard Micaella Petrich bombed home a "3" from the top of the key with 2:13 left. Then, after withstanding a steal in the backcourt and score by Sammons, Parupsky was able to score down low with 1:32 left and then junior guard Katelyn Vavra was able to score on a lay-up with :54 left. Swenson then made good on two opportunites from the charity stripe with :29.7 left and Bethel was right back in it; trailing 32-29 going into the locker room at halftime.
Hamline, on this night, was looking to wrap up a spot in the MIAC playoffs but the Royals were determined to be heartbreakers on this Valentine's Day eve as they took charge once the second half began. Vavra banged home a "3" from the right wing at the 18:09 mark that tied things up at 32-all and then it was Parupsky, who had a monster second half, snaring an offensive rebound for a putback at the 17:37 mark that gave Bethel it's first lead of the evening at 34-32. Bethel would hold Hamline at bay for a bit but the Pipers would eventually tie things up at 40-all when Sammons connected with a "3" from the top at the 15:32 mark. This young Bethel team, however, refused to wilt and the adjustments at halftime made by Herbie and his staff gave the Pipers headaches for a good chunk of the second half as they were in a 2-3 zone most of the time that made it very difficult for the Pipers to get into the paint - and allowed the Royals to gain an edge. Scores in the paint by Parupsky at the 15:07 and 14:01 marks and a jumper by Swenson from the top made it 47-43 Bethel at the 12:14 mark. Parupsky upped that margin to 49-43 with two freebies at the 11:42 mark and another score down low by the Mounds View High product at the 11:13 mark kept the margin at six at 51-45 and had Hamline's post season hopes on the backburner.
But this Piper team seems to always respond in the face of adversity and tonight would be no different. After two free throws by Sammons with 10:58 left, Vogt, the wily senior, stole the rock from Bethel freshman Lexi Friesen and got it to Brown who raced downcourt with a behind the back dribble that wowed the Hutton Arena crowd and found Pilgrim camping out on the left wing. The former Anoka-Ramsey standout drained the "3" with 10:33 left that had the Pipers within one at 51-50. Bethel would find oxygen again and made it a 55-52 game on Petrich's lay-up with 8:50 left but a "3" by Brown with 7:57 left from the top of the key knotted this wild affair up again at 55 a piece and you knew the home stretch was going to be crazy.
Bethel briefly recaptured the lead at 58-57 when Vavra made a sweet drive and finish and got fouled by Vogt (her 4th foul) with 6:56 left but "The Natural"; Poirer gave it right back to the home team with her "3" from the top of the key with 6:30 left. Vavra, however, tied it right back up at 60-all with her jumper in the lane with 6:16 left. The Pipers would make it a 63-60 game thanks to a lay-up by Pilgrim with 5:49 left and a freebie by Sammons with 5:25 left. But guess who would step up for Bethel to draw the Royals even? "Bam Bam" Schultz, that's who as she calmly drained a "3" from the top of the key with 5:06 left. Now the Pipers had to make a push. Pilgrim got inside for a score off of a sweet pass in the lane by Sammons with 4:44 left and then a "3" by Pilgrim with 4:20 left made it LOOK like a safe lead for the Pipers at 68-63 with 4:20 left. Not so fast my friend as the Royals responded with a 6-0 run. And it was another freshman, Niewald, who made amends from an earlier turnover as she connected with a running one-handed jumper off the glass with 3:25 left and then was able to manuever into the paint for another score with 2:46 left. Parupsky's two free throws after a controversial foul called on Sammons made it 69-68 Bethel with just 1:22 left and had Hamline under the gun again. But Pilgrim, just as she had done two years ago in the National Championship game with Anoka-Ramsey, appeared to save the night with her clutch "3" from the left corner with :55 left that had the Pipers up again at 71-69. But then it was Niewald, once again trying to rain on the parade of the home team as she snuck inside for a score with just :22 left that knotted this thing up at 71-all and had the Hutton Arena crowd on its ear.
In the many decades that Hutton Arena has been around, there have been many heroes and heroines that have left their mark on this grand old palace that is the birthplace of intercollegiate basketball. I was lucky enough to witness the heroics of then-freshman Carolyn Korchik ten years ago as she let loose with a behind the halfcourt Hail Mary buzzer beater that gave the Pipers a one-point victory over Macalester. On this night, this venue would see another heroine emerge. After Hamline Head Coach Kerri Stockwell called a timeout, the Pipers brought the ball upcourt. It was apparent that they wanted to get a perimeter shot but Bethel was doing an excellent job of not letting anyone get a great look. Poirer and Brown each passed the ball to the other and, as Poirer admitted to me afterward as to what she was thinking in those last few final frantic seconds, she really had thought that it would be Brown who would launch the last attempt. But Brown; tightly guarded had no realistic shot at it and fed Poirer one last time. With :00.1 left, "The Natural" let fly with a bomb from the left top area that found nothing but net and gave the Pipers not only a thrilling 74-71 victory that had the team and the home crowd celebrating wildly but, more importantly, locked up a spot for the Pipers in the upcoming MIAC playoffs next week where they could be a real threat to topple the apple cart and make everything go kablooey.
Monday, February 11, 2013
MIAC Power Rankings 2-11-13
One more week of the regular season to go and it's a jumbled up mess at the top.....
1. Concordia
2. (tie) SMU & UST
3. CSB
4. Hamline
5. GAC
6. St. Olaf
7. (tie) Carleton & Augsburg
8. Bethel
9. Macalester
10. St. Kate's
Cobbers remain atop of the hill for this Monday A.M. despite losing a tough one this last Wednesday night in St. Joe to CSB. Things could have gone totally kablooey for them but they hunkered down and held off a hot Hamline squad in Hutton Arena on Saturday. This last week of the regular season LOOKS favorable anyway; with home dates against St. Kate's on Wednesday and then GAC on Saturday to close out the regular season - and then presumably to get the #1 seed in the MIAC playoffs. SMU, however, is right on their tails as is now suddenly UST which seems to be sailing in the right direction again as they recorded a resounding victory over CSB on Saturday. As such, I simply felt I had to knock CSB into the third spot on my power rankings as I'm beginning to have serious doubts about if this team is ready (or capable) of pulling off road victories against the upper-echelon teams and they've got another big one on Wednesday night down the River in Winona against SMU. Hamline had it's six-game joy ride come to an end on Saturday against the Corn but they have a great shot still to nail down that fifth spot as they have Bethel at home on Wednesday night and then a roadie at Carleton on Saturday. GAC will likely have to settle for the sixth spot as they have to travel up to Moorhead on Saturday to take on the Corn. St. Olaf's slim (and I mean SLIM) playoff hopes, which were put back on life support this last week, will likely get the plug finally pulled as they have BOTH UST and CSB this coming week. Ouch.
1. Concordia
2. (tie) SMU & UST
3. CSB
4. Hamline
5. GAC
6. St. Olaf
7. (tie) Carleton & Augsburg
8. Bethel
9. Macalester
10. St. Kate's
Cobbers remain atop of the hill for this Monday A.M. despite losing a tough one this last Wednesday night in St. Joe to CSB. Things could have gone totally kablooey for them but they hunkered down and held off a hot Hamline squad in Hutton Arena on Saturday. This last week of the regular season LOOKS favorable anyway; with home dates against St. Kate's on Wednesday and then GAC on Saturday to close out the regular season - and then presumably to get the #1 seed in the MIAC playoffs. SMU, however, is right on their tails as is now suddenly UST which seems to be sailing in the right direction again as they recorded a resounding victory over CSB on Saturday. As such, I simply felt I had to knock CSB into the third spot on my power rankings as I'm beginning to have serious doubts about if this team is ready (or capable) of pulling off road victories against the upper-echelon teams and they've got another big one on Wednesday night down the River in Winona against SMU. Hamline had it's six-game joy ride come to an end on Saturday against the Corn but they have a great shot still to nail down that fifth spot as they have Bethel at home on Wednesday night and then a roadie at Carleton on Saturday. GAC will likely have to settle for the sixth spot as they have to travel up to Moorhead on Saturday to take on the Corn. St. Olaf's slim (and I mean SLIM) playoff hopes, which were put back on life support this last week, will likely get the plug finally pulled as they have BOTH UST and CSB this coming week. Ouch.
Sunday, February 10, 2013
Bemidji State vs Concordia St. Paul
After leaving Hamline I was able to make my way easily over to the other side of I-94 to get to Concordia St. Paul to take in the 4 P.M. clash between visiting Bemidji State and host Concordia St. Paul in this important NSIC match-up. The Golden Bears remained atop the NSIC South standings but have Minnesota State, Augustana, and Winona State on their heels while the Beavers have been going through a downer of a year in a competitive NSIC North.
However, Bemidji State showed early on that they were more than ready for the challenge as they came out firing in the first half. After junior post Kate Warmack gave the Beavers an early 2-0 lead, senior guard Shannon Thompson who hails from Rosemount nailed a "3" at the 19:10 mark. Versatile sophomore forward Anika Whiting would at least get the Golden Bears untracked when she got into the paint for a score at the 18:56 mark but the Beavers continued to make life miserable early on for their hosts. Leading 9-6 after Warmack knocked down two free throws at the 16:32 mark, speedy junior guard Lanae Rash made a tough drive and a long lay-up off the glass count at the 16:05 mark for an 11-6 Beaver lead and junior guard Morgan Lee kept the lead at five with her jumper off the glass at the 15:32 mark and a 13-8 advantage. After junior forward Jessie Althoff's score inside kept the advantage at five at the 14:54 mark for a 15-10 lead, the Golden Bears were finally able to creep a little closer as lanky athletic guard Rachel Hansen made a sweet drive and finish at the 14:13 mark and then finally tied the issue at 15 a piece when Whiting connected with a "3" from the left top area at the 13:19 mark.
Bemidji State, however, would regain the advantage. Lee knocked down a "3" from the left corner at the 11:58 mark and then sophomore reserve guard Allison McKee did the same from the opposite corner with 9:16 left and a 24-18 Beaver lead. Junior guard Carissa Wolyniec would answer for the Golden Bears with her "3" from the left wing at the 9:02 mark but lanky sophomore reserve Melissa Youngblut would give the Beavers a five point lead once more with 8:36 left with two free throws before the Golden Bears finally found themselves. With an oft-mercurial Head Coach Paul Fessler admonishing his team (and the game officials), Concordia St. Paul responded. Freshman forward Kionda Nicks put down a turnaround shot with 6:23 left and then made good on two chances from the charity stripe with 5:42 left. After withstanding a jumper from the top by Bemidji State's Althoff, Nicks then was able to get into the paint for a score with 4:43 left and then gave the Golden Bears the lead with a shot in the lane with 4:07 left. After Bemidji State briefly took the lead back with two freebies by Lee, freshman Jasmine Haynes took it right back for the Golden Bears with her "3" from the right wing with 2:42 left - and they would never let it go again. Hansen was also able to get a lay-up with 1:50 left which enabled Concordia St. Paul to eventually take a 37-32 lead into the locker room at the half.
But Bemidji State looked gamey and wily enough, in the opening part of the second half however, to make this dangerous for NSIC South leader Concordia St. Paul. Nicks' turnaround shot at the 19:33 mark did expand the Golden Bears lead to 39-32 but Warmack's offensive rebound of a missed shot and putback at the 19:17 mark and then a score in the paint with a foul by Nicks and the obligatory freebie cut the Concordia St. Paul lead down to 39-37. Hansen did score inside for the Golden Bears at the 17:58 mark but then Thompson's "3' from the left wing on the ensuing possession at the 17:42 mark suddenly brought the Beavers to within one at 41-40 and the underdog Bemidji State team had reason to believe.
Only problem, though, was that somebody forgot to tell the hosts to cooperate as the Golden Bears clamped down ferociously on defense from that point and showed why they can be a force to be contended with on the national stage. Whiting connected with a turnaround jumper at the 17:22 mark and then it was Hansen, the former Minnehaha Academy star, going coast to coast for a lay-up and getting fouled in the process that, along with the obligatory free throw, made it a 46-40 ballgame. Whiting then connected from near the top with a jumper at the 15:58 mark that made it a 48-40 game and Bemidji State Head Coach Mike Curfman realized he'd better call a halt to the action to keep the floodgates from opening up. Unfortunately, it didn't to much to stop the water as the Golden Bears kept right on a-comin'. And, not only that, they had a 6-1 advantage in the fouls and would be in the bonus after the next one. By the 11:16 mark, Concordia St. Paul was in the double-bonus which effectively extinguished the Beaver crusade as they went into a Dust Bowl-esque dry spell from the perimeter in this 17-2 run by the Golden Bears was the difference maker that made it a 58-42 game by the 10:51 mark. Bemidji State did have brief flickers of life coming down the home stretch - a lay-up by Rash at the 10:08 mark and then a jumper by Althoff with 9:35 left were there but didn't do much to offset the deficit and only underscored their 22.58% FG shooting in the second half; even icier was their 1-8 from three-point land for a frigid 12.50%. The Golden Bears would win this one by a convincing 76-57 margin and afterward, Fessler confided that his team really needed to up the intensity on defense coming into the second half. "We didn't even follow our own scouting reports" admitted Fessler afterward and we needed to get out on their shooters (which they did). Hansen echoed the same sentiments afterward and her ability to get up and down the floor is a big reason why the Golden Bears can be so tough on defense at times - they just smother you it seems like. With the win, the Golden Bears remain atop the NSIC South and a favorable slate of games to round out the regular season should at least allow them to host their first-round conference tournament game and possibly thereafter as well.
However, Bemidji State showed early on that they were more than ready for the challenge as they came out firing in the first half. After junior post Kate Warmack gave the Beavers an early 2-0 lead, senior guard Shannon Thompson who hails from Rosemount nailed a "3" at the 19:10 mark. Versatile sophomore forward Anika Whiting would at least get the Golden Bears untracked when she got into the paint for a score at the 18:56 mark but the Beavers continued to make life miserable early on for their hosts. Leading 9-6 after Warmack knocked down two free throws at the 16:32 mark, speedy junior guard Lanae Rash made a tough drive and a long lay-up off the glass count at the 16:05 mark for an 11-6 Beaver lead and junior guard Morgan Lee kept the lead at five with her jumper off the glass at the 15:32 mark and a 13-8 advantage. After junior forward Jessie Althoff's score inside kept the advantage at five at the 14:54 mark for a 15-10 lead, the Golden Bears were finally able to creep a little closer as lanky athletic guard Rachel Hansen made a sweet drive and finish at the 14:13 mark and then finally tied the issue at 15 a piece when Whiting connected with a "3" from the left top area at the 13:19 mark.
Bemidji State, however, would regain the advantage. Lee knocked down a "3" from the left corner at the 11:58 mark and then sophomore reserve guard Allison McKee did the same from the opposite corner with 9:16 left and a 24-18 Beaver lead. Junior guard Carissa Wolyniec would answer for the Golden Bears with her "3" from the left wing at the 9:02 mark but lanky sophomore reserve Melissa Youngblut would give the Beavers a five point lead once more with 8:36 left with two free throws before the Golden Bears finally found themselves. With an oft-mercurial Head Coach Paul Fessler admonishing his team (and the game officials), Concordia St. Paul responded. Freshman forward Kionda Nicks put down a turnaround shot with 6:23 left and then made good on two chances from the charity stripe with 5:42 left. After withstanding a jumper from the top by Bemidji State's Althoff, Nicks then was able to get into the paint for a score with 4:43 left and then gave the Golden Bears the lead with a shot in the lane with 4:07 left. After Bemidji State briefly took the lead back with two freebies by Lee, freshman Jasmine Haynes took it right back for the Golden Bears with her "3" from the right wing with 2:42 left - and they would never let it go again. Hansen was also able to get a lay-up with 1:50 left which enabled Concordia St. Paul to eventually take a 37-32 lead into the locker room at the half.
But Bemidji State looked gamey and wily enough, in the opening part of the second half however, to make this dangerous for NSIC South leader Concordia St. Paul. Nicks' turnaround shot at the 19:33 mark did expand the Golden Bears lead to 39-32 but Warmack's offensive rebound of a missed shot and putback at the 19:17 mark and then a score in the paint with a foul by Nicks and the obligatory freebie cut the Concordia St. Paul lead down to 39-37. Hansen did score inside for the Golden Bears at the 17:58 mark but then Thompson's "3' from the left wing on the ensuing possession at the 17:42 mark suddenly brought the Beavers to within one at 41-40 and the underdog Bemidji State team had reason to believe.
Only problem, though, was that somebody forgot to tell the hosts to cooperate as the Golden Bears clamped down ferociously on defense from that point and showed why they can be a force to be contended with on the national stage. Whiting connected with a turnaround jumper at the 17:22 mark and then it was Hansen, the former Minnehaha Academy star, going coast to coast for a lay-up and getting fouled in the process that, along with the obligatory free throw, made it a 46-40 ballgame. Whiting then connected from near the top with a jumper at the 15:58 mark that made it a 48-40 game and Bemidji State Head Coach Mike Curfman realized he'd better call a halt to the action to keep the floodgates from opening up. Unfortunately, it didn't to much to stop the water as the Golden Bears kept right on a-comin'. And, not only that, they had a 6-1 advantage in the fouls and would be in the bonus after the next one. By the 11:16 mark, Concordia St. Paul was in the double-bonus which effectively extinguished the Beaver crusade as they went into a Dust Bowl-esque dry spell from the perimeter in this 17-2 run by the Golden Bears was the difference maker that made it a 58-42 game by the 10:51 mark. Bemidji State did have brief flickers of life coming down the home stretch - a lay-up by Rash at the 10:08 mark and then a jumper by Althoff with 9:35 left were there but didn't do much to offset the deficit and only underscored their 22.58% FG shooting in the second half; even icier was their 1-8 from three-point land for a frigid 12.50%. The Golden Bears would win this one by a convincing 76-57 margin and afterward, Fessler confided that his team really needed to up the intensity on defense coming into the second half. "We didn't even follow our own scouting reports" admitted Fessler afterward and we needed to get out on their shooters (which they did). Hansen echoed the same sentiments afterward and her ability to get up and down the floor is a big reason why the Golden Bears can be so tough on defense at times - they just smother you it seems like. With the win, the Golden Bears remain atop the NSIC South and a favorable slate of games to round out the regular season should at least allow them to host their first-round conference tournament game and possibly thereafter as well.
Concordia vs Hamline 2-9-13
Found myself in the warm and comfy confines of venerable Hutton Arena again on this Saturday afternoon. Armed with a good lunch from Subway, I was ready for battle - as were both the visiting Concordia Cobbers and their hosts the Hamline Pipers. The Cobbers were all knotted up in the first place spot with CSB while the Pipers at least were holding a solid grip on the sixth and final playoff spot but were looking to move up if possible. And, having beaten the Cobbers up in Moorhead in overtime back in early January and riding a six-game win streak this was a confident bunch that appeared ready to seize the opportunity.
However, it would be the Cobbers who would get off to a hot start in this one. Senior forward Tricia Sorensen started it all off with a jumper in the lane at the 18:55 mark. Then it was sophomore guard Alley Fischer who hails across the Red River in Fargo draining a "3" from the left top area at the 17:38 mark. Two free throws by lanky 6'4" post Alexandra Lippert got the lead up to 7-2 by the 16:47 mark then it was Fisher again uncorking a three-point bomb from the right wing area for a 10-2 Cobber lead. At the 15:57 mark, Sorensen was able to knock down a short jumper for a 12-2 Cobber lead and Hamline Head Coach Kerri Stockwell had to call a thirty-second timeout to try and put a halt to all this.
With the Cobber lead up to 14-2 after two freebies by Sorensen at the 15:09 mark, the Pipers slowly began to claw their way back into things. Junior guard JeNaya Brown, who scored the only two Hamline points during the initial Cobber onslaught, would also score the next four for the Pipers as well; highlighted by a "3" from the left wing at the 13:23 mark. Senior sharp-shooting guard Steph Pilgrim finally got herself untracked as she cooly drained a "3" from the left wing at the 11:42 mark that cut the Concordia lead down to a much more manageable 14-9 count. Pilgrim then made a move inside for the rack at the 10:43 mark and was fouled by Lippert which was her second, much to the consternation of Cobber Head Coach Jessica Rahman. After Pilgrim knocked down the obligatory freebies, Concordia made a brief uprising with another three-point bomb by Fisher from the right wing at the 10:31 mark and a score by junior Erika Jossart off of a sweet give and go pass at the 8:25 mark. But it was also at this point where Piper freshman Emily Behrman made a huge impact on this game - and the Pipers early fortunes as well. The 5'6" guard from Independence was able to manuever inside for a score at the 10:31 mark. Down 19-13 after the aformentioned score by Jossart, Behrman then struck fear into the Cobbers by draining consecutive three-pointers: one from the left wing area at the 8:03 mark and then another from the right top area with 7:32 left that suddenly tied things up at 19 a piece. Then it was senior forward Cassidy Vogt pulling the trigger from behind the arc with 7:03 left from the left corner that gave Hamline its first lead at 22-19 and had Concordia Head Coach Jessica Rahman calling for a timeout and looking for a way to pull the plug on this Hamline surge. To their credit, the Cobbers would regain themselves and keep things tight over the next few minutes - another trey by Fisher from the left wing with 6:13 left knotted it up again at 22-all and a drive in the lane and finish by sophomore reserve forward Erin Januschka tied the issue again at 24-all with 4:23 left. After Januschka was able to knock down two free throws for the Cobbers with 3:51 left to take the lead back at 26-24, the Pipers made a push. Sophomore sensation Jordan "Flash" Sammons connected with a lay-up at the 3:40 mark and then Pilgrim once again pulled the trigger from behind the arc in the left wing area to connect with 2:22 left for a 29-26 Hamline lead. Brown (who was on fire in the first half) then drained another "3" from the top of the key with just 1:19 left for a 32-26 Piper lead and it looked as if Hamline might have the Concordia in some serious doo-doo again. But credit the Cobbers for never once hitting the panic button in this one. Reserve junior post Kelsey Walloch was fouled with 1:05 left and knocked down two freebies and then on the last Cobber possession before the half she grabbed an offensive rebound and got a putback that cut the Hamline lead down to 32-30 that had Cobber fans - and Rahman - breathing a bit easier.
Things stayed tight in the opening minutes of the second half before Hamline once again threatened to make a serious move. Down 36-34, Brown utilized her speed to get in the paint for an unlikely score at the 16:42 mark and on the ensuing possession, Brown was fouled and she promptly put down two shots from the charity stripe for a 38-36 Hamline lead. Then it was "The Natural"; senior point guard Kara Poirer, who had a huge role in shooting down St. Olaf on Wednesday night, lighting up Hutton Arena again with a three-point bomb from the top of the key at the 15:49 mark for a 41-36 Piper advantage. But, not only would the Cobbers battle back again to get even, there were also warning signs for the Pipers that things could unravel for them quickly. Holding a slim 41-40 lead, Sammons expanded it to three points when she got into the paint for a score at the 13:45 mark. But Fisher came right back for the maroon-clad Cobbers as she showed that she's more than just a three-point bomber by driving into the lane for a finish that got her fouled as well and the ensuing free throw made it 43-all at the 11:42 mark. Moreover, by this time Concordia had a 5-1 advantage in the foul situation and you knew Rahman would have her team take every bit of advantage of it that they could - and they did. With 10:30 left, freshman reserve guard Hannah Jeske was fouled and that got the Cobbers into the bonus. Her obligatory freebie made it 47-all.
For whatever reason, Hamline seemed to go into a funk over the next five minutes while the Cobbers spirits were soaring and Concordia embarked on a 14-2 run that really changed the whole complexion of this game. Sorensen was able to get a lay-up in transition on a 3-on-1 fast break opportunity with 8:39 left and after two free throws by Januschka with 7:57 left, senior guard Emily Thesing; unusually quiet from a scoring standpoint on this day, drained a "3" from the right top area with 7:16 left and a 54-47 Concordia lead. Stockwell called a timeout to get her troops reorganized but that would not stop the Cobber Express on this afternoon. Two freebies by Sorensen with 6:35 left and then Walloch grabbing an offensive rebound of her own miss for a putback with 5:58 left made it a nine-point game at 58-49 and then it was Sorensen sticking a dagger into the hearts of Piper fans as she banged home a "3" from the left top area with 5:20 left for a 61-49 Concordia lead that once again had Stockwell clamoring for a timeout. The Pipers would make inroads on the Concordia advantage coming down the stretch but could never get even again. Sammons would use her springboard jumping ability for an offensive rebound and putback with 4:56 left and then Pilgrim was able to knock down one of her rainbow "3's" from the left wing with 3:53 left that cut the Concordia lead down to seven at 61-54. Yet another "3" from Brown from the right wing area with 3:10 left and two freebies by Sammons with 2:30 left drew the Pipers closer; trailing only 63-59 but they would never get any closer. The Cobbers; now in the double bonus used frequent trips to the charity stripe and their typical tough defense to gain a measure of revenge against their hosts in this one as they claimed a 74-61 victory that; coupled with UST's easy win over CSB moved Concordia back on top of the mountain in the MIAC - all alone this time with a 17-3 conference record and 18-5 overall.
However, it would be the Cobbers who would get off to a hot start in this one. Senior forward Tricia Sorensen started it all off with a jumper in the lane at the 18:55 mark. Then it was sophomore guard Alley Fischer who hails across the Red River in Fargo draining a "3" from the left top area at the 17:38 mark. Two free throws by lanky 6'4" post Alexandra Lippert got the lead up to 7-2 by the 16:47 mark then it was Fisher again uncorking a three-point bomb from the right wing area for a 10-2 Cobber lead. At the 15:57 mark, Sorensen was able to knock down a short jumper for a 12-2 Cobber lead and Hamline Head Coach Kerri Stockwell had to call a thirty-second timeout to try and put a halt to all this.
With the Cobber lead up to 14-2 after two freebies by Sorensen at the 15:09 mark, the Pipers slowly began to claw their way back into things. Junior guard JeNaya Brown, who scored the only two Hamline points during the initial Cobber onslaught, would also score the next four for the Pipers as well; highlighted by a "3" from the left wing at the 13:23 mark. Senior sharp-shooting guard Steph Pilgrim finally got herself untracked as she cooly drained a "3" from the left wing at the 11:42 mark that cut the Concordia lead down to a much more manageable 14-9 count. Pilgrim then made a move inside for the rack at the 10:43 mark and was fouled by Lippert which was her second, much to the consternation of Cobber Head Coach Jessica Rahman. After Pilgrim knocked down the obligatory freebies, Concordia made a brief uprising with another three-point bomb by Fisher from the right wing at the 10:31 mark and a score by junior Erika Jossart off of a sweet give and go pass at the 8:25 mark. But it was also at this point where Piper freshman Emily Behrman made a huge impact on this game - and the Pipers early fortunes as well. The 5'6" guard from Independence was able to manuever inside for a score at the 10:31 mark. Down 19-13 after the aformentioned score by Jossart, Behrman then struck fear into the Cobbers by draining consecutive three-pointers: one from the left wing area at the 8:03 mark and then another from the right top area with 7:32 left that suddenly tied things up at 19 a piece. Then it was senior forward Cassidy Vogt pulling the trigger from behind the arc with 7:03 left from the left corner that gave Hamline its first lead at 22-19 and had Concordia Head Coach Jessica Rahman calling for a timeout and looking for a way to pull the plug on this Hamline surge. To their credit, the Cobbers would regain themselves and keep things tight over the next few minutes - another trey by Fisher from the left wing with 6:13 left knotted it up again at 22-all and a drive in the lane and finish by sophomore reserve forward Erin Januschka tied the issue again at 24-all with 4:23 left. After Januschka was able to knock down two free throws for the Cobbers with 3:51 left to take the lead back at 26-24, the Pipers made a push. Sophomore sensation Jordan "Flash" Sammons connected with a lay-up at the 3:40 mark and then Pilgrim once again pulled the trigger from behind the arc in the left wing area to connect with 2:22 left for a 29-26 Hamline lead. Brown (who was on fire in the first half) then drained another "3" from the top of the key with just 1:19 left for a 32-26 Piper lead and it looked as if Hamline might have the Concordia in some serious doo-doo again. But credit the Cobbers for never once hitting the panic button in this one. Reserve junior post Kelsey Walloch was fouled with 1:05 left and knocked down two freebies and then on the last Cobber possession before the half she grabbed an offensive rebound and got a putback that cut the Hamline lead down to 32-30 that had Cobber fans - and Rahman - breathing a bit easier.
Things stayed tight in the opening minutes of the second half before Hamline once again threatened to make a serious move. Down 36-34, Brown utilized her speed to get in the paint for an unlikely score at the 16:42 mark and on the ensuing possession, Brown was fouled and she promptly put down two shots from the charity stripe for a 38-36 Hamline lead. Then it was "The Natural"; senior point guard Kara Poirer, who had a huge role in shooting down St. Olaf on Wednesday night, lighting up Hutton Arena again with a three-point bomb from the top of the key at the 15:49 mark for a 41-36 Piper advantage. But, not only would the Cobbers battle back again to get even, there were also warning signs for the Pipers that things could unravel for them quickly. Holding a slim 41-40 lead, Sammons expanded it to three points when she got into the paint for a score at the 13:45 mark. But Fisher came right back for the maroon-clad Cobbers as she showed that she's more than just a three-point bomber by driving into the lane for a finish that got her fouled as well and the ensuing free throw made it 43-all at the 11:42 mark. Moreover, by this time Concordia had a 5-1 advantage in the foul situation and you knew Rahman would have her team take every bit of advantage of it that they could - and they did. With 10:30 left, freshman reserve guard Hannah Jeske was fouled and that got the Cobbers into the bonus. Her obligatory freebie made it 47-all.
For whatever reason, Hamline seemed to go into a funk over the next five minutes while the Cobbers spirits were soaring and Concordia embarked on a 14-2 run that really changed the whole complexion of this game. Sorensen was able to get a lay-up in transition on a 3-on-1 fast break opportunity with 8:39 left and after two free throws by Januschka with 7:57 left, senior guard Emily Thesing; unusually quiet from a scoring standpoint on this day, drained a "3" from the right top area with 7:16 left and a 54-47 Concordia lead. Stockwell called a timeout to get her troops reorganized but that would not stop the Cobber Express on this afternoon. Two freebies by Sorensen with 6:35 left and then Walloch grabbing an offensive rebound of her own miss for a putback with 5:58 left made it a nine-point game at 58-49 and then it was Sorensen sticking a dagger into the hearts of Piper fans as she banged home a "3" from the left top area with 5:20 left for a 61-49 Concordia lead that once again had Stockwell clamoring for a timeout. The Pipers would make inroads on the Concordia advantage coming down the stretch but could never get even again. Sammons would use her springboard jumping ability for an offensive rebound and putback with 4:56 left and then Pilgrim was able to knock down one of her rainbow "3's" from the left wing with 3:53 left that cut the Concordia lead down to seven at 61-54. Yet another "3" from Brown from the right wing area with 3:10 left and two freebies by Sammons with 2:30 left drew the Pipers closer; trailing only 63-59 but they would never get any closer. The Cobbers; now in the double bonus used frequent trips to the charity stripe and their typical tough defense to gain a measure of revenge against their hosts in this one as they claimed a 74-61 victory that; coupled with UST's easy win over CSB moved Concordia back on top of the mountain in the MIAC - all alone this time with a 17-3 conference record and 18-5 overall.
Thursday, February 7, 2013
St. Olaf vs Hamline 2-6-13
Was over at venerable Hutton Arena on this night to take in this all-important clash between visiting St. Olaf and host Hamline. The Pipers, who have been on a five-game tear as of late were looking to solidify their MIAC playoff hopes (and seeding) while the Oles were just hoping to keep their flickering chances alive; especially after the jolting loss at crosstown rival Carleton on Monday night. This game would showcase two vastly contrasting styles - the speedy, athletic get up and down the floor style that Hamline uses with the lack of height that they have versus the tall, big half-court style that St. Olaf utilizes. This one would feature wild momentum swings and would turn out to be one of the wildest, weirdest, strangest games I've seen in a while.
It wouldn't take long before the Pipers obvious speed advantage would become evident to the fans - and to the Oles as well. After Ole senior guard Mackenzie Wolter's jumper at the 19:29 mark got things going, the Pipers would respond quickly. First, senior sharpshooter Steph Pilgrim drained one of her patented treys; this one from the left wing at the 18:49 mark as the Pipers embarked on a 12-2 run. Then, it was "The Natural"; senior point guard Kara Poirer knocking down "3's" at the 16:10 and 15:03 marks. After an offensive rebound and putback by lanky junior post Elise Raney temporarily stopped the bleeding for the Oles at the 14:32 mark, a score in the paint by Pilgrim at the 14:20 mark and then a jumper by sophomore sensation Jordan Sammons made it 12-4 Hamline and it forced St. Olaf Head Coach Dave Stromme to burn a timeout to cool the Pipers down.
But the Pipers were not going to be cooled off just yet as they continued their assault making good use of their speed and athleticism - and making it hard for me to keep up with it all. Fortunately for me, however, I was joined by former Hamline standout post player Steph Rice who was one of the main cogs on the Hamline team a year ago and provided me with insightful views on what the Pipers were doing. Sammons, meanwhile, was going off on the Oles; scoring on consecutive possessions at the 12:54, 12:15, and 11:48 marks that had Stromme steaming as he had to burn yet another timeout to make defensive adjustments. Slowly, the Oles would gather themselves and get right back into the thick of things but it took a while to overcome the double-digit deficit they were facing. Mackenzie Wolter, who has had something of an up and down year from a scoring standpoint, finally got untracked in this game as she banged home a "3" from the left wing at the 8:56 mark. Then, with 7:53 left senior reserve post Ashley Menzel was able to snare an offensive rebound and get a putback to whittle Hamline's lead down to 22-11. After withstanding a jumper by Piper senior forward Cassidy Vogt along the left baseline and yet another "3" by "The Natural"; Poirer, the Oles made their move. Down by twelve at 26-14, Raney sliced that deficit to ten points with an offensive rebound and putback with 4:28 left and then it was one of the members of St. Olaf's Front Range Crew; freshman point guard Lauren Gutierrez, who connected with a jumper with 2:44 left. Menzel knocked down one shot from the charity stripe with 1:41 left and then it was another member of that Front Range Crew who is making a name for herself in the MIAC - freshman Kim Cerjan out of Colorado Springs who knocked down a "3" from the left top area with :54 left and then, with just :09 left Cerjan connected with a jumper from the top of the key area just inside the arc as this 10-1 Ole run made it a very close 27-24 ballgame at the halftime break.
The Oles, playing with a sense of urgency in this one, picked up right where they left off as the second half got underway. Points in the paint by Raney at the 19:50 and 18:19 marks and then a long jumper by Gutierrez gave St. Olaf its first lead since the opening minutes at 30-29. Then things really got wild as each side traded leads. A jumper from the top by sophomore Rachel Usgaard gave the Pipers the lead back at the 17:01 mark but Raney countered with a lay-up on the Oles ensuing possession. "The Natural"; Poirer, enroute to a whopping 26-point performance on this night, knocked down one from behind the arc at the 16:18 mark but sophomore reserve post Nikki Frogner responded for the Oles with an unlikely "3" at the 15:53 mark. Cerjan would knock down two freebies at the 15:09 mark and a 37-34 Ole lead but then it was speedy JeNaya Brown knotting things up at 37 a piece with her "3" from the left wing at the 14:53 mark. From here though, the Oles looked like they were ready to seize control of things. A score in the paint by Frogner at the 14:37 mark and then a "3" by Mackenzie Wolter from the right top area at the 13:01 mark now had Hamline Head Coach Kerri Stockwell calling for a timeout to think about things. Another dagger from behind the arc by "The Natural", Poirer briefly stymied the Ole attack but not for long. Raney got in the paint again for a finish at the 12:01 mark and then it was Cerjan connecting with a jumper at the 11:44 mark for a 46-40 St. Olaf lead. Then it was Mackenzie Wolter striking fear into the hearts of the Pipers with her three point bomb from the left wing that had Hamline suddenly reeling at the 11:08 mark; down 49-40 with Kerri Stockwell calling for another timeout to search for answers to this Ole onslaught.
The Pipers, however, would find those sought-after solutions and turn the tide. And it would be "The Natural", Poirer who would play a big part in the Piper comeback as she knocked yet ANOTHER one down from behind the arc with 9:42 left. Then it was freshman reserve guard Mackenzie Lee draining one from three-point land at the 9:13 mark that cut the Ole lead to 51-46. Raney was able to score on a lay-up in transition at the 8:10 mark but still ANOTHER "3" by Poirer (who was just ridiculous on this night) and a drive and lay-up by the speedy Brown at the 6:45 mark and then a rainbow "3" by the former Anoka-Ramsey standout Pilgrim at the 6:13 mark suddenly had Hamline back up 54-53 and had Stromme frantically calling for a timeout.
The closing minutes would be crucial for both sides as neither team could claim nothing more than a two point edge over the next four minutes. Brown was able to knock down another "3" at the 5:41 mark for the Pipers but a score in the paint by Raney and a jumper from Mackenzie Wolter gave the Oles the lead back. But a "3" by Pilgraim from the right wing at the 2:49 mark and a key steal by Sammons (who is simply all over the floor at times) and lay-up the other way gave the Pipers a two-point lead at 62-60; a lead they would not relinquish the rest of the way. St. Olaf still had a shot in this and, just as important, they still had fouls to give. But the Pipers would make the most from the charity stripe coming down the stretch. Poirer knocked down key freebies at the 1:32 mark and with :53.6 left that not only extended Hamline's lead to 66-61, but now the Pipers were in the bonus as well as the Oles were running out of lifelines. Freshman Madison Hunt, yet another Front Range Crew member, missed a key three-point attempt with :32 left that doomed St. Olaf - and its playoff hopes as well. Poirer and Sammons made more key free throws in the closing seconds as Hamline claimed a wild 69-64 victory and tightened the vicegrip they have on the fifth spot in the MIAC.
It wouldn't take long before the Pipers obvious speed advantage would become evident to the fans - and to the Oles as well. After Ole senior guard Mackenzie Wolter's jumper at the 19:29 mark got things going, the Pipers would respond quickly. First, senior sharpshooter Steph Pilgrim drained one of her patented treys; this one from the left wing at the 18:49 mark as the Pipers embarked on a 12-2 run. Then, it was "The Natural"; senior point guard Kara Poirer knocking down "3's" at the 16:10 and 15:03 marks. After an offensive rebound and putback by lanky junior post Elise Raney temporarily stopped the bleeding for the Oles at the 14:32 mark, a score in the paint by Pilgrim at the 14:20 mark and then a jumper by sophomore sensation Jordan Sammons made it 12-4 Hamline and it forced St. Olaf Head Coach Dave Stromme to burn a timeout to cool the Pipers down.
But the Pipers were not going to be cooled off just yet as they continued their assault making good use of their speed and athleticism - and making it hard for me to keep up with it all. Fortunately for me, however, I was joined by former Hamline standout post player Steph Rice who was one of the main cogs on the Hamline team a year ago and provided me with insightful views on what the Pipers were doing. Sammons, meanwhile, was going off on the Oles; scoring on consecutive possessions at the 12:54, 12:15, and 11:48 marks that had Stromme steaming as he had to burn yet another timeout to make defensive adjustments. Slowly, the Oles would gather themselves and get right back into the thick of things but it took a while to overcome the double-digit deficit they were facing. Mackenzie Wolter, who has had something of an up and down year from a scoring standpoint, finally got untracked in this game as she banged home a "3" from the left wing at the 8:56 mark. Then, with 7:53 left senior reserve post Ashley Menzel was able to snare an offensive rebound and get a putback to whittle Hamline's lead down to 22-11. After withstanding a jumper by Piper senior forward Cassidy Vogt along the left baseline and yet another "3" by "The Natural"; Poirer, the Oles made their move. Down by twelve at 26-14, Raney sliced that deficit to ten points with an offensive rebound and putback with 4:28 left and then it was one of the members of St. Olaf's Front Range Crew; freshman point guard Lauren Gutierrez, who connected with a jumper with 2:44 left. Menzel knocked down one shot from the charity stripe with 1:41 left and then it was another member of that Front Range Crew who is making a name for herself in the MIAC - freshman Kim Cerjan out of Colorado Springs who knocked down a "3" from the left top area with :54 left and then, with just :09 left Cerjan connected with a jumper from the top of the key area just inside the arc as this 10-1 Ole run made it a very close 27-24 ballgame at the halftime break.
The Oles, playing with a sense of urgency in this one, picked up right where they left off as the second half got underway. Points in the paint by Raney at the 19:50 and 18:19 marks and then a long jumper by Gutierrez gave St. Olaf its first lead since the opening minutes at 30-29. Then things really got wild as each side traded leads. A jumper from the top by sophomore Rachel Usgaard gave the Pipers the lead back at the 17:01 mark but Raney countered with a lay-up on the Oles ensuing possession. "The Natural"; Poirer, enroute to a whopping 26-point performance on this night, knocked down one from behind the arc at the 16:18 mark but sophomore reserve post Nikki Frogner responded for the Oles with an unlikely "3" at the 15:53 mark. Cerjan would knock down two freebies at the 15:09 mark and a 37-34 Ole lead but then it was speedy JeNaya Brown knotting things up at 37 a piece with her "3" from the left wing at the 14:53 mark. From here though, the Oles looked like they were ready to seize control of things. A score in the paint by Frogner at the 14:37 mark and then a "3" by Mackenzie Wolter from the right top area at the 13:01 mark now had Hamline Head Coach Kerri Stockwell calling for a timeout to think about things. Another dagger from behind the arc by "The Natural", Poirer briefly stymied the Ole attack but not for long. Raney got in the paint again for a finish at the 12:01 mark and then it was Cerjan connecting with a jumper at the 11:44 mark for a 46-40 St. Olaf lead. Then it was Mackenzie Wolter striking fear into the hearts of the Pipers with her three point bomb from the left wing that had Hamline suddenly reeling at the 11:08 mark; down 49-40 with Kerri Stockwell calling for another timeout to search for answers to this Ole onslaught.
The Pipers, however, would find those sought-after solutions and turn the tide. And it would be "The Natural", Poirer who would play a big part in the Piper comeback as she knocked yet ANOTHER one down from behind the arc with 9:42 left. Then it was freshman reserve guard Mackenzie Lee draining one from three-point land at the 9:13 mark that cut the Ole lead to 51-46. Raney was able to score on a lay-up in transition at the 8:10 mark but still ANOTHER "3" by Poirer (who was just ridiculous on this night) and a drive and lay-up by the speedy Brown at the 6:45 mark and then a rainbow "3" by the former Anoka-Ramsey standout Pilgrim at the 6:13 mark suddenly had Hamline back up 54-53 and had Stromme frantically calling for a timeout.
The closing minutes would be crucial for both sides as neither team could claim nothing more than a two point edge over the next four minutes. Brown was able to knock down another "3" at the 5:41 mark for the Pipers but a score in the paint by Raney and a jumper from Mackenzie Wolter gave the Oles the lead back. But a "3" by Pilgraim from the right wing at the 2:49 mark and a key steal by Sammons (who is simply all over the floor at times) and lay-up the other way gave the Pipers a two-point lead at 62-60; a lead they would not relinquish the rest of the way. St. Olaf still had a shot in this and, just as important, they still had fouls to give. But the Pipers would make the most from the charity stripe coming down the stretch. Poirer knocked down key freebies at the 1:32 mark and with :53.6 left that not only extended Hamline's lead to 66-61, but now the Pipers were in the bonus as well as the Oles were running out of lifelines. Freshman Madison Hunt, yet another Front Range Crew member, missed a key three-point attempt with :32 left that doomed St. Olaf - and its playoff hopes as well. Poirer and Sammons made more key free throws in the closing seconds as Hamline claimed a wild 69-64 victory and tightened the vicegrip they have on the fifth spot in the MIAC.
Tuesday, February 5, 2013
Hamline vs St. Kate's 2-4-13
Was back at the Butler Center again on this Monday evening to take in the contest between host St. Kate's and visiting Hamline which has been red-hot as of late. I once again had the pleasure of sitting with former St. Kate's head coach Gary Rufsvold for this one and I was soaking up every tidbit of game analysis that he had to offer throughout.
Neither team could do very much in the opening couple of minutes but once Piper sophomore sensation Jordan Sammons was able to connect with a lay-up in transition at the 17:36 mark Hamline could do little wrong after that. Wildcat junior sharpshooting guard Kristen Lee, who would be on her way to a 16-point performance on this night, briefly gave St. Kate's the lead at 3-2 with her bomb from the left corner at the 16:42 mark. But from there, Hamline would embark on a 10-2 run; highlighted by seniors Steph Pilgrim and Cassidy Vogt. Vogt would manuever inside for a score at the 16:24 mark and then it was Pilgrim draining one of her patented rainbow "3's"; this one from the right top area at the 15:41 mark. Then it would be Vogt showing the crowd that she's a threat from behind the arc as well as the senior from New London banged one home from the right top area as well at the 15:00 mark.
The 'Cats would gradually make inroads on the Hamline advantage. Lee knocked down another trey at the 12:34 mark and after withstanding a lay-up by Sammons and another Pilgrim "3", St. Kate's would eventually be able to get to within one by the 7:00 mark as sophomore Sarina Baker knocked down two freebies at the 9:20 mark and then was able to muscle inside for a score in the paint at the 8:47 mark. With 7:00 left, St. Kate's had a 7-3 advantage in the foul count when lanky 6'0" sophomore forward Sarah Mong was sent to the line and promptly knocked down two freebies that whittled the Hamline lead down to 17-16. Unfortunately for the 'Cats, they failed to take advantage of this and Hamline quickly negated the foul advantage St. Kate's had. Pilgrim banged home yet another "3"; this one from the right wing with 5:54 left and then it was Vogt getting into the paint to snare an offensive rebound for a putback - and drawing a foul in the process that, along with the obligatory freebie, made it a 23-16 game. Then, beginning at the 3:24 mark Vogt began to steal the spotlight. She canned her second trey of the evening; this one from the top of the key for a 26-18 lead. More dirty work by the lanky 6'0" senior in the paint got her fouled and sent her to the line with 2:50 left where she promptly knocked down two free throws. On Hamline's ensuing possession, Vogt was able to manuever inside again at the 2:23 mark for a score and then with :55 left Vogt put an exclamation point on her terrific first half when she nailed a jumper near the left elbow for a commanding 32-19 Hamline lead. Lee would try to cut into that lead with her jumper from the top of the key area; just inside the arc with :29 left but speedy junior JeNaya Brown would make sure Hamline would keep the momentum - and the lead - with her "3" from the left wing with just :03 left on the clock that made it a two touchdown advantage for the Pipers at 35-21 at the halftime break.
After an enjoyable halftime where I got to chat with Richfield standout Haley Lindblom, the Pipers picked up right where they left off. The sensational Sammons, easily the best athlete in the conference, was able to score on a drive and finish at the 19:02 mark and then it was Brown showing she can get inside with her 5'2" frame for a finish at the 18:12 mark. After Sammons was able to knock down one shot from the charity stripe at the 17:30 mark, it was (guess who?!) Vogt draining another "3" from the right wing that upped the Hamline lead to 43-25 and prompted St. Kate's Head Coach Sean Pinkerton to call a timeout to reorganize his troops.
Unfortunately for the 'Cats, however, the Pipers were not going to be cooled off anytime soon. Sammons would connect with a running jumper in the lane in transition at the 13:34 mark and then it was Pilgrim draining yet another "3"; this one from the left wing at the 11:25 mark and then Pilgrim showed she can also get into the paint area to finish as she did at the 10:52 mark for a 50-29 Hamline lead. Another thirty second timeout called by Pinkerton did not extinguish the blaze the Pipers were causing. Pilgrim drained yet ANOTHER "3" from the left wing area with 9:33 left and then it was freshman reserve Emily Behrman putting on a show as she did honors from behind the arc at the top of the key with 9:10 left and then again with 8:28 left from the very same spot. Another timeout called by Pinkerton. Again, not much difference in the result. With 7:48 left, Sammons stole the ball in the Wildcat backcourt and was fouled and was able to knock down one freebie that made it a 60-33 ballgame. St. Kate's would have a few flashes coming down the home stretch: a "3" by sophomore forward Mary Neumann from the left corner with 5:19 left and an athletic lay-up by Mong with 1:43 left. Hamline Head Coach Kerri Stockwell inserted her reserves in the final minute and it allowed freshman Julia Albrecht to knock down a "3" from the right top area to get her name in the box score as the Pipers recorded a resounding 66-43 win that keeps them firmly entrenched in that fifth spot in the MIAC playoff race.
Neither team could do very much in the opening couple of minutes but once Piper sophomore sensation Jordan Sammons was able to connect with a lay-up in transition at the 17:36 mark Hamline could do little wrong after that. Wildcat junior sharpshooting guard Kristen Lee, who would be on her way to a 16-point performance on this night, briefly gave St. Kate's the lead at 3-2 with her bomb from the left corner at the 16:42 mark. But from there, Hamline would embark on a 10-2 run; highlighted by seniors Steph Pilgrim and Cassidy Vogt. Vogt would manuever inside for a score at the 16:24 mark and then it was Pilgrim draining one of her patented rainbow "3's"; this one from the right top area at the 15:41 mark. Then it would be Vogt showing the crowd that she's a threat from behind the arc as well as the senior from New London banged one home from the right top area as well at the 15:00 mark.
The 'Cats would gradually make inroads on the Hamline advantage. Lee knocked down another trey at the 12:34 mark and after withstanding a lay-up by Sammons and another Pilgrim "3", St. Kate's would eventually be able to get to within one by the 7:00 mark as sophomore Sarina Baker knocked down two freebies at the 9:20 mark and then was able to muscle inside for a score in the paint at the 8:47 mark. With 7:00 left, St. Kate's had a 7-3 advantage in the foul count when lanky 6'0" sophomore forward Sarah Mong was sent to the line and promptly knocked down two freebies that whittled the Hamline lead down to 17-16. Unfortunately for the 'Cats, they failed to take advantage of this and Hamline quickly negated the foul advantage St. Kate's had. Pilgrim banged home yet another "3"; this one from the right wing with 5:54 left and then it was Vogt getting into the paint to snare an offensive rebound for a putback - and drawing a foul in the process that, along with the obligatory freebie, made it a 23-16 game. Then, beginning at the 3:24 mark Vogt began to steal the spotlight. She canned her second trey of the evening; this one from the top of the key for a 26-18 lead. More dirty work by the lanky 6'0" senior in the paint got her fouled and sent her to the line with 2:50 left where she promptly knocked down two free throws. On Hamline's ensuing possession, Vogt was able to manuever inside again at the 2:23 mark for a score and then with :55 left Vogt put an exclamation point on her terrific first half when she nailed a jumper near the left elbow for a commanding 32-19 Hamline lead. Lee would try to cut into that lead with her jumper from the top of the key area; just inside the arc with :29 left but speedy junior JeNaya Brown would make sure Hamline would keep the momentum - and the lead - with her "3" from the left wing with just :03 left on the clock that made it a two touchdown advantage for the Pipers at 35-21 at the halftime break.
After an enjoyable halftime where I got to chat with Richfield standout Haley Lindblom, the Pipers picked up right where they left off. The sensational Sammons, easily the best athlete in the conference, was able to score on a drive and finish at the 19:02 mark and then it was Brown showing she can get inside with her 5'2" frame for a finish at the 18:12 mark. After Sammons was able to knock down one shot from the charity stripe at the 17:30 mark, it was (guess who?!) Vogt draining another "3" from the right wing that upped the Hamline lead to 43-25 and prompted St. Kate's Head Coach Sean Pinkerton to call a timeout to reorganize his troops.
Unfortunately for the 'Cats, however, the Pipers were not going to be cooled off anytime soon. Sammons would connect with a running jumper in the lane in transition at the 13:34 mark and then it was Pilgrim draining yet another "3"; this one from the left wing at the 11:25 mark and then Pilgrim showed she can also get into the paint area to finish as she did at the 10:52 mark for a 50-29 Hamline lead. Another thirty second timeout called by Pinkerton did not extinguish the blaze the Pipers were causing. Pilgrim drained yet ANOTHER "3" from the left wing area with 9:33 left and then it was freshman reserve Emily Behrman putting on a show as she did honors from behind the arc at the top of the key with 9:10 left and then again with 8:28 left from the very same spot. Another timeout called by Pinkerton. Again, not much difference in the result. With 7:48 left, Sammons stole the ball in the Wildcat backcourt and was fouled and was able to knock down one freebie that made it a 60-33 ballgame. St. Kate's would have a few flashes coming down the home stretch: a "3" by sophomore forward Mary Neumann from the left corner with 5:19 left and an athletic lay-up by Mong with 1:43 left. Hamline Head Coach Kerri Stockwell inserted her reserves in the final minute and it allowed freshman Julia Albrecht to knock down a "3" from the right top area to get her name in the box score as the Pipers recorded a resounding 66-43 win that keeps them firmly entrenched in that fifth spot in the MIAC playoff race.
Monday, February 4, 2013
MIAC Power Rankings 2-4-13
As we head into the home stretch of the regular season, things are beginning to finally shake out - in some cases in a very unexpected way....
1. Concordia
2. CSB
3. SMU
4. UST
5. Hamline
6. (tie) St. Olaf & GAC
7. Augsburg
8. Bethel
9. Carleton
10. Macalester
11. St. Kate's
Give props to the Cobbers for enduring road games on back-to-back days - and getting over on both occasions. As such, they're solidifying their spot at the top of the heap - at least for the time being anyway as CSB continues to nip on their heels. The Blazers are arguably the hottest team in the conference right now as they've ripped off eight straight wins and logic would suggest they'll make it nine in a row tonight before the big showdown Wednesday night at home against Concordia where they'll have to roll the dice. SMU, meanwhile, blew a golden opportunity to knock the top dog off of its perch when they lost at home to Concordia yesterday. Still, at 17-4 overall (14-4 in conference play) they're still in good shape and the only daunting aspect left of the regular season schedule is a return trip to CSB and, you'd have to think that, in a worst-case scenario that they'd be no worse than a #3 seed come playoff time. UST has at least stopped treading water and now appears to be afloat again but they've still got work ahead of them - a home date with CSB and a roadie down to St. Olaf are still in the offing for them.
The same cannot be said, however, for GAC as they've gone into a total free-fall rivaling the collapse of the Soviet Union and its east European satellite nations; losing five out of their last six games and six out of their last nine. It's a downfall that, quite frankly, not even I could have ever envisioned happening. Even more puzzling is the manner in which they're losing games as three of these losses have been by two points or less. Now comes the $64,000 question: Can the Gusties SOMEHOW turn this titanic-like season around and salvage something out of it? (sigh).....I truly don't know....They've got talent certainly and those close game that they've lost would seem to suggest that they COULD anyway and it may also suggest that it may be a confidence factor more than anything. At the same time, though, when I look at the road ahead for GAC, to say that it's going to be a hard row to hoe would be an understatement. Road trips to both UST (yeah, yeah I know...We've been over that ad nauseum) and Concordia (gulp) remain and homes games with Macalester, St. Kate's and Carleton are no longer "sure" things. In the end, I guess only the Gusties themselves can answer that question but I do not like how this is setting up at all for GAC. Hamline is another team that is on a tear as they've suddenly won four straight and their schedule is a bit more favorable as they've got both St. Olaf and Concordia at home. The Oles are still clinging to a life-line; they're likely pointing to that showdown at Hamline this coming Wednesday night.
1. Concordia
2. CSB
3. SMU
4. UST
5. Hamline
6. (tie) St. Olaf & GAC
7. Augsburg
8. Bethel
9. Carleton
10. Macalester
11. St. Kate's
Give props to the Cobbers for enduring road games on back-to-back days - and getting over on both occasions. As such, they're solidifying their spot at the top of the heap - at least for the time being anyway as CSB continues to nip on their heels. The Blazers are arguably the hottest team in the conference right now as they've ripped off eight straight wins and logic would suggest they'll make it nine in a row tonight before the big showdown Wednesday night at home against Concordia where they'll have to roll the dice. SMU, meanwhile, blew a golden opportunity to knock the top dog off of its perch when they lost at home to Concordia yesterday. Still, at 17-4 overall (14-4 in conference play) they're still in good shape and the only daunting aspect left of the regular season schedule is a return trip to CSB and, you'd have to think that, in a worst-case scenario that they'd be no worse than a #3 seed come playoff time. UST has at least stopped treading water and now appears to be afloat again but they've still got work ahead of them - a home date with CSB and a roadie down to St. Olaf are still in the offing for them.
The same cannot be said, however, for GAC as they've gone into a total free-fall rivaling the collapse of the Soviet Union and its east European satellite nations; losing five out of their last six games and six out of their last nine. It's a downfall that, quite frankly, not even I could have ever envisioned happening. Even more puzzling is the manner in which they're losing games as three of these losses have been by two points or less. Now comes the $64,000 question: Can the Gusties SOMEHOW turn this titanic-like season around and salvage something out of it? (sigh).....I truly don't know....They've got talent certainly and those close game that they've lost would seem to suggest that they COULD anyway and it may also suggest that it may be a confidence factor more than anything. At the same time, though, when I look at the road ahead for GAC, to say that it's going to be a hard row to hoe would be an understatement. Road trips to both UST (yeah, yeah I know...We've been over that ad nauseum) and Concordia (gulp) remain and homes games with Macalester, St. Kate's and Carleton are no longer "sure" things. In the end, I guess only the Gusties themselves can answer that question but I do not like how this is setting up at all for GAC. Hamline is another team that is on a tear as they've suddenly won four straight and their schedule is a bit more favorable as they've got both St. Olaf and Concordia at home. The Oles are still clinging to a life-line; they're likely pointing to that showdown at Hamline this coming Wednesday night.
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