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.
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