Found myself back up in Coon Rapids on this late Sunday afternoon to take in the Region 13A Championship Game between Minnesota West and host Anoka-Ramsey. While the Golden Rams have been in this situation seemingly every year, they would have to be ready to play today as they split their regular season series with the Blue Jays; winning at home and getting dough-popped by Minnesota West out at Worthington. For whatever reason, you could just feel that this one would be special and I would not be disappointed in the end.
The Golden Rams came out firing on all cylinders after the tip-off as they bolted to a quick 6-0 lead behind a "3" from sophomore Kelli Schramm from the right wing at the 19:23 mark and a "3" from freshman Nicole Schaub from the left wing at the 18:51 mark. But it didn't take long for Anoka-Ramsey Head Coach David DeWitt to blow his stack as he called a time-out at the 17:05 mark to vent on his team. He must have got their attention as the Golden Rams increased their lead to 11-4 thanks to a "3" from freshman Tasha Ambrose from the left wing at the 16:24 mark and a jumper by Schramm along the left baseline at the 15:55 mark. The Blue Jays would manage to close the gap somewhat thanks to a "3" from freshman Tiffany Gehl from the left wing at the 15:39 mark and a score in the paint by sophomore post Katey Granstra that cut the Anoka-Ramsey lead down to 11-9 by the 12:59 mark.
But the Rams would then proceed to go on an 11-4 burst that was highlighted by a "3" from diminutive freshman Kendra Norman from the left wing at the 12:13 mark; a rainbow-like "3" from Schaub from the left corner with 8:58 left and a "3" by Ambrose from the left corner with 8:07 left that made it a 23-13 game in favor of Anoka-Ramsey and had Minnesota West Head Coach Mike Fury calling for a timeout to try and stem the tide. The Golden Rams would extend the margin slightly to 28-16 with 6:16 left on another "3" by a red-hot Ambrose from the right corner before Minnesota West could begin to make serious inroads on the Anoka-Ramsey advantage. Freshman guard Maria Eichenberger nailed a "3" from the top of the key with 5:03 left and after Gehl knocked down two free throws after being fouled at the 4:51 mark, she got behind the usually-stout Golden Ram defense for a breakaway lay-up in transition with 4:17 left that not only cut the Anoka-Ramsey lead down to 32-25 but also caused DeWitt to explode and call another time-out for an opportunity to unleash his fury on his squad.
But the fireworks were just beginning in this one. The Blue Jays cut the deficit down to a scant single point after a lay-up by Gehl where she drew the foul and made the obligatory freebie with 3:11 left and a score inside by Gehl with 2:34 left plus a short shot off the glass by freshman Lindsey Drooger with 1:56 left. Trailing 35-31 with a little over a minute left, Gehl was feeling it and she took off on another foray into the heart of the Anoka-Ramsey defense with full-bore intent on getting another lay-up. Standing in her way, however, was Golden Ram freshman post Paris Finklea; her feet planted and both arms up. On the drive, Gehl inadvertently found Finklea's elbow with her nose and promptly crumpled to the floor and lost the ball in the process. She tried to get up but by this time her nose was bleeding profusely and the officials blew their whistles and a very upset Fury came out with his towel to help Gehl stop the bleeding. Assistant Coach Rosalie Hayenga-Hostikka made no attempts to disguise her anger as she slammed her clipboard to the floor. The action was halted for almost ten minutes as the floor was wiped down in various spots where blood may have spilled. Finally, action was resumed and the Golden Rams took a slim 37-31 lead into the locker room at the half but the tone had been set for the rest of this one.
The Golden Rams started the second half in almost the same exact fashion as they had started the first as Norman knocked down a "3" from the left wing at the 19:30 mark and Schramm snared a steal and got a lay-up the other way that once again extended the lead into double-digit region at 42-31 and had Fury calling a quick thirty-second timeout to get his team re-organized. Anoka-Ramsey would maintain that cushion until the 16:12 mark when the Blue Jays made another push. Drooger uncorked a "3" from the left top area and Hulstein knocked down two freebies after being fouled at the 14:12 mark. After withstanding a "3" by Anoka-Ramsey sophomore Cami Bauer, Hulstein again got into the paint for a score at the 13:44 mark and Drooger connected with another "3" from the left top area at the 11:34 mark that cut the lead down to 51-45 and seemingly had Minnesota West right back in the thick of things. But there were also danger signs for the Blue Jays as well. Hulstein picked up her fourth foul by the 12:50 mark and with a bench that consisted of only two players, that spelled almost certain doom for this Minnesota West team. And, to make matters worse, more fireworks went off at the 11:17 mark when the officials caught Hayenga-Hostikka slamming that clipboard down on the floor again after an alleged no-call and promptly slapped her with a technical foul.
This was also turning into a very physical contest as well as Minnesota West was very intent on trying to drive into the heart of the Golden Ram defense to try and draw fouls that might also open things up on the perimeter for them as well. The Blue Jays managed to cut the deficit down to 54-51 after a lay-up by Gehl (who had changed into a different uniform number at halftime) at the 9:01 mark and kept withing that margin when Gehl connected on a drive inside and finish that drew the foul as well and allowed her to sink the obligatory freebie in the process. But the Blue Jays could not get any closer in this one despite their valiant effort. By this time, Hulstein had fouled out and Minnesota West lost a valuable player who could do a lot of damage in the paint. And Anoka-Ramsey played with a heart of a champion down the stretch that allowed them to extend their small cushion and put the Blue Jays behind the 8-ball. And the player who shined for the Golden Rams in this critical home stretch was none other than sophomore Tacita Gonzalez who displayed exceptional ball-handling and clutch three-point shooting as well. Treys by the sophomore from Fridley High School at the 7:28 (off the glass) and 5:06 marks helped extend the lead to 68-59. A lateral drive into the lane and finish by freshman Nicole Howard that drew a foul and allowed her to sink a free throw as well made it a 73-61 game with 3:53 left. A "3" by Drooger briefly cut the lead back down to single digits with 3:37 left but a lay-up by Gonzalez with 3:18 left plus key free throws by Schramm finally gave Anoka-Ramsey an incredibly tough 78-68 win over a very gamey and resourceful Minnesota West team. With the Region 13A Championship theirs, Anoka-Ramsey now heads to Rochester for the right to play in the NJCAA Divison III National Tournament.
No comments:
Post a Comment