Made my way over to St. Paul on this Sunday evening to take in the intrasquad scrimmage for St. Kate's. While I knew it was incredibly early in the year with only a few weeks of practice in the books, I was anxious to see this group of new, young talent that Head Coach Sean Pinkerton and Assistant Coach Tim Kjar have assembled for this season and to see how they would react in game-like situations.
The scrimmage was composed of two 15-minute periods which kept things, IMHO, in a relatively short setting yet long enough to give the players opportunities to do things. And, it arguably worked out well for both Packer and Viking fans who wanted to see their teams battle it out in the "Border Battle" going on that night over at MOA Field. In any event, it took both sides a bit to get the expected jitters out before freshman Mari Lee; younger sister of senior Kristen Lee, helped the Purple team draw first blood at the 12:47 mark with a short jumper in the lane. The Purple team would expand that lead to a count of 5-2 with 8:47 left thanks to junior Sarah Manning as she maneuvered into the paint for a score with 10:01 left and followed that up with a charity stripe shot. The Gold team, however, would quickly work their way back into things thanks to a strong move and finish in the paint by strong freshman LaShay Holt; fresh out of St. Paul Humboldt with 8:26 left and would be neck and neck with their Purple counterparts by the 4:42 mark with things knotted up at 10-all. With 2:30 left, freshman sensation Kennedy Jennings from Dallas Center-Grimes (Iowa) put the Gold team ahead with an explosive drive and finish that got her fouled; making the score 12-10. The perimeter shooting on this night was not what you would call vintage but senior Kristen Lee changed that for the Gold team with 1:04 left when she connected with a jumper to make it a 15-12 game for the Gold. Still, the Purple team would make one last little run before the short intermission and two charity stripe shots by Manning made it 16-15 for the Purple just before the break.
The second period started in the same fashion as the first period - with freshman Mari Lee connecting on a lay-up with only thirty seconds elapsed to up the Purple's advantage to 18-15. Manning contributed to the Purple's efforts with a charity stripe shot with 12:32 left and a score in the paint with 11:32 left that upped the Purple's advantage to 21-15. Junior guard Jenna Mistler briefly halted the Purple's run by snaring an offensive rebound for a putback at the 11:08 mark but Mari Lee, who had a very nice outing on this night, connected with a lay-up in transition with 9:08 left and then knocked down a jumper off the glass with 8:10 left to stretch the lead to 25-17. The Purple team upped their advantage to nine at 27-18 when diminutive junior guard Amanda Padilla used her 5'3" frame to slither into the paint for a score with 5:43 left. Still, the Gold team made one last run. Kristen Lee banged home a "3" from the left wing with 4:43 left and then Jennings used her speed and athleticism down low that sent her to the charity stripe to slice the Purple's lead down to 27-22. With 1:59 left, Kristen Lee again showed why she'll be a force to be reckoned with this season as she knocked down a long "2" from the right top area that made it a 28-24 ballgame . But the Gold could not get any closer. Manning scored for the Purple with 1:32 left and then it was Mari Lee with an insurance lay-up in transition with 1:09 left that made it 32-24. Freshman Abby Torgerson, the freshman speedster out of Anoka, helped the Gold team make one last gasp as she scored in the paint with :47 left and got one free throw with :23.8 left but two free throws by the Purple's sophomore standout Gabby Zehrer made the final count 34-28 on this very entertaining evening.
Afterward, Head Coach Sean Pinkerton admitted that it wasn't the prettiest brand of basketball that you'll ever see as there were the expected amount of turnovers and other mistakes that the team will be working on in practice in the days and weeks to come. Still, there's something fresh and exciting about this squad as you have a lot of great young talent making their mark on this team that holds a lot of promise for the future. Coupled with the leadership of senior Kristen Lee, this will be a team to keep your eye on this year in the MIAC.
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