2013 Dick's Sporting Goods Holiday Classic - 5th Place Game - Forest Lake vs Park CG

Was over at Hopkins’ Lindbergh Center on this Saturday after Christmas to take in the final day of the 2013 Dick’s Sporting Goods Holiday Classic.  With Prior Lake taking on Osseo for the 7^th place game, I set my sights on the main court for the 5^th place game between Forest Lake and Park of Cottage Grove.  This would be my first look at the Rangers out of Forest Lake but the Wolfpack I’ve been able to catch at the last two section championship games they’ve played in – both losses to Eastview.  Both teams call the Suburban East Conference home so this would be a little preview of their conference battles to come.

 

Forest Lake; behind 6’2” senior post Bailey Norby who is Creighton-bound; sparked the Rangers to a 4-0 lead by the 16:31 mark and two free throws by junior guard Hanna Vidlund at the 15:40 mark made it a 6-0 game before Park’s star senior guard Sydney Lamberty (also Creighton-bound) knocked down two freebies after getting fouled at the 14:47 mark to get the Wolfpack on the board.  A hard drive and finish in the lane by Wolfpack junior Annie Williams closed the gap to a mere two points by the 13:27 mark.  Forest Lake, however, would embark on a 13-4 run over the next six minutes; punctuated by Vidlund’s “3” from the left wing with 7:50 left for a 19-8 Ranger lead.

 

Park, however, would manage to battle back to make things a bit closer.  Lanky 6’3” sophomore post Ally Gorres scored in the paint with 5:47 left then Sydney Lamberty; trying hard to get her team right back into the thick of things, connected with a drive and finish with 4:17 left and then Williams was able to follow that with a lay-up with 3:08 left that sliced the Forest Lake advantage to a much more-manageable 19-14 count.  Park Head Coach Stephanie Tolkinen had her squad go into a 2-3 zone late in the first half in the hopes of bottling up the Rangers Norby.  A drive and finish by senior Temi Ogunrinde kept the deficit at five at 21-16 with 1:02 left that should have had the Park contingent feeling halfway good but Ogunrinde went down with an injury that seemed to burst the balloon of whatever confidence Park may have had going into the locker room.  As it was, Forest Lake’s 5’11” senior forward Miranda Rice was able to get into the paint for a score and was fouled in the process.  The obligatory freebie that Rice sank enabled the Rangers to take an eight-point 24-16 by the halftime break. 

 

Ogunrinde would return for the Wolfpack as the second half got underway but Forest Lake Head Coach Jen Wagner had to know that a steady diet of Norby inside would be the key to victory today.  Despite a steal by Ogunrinde who dashed the other way for a lay-up at the 16:30 mark and a “3” by Sydney Lamberty from the top of the key at the 15:16 mark that at least kept the deficit in single digits, the Rangers fed Norby often that resulted in easy scores inside or trips to the charity stripe for an opportunity to knock down free throws.  A drive and jumper in the lane by Vidlund got Forest Lake’s lead up to 34-23 by the 12:08 mark.  Senior guard Emily Peters would be fouled in a transition opportunity for the Rangers by Williams of Park.  Williams got the worst of the impromptu meeting and was shaken up and had to be helped off the court at the 10:20 mark.  Another score by Norby down low with 9:52 left and a foray into the paint for a finish by senior lanky 6’0” senior guard Anna Eckert upped the Rangers advantage at 39-24 and had Park’s Tolkinen calling a timeout to search for answers.

 

But the Wolfpack simply had a very difficult time dealing with the experienced front line (read Norby & Rice) and had few answers for it.  Wolfpack reserve sophomore post Amber Fabeck connected with a lay-up with 6:09 left and two free throws by Sydney Lamberty with 4:33 left.  But the Wolfpack was still staring at a double-digit deficit and simply didn’t have the firepower on this day to try and launch a gallant comeback.  Senior reserve guard Lindsay Tilton’s lay-up with 2:21 left made it a twenty-point cushion for the Rangers at 48-28.  Both coaches emptied their bench in the waning moments that allowed Sydney Lamberty’s younger sister Jordan to connect with a jumper for the Wolfpack with just :29.6 left but Forest Lake would emerge victorious in this one by a final count of 50-32.

 

Wagner was very pleased with her team’s effort; particularly on defense.  “The ‘high-low’ option was very good for us as well and they had a very hard time handling that.”  It’s tough for me to make any bold predictions on Forest Lake’s prospects from having only watched them once but, assuming they can avoid the injury bugaboo, this could be a very dangerous team to have to play once section time rolls around.