Was up at Anoka-Ramsey on this frigid Friday evening to
catch the game between host Anoka-Ramsey and visiting Northland Community and
Technical College out of Thief River Falls.
The Golden Rams had recently returned from sunny, warm Arizona to settle
into conference play and I was curious if the Arizona trip against top-flight
competition had somehow made this team better or tougher – at least mentally
anyway – and I would get the answer as this one progressed.
Despite Anoka-Ramsey sophomore point guard Maria Loughlin’s
jumper from the right wing at the 19:40 mark that drew first blood, it was the
visiting Pioneers that got off to the good start. A jumper in the lane by sophomore guard Jenna
Lundon at the 19:29 mark along with a “3” from freshman forward Danielle
Hernandez helped Northland build an 8-4 lead by the 18:10 mark before
Anoka-Ramsey shook off some early cobwebs.
The Golden Rams went on a 6-1 push over the course of two minutes to
take a 10-9 lead by the 16:05 mark; punctuated by a “3” from freshman post
Olivia Antilla. The two teams would
trade slim leads over the next eight minutes and, at this point anyway, it
appeared to be a toss up.
But, with 8:35 left in the first half, Northland seized some
much-needed momentum and began to capitalize on it. And part of the reason they were able to do
it was some tough board work; much to the chagrin (I’m sure anyway) of
Anoka-Ramsey Head Coach David DeWitt. Holding
a slim 19-18 lead, Hernandez knocked down a pair of freebies after being fouled
which not only built the lead to 21-18 but also had the Pioneers in the bonus
as well. Reserve freshman guard Bailey
Jenkins connected with a jumper from the left wing with 7:35 left and freshman
Crystal Amundson snared an offensive rebound for a putback with 6:20 left that
helped build the Northland lead to 25-21.
Amundson would score again at the 5:14 and 3:53 marks and a “3” by
freshman reserve Megan Weiland from the left wing with 3:05 left helped build
the Pioneer lead to 32-27. But perhaps
the one player who was hurting Anoka-Ramsey more than anyone was sophomore post
Sarah Durand with her rebounding, tough defense and timely scoring. A long two by Durand with 1:19 left from the
left wing area allowed Northland to take a slim 36-34 lead into the locker room
at the half; only two points but the Pioneers were more physical than their
hosts and they had the momentum.
Anoka-Ramsey, which arguably struggled from the perimeter
in the first half sought to come out with some spark in the second half as they
needed to get re-energized. A “3” from
the right top area by willowy sophomore wing Nicole Schaub at the 19:46 mark
and a “3” from freshman guard Mataya Racek from the right corner on the ensuing
possession at the 19:21 mark now had Anoka-Ramsey back up by a count of 40-36
and an offensive rebound and putback by Antilla helped to build a 44-39 lead by
the 17:02 mark and, presumably anyway, had the Golden Rams re-energized and
back in control of things. But the
Pioneers refused to back off and they not only got close again but reclaimed
the lead and usurped control of the game and tempo from Anoka-Ramsey as
well. A “3” from Hernandez from the top
of the key at the 16:48 mark drew Northland to within two. Then it was Durand doing damage in the paint
and the charity stripe. One freebie at
the 15:46 mark got the Pioneers to within one and then a turnaround jumper down
low at the 14:53 mark put the Pioneers back out in front. Another score down low by Duran at the 14:18
mark made it a 47-44 ballgame and then two free throws by Hernandez upped the
Northland advantage to 49-44 with 13:25 mark.
But just when it appeared that Anoka-Ramsey could
possibly be in a heap of trouble at home, Northland suddenly went ice cold and
looked stymied on offense and this opened up the door for the Golden Rams to
finally seize control for good as they proceeded to embark on a decisive 14-1
run over the course of six minutes; punctuated by “3’s” from Antilla, Racek,
and Schaub plus a sweet drive and finish from the crafty Loughlin had Northland
Head Coach Shannon Nelson calling a full timeout to try and stem the tide. Turnovers, mistakes, and missed shots were
rearing their ugly head for the Pioneers and Duran, who was having her way in
the paint for a good portion of the night, may have suddenly hit the wall
coming down the stretch. A slick
offensive rebound and putback by Schaub in traffic gave Anoka-Ramsey a 60-50
lead with 5:15 left and DeWitt, who had been curiously quiet for most of the
game suddenly became his vocal self on the Anoka-Ramsey bench. But as much as his blood pressure tends to
rise at times, he’s incredibly fortunate to have Loughlin running the show for
him on the floor as her ball-handling, basketball smarts and leadership often lead
the Golden Rams to victory in clutch situations and tonight was no
different. Loughlin would get sent to
the charity stripe four times in the
last two minutes alone to ice the game for the Golden Rams. With the last flicker of hope now gone for
the Pioneers, Durand would hit a “3” from the top of the key off the glass with
a mere :08 left but it would be for naught as Anoka-Ramsey would claim a tough
72-60 win.
Afterward, a disappointed Nelson told me that “We just
couldn’t seem to get critical stops when we needed them and we couldn’t finish
when we had to.” Anoka-Ramsey Assistant
Coach James Fassett pointed out that the quick, second-half start the Golden
Rams got with the quick “3’s” helped build the confidence of the team; even after
Northland reclaimed the lead. The 21-23
from the free throw line was a huge key and he also felt that defensively they
began to wear Durand down in the second half.
Head Coach David DeWitt, though pleased with the win, pointed out to me
that his squad has to start looking to get the ball down low first before resorting to the
three-point shot. Still, I have to think
that, given the win over a quality opponent; especially after trailing near the
midway point of the second half, gives you an idea of how resilient this
Anoka-Ramsey team is and that could be pivotal come February and March.
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