Anoka vs Champlin Park 1-3-14

Happy New Year everyone!  Got my 2014 off to an early – and very good – start as my UCLA Bruins convincingly won the Sun Bowl over Virginia Tech on New Year’s Eve afternoon so hey, life is good for the moment if not just a tad bit too cold.  In any event, it was a good feeling to get my attention back to the hoops front on this Friday night as I ventured up Zane Avenue to Champlin Park High School for a look at this year’s version of the Rebels under new Head Coach Jake Kuppe.  Making the call on the blue-clad Rebels on this night was Anoka; fresh off its 3^rd place game victory over Bloomington Kennedy at the Dick’s Sporting Goods Holiday Tournament.  While I wasn’t sure what to expect from Champlin Park, I was curious to see if Anoka could sustain the momentum it gained with that big victory just before the end of the year.

 

Things would be tight for the first six minutes but it was easy to see who had the advantage in the paint and that was the Tornadoes as they appeared to be in full EF5 mode in establishing themselves in the paint.  Senior forward Ashley Bray took the forefront early on for Anoka; getting the first six points for the Tornadoes but Champlin Park hung tough early on.  Senior forward Taylor Severn knotted the issue at 6-all at the 15:01 mark when she used her slender 5’10” frame to slither inside for a score.  The Rebels took the lead at 8-6 when lanky 6’3” sophomore post Hanna Crymble snared a steal and dashed the other way for a lay-up at the 14:38 mark.  A “3” by Tornado senior guard Samantha Brannen from the right wing area at the 14:16 mark gave Anoka the lead back but the Rebels would secure a short-lived 11-9 lead by the 13:17 mark junior reserve guard Kacie Tomniczak knocked down a shot from the charity stripe after getting fouled.

 

But that formidable 2-3 zone defense that Anoka used so successfully against Bloomington Kennedy was now taking its toll on Champlin Park and they found that forays into the heart of that Tornado wall could be fraught with disaster.  It also allowed Anoka to embark on a decisive 11-0 run that started at the 12:15 mark when Ashley Bray muscled her way inside for a score that tied the game at 11-all.  Reserve senior forward Samantha Adamich connected with a jumper along the left baseline at the 11:21 mark that put the Tornadoes back out in front for good.  Then it was sweet-shooting senior guard Claire Lundberg snaring an offensive rebound for a putback at the 10:43 mark and then drilling one of her patented three-point bombs; this one from the right top area with 9:27 left.  A score down low by Adamich completed this burst with 8:48 mark and forced Kuppe to use a thirty second timeout to try and slow this Anoka burst.  But the Tornadoes would get the lead into the double digit range thanks to the Bray Sisters; Ashley and Amber, who were simply dominant in the paint in the first half.  Ashley Bray snared an offensive rebound of her own miss for a putback with 5:08 left and then Amber Bray scored on a nifty play off of an inbounds pass with 1:48 left.  With 1:02 left, Amber Bray  got her way into the paint easily again for a score and seemed to shake off any notion of that problematic knee that has slowed her from time to time this season so far.  One more score down low by Amber Bray with just :17.2 left allowed the Tornadoes to take a 33-22 lead into the locker room at the half and left Kuppe and his staff trying to find a way to attack that darned 2-3 zone.

 

After a very nice halftime which had former Champlin Park Head Coach Carl Pierson introduce recent Champlin Park alumni players attending the game; including 2007 grad and former Winona State standout Natalie Gigler, it was back to reality for the current group of Rebels as they simply ran into more roadblocks against that Anoka 2-3 zone defense.  Kuppe probably was hoping he could somehow get Gigler some more eligibility at the high school level again as Champlin Park simply had no answers for all those long bodies in white uniforms.  Brannen made good on a lay-up in transition to start things off for the Tornadoes.  Another lay-up in transition; this from Lundberg with 15:33 left upped the Tornado lead to 37-25.  Senior Kyrah Fredenburg, who had such an outstanding game against Bloomington Kennedy, then stole the limelight. An offensive rebound for a putback at the 14:58 mark followed by charity stripe shots helped up the lead to 42-25 by the 13:26 mark.  Champlin Park senior guard Alexis Alexander tried to stem the Anoka surge; connecting with a short jumper at the 13:07 mark and then a “3” from the left wing at the 10:39 mark but every time the Rebels would try to make inroads Anoka would slam the door shut. 

 

The Tornadoes, for whatever reason, simply looked much more relaxed and confident on this night and, just as they had against Bloomington Kennedy, they showed in the home stretch of the second half that they will certainly be a factor in the Northwest Suburban Conference Race and beyond.  After a lay-up by Champlin Park freshman guard Allison Gerads had sliced the Anoka lead to 47-36 with 7:40 left, Anoka Head Coach Scott Antl called a thirty second timeout to rally his troops as he was determined to not let this lead slip.  And it was Fredenburg doing most of the damage when it counted.  She used a great screen set for her to score on a lay-up with 7:05 left and, after a lay-up by Lundberg with 6:28 left, Fredenburg struck again at the 5:15 mark as she used her long reach to snare an offensive rebound for a putback for a 53-39 Tornado lead.  A tough shot off the glass by Fredenburg with 4:37 left and a lay-up in transition with 3:20 left made it a 59-43 game.  Yet one more offensive rebound for a putback with 2:29 left for the senior bound for Concordia St. Paul made things academic as the Tornadoes cruised to a relatively easy 64-49 victory on the road.

 

Afterward, Antl was pleased with his team’s effort; particularly on defense as they created several turnovers that led to easy points on this night.  Antl made no secret about that 2-3 zone they employ either as he acknowledged that it’s tough to get around those long bodies and arms.  Just as important, he acknowledged that his team gained a ton of confidence after that win over Bloomington Kennedy and that they simply looked more relaxed on the court and are executing better on the floor.  Considering the early losses they suffered, the one at Andover and then the Park Center debacle at home shortly thereafter, this is probably just what the doctor ordered for this Anoka squad.  The big question for them – at this point anyway – is can they avoid peaking too early as this Northwest Suburban Conference tour is a grueling one.  And that’s BEFORE you can even think about delving into Section play.  Meanwhile, I think the jury is still out on this relatively young Champlin Park team.  I’m reluctant to pass any judgment on them just yet as this is the first time I’ve seen them play.  But this program is in great hands with Jake Kuppe and it’ll only be a matter of time before they’re right in the thick of things again in the Northwest Suburban Conference.