Made the short drive over to Park Center High School on this Friday night to catch the last regular season home game for the Pirates as they hosted visiting Armstrong. This was also Parents Night as all the players and parents were introduced before the warm-ups. Unbeknownst to me was the fact that junior point guard Hannah Schaub was now out of action for the rest of the season with an ACL injury to her left knee that she suffered on Tuesday night during the win over Maple Grove. Because I was out with the flu for a couple of days, I wasn't aware of it at the time but my heart sank like the Titanic when I saw her come out with that covering on her left leg.
But despite the loss of one of their top players, the Pirates came out of the gate in this one with a grim resolve and determination and quickly bolted to a 9-0 lead in the first few minutes of the game thank to senior Cayla McMorris' free throws and a "3" from junior sharp shooting guard McKenna DuBois and a lay-up in transition by lanky freshman post Mikayla Hayes that had Armstrong Head Coach Antiwan Easley calling for a timeout by the 16:13 mark. The Pirates would extend the lead to as much as 14-1 by the 15:00 mark as DuBois connected with a lay-up and McMorris knocked down a "3" from the left wing. Armstrong's strong junior guard Lyrik Williams finally got Armstrongs first FG of the game when she used her 5'9" frame to snare an offensive rebound for a putback at the 14:41 mark and followed that up with a jumper from the right top area at the 13:24 mark that got the Falcons back to within single digits trailing 14-5. But Park Center moved quickly to counter this as freshman guard Ann Simonet drained a "3" from the right top area at the 13:07 mark and freshman point guard Danielle Schaub; now filling in the role normally held by big sis Hannah, calmly connected with a lay-up in transition at the 12:46 mark for a 19-5 Pirate lead. Armstrong senior guard Hana Sacic knocked down a short jumper along the left baseline at the 11:52 mark but Park Center reserve freshman forward Feyisayo Ayobamidele; arguably the "X-Factor" on this Pirate team, connected with a short jumper of her own in transition at the 10:26 mark for a 21-7 Park Center lead and Armstrong's Easley; knowing full well his squad was in trouble, called another timeout to halt this Pirate blitzkrieg.
To their credit, the Falcons refused to break out the panic button that was easily at their disposal but instead stayed patient in their offense; looking for opportunities and slowly whittled away at the Park Center advantage. Williams muscled inside for a score that got her fouled with 9:57 left and though she wasn't able to knock down the obligatory freebie, she followed that up with another score in the paint with 8:29 left that cut Park Center's lead down to 23-11. A Williams jumper from the left top area just inside the arc got Armstrong to within ten with 7:02 left and another Williams foray into the paint for a finish completed this 8-2 Falcon burst that now had Armstrong back to within single digits trailing 23-15 and left Park Center Head Coach Chris VanderHyde scratching his head and calling a timeout. Whatever was said during this break seemed to hit the right tones as the Pirates regained control and responded with a 9-0 burst to end the first half. Two free throws by Hayes with 5:22 left and a drive and finish by the Wisconsin-bound Morris had Park Center back up by double-digits and then the wily McMorris uncorked a "3" from the left top area with 4:06 left that doubled up the Falcons by a count of 30-15. A drive and finish by DuBois with 1:56 left finished things off in the first half as Park Center took a cozy 32-15 lead into the locker room at the half. While not a completely satisfying first half for the green and gold, they certainly recovered from the nice little burst by Armstrong to regain firm control of things.
The Pirates came out in the second half with the same intensity and determination as they started the first half and soon had Armstrong reeling. Simonet snared a steal and dashed the other way for a lay-up at the 17:25 mark and then Hayes got a lay-up of her own at the 16:56 mark to get Park Center up by twenty at 36-16. Armstrong's Williams tried to single-handedly keep her team in contention with scores but the Pirates would not let go of their vice-grip. The willowy Simonet snared a long offensive rebound and then made a hard drive along the right baseline to finish at the 14:42 mark and then two scores by McMorris - a defensive rebound and coast-to-coast lay-up the other way and a lay-up in transition - helped Park Center expand their lead to a 46-21 count. By this time, things were looking bright and sunny on the Park Center front, right?
Well, not completely anyway. VanderHyde; unhappy with some of the calls/non-calls over the last few minutes, expressed his displeasure with the game officials during the ensuing Armstrong timeout and grew increasing agitated as the conversation with the lead official progressed. VanderHyde was then hit with a technical foul at the 11:26 mark and had to be guided away by Assistant Coach Dana Joubert-Hayes before he could be hit with another one that would have brought a premature end to his night in the gym. Fortunately for the Pirates, VanderHyde regained his cool and his players stayed hot. Sophomore reserve forward Oliva Peterson connected with a lay-up with 9:55 left that once again allowed Park Center to double-up the Falcons by a score of 50-25. Williams would continue to make stabs and jabs for Armstrong but the Falcons simply could not handle the transition opportunities the Pirates were getting at an increasingly alarming rate. With Park Center holding a comfortable 56-33 lead, McMorris connected on a lay-up in transition and got fouled in the process and knocked down the obligatory freebie for a 59-33 lead. A score in the paint by McMorris upped the lead to 61-37 with 4:42 left and then both Ayobamidele and DuBois got easy lay-ups in transition in the closing minutes as Park Center emerged victorious in their regular season finale with a resounding 65-45 win.
With the players signing posters for the younger kids in attendance afterward, a happy and somewhat remorseful VanderHyde, while happy with the victory, admitted he let himself get baited by the officials that eventually lead to the technical foul. IMHO, he was looking out for his players which is absolutely the right thing to do and sometimes you have to pay the price for doing so (Heck, I've garnered my share of code violations in arguments with USTA officials in my matches and I'll probably get some more before I'm done). More importantly, I asked him how the injury to Hannah Schaub changes up the mix for his team. We both felt that Danielle Schaub did an excellent job in filling in for her older sis on this night and the rest of the team will certainly be more than willing to step up their games as well. Just as important has been the emergence of that "6th" player; Ayobamidele who has an incredible knack for scoring. And while it's certainly a downer for Hannah Schaub to have to sit on the bench, she's certainly going to be there for her teammates in practice and in games; doing whatever she can to help her team. That's one of the things you've got to like about this team and I feel strongly that they're going to be around at the end.
Los Angeles Rams
Friday, February 28, 2014
MIAC Playoff Quarterfinal - St. Olaf vs Bethel 2-25-14
First, I apologize for being a little late getting this one into my blog but the flu bug decided to get me horizontal for a couple of days. Needless to say, it feels good to beat it and feel good again. :)
Made my way over to the Robertson Center on the campus of Bethel University on this cold, cold Tuesday night to catch this MIAC Playoff Quarterfinal between host Bethel and visiting St. Olaf; a rematch from this last Saturday's regular season finale in which Bethel triumphed 62-55. This time around, with everything on the line, it would be interesting to see what adjustments each team made coming into tonight's playoff clash.
Both teams seemed to have the jitters early on as the Oles and Royals were guilty of traveling vilations on their opening possessions. St. Olaf made a concerted effort to get the ball inside to lanky senior post Elise Raney and she responded with two scores in the paint that gave the Oles a 4-2 lead by the 16:26 mark. Bethel sophomore guard Lexi Friesen's "3" from the left wing area at the 15:59 mark gave the Royals their first lead at 5-4 and each side would trade one-point leads over the next three minutes. Another Raney score in the paint at the 13:01 mark and two free throws by sophomore Front Range bomber Kim Cerjan had St. Olaf up 10-7 at the 12:24 mark but Bethel senior sharpshooting guard Katelyn Vavra tied the issue at 10-all when she uncorked a "3" from the left top area at the 12:06 mark.
While the Oles may have found reason to feel good about themselves early on in this contest, they suddenly saw things go south as Bethel unleashed an 11-2 run over the next six minutes that drastically changed the look of things. After two free throws by freshman phenom Kalli Zimmerman gave the Royals a 12-10 lead at the 10:42 mark, Vavra increased the lead to 14-10 with a lay-up with 9:54 left. St. Olaf Head Coach Dave Stromme; not liking the look of things, called a thirty-second timeout but to no avail. With the Royals already in the bonus, Parupsky was able to get one freebie to go down after being fouled with 8:11 left and then senior southpaw reserve guard Micaella Petrich let loose with a "3" from the right top with 6:58 left for an 18-10 lead. St. Olaf's Cerjan temporarily stopped the bleeding with a drive and finish with 6:40 left but another Petrich "3" from the same right top area with 6:10 left made it a 21-12 game. Stromme had seen enough and had no choice but to burn a full timeout.
The Oles would come out of that timeout with some resolve and purpose and cut into the Bethel advantage. A drive and finish by freshman reserve guard Betsey Daly at the 5:46 mark and a "3" from Cerjan kept the deficit at single digits when Bethel threatened to pull away. A lay-up by Raney with 3:35 left and two great plays by a member of St. Olaf's "Colorado Connection" - sophomore point guard Lauren Gutierrez - a lay-up with 2:11 left and a steal and lay-up the other way with 1:53 left - had the Oles within seven trailing 30-23. But Bethel would make one last push before the halftime buzzer as Vavra snared a steal and dashed the other way for an easy lay-up with 1:30 left. Junior forward Lindy Parker was able to snare an offensive rebound for a putback and got fouled in the process and the obligatory free throw had Bethel up by double digits at 35-24 with :31.6 left. Cerjan was able to knock down two free throws of her own with :15.3 left to get the Oles to within single digits again at 35-26 but St. Olaf clearly had their work cut out for them if they were going to get back into this thing.
Whatever Stromme said to his team in the locker room during the halftime break must have had some effect as the Oles came out on fire to begin the second half; going on a 14-5 run fueled by some fabulous three-point shooting. First, Cerjan drained a "3" from the left corner at the 18:57 mark and after Bethel matched that one with Friesen's "3" from the left wing with 18:41 left, Ole sophomore reserve forward Zoe Hansen got a chance to shine as she nailed a "3" from the top of the key at the 17:36 mark. Another Cerjan "3"; this one from the top of the key as well, sliced Bethel's lead down to 38-35 and then it was sophomore reserve guard Afton Wolter; with big sis Mackenzie cheering her on from the stands, swishing a "3" from the left corner that suddenly knotted things up at 38 a piece. Bethel sophomore post Rachel Parupsky put the Royals back out in front 40-38 with a score in the paint but St. Olaf's Raney matched that at the 13:42 mark to forge a 40-all deadlock and suddenly everything was up for grabs.
But as quickly as St. Olaf came alive, they died the same way. All the passion and fire they showed in the opening moments of the second half fizzled out in shocking fashion. And the Royals, who could have broken out the panic button after relinquishing a sizable lead in their first-ever home playoff game, responded with cool, calm reserve. First, Petrich unleashed a "3" from that right top area where she was comfortable in the first half for a 43-40 Bethel lead at the 13:20 mark. Then Vavra, the other savvy senior, nailed a "3" of her own from the right corner as the 12:38 mark to up the advantage to 48-40. Zimmerman knocked down a jumper in the lane at the 11:52 mark and then two more Vavra treys - one from the right corner with 10:24 left and another from the right wing with 9:28 left - completed a decisive 14-3 spurt that had the Royals firmly in control by a count of 54-44 and left the Oles reeling. Moreover, Bethel had been applying pressure defense and had gone into a 2-3 zone in the half-court that further frustrated the Oles as they could only make small bites at the Bethel advantage. The Royals consolidated on their advantage by being patient and tried to work the ball inside to Parupsky whenever possible. The sophomore from Arden Hills got one score in the paint with 5:38 left to maintain the ten-point advantage at 56-46 and then it was Zimmerman getting a lay-up with 5:02 left for a 58-46 lead. St. Olaf, desperate to try and make something happen on offense, saw those last-gasp hopes fall into the arms of disaster as Zimmerman snared an errant Ole cross-court pass and dashed the other way for an easy lay-up for a 60-49 Royal lead. A jumper from Zimmerman from the left elbow with 2:31 left along with free throws by Parupsky and a score in the paint with 1:23 left by Parupsky gave Bethel an insurmountable lead at 66-51 and two free throws by Petrich with 1:07 left made it a 68-51 game. St. Olaf got two late scores; fittingly by two players closing out their Ole careers: A finish in the paint by Raney with :22 left and a jumper from the left elbow by junior Maddie Ehrich who is graduating early with just :06 left to make the final score 68-55 for Bethel.
A very happy Bethel Head Coach Jon Herbrechtsmeyer never considered panicking when St. Olaf made their early second half run at his team. "We stayed the course" he said and it worked out for them. Without question it's another step forward for the Bethel program which has been looking to make that big step for a long time now. They've reached that 20-win plateau and also have a home playoff win under their belt. While both Vavra and Petrich have played their last home game for Bethel, the future looks incredibly bright for this Bethel program and I would expect them to be right in the mix next season for not only a playoff spot but also for the MIAC title as well.
Made my way over to the Robertson Center on the campus of Bethel University on this cold, cold Tuesday night to catch this MIAC Playoff Quarterfinal between host Bethel and visiting St. Olaf; a rematch from this last Saturday's regular season finale in which Bethel triumphed 62-55. This time around, with everything on the line, it would be interesting to see what adjustments each team made coming into tonight's playoff clash.
Both teams seemed to have the jitters early on as the Oles and Royals were guilty of traveling vilations on their opening possessions. St. Olaf made a concerted effort to get the ball inside to lanky senior post Elise Raney and she responded with two scores in the paint that gave the Oles a 4-2 lead by the 16:26 mark. Bethel sophomore guard Lexi Friesen's "3" from the left wing area at the 15:59 mark gave the Royals their first lead at 5-4 and each side would trade one-point leads over the next three minutes. Another Raney score in the paint at the 13:01 mark and two free throws by sophomore Front Range bomber Kim Cerjan had St. Olaf up 10-7 at the 12:24 mark but Bethel senior sharpshooting guard Katelyn Vavra tied the issue at 10-all when she uncorked a "3" from the left top area at the 12:06 mark.
While the Oles may have found reason to feel good about themselves early on in this contest, they suddenly saw things go south as Bethel unleashed an 11-2 run over the next six minutes that drastically changed the look of things. After two free throws by freshman phenom Kalli Zimmerman gave the Royals a 12-10 lead at the 10:42 mark, Vavra increased the lead to 14-10 with a lay-up with 9:54 left. St. Olaf Head Coach Dave Stromme; not liking the look of things, called a thirty-second timeout but to no avail. With the Royals already in the bonus, Parupsky was able to get one freebie to go down after being fouled with 8:11 left and then senior southpaw reserve guard Micaella Petrich let loose with a "3" from the right top with 6:58 left for an 18-10 lead. St. Olaf's Cerjan temporarily stopped the bleeding with a drive and finish with 6:40 left but another Petrich "3" from the same right top area with 6:10 left made it a 21-12 game. Stromme had seen enough and had no choice but to burn a full timeout.
The Oles would come out of that timeout with some resolve and purpose and cut into the Bethel advantage. A drive and finish by freshman reserve guard Betsey Daly at the 5:46 mark and a "3" from Cerjan kept the deficit at single digits when Bethel threatened to pull away. A lay-up by Raney with 3:35 left and two great plays by a member of St. Olaf's "Colorado Connection" - sophomore point guard Lauren Gutierrez - a lay-up with 2:11 left and a steal and lay-up the other way with 1:53 left - had the Oles within seven trailing 30-23. But Bethel would make one last push before the halftime buzzer as Vavra snared a steal and dashed the other way for an easy lay-up with 1:30 left. Junior forward Lindy Parker was able to snare an offensive rebound for a putback and got fouled in the process and the obligatory free throw had Bethel up by double digits at 35-24 with :31.6 left. Cerjan was able to knock down two free throws of her own with :15.3 left to get the Oles to within single digits again at 35-26 but St. Olaf clearly had their work cut out for them if they were going to get back into this thing.
Whatever Stromme said to his team in the locker room during the halftime break must have had some effect as the Oles came out on fire to begin the second half; going on a 14-5 run fueled by some fabulous three-point shooting. First, Cerjan drained a "3" from the left corner at the 18:57 mark and after Bethel matched that one with Friesen's "3" from the left wing with 18:41 left, Ole sophomore reserve forward Zoe Hansen got a chance to shine as she nailed a "3" from the top of the key at the 17:36 mark. Another Cerjan "3"; this one from the top of the key as well, sliced Bethel's lead down to 38-35 and then it was sophomore reserve guard Afton Wolter; with big sis Mackenzie cheering her on from the stands, swishing a "3" from the left corner that suddenly knotted things up at 38 a piece. Bethel sophomore post Rachel Parupsky put the Royals back out in front 40-38 with a score in the paint but St. Olaf's Raney matched that at the 13:42 mark to forge a 40-all deadlock and suddenly everything was up for grabs.
But as quickly as St. Olaf came alive, they died the same way. All the passion and fire they showed in the opening moments of the second half fizzled out in shocking fashion. And the Royals, who could have broken out the panic button after relinquishing a sizable lead in their first-ever home playoff game, responded with cool, calm reserve. First, Petrich unleashed a "3" from that right top area where she was comfortable in the first half for a 43-40 Bethel lead at the 13:20 mark. Then Vavra, the other savvy senior, nailed a "3" of her own from the right corner as the 12:38 mark to up the advantage to 48-40. Zimmerman knocked down a jumper in the lane at the 11:52 mark and then two more Vavra treys - one from the right corner with 10:24 left and another from the right wing with 9:28 left - completed a decisive 14-3 spurt that had the Royals firmly in control by a count of 54-44 and left the Oles reeling. Moreover, Bethel had been applying pressure defense and had gone into a 2-3 zone in the half-court that further frustrated the Oles as they could only make small bites at the Bethel advantage. The Royals consolidated on their advantage by being patient and tried to work the ball inside to Parupsky whenever possible. The sophomore from Arden Hills got one score in the paint with 5:38 left to maintain the ten-point advantage at 56-46 and then it was Zimmerman getting a lay-up with 5:02 left for a 58-46 lead. St. Olaf, desperate to try and make something happen on offense, saw those last-gasp hopes fall into the arms of disaster as Zimmerman snared an errant Ole cross-court pass and dashed the other way for an easy lay-up for a 60-49 Royal lead. A jumper from Zimmerman from the left elbow with 2:31 left along with free throws by Parupsky and a score in the paint with 1:23 left by Parupsky gave Bethel an insurmountable lead at 66-51 and two free throws by Petrich with 1:07 left made it a 68-51 game. St. Olaf got two late scores; fittingly by two players closing out their Ole careers: A finish in the paint by Raney with :22 left and a jumper from the left elbow by junior Maddie Ehrich who is graduating early with just :06 left to make the final score 68-55 for Bethel.
A very happy Bethel Head Coach Jon Herbrechtsmeyer never considered panicking when St. Olaf made their early second half run at his team. "We stayed the course" he said and it worked out for them. Without question it's another step forward for the Bethel program which has been looking to make that big step for a long time now. They've reached that 20-win plateau and also have a home playoff win under their belt. While both Vavra and Petrich have played their last home game for Bethel, the future looks incredibly bright for this Bethel program and I would expect them to be right in the mix next season for not only a playoff spot but also for the MIAC title as well.
Sunday, February 23, 2014
MIAC Playoff Preview
Well, here we go. One of my most favorite times of the year as we gear up for the MIAC playoffs. When you sit down and take a look at everything, some things seem clear while others seem not so clear. I'll do my best to try and break it all down and handicap this year's MIAC Playoffs from bottom to top.
6. GAC - By mid-January, things looked quite bleak for the Gusties and it seemed to be coming more and more apparent that they would be on the outside looking in for the first time since the playoff format was adopted by the MIAC back in 2001. Somehow, however, beginning in late January they managed to win seven out of eight games through early February that saved their season and had them holding the inside track for the sixth spot which they clinched yesterday with the win at St. Kate's. While that accomplishment in itself is something to be proud of, a closer look at their schedule reveals how truly vulnerable this team is against the rest of the MIAC Playoff participants as they were only to get a home victory against St. Olaf while SMU, Concordia, UST and Bethel all swept GAC this season. It's incredibly tough to envision a scenario that has them being anything but an early playoff casualty but this team is building for the future as they are loaded with freshmen and sophomores.
Sure sign of trouble - If Karina Schroeder can't control the paint and the Gusties get down by double-digits early, it is OVER.
5. St. Olaf - The Oles made up somewhat for last year's disappointing season when they missed out on making the playoff field and had enough healthy bodies this time around to snare the fifth spot. Beyond that, it's tough to get excited about St. Olaf's prospects in this year's version of the playoffs as the results during the regular season are eerily similar to those of GAC's. They did record a five-game win streak from January 15 through January 25 but it was a roller-coaster ride after that and, to make matters worse, they closed out the regular season with a bad, bad loss at Macalester and a somewhat predictable loss at Bethel yesterday. In fact, their only win against the top teams was at home against Bethel during that five-game streak. I would like this team's chances better IF they could still have a healthy Erin Haglund AND a healthy Mackenzie Wolter along with a healthy Nikki Frogner who suffered that knee injury early in the season. Haglund and Mackenzie Wolter graduated last year, of course, and Frogner won't be ready until early next season. For the Oles to do the unthinkable, it would take their Front Range bomber Kim Cerjan and Mackenzie Wolter's younger sister Afton to be knocking down "3's" like there's no tomorrow and point guards Lauren Gutierrez and Woo Bandel to be controlling the tempo and posts Elise Raney and Emily Wahlberg to totally dominate in the paint and........it's just a quantum leap that I cannot make.
Sure sign of trouble - For whatever reason, this St. Olaf squad has a rather nasty habit of folding in the second half and they don't seem to be able to adjust well when opponents get in transition on them.
4. Bethel - What a turnaround for this Bethel program from last year's squad that was hampered by youth and inexperience to a team this year that has a 19-6 overall record and is dominated by freshmen and sophomores. It is a team that has come a long way in a relatively short period of time and is on the cusp of moving into elite status in the conference. They have one of the best post players in the conference in Rachel Parupsky and two experienced seniors in the backcourt in Katelyn Vavra and Micaella Petrich along with youngsters Hannah Niewald and Lexi Friesen who can both hit the "3" and can get into transition as well. And let's not forget about freshmen phenom Kalli Zimmerman who can score and play defense. For the first time, they get to host a playoff game and should they win Tuesday night against St. Olaf, this would be the one team that you would not want to have to play at home, on the road or on the moon. They are arguably the darkhorse in the playoffs this season and, while next year looks to be like the year where they can seriously challenge for the MIAC title, I can't put it completely past them to come out of nowhere and somehow win this thing. While it's not likely that the MIAC could ever get four teams in the Big Dance, should they win Tuesday night and then upset SMU on Thursday night, they would at the very least have a strong argument for getting an invite.
Sure sign of trouble - If those "3's aren't falling for Vavra and Parupsky gets bottled up in the paint, they're going to have to rely on the freshman, Zimmerman, to somehow bail them out.
3. UST - It still seems amazing to me that I'm having to list the Tommies as the number three seed here. I mean, this was the team that was supposed to breeze through the MIAC unblemished like they did two years ago and then make that magical run to the Final Four - and this time, win it. But some funny and some not-so-funny things happened along the way that totally changed the complexion of this thing. First, they found out the hard way that the MIAC is much, much better than what most people thought (read SMU and Concordia) and then had to deal with losing both Jen Dockter and Anna Smith to injury. Smith won't be available until next season but Dockter is amazingly back and her 18 point performance yesterday in the win at CSB shows how hungry she is - and how good the Tommies can be with her back in the fold. It's hard to go against a team that not only has Dockter back in action but also boasts all-world Taylor Young, Maggie Weiers and Kelly Brandenburg who may very well be the unsung heroine of the conference as the senior from Brookfield, Wisconsin never seems to get the recognition she deserves. On the down side, being the number three seed means that, if they're going to do this, they're going to have to do it the hard way (take care of business Tuesday night and then win at Concordia on Thursday night and then, most likely at SMU on Saturday). On the flipside, though, if there's one group that's been there before and knows what it's all about and knows what it takes to do it, it's this team. And, make no mistake about it. This team DESERVES an invite to the NCAA Tournament no matter what happens as they would have the best chance of any MIAC team to make a deep run.
Sure sign of trouble - It's tough to point to one thing that could lead to their downfall other than some bad luck but they've had some defensive lapses from time to time this year and they can ill-afford that up in Moorhead or down in Winona.
2. Concordia - Why should I be surprised at all that they're in this position - again? It just seems like every year they find themselves right in the thick of things. I honestly thought this team would be a solid playoff contender but to predict them to have a 21-4 record AFTER both MIAC POY Emily Thesing and Tricia Sorensen graduated was a stretch. But they have done just that and they do it in their normal way whereby several contributors step up and make plays. The Cobbers may very well have the best three-point shooter in the conference in Alley Fisher along with solid, solid role players Erika Jossart, Erin Januschka, Olivia Johnson, Kelsey Walloch, Hannah Jeske and Katie Rosenfeldt along with solid freshman point guard Greta Walsh who plays more like an experienced sophomore or junior. Oh, and let's not forget about a certain 6'4" post by the name of Alex Lippert who now plays like the experienced senior that she is. In short, I really, really like this team and I really, really like their chances and I personally feel that they're the team to beat and the team that will be hoisting the MIAC Championship trophy when it's all said and done. Like UST, they have the experience and the know how and have been there before. And, like UST, they'd bloody well better get an invite to the Big Dance as well or I'll raise holy hell. The big question for them is this: Is this the year they FINALLY get past the first round in the Big Dance and make a run?
Sure sign of trouble - Again, tough to point to one specific thing here but in a tight game, they HAVE to hit those "3's" in order to avoid having defenses collapse on Lippert.
1. SMU - Wow, whoda thunk that this group down the River in Winona would be the holder of the number one seed; much less boasting a 23-2 record and being all but a sure thing for the Big Dance? I thought this group would be solid and good enough to be a certain playoff contender but to do what they did after losing both Jamie Stefely AND Jessica Thone to graduation was incredibly tough to envision. Yet, that's exactly what they did and one of the big reasons they were able to do just that may very well lie with savvy sophomore point guard Bridget Pethke who has emerged as one of the top point guards in the conference. The Cardinals also get healthy contributions on both sides of the ball from Darcey Rice and Shelby Auseth and understudies Emma Schaefer, Octavia Brown and Mariam Awoniyi can come in and provide solid minutes. I also think a big part of SMU's success has been senior post Courtney Euerle who can play bigger than her 6'1" frame and is deceptively quick. I've been tough on Head Coach Mandy Pearson and her staff in the past and I guess I have to eat a healthy dose of crow here and give credit where credit is due. But now comes the $64,000.00 question for this team: They've been to the MIAC playoff semifinals twice now; dropping decisions each time to UST on the road which is nothing to stick your head in the oven about. But now, as the number one seed, are they really ready for this? More importantly, can they handle the pressure of a championship game when things get tight down the stretch? That's what we don't know now and won't know until this is all said and done.
Sure sign of trouble - See my $64,000.00 question.
It should be a fun week. As Ronnie Howard once said, "Let the Gumball Rally begin!!"
6. GAC - By mid-January, things looked quite bleak for the Gusties and it seemed to be coming more and more apparent that they would be on the outside looking in for the first time since the playoff format was adopted by the MIAC back in 2001. Somehow, however, beginning in late January they managed to win seven out of eight games through early February that saved their season and had them holding the inside track for the sixth spot which they clinched yesterday with the win at St. Kate's. While that accomplishment in itself is something to be proud of, a closer look at their schedule reveals how truly vulnerable this team is against the rest of the MIAC Playoff participants as they were only to get a home victory against St. Olaf while SMU, Concordia, UST and Bethel all swept GAC this season. It's incredibly tough to envision a scenario that has them being anything but an early playoff casualty but this team is building for the future as they are loaded with freshmen and sophomores.
Sure sign of trouble - If Karina Schroeder can't control the paint and the Gusties get down by double-digits early, it is OVER.
5. St. Olaf - The Oles made up somewhat for last year's disappointing season when they missed out on making the playoff field and had enough healthy bodies this time around to snare the fifth spot. Beyond that, it's tough to get excited about St. Olaf's prospects in this year's version of the playoffs as the results during the regular season are eerily similar to those of GAC's. They did record a five-game win streak from January 15 through January 25 but it was a roller-coaster ride after that and, to make matters worse, they closed out the regular season with a bad, bad loss at Macalester and a somewhat predictable loss at Bethel yesterday. In fact, their only win against the top teams was at home against Bethel during that five-game streak. I would like this team's chances better IF they could still have a healthy Erin Haglund AND a healthy Mackenzie Wolter along with a healthy Nikki Frogner who suffered that knee injury early in the season. Haglund and Mackenzie Wolter graduated last year, of course, and Frogner won't be ready until early next season. For the Oles to do the unthinkable, it would take their Front Range bomber Kim Cerjan and Mackenzie Wolter's younger sister Afton to be knocking down "3's" like there's no tomorrow and point guards Lauren Gutierrez and Woo Bandel to be controlling the tempo and posts Elise Raney and Emily Wahlberg to totally dominate in the paint and........it's just a quantum leap that I cannot make.
Sure sign of trouble - For whatever reason, this St. Olaf squad has a rather nasty habit of folding in the second half and they don't seem to be able to adjust well when opponents get in transition on them.
4. Bethel - What a turnaround for this Bethel program from last year's squad that was hampered by youth and inexperience to a team this year that has a 19-6 overall record and is dominated by freshmen and sophomores. It is a team that has come a long way in a relatively short period of time and is on the cusp of moving into elite status in the conference. They have one of the best post players in the conference in Rachel Parupsky and two experienced seniors in the backcourt in Katelyn Vavra and Micaella Petrich along with youngsters Hannah Niewald and Lexi Friesen who can both hit the "3" and can get into transition as well. And let's not forget about freshmen phenom Kalli Zimmerman who can score and play defense. For the first time, they get to host a playoff game and should they win Tuesday night against St. Olaf, this would be the one team that you would not want to have to play at home, on the road or on the moon. They are arguably the darkhorse in the playoffs this season and, while next year looks to be like the year where they can seriously challenge for the MIAC title, I can't put it completely past them to come out of nowhere and somehow win this thing. While it's not likely that the MIAC could ever get four teams in the Big Dance, should they win Tuesday night and then upset SMU on Thursday night, they would at the very least have a strong argument for getting an invite.
Sure sign of trouble - If those "3's aren't falling for Vavra and Parupsky gets bottled up in the paint, they're going to have to rely on the freshman, Zimmerman, to somehow bail them out.
3. UST - It still seems amazing to me that I'm having to list the Tommies as the number three seed here. I mean, this was the team that was supposed to breeze through the MIAC unblemished like they did two years ago and then make that magical run to the Final Four - and this time, win it. But some funny and some not-so-funny things happened along the way that totally changed the complexion of this thing. First, they found out the hard way that the MIAC is much, much better than what most people thought (read SMU and Concordia) and then had to deal with losing both Jen Dockter and Anna Smith to injury. Smith won't be available until next season but Dockter is amazingly back and her 18 point performance yesterday in the win at CSB shows how hungry she is - and how good the Tommies can be with her back in the fold. It's hard to go against a team that not only has Dockter back in action but also boasts all-world Taylor Young, Maggie Weiers and Kelly Brandenburg who may very well be the unsung heroine of the conference as the senior from Brookfield, Wisconsin never seems to get the recognition she deserves. On the down side, being the number three seed means that, if they're going to do this, they're going to have to do it the hard way (take care of business Tuesday night and then win at Concordia on Thursday night and then, most likely at SMU on Saturday). On the flipside, though, if there's one group that's been there before and knows what it's all about and knows what it takes to do it, it's this team. And, make no mistake about it. This team DESERVES an invite to the NCAA Tournament no matter what happens as they would have the best chance of any MIAC team to make a deep run.
Sure sign of trouble - It's tough to point to one thing that could lead to their downfall other than some bad luck but they've had some defensive lapses from time to time this year and they can ill-afford that up in Moorhead or down in Winona.
2. Concordia - Why should I be surprised at all that they're in this position - again? It just seems like every year they find themselves right in the thick of things. I honestly thought this team would be a solid playoff contender but to predict them to have a 21-4 record AFTER both MIAC POY Emily Thesing and Tricia Sorensen graduated was a stretch. But they have done just that and they do it in their normal way whereby several contributors step up and make plays. The Cobbers may very well have the best three-point shooter in the conference in Alley Fisher along with solid, solid role players Erika Jossart, Erin Januschka, Olivia Johnson, Kelsey Walloch, Hannah Jeske and Katie Rosenfeldt along with solid freshman point guard Greta Walsh who plays more like an experienced sophomore or junior. Oh, and let's not forget about a certain 6'4" post by the name of Alex Lippert who now plays like the experienced senior that she is. In short, I really, really like this team and I really, really like their chances and I personally feel that they're the team to beat and the team that will be hoisting the MIAC Championship trophy when it's all said and done. Like UST, they have the experience and the know how and have been there before. And, like UST, they'd bloody well better get an invite to the Big Dance as well or I'll raise holy hell. The big question for them is this: Is this the year they FINALLY get past the first round in the Big Dance and make a run?
Sure sign of trouble - Again, tough to point to one specific thing here but in a tight game, they HAVE to hit those "3's" in order to avoid having defenses collapse on Lippert.
1. SMU - Wow, whoda thunk that this group down the River in Winona would be the holder of the number one seed; much less boasting a 23-2 record and being all but a sure thing for the Big Dance? I thought this group would be solid and good enough to be a certain playoff contender but to do what they did after losing both Jamie Stefely AND Jessica Thone to graduation was incredibly tough to envision. Yet, that's exactly what they did and one of the big reasons they were able to do just that may very well lie with savvy sophomore point guard Bridget Pethke who has emerged as one of the top point guards in the conference. The Cardinals also get healthy contributions on both sides of the ball from Darcey Rice and Shelby Auseth and understudies Emma Schaefer, Octavia Brown and Mariam Awoniyi can come in and provide solid minutes. I also think a big part of SMU's success has been senior post Courtney Euerle who can play bigger than her 6'1" frame and is deceptively quick. I've been tough on Head Coach Mandy Pearson and her staff in the past and I guess I have to eat a healthy dose of crow here and give credit where credit is due. But now comes the $64,000.00 question for this team: They've been to the MIAC playoff semifinals twice now; dropping decisions each time to UST on the road which is nothing to stick your head in the oven about. But now, as the number one seed, are they really ready for this? More importantly, can they handle the pressure of a championship game when things get tight down the stretch? That's what we don't know now and won't know until this is all said and done.
Sure sign of trouble - See my $64,000.00 question.
It should be a fun week. As Ronnie Howard once said, "Let the Gumball Rally begin!!"
MIAC Power Rankings For Sunday 2-23-14
Here's the last of the Power Rankings as the regular season comes to a close.
1. SMU
2. Concordia
3. UST
4. Bethel
5. St. Olaf
6. GAC
7. Augsburg
8. CSB
9. Hamline
10. Macalester
11. (tie) Carleton & St. Kate's
Congrats to the Cardinals on winning their first MIAC regular season title since the Reagan Administration. Not many (including yours truly) gave this squad a snowball's chance in hell of doing what they did but yet this young squad kept coming after it and refused to buckle when seasoned teams such as Concordia and UST were right on their heels the whole time. Speaking of Concordia, they keep doing what they normally do - win games quietly and efficiently and stay under the radar - just how Head Coach Jessica Rahman likes it. And they're a solid, solid number two in my rankings. UST gained some measure of revenge this last week as they laid a pasting on GAC at home on Wednesday night and then went up to St. Joe yesterday to unceremoniously dump CSB to show that they're still a force to be reckoned with.
Bethel capped off a fabulous regular season this last week getting wins against both St. Kate's on Wednesday and then taking care of St. Olaf yesterday in what was a preview of their first round playoff game this next week Tuesday night. The Royals, who finished the MIAC regular season with a 17-5 record and 19-6 overall will have a chance to notch win #20 and who knows what happens after that? St. Olaf meanwhile, slipped badly this last week; losing at Macalester on Wednesday night (for the third year in a row) before yesterday's loss at Bethel. GAC was on the wrong end of a 90-56 beatdown from UST on Wednesday night but finally ended all doubt and managed to shoo away any potential black cats as they clobbered St. Kate's to come away with that sixth spot in the playoffs. Augsburg managed to get a road win down at Carleton on Wednesday night and congrats to Macalester as they won their last two games against St. Olaf on Wednesday night and then at Carleton yesterday to take away some of the bitterness of a long season.
Tomorrow I'll handicap the upcoming MIAC playoffs and try and break things down as much as possible. As always, it should be a fun week!
1. SMU
2. Concordia
3. UST
4. Bethel
5. St. Olaf
6. GAC
7. Augsburg
8. CSB
9. Hamline
10. Macalester
11. (tie) Carleton & St. Kate's
Congrats to the Cardinals on winning their first MIAC regular season title since the Reagan Administration. Not many (including yours truly) gave this squad a snowball's chance in hell of doing what they did but yet this young squad kept coming after it and refused to buckle when seasoned teams such as Concordia and UST were right on their heels the whole time. Speaking of Concordia, they keep doing what they normally do - win games quietly and efficiently and stay under the radar - just how Head Coach Jessica Rahman likes it. And they're a solid, solid number two in my rankings. UST gained some measure of revenge this last week as they laid a pasting on GAC at home on Wednesday night and then went up to St. Joe yesterday to unceremoniously dump CSB to show that they're still a force to be reckoned with.
Bethel capped off a fabulous regular season this last week getting wins against both St. Kate's on Wednesday and then taking care of St. Olaf yesterday in what was a preview of their first round playoff game this next week Tuesday night. The Royals, who finished the MIAC regular season with a 17-5 record and 19-6 overall will have a chance to notch win #20 and who knows what happens after that? St. Olaf meanwhile, slipped badly this last week; losing at Macalester on Wednesday night (for the third year in a row) before yesterday's loss at Bethel. GAC was on the wrong end of a 90-56 beatdown from UST on Wednesday night but finally ended all doubt and managed to shoo away any potential black cats as they clobbered St. Kate's to come away with that sixth spot in the playoffs. Augsburg managed to get a road win down at Carleton on Wednesday night and congrats to Macalester as they won their last two games against St. Olaf on Wednesday night and then at Carleton yesterday to take away some of the bitterness of a long season.
Tomorrow I'll handicap the upcoming MIAC playoffs and try and break things down as much as possible. As always, it should be a fun week!
Saturday, February 22, 2014
GAC vs St. Kate's Synopsis 2-22-14
After managing to get my 2013 Ford Edge that was seemingly trapped like a sardine in a can in the Bethel parking lot out, I then battled my way down the God-forsaken (and I mean God-forsaken) snow- and ice-packed St. Paul streets (and there is NO place worse in America to have to drive, either) down to St. Kate's and the Butler Center where I managed to get into the bleachers next to former St. Kate's Head Coach Gary Rusvold and settled in with 12:45 left in the game and GAC comfortably up by a score of 49-32.
In this one, with the Gusties enjoying a seemingly safe lead, they were able to show all facets of their multi-talented offensive attack. Lanky sophomore forward Lindsey Johnson sank two freebies right at the 12:45 mark to increase the lead to 51-32 and then senior guard Julia Dysthe connected with a short jumper from the left side at the 11:27 mark to make it a 53-32 game. Then it was solid sophomore post Karina Schroeder muscling into the paint for a score at the 10:57 mark for a 55-34 lead. St. Kate's would make dents in the Gustie cushion but could never get close enough to make the GAC contingent worry. Freshman phenom LaShay Holt was able to get into the paint for a score and then senior guard/forward Kristen Lee; playing in her last game as a Wildcat, uncorked one of her patented "3's" from the top of the key with 9:13 left and a Holt lay-up in transition with 8:28 left whittled the deficit down to seventeen at 58-41.
St. Kate's freshman forward Mari Lee knocked down a jumper with 7:43 left that kept the deficit at seventeen but then the Gusties unleashed their offensive forces again. Dysthe popped in a "3" with 7:29 left and another foray and finish in the paint by Schroeder with 6:38 left upped the Gustie lead to 65-43. Two successful trips to the charity stripe by diminutive senior point guard Shelly Blaschko increased the lead to 69-43. The Wildcats with nothing to lose in this one still kept plugging away and Kristen Lee, playing loose and full of fun, got one score in the paint with 4:56 left and drained the last "3" of her college career with 4:28 left from the right top area. With a comfortable lead in hand (as well as that precious sixth playoff spot in the pocket as well) Gustavus Head Coach Laurie Kelly was able to get some of her bench players into the game in the last few minutes that allowed them to grab some spotlight. Freshman reserve forward Morgan Iverson knocked down a "3" from the left corner with 4:09 left and sophomore reserve forward Julie Sohre knocked down two free throws after getting fouled with 2:19 left. Fellow sophomore reserve forward Kelle Nett also got one charity stripe shot to go down with 2:04 left and a Sohre jumper from the left corner with 1:42 left upped the Gustie lead to 80-52. St. Kate's Head Coach Sean Pinkerton took Kristen Lee out of the game with just under a minute left to a standing ovation from the crowd on hand and the Gusties officially sealed the sixth playoff spot with a resounding 82-52 victory.
In looking ahead to the first round playoff game at UST next week Tuesday, the Gusties; still smarting from that 90-56 dough-popping they absorbed from the Tommies over at Schoenecker Arena back on Wednesday night, know they have only two days to prepare for this same UST squad before Tuesday night's rematch back at Schoenecker. And Kelly was straight to the point when I asked her about that. "We have to play better basketball" she said frankly. She specifically pointed out to the first half when they were still relatively close to the Tommies; trailing by only three points and then inexplicably went five straight possessions without scores and committed turnovers in the process when UST was employing that all too-well known full- and half-court pressure. I think it's fair to say that the Tommies will be prohibitive favorites in this rematch but, at the same time, I think you have to give Kelly and her Gustavus squad a lot of credit for battling back when their hopes appeared all but dead and buried shortly after the first of the year. This is a team dominated by freshmen and sophomores and it seems hard to believe that Dysthe, Blaschko and lanky Britta Rinke are all on the verge of playing their last game wearing the black and gold. Still, the future appears bright down in St. Peter. Meanwhile, a rough, rough year for Pinkerton and his assistant Tim Kjar as the Wildcats endured a multitude of injuries to key players before and during the season that hampered them from day one. But, as I said at the beginning of the year, this is a program to keep your eye on and I won't shy away from that. Sophomore point guard Gabby Zehrer will get her sophomore year back and she will be a tough one to stop when she is fully healed. And both freshman Alexis Garcia and junior Mary Neumann will bolster the Wildcat front line when they return fully healed. So, Wildcat faithful, keep the faith!
In this one, with the Gusties enjoying a seemingly safe lead, they were able to show all facets of their multi-talented offensive attack. Lanky sophomore forward Lindsey Johnson sank two freebies right at the 12:45 mark to increase the lead to 51-32 and then senior guard Julia Dysthe connected with a short jumper from the left side at the 11:27 mark to make it a 53-32 game. Then it was solid sophomore post Karina Schroeder muscling into the paint for a score at the 10:57 mark for a 55-34 lead. St. Kate's would make dents in the Gustie cushion but could never get close enough to make the GAC contingent worry. Freshman phenom LaShay Holt was able to get into the paint for a score and then senior guard/forward Kristen Lee; playing in her last game as a Wildcat, uncorked one of her patented "3's" from the top of the key with 9:13 left and a Holt lay-up in transition with 8:28 left whittled the deficit down to seventeen at 58-41.
St. Kate's freshman forward Mari Lee knocked down a jumper with 7:43 left that kept the deficit at seventeen but then the Gusties unleashed their offensive forces again. Dysthe popped in a "3" with 7:29 left and another foray and finish in the paint by Schroeder with 6:38 left upped the Gustie lead to 65-43. Two successful trips to the charity stripe by diminutive senior point guard Shelly Blaschko increased the lead to 69-43. The Wildcats with nothing to lose in this one still kept plugging away and Kristen Lee, playing loose and full of fun, got one score in the paint with 4:56 left and drained the last "3" of her college career with 4:28 left from the right top area. With a comfortable lead in hand (as well as that precious sixth playoff spot in the pocket as well) Gustavus Head Coach Laurie Kelly was able to get some of her bench players into the game in the last few minutes that allowed them to grab some spotlight. Freshman reserve forward Morgan Iverson knocked down a "3" from the left corner with 4:09 left and sophomore reserve forward Julie Sohre knocked down two free throws after getting fouled with 2:19 left. Fellow sophomore reserve forward Kelle Nett also got one charity stripe shot to go down with 2:04 left and a Sohre jumper from the left corner with 1:42 left upped the Gustie lead to 80-52. St. Kate's Head Coach Sean Pinkerton took Kristen Lee out of the game with just under a minute left to a standing ovation from the crowd on hand and the Gusties officially sealed the sixth playoff spot with a resounding 82-52 victory.
In looking ahead to the first round playoff game at UST next week Tuesday, the Gusties; still smarting from that 90-56 dough-popping they absorbed from the Tommies over at Schoenecker Arena back on Wednesday night, know they have only two days to prepare for this same UST squad before Tuesday night's rematch back at Schoenecker. And Kelly was straight to the point when I asked her about that. "We have to play better basketball" she said frankly. She specifically pointed out to the first half when they were still relatively close to the Tommies; trailing by only three points and then inexplicably went five straight possessions without scores and committed turnovers in the process when UST was employing that all too-well known full- and half-court pressure. I think it's fair to say that the Tommies will be prohibitive favorites in this rematch but, at the same time, I think you have to give Kelly and her Gustavus squad a lot of credit for battling back when their hopes appeared all but dead and buried shortly after the first of the year. This is a team dominated by freshmen and sophomores and it seems hard to believe that Dysthe, Blaschko and lanky Britta Rinke are all on the verge of playing their last game wearing the black and gold. Still, the future appears bright down in St. Peter. Meanwhile, a rough, rough year for Pinkerton and his assistant Tim Kjar as the Wildcats endured a multitude of injuries to key players before and during the season that hampered them from day one. But, as I said at the beginning of the year, this is a program to keep your eye on and I won't shy away from that. Sophomore point guard Gabby Zehrer will get her sophomore year back and she will be a tough one to stop when she is fully healed. And both freshman Alexis Garcia and junior Mary Neumann will bolster the Wildcat front line when they return fully healed. So, Wildcat faithful, keep the faith!
St. Olaf vs Bethel 2-22-14
Made the excruciatingly SLOW drive over to Bethel University's Robertson Center today on the snow- and ice-packed roads on this midday Saturday to take in Senior Day as host Bethel was taking on visiting St. Olaf in what would be a preview of this next week Tuesday night's first-round playoff match-up between the two again at Robertson Center. As I mentioned earlier in the week, it's never easy having to prepare for a team when you know you're going to be preparing for them again a few short days later. With that in mind, I was curious to see what each team would try to throw at the other in this regular season finale.
Bethel seniors Katelyn Vavra and Micaella Petrich were honored before the game to a nice round of applause from the crowd on hand that braved the bad roads to get their way to the game today. And it would be Vavra; the Askov native getting the first points on the board for the Royals right away at the 19:45 mark with a "3" from the right wing area. Consecutive scores by sophomore post Rachel Parupsky made it a 7-0 game by the 18:21 mark before the Oles were able to claw their way back into the thick of things. Senior guard Britt Webber connected with a jumper along the left baseline at the 18:00 mark and then it was sophomore guard Kim Cerjan; a prominent member of the St. Olaf Front Range bombing squad, drilling a "3" of her own from the right wing that allowed the Oles to get to within two at 7-5 by the 17:37 mark. A score in the paint by senior post Elise Raney at the 15:07 mark kept the Oles within that two point margin trailing only 9-7
As it was in their win on Wednesday night against St. Kate's, it took just a bit before things got cranked up offensively for the Royals but when they found their groove, they were able to put some distance between themselves and St. Olaf. Two free throws by Parupsky at the 14:09 mark and a score in the paint by the former Mounds View standout made it a 13-7 game by the 11:02 mark and another Vavra "3"; this one from the right wing at the 9:09 mark, had Bethel up 16-7. Another foray into the paint and finish by Parupsky completed this 9-2 Royal spurt to make it an 18-9 game. St. Olaf junior reserve forward Maddie Ehrich was able to temporarily trim the Royal advantage with her drive and finish that got her fouled and allowed her to sink the obligatory freebie but then Bethel reserve sophomore guard Lexi Friesen let loose with a "3" from the right top area for a 21-12 Royal lead and St. Olaf looked like they could be in some serious trouble with 7:47 left before the half.
But the Oles, who likely had to endure a tortuous, slow rough trip coming up I-35 from Northfield, slowly battled right back into the thick of things. Trailing 23-15, sophomore reserve forward Zoe Hansen connected with a jumper in the lane with 5:32 left and then Webber drained a "3" from the left wing with 5:10 left that suddenly had St. Olaf back to within three at 23-20. Petrich was able to get one freebie to go down for the Royals after being fouled with 4:34 left but then St. Olaf sophomore reserve sharpshooting guard Afton Wolter uncorked a "3" from the right top area that cut the Royal advantage to a scant point at 24-23. Two freebies by Parupsky with 2:43 left gave Bethel a little more breathing room but then Wolter drained another "3" from the right top area again that knotted things up at 26-all. A lay-up by Bethel reserve sophomore guard Hannah Niewald and a free throw from freshman reserve guard Shanni Moorse gave the Royals a slim 29-26 advantage at the half but St. Olaf, which looked to be in serious trouble at one point, recovered nicely to tighten things up at the break.
Bethel freshman phenom Kalli Zimmerman's drive and finish that got her fouled in the process and allowed her to sink the obligatory free throw at the 19:15 mark of the second half upped the Royal lead to 31-26 but St. Olaf was quick to respond. Ehrich craftily snared an offensive rebound for a putback at the 18:44 mark and then Raney, who struggled offensively in the first half, got out of that funk and made three straight scores in the paint at the 18:24, 18:01 and 16:33 marks that suddenly had the Oles out in front for the first time by a 34-31 count. Bethel's Friesen connected with a jumper from the right wing area a bit later at the 16:22 mark that drew the Royals to within one but Bethel Head Coach Jon Herbrechtsmeyer; not liking the look of things and how Raney was getting carte blanche by his defense to score at will, called a timeout to make some changes. The Royals would recover somewhat to grab a 36-34 lead by the 13:40 mark but a jumper from the left elbow by Wolter at the 11:20 mark and an offensive rebound by the 6'3" Raney who put the ball back in the cylinder for a score and got fouled in the process allowed her to sink the ensuing free throw and St. Olaf regained the three-point edge at 37-34 by the 10:24 mark.
But the Ole resurgence would be short-lived. And part of the problem was that the Oles were so fixed to the slow, half-court game that allows their "bigs" to flourish that they were unable to effective adjust to the many transition opportunities that Bethel would get coming down the stretch. With St. Olaf clinging to a 40-39 lead, Friesen was fouled in a transition attempt that sent her to the charity stripe to sink two free throws that had the Royals back out in front 41-40. The Osage, Iowa native then made good on the next transition attempt and connected with a lay-up with 7:52 left for a 43-40 Bethel lead. Two free throws by Parupsky a little more than twenty seconds later expanded the Bethel lead to 45-40 and now St. Olaf Head Coach Dave Stromme; sensing things suddenly slipping away, called a timeout to try and reverse the momentum. St. Olaf's Cerjan came out of that timeout and knocked down a "3" from the right wing at the 7:16 mark that got the Oles to within two but they could never get any closer. Free throws by Zimmerman and another transition attempt by Friesen got her fouled as well and sent her to the line to sink two freebies for a 49-43 Royal lead. Then Friesen drained a "3" from the left wing with 5:40 left for a ten-point 53-43 Bethel lead and now it was getting close to panic time for St. Olaf. A score in the paint by Niewald and a steal of an errant Ole pass by Zimmerman who dashed the other way for an easy lay-up maintained the ten-point cushion at 57-47 with 3:29 left and prompted another timeout by Stromme. Another Cerjan "3" from the right wing with 2:10 left gave the Oles a wisp of hope but a lay-up by Friesen with 1:45 left and free throws by Niewald down the stretch sealed the deal for Bethel as they made this Senior Day a happy one by recording a 62-55 win.
A happy and relieved Herbrechtsmeyer was in the process of making the rounds with parents and friends at Robertson Center afterwards and when I was finally able to catch up with him, I asked him about how he and his assistants prepared for this game knowing full and well that they would be facing this same St. Olaf team this next week Tuesday night in the opening round of the MIAC playoffs. While Herbretchtsmeyer, of course, couldn't get into specifics, he was unabashed when I asked about how important it was for Bethel to be hosting their first-ever MIAC playoff game. "It's huge!" he stated....."If you're going to make a deep run in the MIAC playoffs, having a first-round home game is so important.....Not that it can't be done on the road, of course....It's been done before. But it's so much easier when you have that opening home game." Realistically I think this Bethel team is arguably a year away before they can seriously vie for the MIAC title but, at the same time, they're not a team you would want to have to face in the playoffs, either. Meanwhile for the Oles, this loss coupled with Wednesday night's shocking defeat at the hands of last-place Macalester have effectively killed off any momentum St. Olaf may have had coming into this last week of the regular season. They've had this fifth spot effectively locked up for a while now but have not done a good job in leveraging their playoff positioning. One item from looking at the box score that stood out to me was this: Bethel had 22 points off of turnovers while St. Olaf only had eight. That's one thing the Oles must clean up if they're going to entertain thoughts of moving forward in the MIAC playoffs. For whatever reason, they stubbornly refuse to add some wrinkles to the offense that may give players such as sophomore point guard Lauren Gutierrez and fellow sophomore reserve guard Woo Bandel a chance to shine in some transition attempts. Don't get me wrong here.....Having those "bigs" such as Raney and sophomore Emily Wahlberg is a great thing to have and the slow-it-down, half-court approach will work - up to a certain point. But, somewhere along the line, they're going to have to be willing to throw caution to the wind and take some chances in transition so they don't get too predictable.
Bethel seniors Katelyn Vavra and Micaella Petrich were honored before the game to a nice round of applause from the crowd on hand that braved the bad roads to get their way to the game today. And it would be Vavra; the Askov native getting the first points on the board for the Royals right away at the 19:45 mark with a "3" from the right wing area. Consecutive scores by sophomore post Rachel Parupsky made it a 7-0 game by the 18:21 mark before the Oles were able to claw their way back into the thick of things. Senior guard Britt Webber connected with a jumper along the left baseline at the 18:00 mark and then it was sophomore guard Kim Cerjan; a prominent member of the St. Olaf Front Range bombing squad, drilling a "3" of her own from the right wing that allowed the Oles to get to within two at 7-5 by the 17:37 mark. A score in the paint by senior post Elise Raney at the 15:07 mark kept the Oles within that two point margin trailing only 9-7
As it was in their win on Wednesday night against St. Kate's, it took just a bit before things got cranked up offensively for the Royals but when they found their groove, they were able to put some distance between themselves and St. Olaf. Two free throws by Parupsky at the 14:09 mark and a score in the paint by the former Mounds View standout made it a 13-7 game by the 11:02 mark and another Vavra "3"; this one from the right wing at the 9:09 mark, had Bethel up 16-7. Another foray into the paint and finish by Parupsky completed this 9-2 Royal spurt to make it an 18-9 game. St. Olaf junior reserve forward Maddie Ehrich was able to temporarily trim the Royal advantage with her drive and finish that got her fouled and allowed her to sink the obligatory freebie but then Bethel reserve sophomore guard Lexi Friesen let loose with a "3" from the right top area for a 21-12 Royal lead and St. Olaf looked like they could be in some serious trouble with 7:47 left before the half.
But the Oles, who likely had to endure a tortuous, slow rough trip coming up I-35 from Northfield, slowly battled right back into the thick of things. Trailing 23-15, sophomore reserve forward Zoe Hansen connected with a jumper in the lane with 5:32 left and then Webber drained a "3" from the left wing with 5:10 left that suddenly had St. Olaf back to within three at 23-20. Petrich was able to get one freebie to go down for the Royals after being fouled with 4:34 left but then St. Olaf sophomore reserve sharpshooting guard Afton Wolter uncorked a "3" from the right top area that cut the Royal advantage to a scant point at 24-23. Two freebies by Parupsky with 2:43 left gave Bethel a little more breathing room but then Wolter drained another "3" from the right top area again that knotted things up at 26-all. A lay-up by Bethel reserve sophomore guard Hannah Niewald and a free throw from freshman reserve guard Shanni Moorse gave the Royals a slim 29-26 advantage at the half but St. Olaf, which looked to be in serious trouble at one point, recovered nicely to tighten things up at the break.
Bethel freshman phenom Kalli Zimmerman's drive and finish that got her fouled in the process and allowed her to sink the obligatory free throw at the 19:15 mark of the second half upped the Royal lead to 31-26 but St. Olaf was quick to respond. Ehrich craftily snared an offensive rebound for a putback at the 18:44 mark and then Raney, who struggled offensively in the first half, got out of that funk and made three straight scores in the paint at the 18:24, 18:01 and 16:33 marks that suddenly had the Oles out in front for the first time by a 34-31 count. Bethel's Friesen connected with a jumper from the right wing area a bit later at the 16:22 mark that drew the Royals to within one but Bethel Head Coach Jon Herbrechtsmeyer; not liking the look of things and how Raney was getting carte blanche by his defense to score at will, called a timeout to make some changes. The Royals would recover somewhat to grab a 36-34 lead by the 13:40 mark but a jumper from the left elbow by Wolter at the 11:20 mark and an offensive rebound by the 6'3" Raney who put the ball back in the cylinder for a score and got fouled in the process allowed her to sink the ensuing free throw and St. Olaf regained the three-point edge at 37-34 by the 10:24 mark.
But the Ole resurgence would be short-lived. And part of the problem was that the Oles were so fixed to the slow, half-court game that allows their "bigs" to flourish that they were unable to effective adjust to the many transition opportunities that Bethel would get coming down the stretch. With St. Olaf clinging to a 40-39 lead, Friesen was fouled in a transition attempt that sent her to the charity stripe to sink two free throws that had the Royals back out in front 41-40. The Osage, Iowa native then made good on the next transition attempt and connected with a lay-up with 7:52 left for a 43-40 Bethel lead. Two free throws by Parupsky a little more than twenty seconds later expanded the Bethel lead to 45-40 and now St. Olaf Head Coach Dave Stromme; sensing things suddenly slipping away, called a timeout to try and reverse the momentum. St. Olaf's Cerjan came out of that timeout and knocked down a "3" from the right wing at the 7:16 mark that got the Oles to within two but they could never get any closer. Free throws by Zimmerman and another transition attempt by Friesen got her fouled as well and sent her to the line to sink two freebies for a 49-43 Royal lead. Then Friesen drained a "3" from the left wing with 5:40 left for a ten-point 53-43 Bethel lead and now it was getting close to panic time for St. Olaf. A score in the paint by Niewald and a steal of an errant Ole pass by Zimmerman who dashed the other way for an easy lay-up maintained the ten-point cushion at 57-47 with 3:29 left and prompted another timeout by Stromme. Another Cerjan "3" from the right wing with 2:10 left gave the Oles a wisp of hope but a lay-up by Friesen with 1:45 left and free throws by Niewald down the stretch sealed the deal for Bethel as they made this Senior Day a happy one by recording a 62-55 win.
A happy and relieved Herbrechtsmeyer was in the process of making the rounds with parents and friends at Robertson Center afterwards and when I was finally able to catch up with him, I asked him about how he and his assistants prepared for this game knowing full and well that they would be facing this same St. Olaf team this next week Tuesday night in the opening round of the MIAC playoffs. While Herbretchtsmeyer, of course, couldn't get into specifics, he was unabashed when I asked about how important it was for Bethel to be hosting their first-ever MIAC playoff game. "It's huge!" he stated....."If you're going to make a deep run in the MIAC playoffs, having a first-round home game is so important.....Not that it can't be done on the road, of course....It's been done before. But it's so much easier when you have that opening home game." Realistically I think this Bethel team is arguably a year away before they can seriously vie for the MIAC title but, at the same time, they're not a team you would want to have to face in the playoffs, either. Meanwhile for the Oles, this loss coupled with Wednesday night's shocking defeat at the hands of last-place Macalester have effectively killed off any momentum St. Olaf may have had coming into this last week of the regular season. They've had this fifth spot effectively locked up for a while now but have not done a good job in leveraging their playoff positioning. One item from looking at the box score that stood out to me was this: Bethel had 22 points off of turnovers while St. Olaf only had eight. That's one thing the Oles must clean up if they're going to entertain thoughts of moving forward in the MIAC playoffs. For whatever reason, they stubbornly refuse to add some wrinkles to the offense that may give players such as sophomore point guard Lauren Gutierrez and fellow sophomore reserve guard Woo Bandel a chance to shine in some transition attempts. Don't get me wrong here.....Having those "bigs" such as Raney and sophomore Emily Wahlberg is a great thing to have and the slow-it-down, half-court approach will work - up to a certain point. But, somewhere along the line, they're going to have to be willing to throw caution to the wind and take some chances in transition so they don't get too predictable.
Thursday, February 20, 2014
St. Kate's vs Bethel Recap 2-19-14
Made the short drive on this Wednesday night over to Robertson Center on the Bethel University campus to take in this clash between host Bethel and visiting St. Kate's. The Royals were looking to build momentum going into the MIAC playoffs the next week while the Wildcats were coming off of their second conference win of the season this last Saturday at Macalester. It was a special evening as former Royal standout Kelly Swenson was in attendance to watch not only her former teammates but also her high school teammate, St. Kate's senior guard/forward Kristen Lee as both hail from Dawson-Boyd High School.
Despite the Wildcats jumping out to a quick 2-0 lead after freshman phenom guard/forward LaShay Holt connected with a short jumper at the 19:31 mark, Bethel would respond behind sophomore post Rachel Parupsky and freshman forward Kalli Zimmerman getting points in the paint even with St. Kate's employing a 2-3 zone defense to grab an 8-4 lead by the 16:16 mark. To their credit, though, the 'Cats would forge a 9-all tie behind a jumper from Kristen Lee from the free throw line at the 13:30 mark and a patented rainbow "3" by sophomore guard/forward Shauna Horsch from the left wing at the 12:23 mark. St. Kate's would enjoy a brief 10-9 lead at the 10:23 mark after a Horsch free throw but the Royals would regain the advantage behind a jumper from the free throw line by junior reserve forward Lindy Parker at the 10:04 mark and a short jumper off an inbounds pass by sophomore guard Lexi Friesen that had Bethel up 13-10.
The Royals had been in a man-to-man defense early on in this contest but Bethel Head Coach Jon Herbrechtsmeyer changed things up by switching to a 2-3 zone for the remainder of the first half and it reaped dividends as the Wildcats had a multitude of problems trying to make ill-advised forays into the paint. It also provided something of a kick-start to the Royals offense as they began to open things up. Parupsky was able to score in the paint off of an inbounds pass at the 7:25 mark and then senior guard Katelyn Vavra heated up. She snared a steal and dashed the other way for an easy lay-up in transition at the 7:09 mark and then uncorked back-to-back treys - one at the 6:43 mark from the left wing and another at the 5:16 mark from the left corner - to complete this 10-0 spurt that now had Bethel up 23-10 and had St. Kate's Head Coach Sean Pinkerton calling for a timeout to try and stop this Bethel blitz. Another "3" from Horsch from the left wing that found nothing but cotton got the Wildcats back to within ten with 4:01 left but late scores by both Parker and Parupsky allowed Bethel to go into the locker room at the half with a 27-15 lead. Not an insurmountable lead from a St. Kate's standpoint but they were going to have to get some stops on defense and make the most of their opportunities in the second half if they were going to stay close.
The Royals, however, had no interest in letting St. Kate's hang around indefinitely and they set out in the second half to put distance between themselves and their opponent by embarking on a 10-2 run in the first four minutes. Three scores by Parupsky along with a jumper off the glass after a steal by sophomore Hannah Niewald and a jumper from the left wing by Friesen now made it a 37-17 ballgame by the 16:49 mark and things got progressively worse for the Wildcats after that. A Friesen "3" from the top of the key at the 16:05 mark had St. Kate's Pinkerton calling another timeout to no avail. Sophomore reserve guard Sydney "Bam Bam" Schultz decided it was time for her to get in on the act as the Dalton product first was fouled from behind the arc at the 12:52 mark that allowed her to sink three freebies and then uncorked one of her patented three-point bombs from the top of the key at the 12:20 mark that ballooned the Bethel advantage to 50-19.
St. Kate's could only make intermittent jabs and stabs from the canyon they now found themselves in and the Royals were able to maintain the big cushion down the stretch. Both Holt and freshman reserve guard Abby Torgerson kept things respectable with scores and junior reserve guard Jenna Mistler connected on a sweet reverse lay-up with 5:20 left but the 'Cats could never get on a sustained run that might have whittled the deficit down by a considerable margin. With the outcome well in hand, Herbrechtsmeyer began emptying his bench which gave his reserves a chance to shine. Freshman reserve guard Kaela Huber got whoops and cheers from her Bethel teammates and the home crowd as the Washburn, Wisconsin product banged home a "3" from the right wing with 3:07 left and then sophomore reserve forward Megan Brodeur and freshman reserve forward got similar results with their scores in the waning moments. Pinkerton was able to do the same for the Wildcats as freshman reserve post Katelyn Byers-Carter snared an offensive rebound for a putback with just :00.7 left that made a small dent on the Bethel bandwagon as the Royal cruised to a 70-37 romp.
The Royals; now at 16-5 in the conference and 18-6 overall have that fourth spot all to themselves and will host their first-ever MIAC playoff home game this next Tuesday night. But what's interesting here is that their opponent for that game will most likely be the same opponent they play at home in the regular season finale on Saturday - St. Olaf. Assistant Coach Steve Reiter wouldn't give away the candy store when I asked him about the prospect of having to face the Oles on Saturday in the regular season finale and then turn around and have to host them again next week Tuesday in the MIAC playoffs. Certainly its something of a conundrum for the Royals as you obviously want to be playing your best but, at the same time, you don't want to show all your cards, either. The Royals will be favorites in both match-ups but you can't take anything for granted either. Perhaps the biggest challenge from a Bethel standpoint will be to keep your starting players fresh and healthy - while finding a way to win both games at the same time. It's certainly unchartered waters for this very young squad as they not only look to get to that magical 20-win plateau but also hope to have a chance to roll the dice and put everything on the line in the MIAC playoff semifinals as well.
Despite the Wildcats jumping out to a quick 2-0 lead after freshman phenom guard/forward LaShay Holt connected with a short jumper at the 19:31 mark, Bethel would respond behind sophomore post Rachel Parupsky and freshman forward Kalli Zimmerman getting points in the paint even with St. Kate's employing a 2-3 zone defense to grab an 8-4 lead by the 16:16 mark. To their credit, though, the 'Cats would forge a 9-all tie behind a jumper from Kristen Lee from the free throw line at the 13:30 mark and a patented rainbow "3" by sophomore guard/forward Shauna Horsch from the left wing at the 12:23 mark. St. Kate's would enjoy a brief 10-9 lead at the 10:23 mark after a Horsch free throw but the Royals would regain the advantage behind a jumper from the free throw line by junior reserve forward Lindy Parker at the 10:04 mark and a short jumper off an inbounds pass by sophomore guard Lexi Friesen that had Bethel up 13-10.
The Royals had been in a man-to-man defense early on in this contest but Bethel Head Coach Jon Herbrechtsmeyer changed things up by switching to a 2-3 zone for the remainder of the first half and it reaped dividends as the Wildcats had a multitude of problems trying to make ill-advised forays into the paint. It also provided something of a kick-start to the Royals offense as they began to open things up. Parupsky was able to score in the paint off of an inbounds pass at the 7:25 mark and then senior guard Katelyn Vavra heated up. She snared a steal and dashed the other way for an easy lay-up in transition at the 7:09 mark and then uncorked back-to-back treys - one at the 6:43 mark from the left wing and another at the 5:16 mark from the left corner - to complete this 10-0 spurt that now had Bethel up 23-10 and had St. Kate's Head Coach Sean Pinkerton calling for a timeout to try and stop this Bethel blitz. Another "3" from Horsch from the left wing that found nothing but cotton got the Wildcats back to within ten with 4:01 left but late scores by both Parker and Parupsky allowed Bethel to go into the locker room at the half with a 27-15 lead. Not an insurmountable lead from a St. Kate's standpoint but they were going to have to get some stops on defense and make the most of their opportunities in the second half if they were going to stay close.
The Royals, however, had no interest in letting St. Kate's hang around indefinitely and they set out in the second half to put distance between themselves and their opponent by embarking on a 10-2 run in the first four minutes. Three scores by Parupsky along with a jumper off the glass after a steal by sophomore Hannah Niewald and a jumper from the left wing by Friesen now made it a 37-17 ballgame by the 16:49 mark and things got progressively worse for the Wildcats after that. A Friesen "3" from the top of the key at the 16:05 mark had St. Kate's Pinkerton calling another timeout to no avail. Sophomore reserve guard Sydney "Bam Bam" Schultz decided it was time for her to get in on the act as the Dalton product first was fouled from behind the arc at the 12:52 mark that allowed her to sink three freebies and then uncorked one of her patented three-point bombs from the top of the key at the 12:20 mark that ballooned the Bethel advantage to 50-19.
St. Kate's could only make intermittent jabs and stabs from the canyon they now found themselves in and the Royals were able to maintain the big cushion down the stretch. Both Holt and freshman reserve guard Abby Torgerson kept things respectable with scores and junior reserve guard Jenna Mistler connected on a sweet reverse lay-up with 5:20 left but the 'Cats could never get on a sustained run that might have whittled the deficit down by a considerable margin. With the outcome well in hand, Herbrechtsmeyer began emptying his bench which gave his reserves a chance to shine. Freshman reserve guard Kaela Huber got whoops and cheers from her Bethel teammates and the home crowd as the Washburn, Wisconsin product banged home a "3" from the right wing with 3:07 left and then sophomore reserve forward Megan Brodeur and freshman reserve forward got similar results with their scores in the waning moments. Pinkerton was able to do the same for the Wildcats as freshman reserve post Katelyn Byers-Carter snared an offensive rebound for a putback with just :00.7 left that made a small dent on the Bethel bandwagon as the Royal cruised to a 70-37 romp.
The Royals; now at 16-5 in the conference and 18-6 overall have that fourth spot all to themselves and will host their first-ever MIAC playoff home game this next Tuesday night. But what's interesting here is that their opponent for that game will most likely be the same opponent they play at home in the regular season finale on Saturday - St. Olaf. Assistant Coach Steve Reiter wouldn't give away the candy store when I asked him about the prospect of having to face the Oles on Saturday in the regular season finale and then turn around and have to host them again next week Tuesday in the MIAC playoffs. Certainly its something of a conundrum for the Royals as you obviously want to be playing your best but, at the same time, you don't want to show all your cards, either. The Royals will be favorites in both match-ups but you can't take anything for granted either. Perhaps the biggest challenge from a Bethel standpoint will be to keep your starting players fresh and healthy - while finding a way to win both games at the same time. It's certainly unchartered waters for this very young squad as they not only look to get to that magical 20-win plateau but also hope to have a chance to roll the dice and put everything on the line in the MIAC playoff semifinals as well.
Wednesday, February 19, 2014
Champlin Park vs Park Center 2-18-14
Made the short run over to Park Center High School on this Tuesday evening to catch another key Northwest Suburban Conference match-up between visiting Champlin Park which made the short hop down Zane Avenue to take on host Park Center. The Rebels would be playing without one of their starters on this night; freshman guard Sydney Hilley who was laid up with the flu; never a fun thing. On this night, however, the flu bag proved costly for Champlin Park Head Coach Jake Kuppe and his Rebel team.
Park Center came out on fire from the opening tip in this one; making its way up and down the floor like the famed Union Pacific-Milwaukee Road "City Of Los Angeles" streamliner zipping across the Iowa and Nebraska prairies on its way to the Motherland. Scores in the paint by flashy senior forward Cayla McMorris at the 17:22 mark and lanky freshman post Mikayla Hayes at the 16:51 mark put the Rebels in a 4-0 hole early and had Kuppe calling for a very early timeout. But the break in the action failed to faze the Pirates as they continued on with their ambush. Junior point guard Hannah Schaub knocked down a "3" from the right top area at the 16:14 mark for a 7-0 lead and then four consecutive scores by the Wisconsin-bound Morris had Champlin Park reeling; down 15-0 by the 12:52 mark that forced Kuppe to burn another timeout to try and stop the bleeding. An offensive rebound and putback by Rebel senior guard Genevae Adkins finally got Champlin Park on the scoreboard at the 12:28 mark but a jumper from the right baseline by Park Center sophomore reserve forward Oliva Peterson right at the 12:00 mark coupled with two scores freshman reserve forward Feyisayo Ayobamidele - a jumper from the left wing at the 11:16 mark and a lay-up in transition at the 10:50 mark - ballooned the Pirate lead to 21-2. Champlin Park tried to recover on a lay-up by willowy freshman forward Allison Gerads with 9:48 left and a pull-up jumper in the lane by senior guard Alexis Alexander but Park Center made another charge as Ayobamidele connected with a jumper in the lane with 9:24 left and then Peterson drilled a "3" from the right top area to make it a 26-7 game with 8:48 left and Champlin Park's Kuppe; while not waving the white flag, was yelling for another timeout.
But the Pirates had no intention of giving the Rebels any loophole that might allow them to creep a bit closer. Another foray into the paint and finish by McMorris with 7:56 left and another Hannah Schaub "3"; this one from the right top area with 7:06 left made it a 31-10 game and the bulge eventually grew to 35-14 with 5:38 left before Champlin Park made a couple of stings as senior guard Kelli Heytens connected with a jumper from the right wing with 5:02 left and senior reserve post Mariya Sampson knocked down a jumper with 4:40 left that whittled the deficit down to 35-18 but a jumper by Park Center's Ayobamidele from the right baseline with 4:25 left and a "3" from junior guard McKenna DuBois from the left wing made it a 40-20 game with 2:55 left and a turnaround jumper in the lane by Hayes with :49 left had Park Center in command at halftime by a score of 42-24.
If the Rebels were somehow going to get back into this game, they needed to get off to a roaring start in the second half; get a spark that might somehow turn the momentum. A "3" from Gerads from the top of the key at the 17:54 mark plus one freebie at the 15:52 mark cut the Park Center lead down to a fifteen point margin at 43-28 and, for a short while anyway, provided some hope for the Champlin Park contingent. But four scores by Park Center's McMorris (two treys, a lay-up in transition, plus two free throws) had the Pirate lead back up to 23 at 53-30 and quickly put to rest any comeback attempts the Rebels may have had in the back of their minds. Another "3" by Gerads from the left wing at the 12:20 mark plus two scores from Alexander helped but Champlin Park could never seem to get any closer than twenty; trailing 57-37 by the 10:18 mark. Park Center proceeded to put even more distance between themselves and their opponent when Ayobamidele swished a "3" from the right top at the 10:09 mark and then freshman reserve guard Danielle Schaub followed suit on the ensuing Pirate possession with 9:48 left to make it a 63-37 ballgame and Kuppe; sensing impending disaster, called another halt to the action to try and stop the bleeding.
Park Center still had no intention of letting go of the chokehold they had on the Rebels as some of their younger players had opportunities to shine down the stretch. Danielle Schaub let loose with another "3" from the top of the key with 9:17 left and freshman guard Ann Simonet connected with a lay-up with 8:39 left for a comfortable 68-42 Pirate lead. DuBois uncorked another "3" from the right corner with 6:17 left and then Peterson had one last shining moment on this night as she made the front end of a one-and-one situation and then was able to somehow get the loose ball scramble off of the back end miss and get a putback out of it for a 78-49 Pirate advantage. Crymble, Gerads, senior reserve guard Olivia Fulton, and Alexander were able to get late scores for the Rebels but Park Center had this one wrapped up long before the final buzzer sounded as they recorded a resounding 78-57 victory.
Park Center Head Coach Chris VanderHyde couldn't really add much to the big win on this night except to say that his squad "was on fire". The Rebels simply had no answers for the multi-talented McMorris (not many teams do these days) but, perhaps just as important, the Pirates got contributions from several players on this night; a pattern that has to be important for this Park Center squad if they are going to take it to the next level and seriously challenge for a state title. But watching them on this night, I have to believe that they're certainly capable of just that. In the meantime, it's one practice at a time and one game at a time for this Park Center squad.
Park Center came out on fire from the opening tip in this one; making its way up and down the floor like the famed Union Pacific-Milwaukee Road "City Of Los Angeles" streamliner zipping across the Iowa and Nebraska prairies on its way to the Motherland. Scores in the paint by flashy senior forward Cayla McMorris at the 17:22 mark and lanky freshman post Mikayla Hayes at the 16:51 mark put the Rebels in a 4-0 hole early and had Kuppe calling for a very early timeout. But the break in the action failed to faze the Pirates as they continued on with their ambush. Junior point guard Hannah Schaub knocked down a "3" from the right top area at the 16:14 mark for a 7-0 lead and then four consecutive scores by the Wisconsin-bound Morris had Champlin Park reeling; down 15-0 by the 12:52 mark that forced Kuppe to burn another timeout to try and stop the bleeding. An offensive rebound and putback by Rebel senior guard Genevae Adkins finally got Champlin Park on the scoreboard at the 12:28 mark but a jumper from the right baseline by Park Center sophomore reserve forward Oliva Peterson right at the 12:00 mark coupled with two scores freshman reserve forward Feyisayo Ayobamidele - a jumper from the left wing at the 11:16 mark and a lay-up in transition at the 10:50 mark - ballooned the Pirate lead to 21-2. Champlin Park tried to recover on a lay-up by willowy freshman forward Allison Gerads with 9:48 left and a pull-up jumper in the lane by senior guard Alexis Alexander but Park Center made another charge as Ayobamidele connected with a jumper in the lane with 9:24 left and then Peterson drilled a "3" from the right top area to make it a 26-7 game with 8:48 left and Champlin Park's Kuppe; while not waving the white flag, was yelling for another timeout.
But the Pirates had no intention of giving the Rebels any loophole that might allow them to creep a bit closer. Another foray into the paint and finish by McMorris with 7:56 left and another Hannah Schaub "3"; this one from the right top area with 7:06 left made it a 31-10 game and the bulge eventually grew to 35-14 with 5:38 left before Champlin Park made a couple of stings as senior guard Kelli Heytens connected with a jumper from the right wing with 5:02 left and senior reserve post Mariya Sampson knocked down a jumper with 4:40 left that whittled the deficit down to 35-18 but a jumper by Park Center's Ayobamidele from the right baseline with 4:25 left and a "3" from junior guard McKenna DuBois from the left wing made it a 40-20 game with 2:55 left and a turnaround jumper in the lane by Hayes with :49 left had Park Center in command at halftime by a score of 42-24.
If the Rebels were somehow going to get back into this game, they needed to get off to a roaring start in the second half; get a spark that might somehow turn the momentum. A "3" from Gerads from the top of the key at the 17:54 mark plus one freebie at the 15:52 mark cut the Park Center lead down to a fifteen point margin at 43-28 and, for a short while anyway, provided some hope for the Champlin Park contingent. But four scores by Park Center's McMorris (two treys, a lay-up in transition, plus two free throws) had the Pirate lead back up to 23 at 53-30 and quickly put to rest any comeback attempts the Rebels may have had in the back of their minds. Another "3" by Gerads from the left wing at the 12:20 mark plus two scores from Alexander helped but Champlin Park could never seem to get any closer than twenty; trailing 57-37 by the 10:18 mark. Park Center proceeded to put even more distance between themselves and their opponent when Ayobamidele swished a "3" from the right top at the 10:09 mark and then freshman reserve guard Danielle Schaub followed suit on the ensuing Pirate possession with 9:48 left to make it a 63-37 ballgame and Kuppe; sensing impending disaster, called another halt to the action to try and stop the bleeding.
Park Center still had no intention of letting go of the chokehold they had on the Rebels as some of their younger players had opportunities to shine down the stretch. Danielle Schaub let loose with another "3" from the top of the key with 9:17 left and freshman guard Ann Simonet connected with a lay-up with 8:39 left for a comfortable 68-42 Pirate lead. DuBois uncorked another "3" from the right corner with 6:17 left and then Peterson had one last shining moment on this night as she made the front end of a one-and-one situation and then was able to somehow get the loose ball scramble off of the back end miss and get a putback out of it for a 78-49 Pirate advantage. Crymble, Gerads, senior reserve guard Olivia Fulton, and Alexander were able to get late scores for the Rebels but Park Center had this one wrapped up long before the final buzzer sounded as they recorded a resounding 78-57 victory.
Park Center Head Coach Chris VanderHyde couldn't really add much to the big win on this night except to say that his squad "was on fire". The Rebels simply had no answers for the multi-talented McMorris (not many teams do these days) but, perhaps just as important, the Pirates got contributions from several players on this night; a pattern that has to be important for this Park Center squad if they are going to take it to the next level and seriously challenge for a state title. But watching them on this night, I have to believe that they're certainly capable of just that. In the meantime, it's one practice at a time and one game at a time for this Park Center squad.
Sunday, February 16, 2014
MIAC Power Rankings For Sunday 2-16-14
Better grab onto something and hold on tight as the power rankings get shaken up again; particularly at the top after a monumental Saturday alone. And, I've a feeling we may not be done just yet, either.
1. SMU
2. Concordia
3. UST
4. Bethel
5. St. Olaf
6. GAC
7. CSB
8. Augsburg
9. Hamline
10. (tie) Carleton & St. Kate's
11. Macalester
After getting their feathers plucked by the Tommies last weekend, SMU sought revenge - and got it - although they had to hang on for dear life in St. Peter yesterday against GAC where they got out alive in OT with a 69-62 win that puts them all alone back in first place in the standings and here as well. But the Cardinals arguably also got a big dose of assistance yesterday from one of the teams that they find nipping on their heels at the moment - Concordia - which again found a way to deal with their nemesis from the St. Paul-side of town as they claimed a huge 60-57 victory in a defensive bloodbath up in Moorhead. For the Tommies, I guess all you can say is that this loss yesterday was about as costly as it gets. Never mind the fact that UST was a ghastly 0-12 from behind the arc yesterday (YIKES!). There's more important things to worry about here; mainly going from a possible number one seed and having home-court advantage to now facing the almost likely prospect of being knocked down to a three seed. Not that it's the end of the world for UST. They've been there before and have done it from the fifth spot. But the reality here is that if they're going to make that magical run to the MIAC Championship Game AND the Final Four like they did two years ago and were being bandied about to do it again by most experts (including yours truly), they're going to have to do it the hard way. I still hope the Purple can get that bid to the NCAA Tournament should they fail in their bid to win the MIAC playoffs and I think they're more than deserving.
Bethel, which is currently dealing with something of an emotional roller-coaster as of late, showed how resilient and tough they are by getting two road wins - Wednesday at GAC and then yesterday at Augsburg. God bless Hannah Niewald and her family. St. Olaf recovered from the expected pounding they received at the hands of UST on Wednesday night and delivered a similar punishment to Hamline down in Northfield yesterday. While the Royals and Oles have their playoff spots locked up, things get incredibly interesting for that all-important and last sixth spot. GAC, suffering home losses to both Bethel and SMU, is trying to grasp as hard as possible on that sixth spot to the point where they're gritting their teeth in doing so. It seems incredibly hard to believe but CSB's playoff hopes, which were all but gone, now suddenly have new life. But it may take some divine intervention of massive proportions (read a 1969 Chicago Cubs-style collapse by GAC) to steal that sixth spot away. The Blazers not ONLY have to get a win on the road up in Moorhead against Concordia on Wednesday night but then have to host a PO'd UST team Saturday in St. Joe. On top of that, they have to hope that, somehow, GAC loses to that same PO'd UST squad in St. Paul on Wednesday night (ahem...doable) AND then count on St. Kate's to pull off a massive upset of the Gusties at Butler Center on Saturday (not out of the realm of possibility). Should the Blazers come up short in their quest, they'll only have themselves to blame, of course, but don't be surprised if black cats suddenly find themselves milling around the GAC bench this coming week.
1. SMU
2. Concordia
3. UST
4. Bethel
5. St. Olaf
6. GAC
7. CSB
8. Augsburg
9. Hamline
10. (tie) Carleton & St. Kate's
11. Macalester
After getting their feathers plucked by the Tommies last weekend, SMU sought revenge - and got it - although they had to hang on for dear life in St. Peter yesterday against GAC where they got out alive in OT with a 69-62 win that puts them all alone back in first place in the standings and here as well. But the Cardinals arguably also got a big dose of assistance yesterday from one of the teams that they find nipping on their heels at the moment - Concordia - which again found a way to deal with their nemesis from the St. Paul-side of town as they claimed a huge 60-57 victory in a defensive bloodbath up in Moorhead. For the Tommies, I guess all you can say is that this loss yesterday was about as costly as it gets. Never mind the fact that UST was a ghastly 0-12 from behind the arc yesterday (YIKES!). There's more important things to worry about here; mainly going from a possible number one seed and having home-court advantage to now facing the almost likely prospect of being knocked down to a three seed. Not that it's the end of the world for UST. They've been there before and have done it from the fifth spot. But the reality here is that if they're going to make that magical run to the MIAC Championship Game AND the Final Four like they did two years ago and were being bandied about to do it again by most experts (including yours truly), they're going to have to do it the hard way. I still hope the Purple can get that bid to the NCAA Tournament should they fail in their bid to win the MIAC playoffs and I think they're more than deserving.
Bethel, which is currently dealing with something of an emotional roller-coaster as of late, showed how resilient and tough they are by getting two road wins - Wednesday at GAC and then yesterday at Augsburg. God bless Hannah Niewald and her family. St. Olaf recovered from the expected pounding they received at the hands of UST on Wednesday night and delivered a similar punishment to Hamline down in Northfield yesterday. While the Royals and Oles have their playoff spots locked up, things get incredibly interesting for that all-important and last sixth spot. GAC, suffering home losses to both Bethel and SMU, is trying to grasp as hard as possible on that sixth spot to the point where they're gritting their teeth in doing so. It seems incredibly hard to believe but CSB's playoff hopes, which were all but gone, now suddenly have new life. But it may take some divine intervention of massive proportions (read a 1969 Chicago Cubs-style collapse by GAC) to steal that sixth spot away. The Blazers not ONLY have to get a win on the road up in Moorhead against Concordia on Wednesday night but then have to host a PO'd UST team Saturday in St. Joe. On top of that, they have to hope that, somehow, GAC loses to that same PO'd UST squad in St. Paul on Wednesday night (ahem...doable) AND then count on St. Kate's to pull off a massive upset of the Gusties at Butler Center on Saturday (not out of the realm of possibility). Should the Blazers come up short in their quest, they'll only have themselves to blame, of course, but don't be surprised if black cats suddenly find themselves milling around the GAC bench this coming week.
St. Kate's vs Macalester Synopsis 2-15-14
Made my way from Augsburg's Si Melby Hall over to Macalester's Leonard Center to take in the 3:00 P.M. contest between visiting St. Kate's and host Macalester. I got inside the Leonard Center and settled in with 3:34 left in the first half with St. Kate's up 19-16 in a tight game for Senior Day at Macalester.
Coming down the home stretch of the first half, the Wildcats had three chances to stretch out their slim lead at the charity stripe but each one of those opportunities came up empty and Macalester would capitalize. Sophomore point guard Erin Murray knocked down a jumper in the lane with 1:30 left that pulled the Scots to within one and then senior guard Carmen Whitehead picked the pocket of St. Kate's senior guard Kristen Lee and promptly dashed the other way for a lay-up that had Macalester up 20-19. St. Kate's had two late chances to retake the lead but a missed free throw by freshman forward Kennedy Jennings and a missed lay-up by junior guard Jenna Mistler kept the score right where it was by the halftime buzzer.
Macalester threatened to put the Wildcats into an even bigger hole once the second half got underway. Senior post Veronika Jakubovie got into the paint for an easy score at the 19:00 mark and a lay-up in transition by Whitehead at the 16:44 mark gave the Scots a 24-19 advantage. St. Kates, which seemed to be stuck on the nineteen mark since seemingly B.C., finally busted out of its scoring slump when freshman phenom guard/forward LaShay Holt buried a "3" from the left wing at the 16:20 mark that drew the 'Cats to within two but a "3" from the Scots senior guard Emma Leyden from the right corner on the ensuing Macalester possession and another easy score in the paint for Jakubovie had Macalester up 29-22 by the 15:04 mark and there was definitely cause for concern for the St. Kate's contingent.
But Holt and her Wildcat teammates eased those concerns over the next four minutes as St. Kate's proceeded to embark on an 11-0 scoring bash; fueled by two treys from Holt that not only had the Wildcats back out in front but seemed to take away any momentum that Macalester had established in the opening moments of the second half. To their credit, the Scots battled back to eventually deadlock things at 35-all thanks to two short-range jumpers by Whitehead by the 10:11 mark. But it was at this point where the 'Cats began to put just enough distance between themselves and their sometimes too-gracious host. And the big reason was Holt as she was able to create opportunities that would lead to a score or get her to the charity stripe. The former St. Paul Humboldt standout made a hard drive along the left baseline for a finish with 5:51 left that gave the Wildcats a 39-35 advantage. Torgerson, the former Anoka standout, got into the paint for a score with 2:48 left to maintain that four-point cushion at 41-37 and then snared a huge steal and dashed the other way where she was fouled in a transition attempt and was able to make one of the obligatory free throws which also had St. Kate's in the double-bonus with just 1:51 left. While not facing an insurmountable deficit, Macalester could never get enough shots to fall when they needed them; a Leyden "3" from the left wing with :35 left drew the Scots to within three at 44-41 but both Holt and Kristen Lee were able to knock down free throws as Macalester was forced to foul. Jakubovie was able to cap her last home game for Macalester by getting a shot in the paint to fall with just under a second left but it was not nearly enough as St. Kate's was able to claim a 49-43 victory.
While perhaps not the "prettiest" of wins out there - and St. Kate's Head Coach Sean Pinkerton referred to it as "ugly" at times - it's still an important step forward for this fledgling program that has suffered its share of rough times the last few years. And any "W" at this point of the season will be a welcomed one without any concern for the esthetics of it. Meanwhile, a rough, rough year for Macalester as they're playing out the string as well. I think, for them anyway, its doubly tough as they're getting ready to bid farewell to seven seniors that have been an integral part of the program and have endured the rough patches. No doubt it will be a busy off-season for Head Coach Ellen Thompson as she must find the right recruits who can not only make an immediate impact on her team but can also meet the rigorous academic standards that are in place at an institution such as Macalester. But Thompson has had to go through this before more than once and anyone who knows the MIAC knows that her 2009-10 team was arguably the best team in the conference at one point in that season. Bet on Thompson to be able to do that again at some point.
Coming down the home stretch of the first half, the Wildcats had three chances to stretch out their slim lead at the charity stripe but each one of those opportunities came up empty and Macalester would capitalize. Sophomore point guard Erin Murray knocked down a jumper in the lane with 1:30 left that pulled the Scots to within one and then senior guard Carmen Whitehead picked the pocket of St. Kate's senior guard Kristen Lee and promptly dashed the other way for a lay-up that had Macalester up 20-19. St. Kate's had two late chances to retake the lead but a missed free throw by freshman forward Kennedy Jennings and a missed lay-up by junior guard Jenna Mistler kept the score right where it was by the halftime buzzer.
Macalester threatened to put the Wildcats into an even bigger hole once the second half got underway. Senior post Veronika Jakubovie got into the paint for an easy score at the 19:00 mark and a lay-up in transition by Whitehead at the 16:44 mark gave the Scots a 24-19 advantage. St. Kates, which seemed to be stuck on the nineteen mark since seemingly B.C., finally busted out of its scoring slump when freshman phenom guard/forward LaShay Holt buried a "3" from the left wing at the 16:20 mark that drew the 'Cats to within two but a "3" from the Scots senior guard Emma Leyden from the right corner on the ensuing Macalester possession and another easy score in the paint for Jakubovie had Macalester up 29-22 by the 15:04 mark and there was definitely cause for concern for the St. Kate's contingent.
But Holt and her Wildcat teammates eased those concerns over the next four minutes as St. Kate's proceeded to embark on an 11-0 scoring bash; fueled by two treys from Holt that not only had the Wildcats back out in front but seemed to take away any momentum that Macalester had established in the opening moments of the second half. To their credit, the Scots battled back to eventually deadlock things at 35-all thanks to two short-range jumpers by Whitehead by the 10:11 mark. But it was at this point where the 'Cats began to put just enough distance between themselves and their sometimes too-gracious host. And the big reason was Holt as she was able to create opportunities that would lead to a score or get her to the charity stripe. The former St. Paul Humboldt standout made a hard drive along the left baseline for a finish with 5:51 left that gave the Wildcats a 39-35 advantage. Torgerson, the former Anoka standout, got into the paint for a score with 2:48 left to maintain that four-point cushion at 41-37 and then snared a huge steal and dashed the other way where she was fouled in a transition attempt and was able to make one of the obligatory free throws which also had St. Kate's in the double-bonus with just 1:51 left. While not facing an insurmountable deficit, Macalester could never get enough shots to fall when they needed them; a Leyden "3" from the left wing with :35 left drew the Scots to within three at 44-41 but both Holt and Kristen Lee were able to knock down free throws as Macalester was forced to foul. Jakubovie was able to cap her last home game for Macalester by getting a shot in the paint to fall with just under a second left but it was not nearly enough as St. Kate's was able to claim a 49-43 victory.
While perhaps not the "prettiest" of wins out there - and St. Kate's Head Coach Sean Pinkerton referred to it as "ugly" at times - it's still an important step forward for this fledgling program that has suffered its share of rough times the last few years. And any "W" at this point of the season will be a welcomed one without any concern for the esthetics of it. Meanwhile, a rough, rough year for Macalester as they're playing out the string as well. I think, for them anyway, its doubly tough as they're getting ready to bid farewell to seven seniors that have been an integral part of the program and have endured the rough patches. No doubt it will be a busy off-season for Head Coach Ellen Thompson as she must find the right recruits who can not only make an immediate impact on her team but can also meet the rigorous academic standards that are in place at an institution such as Macalester. But Thompson has had to go through this before more than once and anyone who knows the MIAC knows that her 2009-10 team was arguably the best team in the conference at one point in that season. Bet on Thompson to be able to do that again at some point.
Saturday, February 15, 2014
Bethel vs Augsburg 2-15-14
Made my way over to Augsburg's Si Melby Hall on this snowy Saturday afternoon to take in this 1:00 P.M. game between visiting Bethel and host Augsburg. While the Royals appear to be "locked in" to that fourth spot in the MIAC playoff race, the Auggies were putting everything on the line today to try and find a way to stay alive for that sixth spot which has arguably been an uphill battle for them since the playoff picture started becoming clearer a few weeks ago. Adding to the importance of this game was that it was Senior Day for Auggie seniors Jill Tichy and Carly Wolf and both hoped to have their last home game a memorable one to go out with a bang.
It would be imperative for Augsburg to come out with intensity and a sense of urgency early on and they certainly did just that as they quickly found themselves up 6-0 by the 16:52 mark thanks to two short jumpers by sophomore post Jessica Lillquist and two charity stripe shots by Tichy. The Excelsior native and former Minnetonka standout got a hot hand as she nailed a "3" from the left top area at the 15:30 mark and connected shortly thereafter on a running jumper from the right side for an 11-2 Auggie lead and Bethel Head Coach Jon Herbrectsmeyer knew full and well that a timeout was in order to, well, try and restore order. Royal freshman sensation forward Kalli Zimmerman tried to wake her teammates up by nailing a "3" from the right corner at the 14:01 mark but flashy junior forward Abbey Luger; playing with a protective wrap around that wrist she injured a month ago, nailed a "3" from the right corner at the 13:31 mark for a 16-5 Augsburg lead. Lillquist would connect with another short jumper from the right side and then Luger knocked down a short jumper of her own right at the 12:00 mark and Augsburg was in firm control of this one at the moment owning a 20-9 advantage.
Bethel, however, was beginning to awake from its early slumber and they finally got into some semblance of rhythm as they slowly began to whack away at the Auggie cushion. Reserve sophomore guard Hannah Niewald, playing with a heavy heart on this day, got into the paint for a score at the 11:31 mark and then reserve junior post Lindy Parker maneuvered inside for a score and got fouled in the process and made the ensuing freebie that cut the Augsburg lead down to 20-14 with 9:08 left. The Auggies would step on the gas pedal again as they got treys from both sophomore reserve guard Ashley Anfinson and fellow sophomore guard Jenna Orth that had Augsburg back up by double digits at 26-15 with 7:41 left. But two quick scores by Bethel - a lay-up by sophomore reserve guard Sydney "Bam Bam" Schultz with 7:25 left and a "3" from the right wing by sophomore guard Lexi Friesen - had the Royals right back to within six again trailing only 26-20. Herbrechtsmeyer also threw a different look at Augsburg as Bethel went into a 2-3 zone to try and clog up the middle. While both Luger and Lillquist each managed to make forays into the paint for scores, the hot hand the Auggies enjoyed early was quickly cooling down and this seemed to give Bethel a renewed sense of confidence. Bethel sophomore standout post Rachel Parupsky; who had been quiet early on in this contest, finally shook off some of the cobwebs and connected on a lay-up with 4:31 left. Still trailing by eight with just under three minutes left, senior guard Katelyn Vavra drained a "3" from the left wing area that cut Augsburg's lead down to 32-27 and free throws by both Friesen and Zimmerman had the Royals to within three at 34-31 with 1:11 left. A lay-up by freshman reserve guard Shanni Moorse with just :40 seconds left sliced Augsburg's lead down to a scant point at 34-33. The Auggies got a bit of a reprieve when Wolf uncorked a three-point bomb from the left top area with just :03 left to make the halftime score 37-33 in Augsburg's favor but the tone and complexion of the game had changed completely from what it was at the outset.
The Auggies still managed to cling to that small lead in the opening minutes of the second half but it became increasingly obvious that the early intensity Augsburg had at the beginning was vanishing and that they were now playing for survival and trying to hold off this relentless Bethel attack. Two scores by Zimmerman twice had Bethel to within one. A score in the paint by Lillquist put the Auggie lead back up to 41-38 at the 17:08 mark but a lay-up by Bethel's Niewald once again drew the Royals to within one at 41-40. Luger gave the Auggies a bit more breathing room when she banged home a "3" from the right top area at the 16:26 mark for a 44-40 lead but Bethel came right back and usurped control of this game for good. Back-to-back scores by "Bam Bam" Schultz - a "3" from the right wing at the 15:57 mark and then a lay-up off of a sweet give-and-go pass from Parupsky made it a 45-44 game for the Royals. Schultz's drive along the left baseline and finish at the 12:59 mark and free throws by Zimmerman had Bethel up 49-45 at the 10:28 mark and Zimmerman's offensive rebound and lay-up with 9:58 mark maintained that four-point advantage 51-47.
Augsburg tried desperately to keep things close as Lillquist got into the paint for a score with her strong 5'11" frame that narrowed Bethel's lead to 51-49 with 9:35 left but it was here that the Royals went on a decisive 8-2 run over the next two and a half minutes that changed the course of this game for good. Friesen made a hard drive along the left baseline and connected with a short jumper off the glass with 9:08 left and two scores by Niewald - a jumper from the left wing with 8:35 left and a drive into the lane and finish with 8:02 left - made it a 57-49 game for Bethel. A short jumper by Friesen off the glass with 7:29 left had the Royals up by double digits at 59-49 and although Augsburg's Lillquist was able to get into the paint for a score a bit later, Auggie Head Coach Bill McKee saw this one slipping away quickly and had to burn a timeout. But the die in this one had already been cast and the Auggies could do little to prevent the inevitable. The "3's" that had been falling earlier for Tichy were no longer finding their mark and to make matters worse, Bethel was in the bonus with 5:38 left and already up twelve when Zimmerman knocked down two freebies after getting fouled. The Royals could now afford to play patient, smart basketball down the stretch while the Auggies could only take wild, off the mark three-point attempts that all missed their mark. In fact, Lillquist's score in the paint with 7:03 left would be the last FG the Auggies would get in this game as Bethel would record a key 68-53 win that improves their record to 15-5 in the MIAC and 17-6 overall and effectively knocks Augsburg out of the MIAC playoff hunt.
A disappointed Augsburg Assistant Coach Josh Hersch could only point to some of the key stats in the box score for the loss on this day - shooting only 37.5% from FG range and an even icier 6-22 from three-point land for 27.3%. "That's not going to get it done" Hersch stated. Rebounds were another area where the Royals dominated on this day; snaring 36 total to Augsburg's total of 26. Still, Hersch refused to give up the fight and steadfastly believes the team feels the same way. "I'm confident that we'll come out with a purpose this next week" he said. A happy and somewhat relieved Herbrechtsmeyer admitted that his squad got out to a slow start on this afternoon but this last week has been anything but normal for the Royals as the Bethel Basketball family suffered a loss late this last week when Niewald's mother passed away from complications with cancer. "We were a shell of ourselves in practice" Herbrechtsmeyer said. But this squad has a strong bond and always has and they found a way to come together under trying circumstances. On another front, Herbrechtsmeyer couldn't help but gush about his new freshman phenom, Zimmerman, and it was easy to think in terms of comparison with former Bethel standout Taylor Sheley who was MIAC POY a couple of seasons ago. The difference, according to Herbrechtsmeyer, is that Sheley didn't develop a willingness to put the team on her shoulders until late in her sophomore season whereas Zimmerman has gladly accepted that responsibility - right now. The Royals are pretty much "locked" into that fourth spot on the totem pole when it comes to the MIAC playoffs but this is unchartered waters for the Royals who would be hosting their first playoff game as a fourth seed. Still, it's not a bad place to be for this incredibly young team that struggled mightily at times last year with consistency and scoring. When you look at the progress they've made in just one year, it's easy to see why hopes are high at Bethel for this program.
It would be imperative for Augsburg to come out with intensity and a sense of urgency early on and they certainly did just that as they quickly found themselves up 6-0 by the 16:52 mark thanks to two short jumpers by sophomore post Jessica Lillquist and two charity stripe shots by Tichy. The Excelsior native and former Minnetonka standout got a hot hand as she nailed a "3" from the left top area at the 15:30 mark and connected shortly thereafter on a running jumper from the right side for an 11-2 Auggie lead and Bethel Head Coach Jon Herbrectsmeyer knew full and well that a timeout was in order to, well, try and restore order. Royal freshman sensation forward Kalli Zimmerman tried to wake her teammates up by nailing a "3" from the right corner at the 14:01 mark but flashy junior forward Abbey Luger; playing with a protective wrap around that wrist she injured a month ago, nailed a "3" from the right corner at the 13:31 mark for a 16-5 Augsburg lead. Lillquist would connect with another short jumper from the right side and then Luger knocked down a short jumper of her own right at the 12:00 mark and Augsburg was in firm control of this one at the moment owning a 20-9 advantage.
Bethel, however, was beginning to awake from its early slumber and they finally got into some semblance of rhythm as they slowly began to whack away at the Auggie cushion. Reserve sophomore guard Hannah Niewald, playing with a heavy heart on this day, got into the paint for a score at the 11:31 mark and then reserve junior post Lindy Parker maneuvered inside for a score and got fouled in the process and made the ensuing freebie that cut the Augsburg lead down to 20-14 with 9:08 left. The Auggies would step on the gas pedal again as they got treys from both sophomore reserve guard Ashley Anfinson and fellow sophomore guard Jenna Orth that had Augsburg back up by double digits at 26-15 with 7:41 left. But two quick scores by Bethel - a lay-up by sophomore reserve guard Sydney "Bam Bam" Schultz with 7:25 left and a "3" from the right wing by sophomore guard Lexi Friesen - had the Royals right back to within six again trailing only 26-20. Herbrechtsmeyer also threw a different look at Augsburg as Bethel went into a 2-3 zone to try and clog up the middle. While both Luger and Lillquist each managed to make forays into the paint for scores, the hot hand the Auggies enjoyed early was quickly cooling down and this seemed to give Bethel a renewed sense of confidence. Bethel sophomore standout post Rachel Parupsky; who had been quiet early on in this contest, finally shook off some of the cobwebs and connected on a lay-up with 4:31 left. Still trailing by eight with just under three minutes left, senior guard Katelyn Vavra drained a "3" from the left wing area that cut Augsburg's lead down to 32-27 and free throws by both Friesen and Zimmerman had the Royals to within three at 34-31 with 1:11 left. A lay-up by freshman reserve guard Shanni Moorse with just :40 seconds left sliced Augsburg's lead down to a scant point at 34-33. The Auggies got a bit of a reprieve when Wolf uncorked a three-point bomb from the left top area with just :03 left to make the halftime score 37-33 in Augsburg's favor but the tone and complexion of the game had changed completely from what it was at the outset.
The Auggies still managed to cling to that small lead in the opening minutes of the second half but it became increasingly obvious that the early intensity Augsburg had at the beginning was vanishing and that they were now playing for survival and trying to hold off this relentless Bethel attack. Two scores by Zimmerman twice had Bethel to within one. A score in the paint by Lillquist put the Auggie lead back up to 41-38 at the 17:08 mark but a lay-up by Bethel's Niewald once again drew the Royals to within one at 41-40. Luger gave the Auggies a bit more breathing room when she banged home a "3" from the right top area at the 16:26 mark for a 44-40 lead but Bethel came right back and usurped control of this game for good. Back-to-back scores by "Bam Bam" Schultz - a "3" from the right wing at the 15:57 mark and then a lay-up off of a sweet give-and-go pass from Parupsky made it a 45-44 game for the Royals. Schultz's drive along the left baseline and finish at the 12:59 mark and free throws by Zimmerman had Bethel up 49-45 at the 10:28 mark and Zimmerman's offensive rebound and lay-up with 9:58 mark maintained that four-point advantage 51-47.
Augsburg tried desperately to keep things close as Lillquist got into the paint for a score with her strong 5'11" frame that narrowed Bethel's lead to 51-49 with 9:35 left but it was here that the Royals went on a decisive 8-2 run over the next two and a half minutes that changed the course of this game for good. Friesen made a hard drive along the left baseline and connected with a short jumper off the glass with 9:08 left and two scores by Niewald - a jumper from the left wing with 8:35 left and a drive into the lane and finish with 8:02 left - made it a 57-49 game for Bethel. A short jumper by Friesen off the glass with 7:29 left had the Royals up by double digits at 59-49 and although Augsburg's Lillquist was able to get into the paint for a score a bit later, Auggie Head Coach Bill McKee saw this one slipping away quickly and had to burn a timeout. But the die in this one had already been cast and the Auggies could do little to prevent the inevitable. The "3's" that had been falling earlier for Tichy were no longer finding their mark and to make matters worse, Bethel was in the bonus with 5:38 left and already up twelve when Zimmerman knocked down two freebies after getting fouled. The Royals could now afford to play patient, smart basketball down the stretch while the Auggies could only take wild, off the mark three-point attempts that all missed their mark. In fact, Lillquist's score in the paint with 7:03 left would be the last FG the Auggies would get in this game as Bethel would record a key 68-53 win that improves their record to 15-5 in the MIAC and 17-6 overall and effectively knocks Augsburg out of the MIAC playoff hunt.
A disappointed Augsburg Assistant Coach Josh Hersch could only point to some of the key stats in the box score for the loss on this day - shooting only 37.5% from FG range and an even icier 6-22 from three-point land for 27.3%. "That's not going to get it done" Hersch stated. Rebounds were another area where the Royals dominated on this day; snaring 36 total to Augsburg's total of 26. Still, Hersch refused to give up the fight and steadfastly believes the team feels the same way. "I'm confident that we'll come out with a purpose this next week" he said. A happy and somewhat relieved Herbrechtsmeyer admitted that his squad got out to a slow start on this afternoon but this last week has been anything but normal for the Royals as the Bethel Basketball family suffered a loss late this last week when Niewald's mother passed away from complications with cancer. "We were a shell of ourselves in practice" Herbrechtsmeyer said. But this squad has a strong bond and always has and they found a way to come together under trying circumstances. On another front, Herbrechtsmeyer couldn't help but gush about his new freshman phenom, Zimmerman, and it was easy to think in terms of comparison with former Bethel standout Taylor Sheley who was MIAC POY a couple of seasons ago. The difference, according to Herbrechtsmeyer, is that Sheley didn't develop a willingness to put the team on her shoulders until late in her sophomore season whereas Zimmerman has gladly accepted that responsibility - right now. The Royals are pretty much "locked" into that fourth spot on the totem pole when it comes to the MIAC playoffs but this is unchartered waters for the Royals who would be hosting their first playoff game as a fourth seed. Still, it's not a bad place to be for this incredibly young team that struggled mightily at times last year with consistency and scoring. When you look at the progress they've made in just one year, it's easy to see why hopes are high at Bethel for this program.
Augsburg vs Hamline 2nd Half Recap 2-12-14
After the Minnesota West - Anoka-Ramsey game, I made the long-haul over to Hamline to catch what I could of the game between visiting Augsburg and host Hamline. I got into Hutton Arena and settled in with just under 15:00 remaining in the second half with Augsburg leading by a score of 41-36.
It always seems like wild and wooly things seem to happen at Hamline games that I attend at Hutton Arena and this one would be no exception. I had no more than got myself situated and started writing when the Hamline team was whistled for a technical foul (and I still have NO idea as to what prompted the call being made in the first place; much less see or hear anything that might have warranted it). Augsburg senior guard Jill Tichy was only able to get one of two obligatory freebies out of it though but it was good enough for a seemingly safe 42-36 lead. Of course, I SHOULD have known that any lead; especially one not even close to double-digits, is anything but safe against the Pipers at Hutton Arena and, sure enough, the Pipers regrouped and in the span of two minutes they embarked on a 8-0 run to grab the lead. Freshman reserve guard Erika Moede got one to fall from the charity stripe at the 14:17 mark and then it was freshman reserve sharp-shooting guard Chelsey Bonsante drilling a "3" from the left corner at the 14:01 mark after the Pipers were able to snare a long offensive rebound off of a missed shot. Then it was do-it-all junior guard Jordan "Flash" Sammons; connecting on a short jumper on the right side of the bucket at the 13:25 mark that tied the game at 42-all. A failed Augsburg possession put the rock back into the hand of the Pipers and they were able to make the most of the opportunity as Sammons made a drive into the lane for a finish at the 13:09 mark that not only had Hamline back out in front 44-42 but also had Augsburg Head Coach Bill McKee calling a timeout to try and find some answers out of this mess.
To their credit the Auggies were not ready to let this one slip away just yet as things stayed tight over the next four minutes. With things tied at 48-all, sophomore guard Marie Fitzgerald made a drive into the paint from the left wing for a score with 8:36 left and got fouled in the process. She was unable to connect on the ensuing free throw but Fitzgerald made amends for that just two minutes later when Ft. Atkinson, Wisconsin native scored again on a lay-up that had Augsburg up by four at 52-48 and, once again, seemingly in control. Once again, though, the Pipers were determined to play spoiler and quickly set out to put things in further disarray for the visiting Auggies. Sammons utilized her great leaping ability to snare an offensive rebound for a putback with 5:54 left and went to the charity stripe to sink one freebie with 5:27 left that now had Hamline in the double-bonus. Sammons second free throw was off the mark but Augsburg forgot to box out junior forward/post Rachel "The Rock" Usgaard and she snared the loose ball for a putback that suddenly had Hamline out in front again 53-52. A Sammons drive and finish with 4:53 left expanded that lead to 55-52 but a Tichy "3" from the left top area with 3:56 left tied things up again at 55-all and left a lot of uncertainty on both sides as to how this might finish out.
The Auggies; whose playoff hopes are at best, flickering, watched with despair as things slipped away from them in the last few minutes on a combination of some bad luck and a couple of questionable calls. A jumper by Hamline reserve senior Je'Naya Brown from the left elbow had the Pipers up 57-55 but two freebies by Auggie sophomore guard Jenna Orth tied it once again at 57 with 3:25 left. Augsburg would take its last lead of the night on two free throws by Tichy with 2:35 left for a 59-58 advantage but then Sammons uncorked a "3" from the left top area with 2:22 left that put the Pipers back up 61-59. On the Auggies next possession, Tichy couldn't connect on a lay-up attempt and Hamline's Bonsante and Augsburg sophomore forward Jessica Lillquist made contact underneath the basket in the ensuing rebound attempt. Lillquist was whistled for the foul and Bonsante went to the other end to calmly knock down both freebies that now gave the Pipers a two-possession lead at 63-59. Augsburg had chances to convert on its ensuing possession but couldn't and Sammons was fouled on the Pipers next possession on a very questionable call; much to the chagrin of both Augsburg Head Coach Bill McKee and his assistant Josh Hersch. Sammons made good on those two attempts and the score was now 65-59 in favor of Hamline. Tichy would connect with one last "3" from the left top area with :20.5 left that cut the Hamline lead down to 65-62 but Augsburg had to foul now in order to try and get the ball back. Sammons was fouled with :18.6 left and she promptly knocked down both charity stripe shots. Augsburg had one last-gasp attempt that fell short and the Pipers got the "W" on this night by a 67-62 count.
A disappointed Augsburg contingent saw a huge opportunity to draw closer to GAC on this night slip right through their fingers as GAC went down at home to Bethel. Hersch alluded to not boxing out well on free throws and going only 7-14 from the charity stripe on their own did not help matters. With three games left (Bethel and at both Carleton and SMU) to finish out it's basically now or never time for the Auggies as they've been left with no choice but to roll the dice and hope like hell they can win - and get some help along the way to boot.
It always seems like wild and wooly things seem to happen at Hamline games that I attend at Hutton Arena and this one would be no exception. I had no more than got myself situated and started writing when the Hamline team was whistled for a technical foul (and I still have NO idea as to what prompted the call being made in the first place; much less see or hear anything that might have warranted it). Augsburg senior guard Jill Tichy was only able to get one of two obligatory freebies out of it though but it was good enough for a seemingly safe 42-36 lead. Of course, I SHOULD have known that any lead; especially one not even close to double-digits, is anything but safe against the Pipers at Hutton Arena and, sure enough, the Pipers regrouped and in the span of two minutes they embarked on a 8-0 run to grab the lead. Freshman reserve guard Erika Moede got one to fall from the charity stripe at the 14:17 mark and then it was freshman reserve sharp-shooting guard Chelsey Bonsante drilling a "3" from the left corner at the 14:01 mark after the Pipers were able to snare a long offensive rebound off of a missed shot. Then it was do-it-all junior guard Jordan "Flash" Sammons; connecting on a short jumper on the right side of the bucket at the 13:25 mark that tied the game at 42-all. A failed Augsburg possession put the rock back into the hand of the Pipers and they were able to make the most of the opportunity as Sammons made a drive into the lane for a finish at the 13:09 mark that not only had Hamline back out in front 44-42 but also had Augsburg Head Coach Bill McKee calling a timeout to try and find some answers out of this mess.
To their credit the Auggies were not ready to let this one slip away just yet as things stayed tight over the next four minutes. With things tied at 48-all, sophomore guard Marie Fitzgerald made a drive into the paint from the left wing for a score with 8:36 left and got fouled in the process. She was unable to connect on the ensuing free throw but Fitzgerald made amends for that just two minutes later when Ft. Atkinson, Wisconsin native scored again on a lay-up that had Augsburg up by four at 52-48 and, once again, seemingly in control. Once again, though, the Pipers were determined to play spoiler and quickly set out to put things in further disarray for the visiting Auggies. Sammons utilized her great leaping ability to snare an offensive rebound for a putback with 5:54 left and went to the charity stripe to sink one freebie with 5:27 left that now had Hamline in the double-bonus. Sammons second free throw was off the mark but Augsburg forgot to box out junior forward/post Rachel "The Rock" Usgaard and she snared the loose ball for a putback that suddenly had Hamline out in front again 53-52. A Sammons drive and finish with 4:53 left expanded that lead to 55-52 but a Tichy "3" from the left top area with 3:56 left tied things up again at 55-all and left a lot of uncertainty on both sides as to how this might finish out.
The Auggies; whose playoff hopes are at best, flickering, watched with despair as things slipped away from them in the last few minutes on a combination of some bad luck and a couple of questionable calls. A jumper by Hamline reserve senior Je'Naya Brown from the left elbow had the Pipers up 57-55 but two freebies by Auggie sophomore guard Jenna Orth tied it once again at 57 with 3:25 left. Augsburg would take its last lead of the night on two free throws by Tichy with 2:35 left for a 59-58 advantage but then Sammons uncorked a "3" from the left top area with 2:22 left that put the Pipers back up 61-59. On the Auggies next possession, Tichy couldn't connect on a lay-up attempt and Hamline's Bonsante and Augsburg sophomore forward Jessica Lillquist made contact underneath the basket in the ensuing rebound attempt. Lillquist was whistled for the foul and Bonsante went to the other end to calmly knock down both freebies that now gave the Pipers a two-possession lead at 63-59. Augsburg had chances to convert on its ensuing possession but couldn't and Sammons was fouled on the Pipers next possession on a very questionable call; much to the chagrin of both Augsburg Head Coach Bill McKee and his assistant Josh Hersch. Sammons made good on those two attempts and the score was now 65-59 in favor of Hamline. Tichy would connect with one last "3" from the left top area with :20.5 left that cut the Hamline lead down to 65-62 but Augsburg had to foul now in order to try and get the ball back. Sammons was fouled with :18.6 left and she promptly knocked down both charity stripe shots. Augsburg had one last-gasp attempt that fell short and the Pipers got the "W" on this night by a 67-62 count.
A disappointed Augsburg contingent saw a huge opportunity to draw closer to GAC on this night slip right through their fingers as GAC went down at home to Bethel. Hersch alluded to not boxing out well on free throws and going only 7-14 from the charity stripe on their own did not help matters. With three games left (Bethel and at both Carleton and SMU) to finish out it's basically now or never time for the Auggies as they've been left with no choice but to roll the dice and hope like hell they can win - and get some help along the way to boot.
Thursday, February 13, 2014
Minnesota West vs Anoka-Ramsey Recap 2-12-14
Had a couple of errands to run after work on this Wednesday which caused me to be a bit late getting up to Anoka-Ramsey for this night's big match-up with arch-rival Minnesota West. I got inside the Anoka-Ramsey gymnasium and settled in around the 16:11 mark with Minnesota West holding a shocking 10-2 lead.
The early deficit must have gotten the Golden Rams attention as they had to step on the gas pedal to tighten things up against this hot Minnesota West team. A lay-up by strong sophomore post Olivia Antilla at the 15:55 mark was followed by a "3" from the left wing by the former Osseo standout less than thirty seconds later that brought Anoka-Ramsey to within a single possession of the Lady Jays trailing 10-7. Minnesota West would get on 7-3 push over the next three minutes; fueled by a lay-up in transition by sophomore forward Tiffany Gehl at the 14:20 mark that got her fouled and allowed her to sink the obligatory freebie along with another lay-up at the 13:39 mark and two more charity stripe shots at the 12:45 mark. The Golden Rams would respond once again and draw to within three when sophomore forward Erica Parker knocked down a jumper in the lane at the 12:01 mark and willowy sophomore sharpshooting guard Nicole Schaub connected on a lay-up at the 11:23 mark that cut the Lady Jay advantage to 17-14.
But it was at this point where Minnesota West went on a three-point shot explosion that left the Golden Rams stunned and reeling; not to mention putting them in a double-digit hole. The long-bomb assault started at the 10:16 mark when Gehl drained a "3" from the right wing area which was followed up a minute later by a "3" from the left top area by freshman reserve guard Bridget Kramer that had the Lady Jays back up by nine at 23-14. Then it was freshman guard Brittney Hermeling connecting behind the arc from the left wing area with 8:37 left. Then it was the lanky southpaw sophomore forward Lindsey Drooger making the cotton sing with a "3" from the right top area with 7:20 left for a 29-16 lead. Anoka-Ramsey tried to counter on a lay-up with 7:10 left by Parker but then it was freshman guard Lydia Kemper draining a "3" from the right wing with 6:52 left that gave Minnesota West its largest lead at 32-18. But one unwavering characteristic of this Anoka-Ramsey program over the years under Head Coach David DeWitt is that they don't panic when things suddenly go bad or if an opponent gets a lead on them. And things would hold true to form coming down the stretch of the first half as the Golden Rams responded with a 22-13 run that would tighten things up considerably by the time the buzzer sounded ending the first half. Sophomore post Paris Finklea snared an offensive rebound for a putback with 6:39 left and then it was freshman guard Mattie Racek out of Parker, Colorado; drilling a "3" from the left top area with 5:40 left. Still facing a double-digit defict at 36-25, Racek calmly drained another "3"; this one from the left corner that sliced the Lady Jay advantage down to single digits at 36-28 with 4:10 left. Then it was time for Miss Reliable; sophomore point guard Maria Loughlin as she launched one of her patented cloud-scraping treys; this one from the the left top area with 2:56 left. A Hermeling "3" from the left corner temporarily halted this Golden Ram comeback but free throws from Parker with 2:24 left and a lay-up from Loughlin with 1:28 left had Anoka-Ramsey back to within seven at 43-36. A drive and finish by Minnesota West's Kramer made it a 45-37 ballgame with :36 left but then it was Loughlin; the Rogers native and former standout, draining a "3" from the left corner that not only cut the Minnesota West lead down to 45-40 at halftime but, perhaps just as important, seemed to suck some of the swagger and confidence that the Lady Jays enjoyed earlier in the first half.
Minnesota West seemed to recapture some of that swagger and confidence in the early moments in the second half as two quick scores - a score in the paint by Gehl at the 18:57 mark and a Drooger lay-up at the 18:31 mark - extended the Lady Jay lead back to nine at 49-40 and had DeWitt calling for an immediate timeout to assess this latest pitfall. Whatever was said in that Anoka-Ramsey huddle during that timeout seemed to have an immediate impact as the Golden Rams came out and went on a 22-5 game-changing tear over the next six minutes that effectively altered the course and momentum of this game. Just as impressive is that Anoka-Ramsey was getting scoring contributions in the paint by Antilla and on the perimeter from Racek, Schaub and Loughlin plus big defensive stops on the Lady Jays as well that seemed to stifle the potent Minnesota West attack that was so effective in the first half. After the Golden Rams had assumed the lead at 53-50 by the 15:01 mark on a steal and lay-up the other way by Racek, Minnesota West Head Coach Mike Fury; sensing impending doom, called a timeout to try and stave off the collapse taking place before his eyes. But the Lady Jays had few answers coming out of that break and Anoka-Ramsey kept attacking. Freshman forward Ashley Carter was fouled at the 14:04 mark and made the front end of the 1-and-1 but the errant back end freebie was hauled in by Antilla and she promptly got a putback that upped the Golden Ram advantage to 57-51. A Gehl freebie and a steal and lay-up the other way by Kemper pulled the Lady Jays to within three at 57-54 but Anoka-Ramsey was not about to let this lead get away from them. Loughlin connected on a lay-up at the 13:07 mark and then it was Antilla muscling her way into the paint again for a score that got her fouled and the obligatory free throw had the Golden Rams back up by eight at 62-54 and had Fury burning another timeout (and possibly a fuse as well).
Things steadily went downhill from there for the Lady Jays and Anoka-Ramsey was quick to pounce on their visitor's misfortunes. A score off of an inbounds pass by Parker had the Golden Rams up by double-digits at 66-56 by the 11:22 mark and two charity stripe shots by Parker at the 10:35 mark kept the cushion at double-digits. Minnesota West could only make intermittent stabs and jabs but could never sustain a decisive run that would allow them to catch the Golden Rams. Hermeling connected with a "3" from the left corner with 7:20 left for the Lady Jays but that was quickly countered by a drive and finish by the incredibly crafty and experienced Loughlin who maneuvered her way into the paint for a finish just as the shot clock was expiring for a 75-63 Anoka-Ramsey lead with 6:44 left. Antilla made another strong move down low for a finish with 5:28 left and then it was Loughlin uncorking one of her pretty high-arcing treys from the right wing with 4:20 left for an 81-69 lead. A drive and reverse lay-up by Racek with 3:06 left helped to put the finishing touches on this contest and a final dalliance with frustration on the Minnesota West side in the waning moments resulted in a technical foul being called on the Lady Jay bench as Anoka-Ramsey cruised to a 90-75 victory.
The early deficit must have gotten the Golden Rams attention as they had to step on the gas pedal to tighten things up against this hot Minnesota West team. A lay-up by strong sophomore post Olivia Antilla at the 15:55 mark was followed by a "3" from the left wing by the former Osseo standout less than thirty seconds later that brought Anoka-Ramsey to within a single possession of the Lady Jays trailing 10-7. Minnesota West would get on 7-3 push over the next three minutes; fueled by a lay-up in transition by sophomore forward Tiffany Gehl at the 14:20 mark that got her fouled and allowed her to sink the obligatory freebie along with another lay-up at the 13:39 mark and two more charity stripe shots at the 12:45 mark. The Golden Rams would respond once again and draw to within three when sophomore forward Erica Parker knocked down a jumper in the lane at the 12:01 mark and willowy sophomore sharpshooting guard Nicole Schaub connected on a lay-up at the 11:23 mark that cut the Lady Jay advantage to 17-14.
But it was at this point where Minnesota West went on a three-point shot explosion that left the Golden Rams stunned and reeling; not to mention putting them in a double-digit hole. The long-bomb assault started at the 10:16 mark when Gehl drained a "3" from the right wing area which was followed up a minute later by a "3" from the left top area by freshman reserve guard Bridget Kramer that had the Lady Jays back up by nine at 23-14. Then it was freshman guard Brittney Hermeling connecting behind the arc from the left wing area with 8:37 left. Then it was the lanky southpaw sophomore forward Lindsey Drooger making the cotton sing with a "3" from the right top area with 7:20 left for a 29-16 lead. Anoka-Ramsey tried to counter on a lay-up with 7:10 left by Parker but then it was freshman guard Lydia Kemper draining a "3" from the right wing with 6:52 left that gave Minnesota West its largest lead at 32-18. But one unwavering characteristic of this Anoka-Ramsey program over the years under Head Coach David DeWitt is that they don't panic when things suddenly go bad or if an opponent gets a lead on them. And things would hold true to form coming down the stretch of the first half as the Golden Rams responded with a 22-13 run that would tighten things up considerably by the time the buzzer sounded ending the first half. Sophomore post Paris Finklea snared an offensive rebound for a putback with 6:39 left and then it was freshman guard Mattie Racek out of Parker, Colorado; drilling a "3" from the left top area with 5:40 left. Still facing a double-digit defict at 36-25, Racek calmly drained another "3"; this one from the left corner that sliced the Lady Jay advantage down to single digits at 36-28 with 4:10 left. Then it was time for Miss Reliable; sophomore point guard Maria Loughlin as she launched one of her patented cloud-scraping treys; this one from the the left top area with 2:56 left. A Hermeling "3" from the left corner temporarily halted this Golden Ram comeback but free throws from Parker with 2:24 left and a lay-up from Loughlin with 1:28 left had Anoka-Ramsey back to within seven at 43-36. A drive and finish by Minnesota West's Kramer made it a 45-37 ballgame with :36 left but then it was Loughlin; the Rogers native and former standout, draining a "3" from the left corner that not only cut the Minnesota West lead down to 45-40 at halftime but, perhaps just as important, seemed to suck some of the swagger and confidence that the Lady Jays enjoyed earlier in the first half.
Minnesota West seemed to recapture some of that swagger and confidence in the early moments in the second half as two quick scores - a score in the paint by Gehl at the 18:57 mark and a Drooger lay-up at the 18:31 mark - extended the Lady Jay lead back to nine at 49-40 and had DeWitt calling for an immediate timeout to assess this latest pitfall. Whatever was said in that Anoka-Ramsey huddle during that timeout seemed to have an immediate impact as the Golden Rams came out and went on a 22-5 game-changing tear over the next six minutes that effectively altered the course and momentum of this game. Just as impressive is that Anoka-Ramsey was getting scoring contributions in the paint by Antilla and on the perimeter from Racek, Schaub and Loughlin plus big defensive stops on the Lady Jays as well that seemed to stifle the potent Minnesota West attack that was so effective in the first half. After the Golden Rams had assumed the lead at 53-50 by the 15:01 mark on a steal and lay-up the other way by Racek, Minnesota West Head Coach Mike Fury; sensing impending doom, called a timeout to try and stave off the collapse taking place before his eyes. But the Lady Jays had few answers coming out of that break and Anoka-Ramsey kept attacking. Freshman forward Ashley Carter was fouled at the 14:04 mark and made the front end of the 1-and-1 but the errant back end freebie was hauled in by Antilla and she promptly got a putback that upped the Golden Ram advantage to 57-51. A Gehl freebie and a steal and lay-up the other way by Kemper pulled the Lady Jays to within three at 57-54 but Anoka-Ramsey was not about to let this lead get away from them. Loughlin connected on a lay-up at the 13:07 mark and then it was Antilla muscling her way into the paint again for a score that got her fouled and the obligatory free throw had the Golden Rams back up by eight at 62-54 and had Fury burning another timeout (and possibly a fuse as well).
Things steadily went downhill from there for the Lady Jays and Anoka-Ramsey was quick to pounce on their visitor's misfortunes. A score off of an inbounds pass by Parker had the Golden Rams up by double-digits at 66-56 by the 11:22 mark and two charity stripe shots by Parker at the 10:35 mark kept the cushion at double-digits. Minnesota West could only make intermittent stabs and jabs but could never sustain a decisive run that would allow them to catch the Golden Rams. Hermeling connected with a "3" from the left corner with 7:20 left for the Lady Jays but that was quickly countered by a drive and finish by the incredibly crafty and experienced Loughlin who maneuvered her way into the paint for a finish just as the shot clock was expiring for a 75-63 Anoka-Ramsey lead with 6:44 left. Antilla made another strong move down low for a finish with 5:28 left and then it was Loughlin uncorking one of her pretty high-arcing treys from the right wing with 4:20 left for an 81-69 lead. A drive and reverse lay-up by Racek with 3:06 left helped to put the finishing touches on this contest and a final dalliance with frustration on the Minnesota West side in the waning moments resulted in a technical foul being called on the Lady Jay bench as Anoka-Ramsey cruised to a 90-75 victory.
Tuesday, February 11, 2014
Andover vs Park Center Recap 2-11-14
Made the short driver over to Park Center High School to catch this all-important Northwest Suburban Conference Clash between visiting Andover and host Park Center. The Pirates; trying to keep pace with conference leader Centennial, righted the ship after the heart-breaking home loss to Anoka last week Wednesday night by knocking off Elk River up in Elk River on Friday night. Andover meanwhile, was looking for a signature win that could bolster its seeding prospects once the section tournament play gets underway.
Neither side could gain any significant advantage early on. The Huskies were trying to do whatever they could to try and stop Park Center's scoring machine; senior forward Cayla McMorris, with mixed results. Andover forged a 5-4 lead by the 15:03 mark by a "3" from senior guard Amelia Leger from the left wing but the Pirates would come right back and grab an 8-5 lead thanks to a lay-up by junior point guard Hannah Schaub and two free throws by McMorris. The Huskies would then knot the issue at eight a piece on a "3" from the left top area by senior guard Madison Hahn at the 14:13 mark. Park Center would respond with a 5-0 McMorris spurt - 2 freebies and then a "3" from the left wing at the 13:28 mark for a 13-8 lead. Andover would creep to within one on lay-ups from both Hahn and freshman reserve guard Jolene Daninger but Park Center junior guard would knock down a "3" from the top of the key at the 12:33 mark and then connect with a short jumper off the glass; the latter score which gave the Pirates an 18-14 lead by the 11:40 mark. But the Huskies would come right back with a nice little 6-2 burst of their own. Junior reserve guard Dionndra Mullins nailed a "3" from the left corner at the 11:20 mark and then it was senior standout guard Haydn Becker knocking down a trey of her own from almost the same spot to put Andover back out in front 20-18 by the 10:48 mark. McMorris was able to get a score in the paint for Park Center twenty seconds later to tie the issue but, for the moment anyway, Andover had to be feeling good about where they were at against this Park Center squad on the road; particularly with the way they were hitting from behind the arc.
After trading jabs with their opponent in the opening minutes that resulted in nothing in a deadlock, the Pirates were finally able to get some separation and build a slight cushion. DuBois drilled a "3" from the left wing with 9:44 left and then it was Hannah Schaub getting into the land of giants to grab an offensive rebound for a putback and a 25-20 Park Center lead. A short jumper by McMorris in the lane with 7:50 left added to the advantage and then a score in the paint by lanky freshman post Mikayla Hayes with 6:38 left suddenly made it a 29-20 game and Andover Head Coach Robb Belschner knew he had seen enough to warrant a thirty-second timeout. The pause in the action seemed to have a positive effect for the Huskies as they were able to slowly edge closer down the stretch of the first half. Becker was able to connect with an incredibly tough shot off the glass with 5:11 left but Park Center was still able to establish a ten-point margin with 3:41 left on a free throw by McMorris and a score from DuBois with 3:41 left. Still, lay-ups by Daninger and senior guard Katie Yoder with 2:55 and 2:05 left, respectively, trimmed the Pirate lead down to 33-26. Two scores by McMorris seemingly had Park Center back in the safe zone again to go into the locker room with but Andover's Hahn would have the last say in this first half as she drained a "3" from the right top area just before the buzzer went off to draw the Huskies to within five at 37-32; certainly a far sight better than what they were looking at a bit earlier. Had Andover been able to convert some of those missed lay-ups that plagued their efforts in the first half, they may very well have been ahead.
Park Center, determined to not replicate my alma mater, Iowa, and lose two big home games in a row, made sure to set the tone early on in the second half. McMorris uncorked a "3" from the left top area at the 17:43 mark that had Belschner burning a quick timeout to get his squad on the right page on defense. But two scores in the paint by the 6'1" Hayes and another trey from McMorris from the top of the key had the Pirates up 48-35 by the 14:42 mark. Andover tried to counter with a Hahn "3" from the right top area at the 14:07 mark but then Hannah Schaub; who had to play in the shadow of her older sister Nicole who is now a standout at Anoka-Ramsey (and in the stands cheering her younger sis on), connected with a lay-up at the 13:57 mark and then drilled a "3" from the top of the key some thirty seconds later to give Park Center a 55-38 lead and, once again, Belschner was forced to use a timeout.
Andover was able to make a few dents into the lead afterward but they could never get a sustained run that would get them back to within single digits again and possibly make things dangerous for the Pirates coming down the stretch. Sophomore reserve guard Madison Griess knocked down a "3" from the right corner at the 12:50 mark and then it was Becker snaring a steal and dashing the other way for a lay-up a bit later but those jabs were quickly met with flashy McMorris scores that kept the double-digit cushion Park Center had established early on in the second half. Andover was able to get into the bonus with 6:36 left but that still was not nearly enough to overcome the deficit they were now facing. And the Pirates had no intention of letting their foot off the gas pedal anytime soon either. Freshman guard Ann Simonet connected with a lay-up with 6:28 left and another McMorris score in the paint had the Park Center lead at nineteen at 67-48. Yoder was able to knock down a "3" from the top of the key with 4:40 left for Andover but then Hannah Schaub put the exclamation point on this game with a sweet move into the lane for a lay-up that got her fouled in the process and she made good on the obligatory free throw for a 70-55 lead. McMorris also wowed the crowd late; getting a lay-up in transition with 1:50 left and then providing an encore performance when she grabbed a defensive rebound and promptly dashed coast to coast for a lay-up to put the finishing touches on a convincing 77-61 victory.
Park Center Head Coach Chris VanderHyde; relaxed and happy after the win, admitted that the Pirates had to do a better job guarding the Huskies behind the arc. "I felt we did that" he said. Also important from his viewpoint was that the Pirates had to get more scoring in the paint in the second half than they did the in the first half and VanderHyde seemed happy with the results. The remaining regular season schedule appears favorable with home games against Champlin Park, and out of conference date with Edina, and the regular season finale with Armstrong although tough roadies at both Blaine and Maple Grove are in the offing as well. But these games should get them more than battle-ready for the section tournament where they'll arguably be wearing the big target on their backs this time as the #1 seed; a role that has been held in previous years by powerhouse DeLaSalle. How well they respond to that new role remains to be seen.
Neither side could gain any significant advantage early on. The Huskies were trying to do whatever they could to try and stop Park Center's scoring machine; senior forward Cayla McMorris, with mixed results. Andover forged a 5-4 lead by the 15:03 mark by a "3" from senior guard Amelia Leger from the left wing but the Pirates would come right back and grab an 8-5 lead thanks to a lay-up by junior point guard Hannah Schaub and two free throws by McMorris. The Huskies would then knot the issue at eight a piece on a "3" from the left top area by senior guard Madison Hahn at the 14:13 mark. Park Center would respond with a 5-0 McMorris spurt - 2 freebies and then a "3" from the left wing at the 13:28 mark for a 13-8 lead. Andover would creep to within one on lay-ups from both Hahn and freshman reserve guard Jolene Daninger but Park Center junior guard would knock down a "3" from the top of the key at the 12:33 mark and then connect with a short jumper off the glass; the latter score which gave the Pirates an 18-14 lead by the 11:40 mark. But the Huskies would come right back with a nice little 6-2 burst of their own. Junior reserve guard Dionndra Mullins nailed a "3" from the left corner at the 11:20 mark and then it was senior standout guard Haydn Becker knocking down a trey of her own from almost the same spot to put Andover back out in front 20-18 by the 10:48 mark. McMorris was able to get a score in the paint for Park Center twenty seconds later to tie the issue but, for the moment anyway, Andover had to be feeling good about where they were at against this Park Center squad on the road; particularly with the way they were hitting from behind the arc.
After trading jabs with their opponent in the opening minutes that resulted in nothing in a deadlock, the Pirates were finally able to get some separation and build a slight cushion. DuBois drilled a "3" from the left wing with 9:44 left and then it was Hannah Schaub getting into the land of giants to grab an offensive rebound for a putback and a 25-20 Park Center lead. A short jumper by McMorris in the lane with 7:50 left added to the advantage and then a score in the paint by lanky freshman post Mikayla Hayes with 6:38 left suddenly made it a 29-20 game and Andover Head Coach Robb Belschner knew he had seen enough to warrant a thirty-second timeout. The pause in the action seemed to have a positive effect for the Huskies as they were able to slowly edge closer down the stretch of the first half. Becker was able to connect with an incredibly tough shot off the glass with 5:11 left but Park Center was still able to establish a ten-point margin with 3:41 left on a free throw by McMorris and a score from DuBois with 3:41 left. Still, lay-ups by Daninger and senior guard Katie Yoder with 2:55 and 2:05 left, respectively, trimmed the Pirate lead down to 33-26. Two scores by McMorris seemingly had Park Center back in the safe zone again to go into the locker room with but Andover's Hahn would have the last say in this first half as she drained a "3" from the right top area just before the buzzer went off to draw the Huskies to within five at 37-32; certainly a far sight better than what they were looking at a bit earlier. Had Andover been able to convert some of those missed lay-ups that plagued their efforts in the first half, they may very well have been ahead.
Park Center, determined to not replicate my alma mater, Iowa, and lose two big home games in a row, made sure to set the tone early on in the second half. McMorris uncorked a "3" from the left top area at the 17:43 mark that had Belschner burning a quick timeout to get his squad on the right page on defense. But two scores in the paint by the 6'1" Hayes and another trey from McMorris from the top of the key had the Pirates up 48-35 by the 14:42 mark. Andover tried to counter with a Hahn "3" from the right top area at the 14:07 mark but then Hannah Schaub; who had to play in the shadow of her older sister Nicole who is now a standout at Anoka-Ramsey (and in the stands cheering her younger sis on), connected with a lay-up at the 13:57 mark and then drilled a "3" from the top of the key some thirty seconds later to give Park Center a 55-38 lead and, once again, Belschner was forced to use a timeout.
Andover was able to make a few dents into the lead afterward but they could never get a sustained run that would get them back to within single digits again and possibly make things dangerous for the Pirates coming down the stretch. Sophomore reserve guard Madison Griess knocked down a "3" from the right corner at the 12:50 mark and then it was Becker snaring a steal and dashing the other way for a lay-up a bit later but those jabs were quickly met with flashy McMorris scores that kept the double-digit cushion Park Center had established early on in the second half. Andover was able to get into the bonus with 6:36 left but that still was not nearly enough to overcome the deficit they were now facing. And the Pirates had no intention of letting their foot off the gas pedal anytime soon either. Freshman guard Ann Simonet connected with a lay-up with 6:28 left and another McMorris score in the paint had the Park Center lead at nineteen at 67-48. Yoder was able to knock down a "3" from the top of the key with 4:40 left for Andover but then Hannah Schaub put the exclamation point on this game with a sweet move into the lane for a lay-up that got her fouled in the process and she made good on the obligatory free throw for a 70-55 lead. McMorris also wowed the crowd late; getting a lay-up in transition with 1:50 left and then providing an encore performance when she grabbed a defensive rebound and promptly dashed coast to coast for a lay-up to put the finishing touches on a convincing 77-61 victory.
Park Center Head Coach Chris VanderHyde; relaxed and happy after the win, admitted that the Pirates had to do a better job guarding the Huskies behind the arc. "I felt we did that" he said. Also important from his viewpoint was that the Pirates had to get more scoring in the paint in the second half than they did the in the first half and VanderHyde seemed happy with the results. The remaining regular season schedule appears favorable with home games against Champlin Park, and out of conference date with Edina, and the regular season finale with Armstrong although tough roadies at both Blaine and Maple Grove are in the offing as well. But these games should get them more than battle-ready for the section tournament where they'll arguably be wearing the big target on their backs this time as the #1 seed; a role that has been held in previous years by powerhouse DeLaSalle. How well they respond to that new role remains to be seen.
Sunday, February 9, 2014
MIAC Power Rankings For Sunday 2-9-14
Some serious shuffling and repositioning after yesterday's monumental day plus from Wednesday night as well. Here we go:
1. UST
2. SMU
3. Concordia
4. Bethel
5. St. Olaf
6. GAC
7. Augsburg
8. CSB
9. Hamline
10. Carleton
11. St. Kate's
12. Macalester
The Tommies reclaim their spot on the mountaintop with a statement victory yesterday over visiting SMU that arguably left more than just ruffled feathers on the Cardinals. The ice bags that various SMU players were sporting after yesterday's game underscored what a physical beatdown they absorbed yesterday. I don't think, though, that this loss damages their postseason hopes and, with three of their last four regular season games at home in Winona, there's still reason for hope and optimism wrt winning the regular season championship and getting that #1 seed. UST still has a tough home game with St. Olaf on Wednesday night before the dreaded trip up to Moorhead for another big tilt with the Corn - and a chance at redemption as well. Speaking of Concordia, they're still cruising right along, doing things in their usual coldly efficient manner that gets them "W's". Even if they do get "locked in" to that third spot which I think is quite likely at this juncture, they're still a team that's a huge threat to step up and steal the show once the MIAC playoffs roll around.
Both Bethel and St. Olaf look to be pretty comfortable where they're at for the moment anyway but things could get interesting on that last regular season Saturday when the two face off in Arden Hills - and the four and five spots could get flipped. But, by far and away the biggest surprise on this day is the seeming revival of GAC from near-moribund status to a solid grip - at the moment anyway - on that sixth spot. They've managed to reel off seven wins in their last eight games and you've simply got to give a lot of credit to Head Coach Laurie Kelly and her squad for rising to the occasion when they appeared all but dead and buried. The road ahead, though, appears dangerous as home games with Bethel and SMU remain plus a roadie to UST (and yeah, I'm not going to get into all of that today, thank you) before they close things out for the regular season at St. Kate's. Augsburg, a longshot at this juncture, is not only going to have to take care of its own business but they're going to have to bank on getting help from Bethel, SMU and UST (plus possibly St. Kate's as well). The Auggies had to hang on for dear life yesterday against Macalester and the road ahead for them is just as challenging as both a home date with Bethel and a trip down the River to Winona to play SMU are in the offing. IF, if they can possibly get Abbey Luger back, I give them a shot. Meanwhile, is there possibly a more disappointing team in the country right now than CSB? Just a mere two weeks ago I liked their chances for taking control of that sixth spot but four straight losses have all but ended those hopes. Given the talent that they have, I really have no explanation for it nor do I see any chance they can reverse their fortunes with four games remaining. For a program like CSB that is rich with tradition and winning (nee, winning MIAC titles and competing in the Big Dance) it's without question a step in the wrong direction. While it's impossible to guess how CSB will do in the long-run scheme of things, all I know is that once you've fallen down, it's bloody hard to get back up and reclaim your spot among the elite.
1. UST
2. SMU
3. Concordia
4. Bethel
5. St. Olaf
6. GAC
7. Augsburg
8. CSB
9. Hamline
10. Carleton
11. St. Kate's
12. Macalester
The Tommies reclaim their spot on the mountaintop with a statement victory yesterday over visiting SMU that arguably left more than just ruffled feathers on the Cardinals. The ice bags that various SMU players were sporting after yesterday's game underscored what a physical beatdown they absorbed yesterday. I don't think, though, that this loss damages their postseason hopes and, with three of their last four regular season games at home in Winona, there's still reason for hope and optimism wrt winning the regular season championship and getting that #1 seed. UST still has a tough home game with St. Olaf on Wednesday night before the dreaded trip up to Moorhead for another big tilt with the Corn - and a chance at redemption as well. Speaking of Concordia, they're still cruising right along, doing things in their usual coldly efficient manner that gets them "W's". Even if they do get "locked in" to that third spot which I think is quite likely at this juncture, they're still a team that's a huge threat to step up and steal the show once the MIAC playoffs roll around.
Both Bethel and St. Olaf look to be pretty comfortable where they're at for the moment anyway but things could get interesting on that last regular season Saturday when the two face off in Arden Hills - and the four and five spots could get flipped. But, by far and away the biggest surprise on this day is the seeming revival of GAC from near-moribund status to a solid grip - at the moment anyway - on that sixth spot. They've managed to reel off seven wins in their last eight games and you've simply got to give a lot of credit to Head Coach Laurie Kelly and her squad for rising to the occasion when they appeared all but dead and buried. The road ahead, though, appears dangerous as home games with Bethel and SMU remain plus a roadie to UST (and yeah, I'm not going to get into all of that today, thank you) before they close things out for the regular season at St. Kate's. Augsburg, a longshot at this juncture, is not only going to have to take care of its own business but they're going to have to bank on getting help from Bethel, SMU and UST (plus possibly St. Kate's as well). The Auggies had to hang on for dear life yesterday against Macalester and the road ahead for them is just as challenging as both a home date with Bethel and a trip down the River to Winona to play SMU are in the offing. IF, if they can possibly get Abbey Luger back, I give them a shot. Meanwhile, is there possibly a more disappointing team in the country right now than CSB? Just a mere two weeks ago I liked their chances for taking control of that sixth spot but four straight losses have all but ended those hopes. Given the talent that they have, I really have no explanation for it nor do I see any chance they can reverse their fortunes with four games remaining. For a program like CSB that is rich with tradition and winning (nee, winning MIAC titles and competing in the Big Dance) it's without question a step in the wrong direction. While it's impossible to guess how CSB will do in the long-run scheme of things, all I know is that once you've fallen down, it's bloody hard to get back up and reclaim your spot among the elite.
Concordia vs St. Kate's Synopsis 2-8-14
After leaving UST's Schoenecker Arena, I was able to make the short hop down to nearby St. Kate's and get myself settled into the Butler Center with 6:45 left in the first half with visiting Concordia holding a 28-14 advantage.
The Wildcats were trying desperately keep things close with the Cobbers but those hopes soon dimmed as Concordia unleashed a 9-0 outburst that had St. Kate's reeling. Lanky junior forward Erin Januschka connected with a lay-up with 5:53 left and then made good on a drive and finish just twenty seconds later on the ensuing Cobber possession. Senior guard Erika Jossart got an open look from the left top area and she calmly drilled a "3" that gave Concordia a three-touchdown advantage at 35-14 (the same score that UCLA beat USC by back in late November :) ). Jossart had to go to the bench shortly afterward with an apparent ankle injury that was a cause for some concern from the Concordia contingent but a score in the paint by reserve senior post Kelsey Walloch eased some of those concerns and upped the lead to 37-14. St. Kate's would counter with a "3' from senior guard/forward Kristen Lee from the left wing area with 2:18 left and then it was freshman phenom guard/forward LaShay Holt; just getting warmed up, as she knocked down a jumper from the left top area just inside the arc with 1:24 left that cut the Concordia advantage down to 37-21. Concordia senior post Alexandra Lippert was able to snare an offensive rebound and get a pretty one-handed putback to go down with :28.6 left and that was countered by Wildcat freshman forward Mari Lee's jumper from the right top area with just :08 left. Concordia freshman point guard Greta Walsh, though, had the last laugh of the first half as she connected with a pull-up jumper in transition from the free throw line just before the buzzer sounded as the Cobbers took a seemingly comfortable 42-23 lead into the locker room at the half.
The second half was easily one of the most entertaining halves I've seen this year - and certainly a night and day difference in terms of effort and hustle and desire by the Wildcats from a mere weekend ago in their loss to Augsburg. St. Kate's was never going to catch the Cobbers on this day, and they were only able to trade jabs with Concordia but the performance by Holt and her seeming willingness to put the team on her shoulders was something to watch for sure. She started off things in the second half with a "3' from the left top area at the 19:42 mark but Concordia junior guard Alley Fisher made the 'Cats pay for leaving her open in the left wing area and she was also putting the cotton on fire on this day; swishing a "3" at the 19:27 mark. Things went back and forth over the next three minutes and the 'Cats were able to trim the deficit down to sixteen thanks to a "3" from willowy freshman reserve forward Kennedy Jennings from the right top area at the 17:13 mark and a jumper by Holt from the free throw line at the 16:00 mark. Holt; seemingly all over the place in the second half, snared a steal and streaked the other way for a lay-up at the 15:14 mark that got Concordia Head Coach Jessica Rahman's attention and she called a timeout to get her team's attention - and maybe to try and cool off the red-hot Holt.
Holt gave the home crowd another reason to get excited as she scored on a lay-up at the 13:12 mark but, unfortunately for the 'Cats, those jabs were met by a steady diet of Concordia scores from a variety of contributors. Walloch connected with a lay-up at the 13:43 mark and then Fisher drained another routine "3" from the top of the key at the 12:55 mark upping the lead to 56-38. Lippert, who seemingly towered over every Wildcat defender easily scored inside at the 11:53 mark. Erin Januschka connected with a lay-up with 9:21 left and then it was Fisher making the cotton sing a pretty tune again as she drilled one from the right wing area with 9:03 left. Reserve sophomore guard Hannah Jeske also drained a "3" from the left wing area with 8:27 left to keep the margin at a safe 22-point advantage at 69-47.
But the Wildcats still had a lot of fight left in them down the stretch. Sophomore guard/forward Shauna Horsch connected with one of her patented high-arcing "3's" from the left wing area with 8:12 left and then it was junior reserve guard Jenna Mistler knocking down a "3" from the top of the key with 7:36 left. But again, the Wildcats could only make incremental dents into the Concordia advantage and the Cobbers responded with their usual coldly efficient counter-offensive. Walsh snared a defensive rebound and promptly dashed coast to coast for a lay-up with 6:54 left and then it was (guess who?) Fisher putting the cotton on fire again with a "3" from the right corner with 6:22 left for a 74-53 Concordia advantage. Then it was Walsh; the Litchfield native, knocking down her own "3" from the right wing with 5:43 left to balloon the advantage to 77-53.
Still, despite the deficit they were facing the 'Cats refused to go quietly into the night and Holt was causing all sorts of headaches for Rahman and the Cobbers despite their big lead. She connected with a "3" from the left wing with 4:41 left and then made a hard drive into the paint for a finish with 3:40 left. Kristen Lee also connected with a short turnaround jumper along the right baseline with 2:58 left. But again, they were only incremental dents at best and the Cobbers closed the door with a "3" from the left corner by sophomore reserve forward Olivia Johnson with 2:36 left and a short shot along the right baseline by freshman reserve forward Megan Forness with just :01.6 left on the clock to take an 87-68 triumph back to Moorhead.
A relaxed (and perhaps relieved) Rahman was quick to praise the effort St. Kate's gave on this day but also careful to not look too far forward into the future wrt next week Saturday's game with visiting UST. "We've got Carleton on Wednesday night and that's what we've got to focus on next"; stressing a one-game at a time mentality. I also asked Rahman if she felt her team was where it should be from a defensive standpoint. Rahman said that they've added some wrinkles and have tweaked a few things here and there but also stated that, at this point in the season, it's really difficult to make any wholesale changes in their overall defensive schemes. Looking at what they've done so far I don't think they have to and they appear to be in excellent shape and position; even if they get "locked in" to the third spot. This is a squad that seemingly year in and year out is right in the thick of things and this season is no different and a lot of the credit has to go to Rahman for that. And even if they don't get one of the two top seeds in the MIAC playoffs, this is still a team that has an excellent shot of winning it all - again. And that home loss to UST in the MIAC Championship Game a year ago may provide some extra motivation for them as well. For St. Kate's; while enduring yet another "L" in a long season, they certainly showed how exciting they can be to watch and, more importantly, how bright the future is for this program. Head Coach Sean Pinkerton, while disappointed with the loss, was certainly much more upbeat about things than he was a week ago. He admitted that he and Assistant Coach Tim Kjar had to make some changes after last Saturday's loss to Augsburg to provide some more spark on offense and one of those changes was moving Holt to the point guard spot. While perhaps not a "natural" at the all important point guard position, she was able to wheel and deal more freely on this day and it arguably created a host of problems for the Cobbers on this day from a match-up perspective. And Holt, who easily led all scorers on this day by tallying 26 points, has the speed to get into the lane and the ability to hit the open shot from the perimeter. With her being just a freshman, she's going to be making many more MIAC coaches breaking out the Excedrin over the next few years with the match-up problems she brings to the table.
The Wildcats were trying desperately keep things close with the Cobbers but those hopes soon dimmed as Concordia unleashed a 9-0 outburst that had St. Kate's reeling. Lanky junior forward Erin Januschka connected with a lay-up with 5:53 left and then made good on a drive and finish just twenty seconds later on the ensuing Cobber possession. Senior guard Erika Jossart got an open look from the left top area and she calmly drilled a "3" that gave Concordia a three-touchdown advantage at 35-14 (the same score that UCLA beat USC by back in late November :) ). Jossart had to go to the bench shortly afterward with an apparent ankle injury that was a cause for some concern from the Concordia contingent but a score in the paint by reserve senior post Kelsey Walloch eased some of those concerns and upped the lead to 37-14. St. Kate's would counter with a "3' from senior guard/forward Kristen Lee from the left wing area with 2:18 left and then it was freshman phenom guard/forward LaShay Holt; just getting warmed up, as she knocked down a jumper from the left top area just inside the arc with 1:24 left that cut the Concordia advantage down to 37-21. Concordia senior post Alexandra Lippert was able to snare an offensive rebound and get a pretty one-handed putback to go down with :28.6 left and that was countered by Wildcat freshman forward Mari Lee's jumper from the right top area with just :08 left. Concordia freshman point guard Greta Walsh, though, had the last laugh of the first half as she connected with a pull-up jumper in transition from the free throw line just before the buzzer sounded as the Cobbers took a seemingly comfortable 42-23 lead into the locker room at the half.
The second half was easily one of the most entertaining halves I've seen this year - and certainly a night and day difference in terms of effort and hustle and desire by the Wildcats from a mere weekend ago in their loss to Augsburg. St. Kate's was never going to catch the Cobbers on this day, and they were only able to trade jabs with Concordia but the performance by Holt and her seeming willingness to put the team on her shoulders was something to watch for sure. She started off things in the second half with a "3' from the left top area at the 19:42 mark but Concordia junior guard Alley Fisher made the 'Cats pay for leaving her open in the left wing area and she was also putting the cotton on fire on this day; swishing a "3" at the 19:27 mark. Things went back and forth over the next three minutes and the 'Cats were able to trim the deficit down to sixteen thanks to a "3" from willowy freshman reserve forward Kennedy Jennings from the right top area at the 17:13 mark and a jumper by Holt from the free throw line at the 16:00 mark. Holt; seemingly all over the place in the second half, snared a steal and streaked the other way for a lay-up at the 15:14 mark that got Concordia Head Coach Jessica Rahman's attention and she called a timeout to get her team's attention - and maybe to try and cool off the red-hot Holt.
Holt gave the home crowd another reason to get excited as she scored on a lay-up at the 13:12 mark but, unfortunately for the 'Cats, those jabs were met by a steady diet of Concordia scores from a variety of contributors. Walloch connected with a lay-up at the 13:43 mark and then Fisher drained another routine "3" from the top of the key at the 12:55 mark upping the lead to 56-38. Lippert, who seemingly towered over every Wildcat defender easily scored inside at the 11:53 mark. Erin Januschka connected with a lay-up with 9:21 left and then it was Fisher making the cotton sing a pretty tune again as she drilled one from the right wing area with 9:03 left. Reserve sophomore guard Hannah Jeske also drained a "3" from the left wing area with 8:27 left to keep the margin at a safe 22-point advantage at 69-47.
But the Wildcats still had a lot of fight left in them down the stretch. Sophomore guard/forward Shauna Horsch connected with one of her patented high-arcing "3's" from the left wing area with 8:12 left and then it was junior reserve guard Jenna Mistler knocking down a "3" from the top of the key with 7:36 left. But again, the Wildcats could only make incremental dents into the Concordia advantage and the Cobbers responded with their usual coldly efficient counter-offensive. Walsh snared a defensive rebound and promptly dashed coast to coast for a lay-up with 6:54 left and then it was (guess who?) Fisher putting the cotton on fire again with a "3" from the right corner with 6:22 left for a 74-53 Concordia advantage. Then it was Walsh; the Litchfield native, knocking down her own "3" from the right wing with 5:43 left to balloon the advantage to 77-53.
Still, despite the deficit they were facing the 'Cats refused to go quietly into the night and Holt was causing all sorts of headaches for Rahman and the Cobbers despite their big lead. She connected with a "3" from the left wing with 4:41 left and then made a hard drive into the paint for a finish with 3:40 left. Kristen Lee also connected with a short turnaround jumper along the right baseline with 2:58 left. But again, they were only incremental dents at best and the Cobbers closed the door with a "3" from the left corner by sophomore reserve forward Olivia Johnson with 2:36 left and a short shot along the right baseline by freshman reserve forward Megan Forness with just :01.6 left on the clock to take an 87-68 triumph back to Moorhead.
A relaxed (and perhaps relieved) Rahman was quick to praise the effort St. Kate's gave on this day but also careful to not look too far forward into the future wrt next week Saturday's game with visiting UST. "We've got Carleton on Wednesday night and that's what we've got to focus on next"; stressing a one-game at a time mentality. I also asked Rahman if she felt her team was where it should be from a defensive standpoint. Rahman said that they've added some wrinkles and have tweaked a few things here and there but also stated that, at this point in the season, it's really difficult to make any wholesale changes in their overall defensive schemes. Looking at what they've done so far I don't think they have to and they appear to be in excellent shape and position; even if they get "locked in" to the third spot. This is a squad that seemingly year in and year out is right in the thick of things and this season is no different and a lot of the credit has to go to Rahman for that. And even if they don't get one of the two top seeds in the MIAC playoffs, this is still a team that has an excellent shot of winning it all - again. And that home loss to UST in the MIAC Championship Game a year ago may provide some extra motivation for them as well. For St. Kate's; while enduring yet another "L" in a long season, they certainly showed how exciting they can be to watch and, more importantly, how bright the future is for this program. Head Coach Sean Pinkerton, while disappointed with the loss, was certainly much more upbeat about things than he was a week ago. He admitted that he and Assistant Coach Tim Kjar had to make some changes after last Saturday's loss to Augsburg to provide some more spark on offense and one of those changes was moving Holt to the point guard spot. While perhaps not a "natural" at the all important point guard position, she was able to wheel and deal more freely on this day and it arguably created a host of problems for the Cobbers on this day from a match-up perspective. And Holt, who easily led all scorers on this day by tallying 26 points, has the speed to get into the lane and the ability to hit the open shot from the perimeter. With her being just a freshman, she's going to be making many more MIAC coaches breaking out the Excedrin over the next few years with the match-up problems she brings to the table.
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