After witnessing perhaps the greatest games in the history of Minnesota Girls Basketball (and certainly the longest for sure), I felt like I need either an oxygen mask or a stiff drink (or maybe both) to somehow get myself calmed down and ready for the nightcap at Williams Arena on this Saturday night - the Class AAAA Championship Game that featured #1 seed Eastview in its first-ever championship game going up against #3 seed and last year's state runner-up Bloomington Kennedy. The Lightning got here by holding off Eden Prairie on Thursday night while the Eagles were back in the championship game by beating a gamey Lakeville North squad. Bloomington Kennedy was still trying to recapture the glory it enjoyed nearly ten years ago when the Eagles won their first state championship game while Eastview was looking to finally shed the bridesmaid's role that had been seemingly affixed to it over the disappointments of the last few seasons. They got over one hurdle in winning a state semifinal. Now, could they win it all once being on the grand stage on a Saturday night?
Bloomington Kennedy must have had the doubts racing through the minds of Lightning players, fans and students alike as the Eagles raced out to a 9-1 lead in the games first three minutes; paced by senior guard Kenisha Bell who seemed possessed on this night as she connected with a tip-in off of a missed Eagles shot at the 17:21 mark and connected with a jumper in the lane at the 15:49 mark. Fellow senior forward Tonoia Wade punctuated this early Eagle run with a "3" from the left wing at the 15:20 mark before Eastview was finally able to figure out that it got hit by a Mack truck early on and had to find a way to recover. Junior star guard Madison Guebert was able to hit a "3" from the left top area at the 15:02 mark and a jumper from fellow junior forward Hana Metoxen in the lane helped trim the Eagle lead down to 9-6 by the 14:27 mark but Bloomington Kennedy would proceed to go on another Bell-Wade burst in the form of a 7-0 run highlighted by Wade's "3" from the right top area at the 13:35 mark and a Wade lay-up at the 13:11 mark. Bell was able to snare a steal at the 12:53 mark and she flew the other way down the court like a Union Pacific-Milwaukee Road "Cities" streamliner for an easy lay-up to get the Eagles up 16-6 by the 12:53 mark. Two more scores by Bell - a drive in the lane and finish at the 11:45 mark and a lay-up in transition with 9:50 left - had things looking good for Bloomington Kennedy up 20-9.
But this Eastview squad; arguably not as athletic and fast as Bloomington Kennedy, would still find a way to get itself back into the thick of things. A Guebert "3" from the left top area with 9:30 left and back-to-back treys by senior guard Kari Opatz - one with 8:22 left and the other with 7:48 left - had the Lightning back to within six trailing 24-18. A Metoxen jumper from the right elbow with 7:17 left and a score in the paint by senior reserve guard Megan Boehm with 6:45 left suddenly had Eastview right back in the thick of things trailing 24-22 and Bloomington Kennedy Head Coach Quintin Johnson; not liking how a sizable lead got shrunk in such a short time, called a timeout to discuss things with his team. But things were not going well for the Eagles by this point as Eastview was able to knot things up at 26-all and 28-all shortly thereafter. Even more disconcerting to Bloomington Kennedy's Johnson by this juncture was that the foul situation was in Eastview's favor by a 9-1 count with 3:30 left. But the Eagles were somehow able to push all of this aside in the waning moments of the first half. Senior reserve guard Za'Keea Sa'Eed-El drained a "3" from the left top area with 2:56 left for a 31-28 Bloomington Kennedy lead and a pull-up jumper in transition by Bell with 2:15 left that got her fouled as well made it 33-28. Bell's ensuing freebie missed its intended mark but that miss was negated when Eagle 8th grader reserve forward Mariah Alipate connected with a jumper from the right elbow with 1:35 left that extended Bloomington Kennedy's lead to 35-28. Eastview sophomore guard Erika Schlosser was able to get into the paint for a score with just :01 left but Bloomington Kennedy still held a five-point 37-32 lead at the halftime break. Little wonder that Bell's 18 points led the way for the Eagles in the first half while Guebert's 13 points paced Eastview. Rebounds were fairly even with Eastview holding a slight edge at 15-13 but the Lightning were guilty of five turnovers in the first half.
A jumper from the right top area just inside the arc by Guebert at the 17:48 mark appeared to have Eastview on the right track once the second half got underway but Bloomington Kennedy would step on the gas again and soon extend their lead. A short jumper by Bell at the 16:25 mark along with a short shot off the glass by sophomore reserve forward Lashayla Wright-Ponder at the 15:12 mark and a lay-up in transition by senior post Isie Odor that got her fouled and allowed her to sink the obligatory freebie put the Eagles back out by nine at 45-36 by the 14:41 mark. An Odor score in the paint at the 14:03 mark extended the lead to double digits at 47-36 before Eastview could recover somewhat. Opatz unleashed a "3" from the right wing area at the 12:26 mark and a Boehm score in the paint at the 11:03 mark helped get the Lightning back to within single digits trailing 49-41. A Guebert lay-up at the 10:18 mark sliced some more fat off of the deficit to a six point margin at 49-43 but it seemed like Eastview was having to work awfully hard against the speed and athleticism that Bloomington Kennedy has.
An Odor score in the paint with 9:25 left and a lay-up in transition by Bell with 8:39 left once again had Bloomington Kennedy up by double digits at 53-43 and free throws by both Wright-Ponder and Odor helped pad the cushion to twelve points at 57-45 with 7:04 left. It seemed that the Lightning could only at best trade buckets with their opponent which wasn't going to get the job done trailing by double digits with time beginning to become a factor as well. They had to clamp down on defense and somehow be able to get on a run. And that's exactly what happened. A Guebert "3" from the right wing with 5:23 left along with two free throws by senior forward Emee Udo suddenly had Eastview back to within five trailing 57-52. Two free throws by Bloomington Kennedy's Wade with 3:01 left got the lead back up to six at 59-53 and a drive into the lane by Bell for a lay-up that drew "oooh's" and "ahhh's" from the raucous Bloomington Kennedy student section upped the lead back to seven at 61-54 with 2:31 left. But a lay-up by Eastview's Udo with 2:16 left along with two Udo free throws with 1:39 left now drew the Lightning to within three trailing 61-58 and, by this point, you probably couldn't blame Bloomington Kennedy's Johnson if he and the Bloomington Kennedy students and fans and parents weren't looking for the proverbial panic button because this is where the Eagles looked like they were ready to panic. The timeout called by Johnson with 1:58 left arguably broke that panic button out of the box.
Bloomington Kennedy's Bell had a chance to slightly widen the Eagle advantage when she was sent to the charity stripe after getting fouled with 1:13 left but she missed the front end of the on-and-one and the Lightning got the rebound and, on the ensuing possession, Metoxen got fouled and she promptly knocked down both free throws that cut the Bloomington Kennedy lead down to a scant point with 1:00 left. Eastview Head Coach Melissa Guebert called a timeout to set up the defense and with :58.5 left, the Eagles committed a ghastly error when Wade somehow lost control of the inbounds pass which, by replay on the big screen, appeared to be a very, very close call. In any event, the Lightning got the ball back and with :50 left, Guebert went in for a lay-up as the Lightning suddenly assumed their first lead at 62-61. Bloomington Kennedy got the ball back and with Bell at the top with the ball, she patiently waited for an opening; any kind of opening that might allow her to work her magic and get the winning points. With :21 left, Bell saw an apparent crack in the Eastview defense and she raced into the opening and tried to use every move that she and the Good Lord ever knew existed and tried to connect with the winning shot. But this shot failed to go to its intended mark and instead rolled off the side of the rim and into the hands of Eastview's Udo who quickly got the ball to Opatz. Opatz was immediately fouled by Wade with :18.2 left and Opatz was able to sink both free throw attempts for a 64-61 advantage. Still time left for Bloomington Kennedy. The Eagles got the ball up the court and looked to get either Bell or Wade open for the game-tying trey. But the Lightning clamped down on defense and wouldn't allow an opening for either of the Bloomington Kennedy sharpshooters to get squared up for a clean shot (God, how I WISH Iowa mens hoops could do this). With just :02 left, Wade from way behind the arc had to let loose with a shot that was errant and fell harmlessly off the glass and rim and the Eastview players and student section celebrated wildly as the Lightning claimed their first-ever state championship with a 64-61 victory over a stunned Bloomington Kennedy squad.
Eastview's Melissa Guebert; truly one of the class acts in the world of girls high school coaches here in Minnesota, found it difficult to contain her excitement and glee after this great win. "We are all so excited!" she said adding that, even when her team was down double digits and hope appeared bleak, "Our kids have never quit." She also spoke about coaching her daughter Madison; a subject she has been somewhat reluctant to discuss up to now. "I'm just super-proud of her" she said...."It's just so special to experience this with her." About her team in general she said that "You could feel their determination.....It didn't feel like our kids were down....Our kids enjoy the pressure." She also talked about how close this team is and how they always pick each other up and never get on a teammate if they make a mistake. It only underscores how much of a family this squad really is. Personally, I'm very happy for Melissa Guebert and her team (and no offense intended to the Bloomington Kennedy contingent either as their day will surely come again) and it shows that good things DO happen to good people. I also spoke with Metoxen about this win and that frantic, final minute. "It was crazy" she said and "we had to lock-down on defense"....."We worked hard to get here and getting this is special" she added. Madison Guebert echoed those sentiments saying that "We had to lock down on 'D'.....It's amazing to do this and exciting!" And so there you have it. It was without question one of the most exciting nights of basketball I have ever watched or covered and to have this in a championship setting with such great crowds with such storylines and twists and turns made it all that more exciting. I think it's safe to say that, on this night anyway, Minnesota Girls Basketball was the real winner on this night.
Los Angeles Rams
Sunday, March 23, 2014
Minnesota Girls State Tournament - Class AAA Championship Game - Park Center vs Marshall - 3-22-14 6:00 P.M.
The night session's first game at Williams Arena on this Championship Saturday night featured the Class AAA Championship Game pitting Park Center against Marshall. Even though this was the Pirates' first trip to the championship game; nee, the state tournament, they were the number one seed and got here by virtue of their win over Minneapolis Washburn on Thursday. The Tigers had pulled off a huge upset in their semifinal beating heavily-favored Fergus Falls so it would be interesting to see how much each team had left in the tank.
Marshall got off to a solid start in this one as junior forward Hailey Bennett knocked down a jumper from the left corner at the 17:46 mark to get the Tigers going and they would establish an 8-2 advantage by the 15:50 mark when senior forward Kenzie Beekman connected on a lay-up at the 15:50 mark. Park Center, however, would soon catch up and a "3" from freshman guard Ann Simonet from the right corner at the 14:16 mark and an offensive rebound and putback by Simonet at the 13:23 mark had the Pirates to within three trailing 11-8. Senior star forward Cayla McMorris then struck as she snared a steal and dashed the other way for a lay-up that cut the Tigers lead to 11-10 at the 13:04 mark and Park Center would eventually grab a 15-11 lead by the 11:22 mark when McMorris drained a "3" from the right corner.
Marshall would then fight their way back and a Beekman "3" from the left top area with 9:47 left had the Tigers back out in front 16-15 but a "3" by freshman reserve forward Fey Ayobamidele from the left corner allowed the Pirates to grab a 19-16 lead with 7:41 left. Marshall would eventually knot the issue at 21-all when junior forward Morgan Saugstad knocked down two free throws with 4:20 left. The Tigers 2-3 zone was making it difficult for either McMorris or lanky freshman post Mikayla Hayes to maneuver inside and Park Center seemed to sag offensively down the stretch of the first half. A "3" from Pirate freshman point guard Danielle Schaub from the left wing with 3:01 left did have Park Center back out in front 24-23 but Marshall would close the first half on a 6-0 run and a last second Tiger basket allowed Marshall to take a 29-24 lead into the locker room at the half. Park Center had a fairly balanced scoring attack led by Simonet's eight points as did Marshall as both Saugstad and Beekman tallied eight points a piece. Surprisingly, rebounds were even at 20 a piece and even more surprisingly was that Marshall committed more turnovers than Park Center; 6 to 2. Perhaps the biggest telling point was that Park Center's McMorris shot a rather dismal 3-13 in the first half. Could she step up her game in the second half?
Marshall would get its lead to seven points at 33-26 at the 16:42 mark on a score in the paint by junior forward Haley Bennett and a rebound and putback by Beekman at the 16:12 upped the lead to nine at 35-26 before Park Center slowly, ever so slowly, whittled away at the Tiger advantage. A lay-up by Simonet after a Park Center steal at the 15:06 mark and a Simonet lay-up in transition at the 13:55 mark kept Park Center within striking distance trailing 37-30. A steal and lay-up by McMorris at the 13:48 mark and a Simonet "3" from the right corner at the 11:58 mark had Park Center within five trailing 40-35. A score down low by McMcorris with 9:16 left allowed the Pirates to get back to within three trailing 46-43 with a mountain of time left.
But it seemed like, no matter how hard the Pirates tried they could never get it back to a single possession game again. Missed three-point attempts that just wouldn't go down and other missed opportunities allowed Marshall to get their lead back to five points at 48-43 with 8:02 left. A quick 4-0 burst by the Tigers highlighted by a Beekman rebound and putback with 5:10 left had Marshall up 52-43 and Park Center's hopes looked dim. But little did I or anyone else in attendance on this night have any clue as to what would take place down the stretch. Park Center Head Coach Chris VanderHyde called a timeout to try and make adjustments for his squad in a vain attempt for a comeback but this one appeared out of reach.
Somehow, the Pirates began the slow road to bringing this one back. McMorris knocked down two free throws after getting fouled with 4:51 left that trimmed the deficit to seven trailing 52-45 and with 4:12 left, Hayes was able to maneuver into the paint for a score and she got fouled in the process and the ensuing free throws suddenly had Park Center to within four trailing 52-48. Marshall's Beekman was fouled with 3:25 left but she couldn't get the front end of the one-and-one to go down and the Pirates came right back down the floor and with 2:41 left, Simonet got a jumper in the lane in transition to go down that now cut Marshall's lead to 52-50 and you could detect the panic on the faces of the Tigers. A jumper by Marshall's Bennett with 2:30 left upped the Tigers lead to 54-40 but then Park Center's Simonet struck again as she drained a clutch "3" from the left corner with 2:14 left that now had the Pirates to within one trailing 54-53. Marshall's Bennett came right back and connected on a jumper with 1:57 left to get the Tigers back up by three at 56-53. Hayes was able to get Park Center back to within two when she knocked down one charity stripe shot after getting fouled with :51.7 left but disaster seemingly struck the Pirates again with the sands of time running out on this one. First, junior guard McKenna DuBois; normally one of the offensive sparkplugs for this Park Center team, fouled out with :45.3 left and that sent Marshall junior guard Sarah Buysse to the line where she knocked down two freebies making it a two-possession game and a 60-56 Tiger lead. One the Pirates next possession with :24 left, McMorris made a strong drive and finish to get the Marshall lead down to two again at 60-58. Park Center's VanderHyde called timeout again to set up his defense but with :20.1 left, another blow to the Pirate ship was delivered when McMorris fouled out and now Park Center, without two of its best starters on the floor and a third key member; junior guard Hannah Schaub, relegated to a player/coach role as she recovers from her ACL injury, appeared to have used up its last lifeline. But just when Marshall could have put this one away for good, Buysse couldn't get her free throw to go down and with :14.1 left and one last gasp hope left, Park Center's VanderHyde called his last timeout in order to try and set up the tying or winning score. The Pirates would bring the ball down the floor; hounded by Marshall defenders and with seconds winding down, Danielle Schaub got the ball and the otherwise shy and giggly freshman off the court made a fearless move into the lane and launched a one-handed runner that kissed the glass and fell into the cylinder as the horn sounded and the Park Center contingent was going bonkers as we were now headed to overtime tied at 60-all.
In the first overtime, Marshall junior forward Callie Graff was able to connect with a lay-up that allowed the Tigers to cling to an oh-so-precarious 62-60 lead. Both Danielle Schaub and Simonet committed turnovers on the Pirates first two possessions of the first overtime period but so did Marshall's Beekman and Bennett. Finally, with 1:23 left, Simonet was able to connect on a lay-up that had things knotted up at 62 a piece but with 1:07 left, Marshall's Bennett was fouled and she was able to get two free throws out of it that once again gave the Tigers a two-point advantage at 64-62. The Pirates would be incredibly patient with the ball on their last possession of the first overtime and, with :32 left, another freshman; Hayes, would get into the spotlight as she used her 6'2" frame to drive into the lane and connect with a lay-up that once again tied the issue at 64-all. With the fans at Williams Arena going absolutely nuts, Marshall now had one last chance to try and win it. The Tigers Saugstad tried to win it as she attempted to drive the ball into the lane but the Pirate defense caused her to lose the ball as it popped out crazily out of her hands as the horn sounded ending the first overtime.
By the second overtime, most of the fans needed oxygen masks (including yours truly) to try and catch their breath as this classic wore on. Beekman was able to get into the paint for a score for the Tigers that put Marshall back out in front 66-64. Park Center's Simonet and Ayobamidele couldn't get short jumpers to go down on the Pirates ensuing possession but Marshall wasn't able to capitalize on their next possession either. With 1:48 left, Simonet was able to get one freebie to go down after getting fouled but so was Marshall's Buysse when she got hacked with 1:25 left that had the Tigers back up by two at 67-65. With Park Center seemingly facing doomsday once again and the Tigers trying desperately to hold on to the ball and milk the clock out, Simonet came out of nowhere and snared the ball away from Marshall's Buysse and dashed the other way for a lay-up that tied things up again at 67-all with the Park Center student section and fans simply going crazy. But Marshall still had one chance left and tried to craftily work the clock down. But with :03 left, Tiger sophomore reserve forward Marah Mulso turned the ball over and now the Pirates had one last chance to try and win it. Park Center's VanderHyde called a timeout to try and set something up and the Pirates got the ball to Danielle Schaub and with :00.9 left she tried to uncork the game-winning three-point attempt from the right wing but it bounced off with the issue still undecided tied up at 67-all. Who would crack first?
Marshall tried once again to gain the upper hand in the third overtime as a Beekman offensive rebound for a putback with 2:59 left had the Tigers up 69-67 but the Pirates; somehow given a second wind in all this, looked to be fresher and more determined than ever. With 2:46 left, Ayobamidele connected with a lay-up that had things tied up yet again at 69-all. Marshall's Beekman would launch an errant shot with 2:28 left and although Saugstad was able to snare the offensive rebound and give the Tigers another chance, junior reserve forward Callie Graff promptly turned the ball over to the Pirates. With 2:04 left in this thriller, the first signs of anyone cracking in this one finally appeared. Hayes went into the lane for a lay-up that the Pirates ahead in this one at 71-69 and worse yet from a Marshall perspective, Bennett committed her fifth foul of the night that forced her to the bench. Hayes was unable to put down the obligatory freebie and now the Pirates would be in the role of trying to nurse a precarious two-point advantage. With 1:08 left, Marshall's Beekman snared a steal and although a three-point attempt by Saugstad missed its mark with :43 left, Beekman was there for the offensive rebound and she promptly put a shot in that had this unbelievable game tied up at 71-all. Park Center's VanderHyde called a timeout to try and set up one last play to try and win it and end this thing once and for all. With the Pirates trying desperately to keep the ball away from a hungry Marshall defense, Simonet was fouled with :21 left. Her first free throw attempt missed its mark but she was able to get the second for a 72-71 Pirate lead. Now Marshall was faced with the dubious task of trying to get fouled to get sent to the free throw line or somehow find an opening to launch a game-winning shot. But with :12 left, an aggressive move on defense by the Pirates' Ayobamidele forced Marshall's Buysse to turn the ball over and Ayobamidele smartly got the ball to Danielle Schaub. With :06 left, Danielle Schaub was fouled by Marshall's Saugstad that sent the freshman to the line to try and ice this thing. Danielle Schaub's first free throw was good but the second one bounced off and Marshall grabbed the rebound and the Tigers raced down the floor to try and set up the game winner. But with :01 left, Buysse; trying to hurry things, turned the ball over and the Pirates dribbled out the last grains of sand in this unbelievable, incredible contest as the Park Center players, coaches, student section and fans celebrated wildly when the horn mercifully sounded as Park Center claimed their first-ever state championship with a 73-71 victory in a game that will undoubtedly go down in the annals as one of the greatest games ever. In fact, this game was the longest in girls state tournament history.
I was able to corral Park Center's VanderHyde before the official press conference afterward and asked him, "How the hell are you!" He laughed and said he was about ready to burst. When things calmed down a bit in the press conference afterward, VanderHyde said this game was arguably "a war of attrition" and somehow the Pirates found a way to survive when a lot of teams likely would have folded. VanderHyde admitted that "there was obvious concern when McMorris fouled out with DuBois already on the bench" but he couldn't help but heap a ton of praise on the group of freshmen on this team that somehow, someway, found a way to pull this squad through. He said that this win was "huge for the program" and Simonet, who led all scorers on this night with her 26 points, was referred to as "so reliable and dependable" by VanderHyde. I also had a chance to speak with Danielle Schaub afterward as well and she spoke about the play she made at the end of regulation to force the first overtime. "The play to force overtime was meant to go to (Mikayla) Hayes but I was open" she said. I also asked her about how she and her teammates found a way to get through this; with the crowd and the noise and the environment and the setting with a state championship on the line. "You have to give 110%; you have to give it your all" and the Pirates did just that. Additionally, I spoke with McMorris as well who called this win in her last game as a Park Center Pirate "Very satisgying....it means everything." When I asked her about if she was surprised at how the freshmen core had to carry the load after both she and DuBois fouled out she replied that "she wasn't shocked or surprised at all at what our freshmen did....they brought it all to the table tonight!" And so it was. This game, IMHO, will undoubtedly go down as one of the greatest games ever played and I have to tip my hat to both sides at providing basketball fans with an unbelievable and unforgettable treat on this night.
Marshall got off to a solid start in this one as junior forward Hailey Bennett knocked down a jumper from the left corner at the 17:46 mark to get the Tigers going and they would establish an 8-2 advantage by the 15:50 mark when senior forward Kenzie Beekman connected on a lay-up at the 15:50 mark. Park Center, however, would soon catch up and a "3" from freshman guard Ann Simonet from the right corner at the 14:16 mark and an offensive rebound and putback by Simonet at the 13:23 mark had the Pirates to within three trailing 11-8. Senior star forward Cayla McMorris then struck as she snared a steal and dashed the other way for a lay-up that cut the Tigers lead to 11-10 at the 13:04 mark and Park Center would eventually grab a 15-11 lead by the 11:22 mark when McMorris drained a "3" from the right corner.
Marshall would then fight their way back and a Beekman "3" from the left top area with 9:47 left had the Tigers back out in front 16-15 but a "3" by freshman reserve forward Fey Ayobamidele from the left corner allowed the Pirates to grab a 19-16 lead with 7:41 left. Marshall would eventually knot the issue at 21-all when junior forward Morgan Saugstad knocked down two free throws with 4:20 left. The Tigers 2-3 zone was making it difficult for either McMorris or lanky freshman post Mikayla Hayes to maneuver inside and Park Center seemed to sag offensively down the stretch of the first half. A "3" from Pirate freshman point guard Danielle Schaub from the left wing with 3:01 left did have Park Center back out in front 24-23 but Marshall would close the first half on a 6-0 run and a last second Tiger basket allowed Marshall to take a 29-24 lead into the locker room at the half. Park Center had a fairly balanced scoring attack led by Simonet's eight points as did Marshall as both Saugstad and Beekman tallied eight points a piece. Surprisingly, rebounds were even at 20 a piece and even more surprisingly was that Marshall committed more turnovers than Park Center; 6 to 2. Perhaps the biggest telling point was that Park Center's McMorris shot a rather dismal 3-13 in the first half. Could she step up her game in the second half?
Marshall would get its lead to seven points at 33-26 at the 16:42 mark on a score in the paint by junior forward Haley Bennett and a rebound and putback by Beekman at the 16:12 upped the lead to nine at 35-26 before Park Center slowly, ever so slowly, whittled away at the Tiger advantage. A lay-up by Simonet after a Park Center steal at the 15:06 mark and a Simonet lay-up in transition at the 13:55 mark kept Park Center within striking distance trailing 37-30. A steal and lay-up by McMorris at the 13:48 mark and a Simonet "3" from the right corner at the 11:58 mark had Park Center within five trailing 40-35. A score down low by McMcorris with 9:16 left allowed the Pirates to get back to within three trailing 46-43 with a mountain of time left.
But it seemed like, no matter how hard the Pirates tried they could never get it back to a single possession game again. Missed three-point attempts that just wouldn't go down and other missed opportunities allowed Marshall to get their lead back to five points at 48-43 with 8:02 left. A quick 4-0 burst by the Tigers highlighted by a Beekman rebound and putback with 5:10 left had Marshall up 52-43 and Park Center's hopes looked dim. But little did I or anyone else in attendance on this night have any clue as to what would take place down the stretch. Park Center Head Coach Chris VanderHyde called a timeout to try and make adjustments for his squad in a vain attempt for a comeback but this one appeared out of reach.
Somehow, the Pirates began the slow road to bringing this one back. McMorris knocked down two free throws after getting fouled with 4:51 left that trimmed the deficit to seven trailing 52-45 and with 4:12 left, Hayes was able to maneuver into the paint for a score and she got fouled in the process and the ensuing free throws suddenly had Park Center to within four trailing 52-48. Marshall's Beekman was fouled with 3:25 left but she couldn't get the front end of the one-and-one to go down and the Pirates came right back down the floor and with 2:41 left, Simonet got a jumper in the lane in transition to go down that now cut Marshall's lead to 52-50 and you could detect the panic on the faces of the Tigers. A jumper by Marshall's Bennett with 2:30 left upped the Tigers lead to 54-40 but then Park Center's Simonet struck again as she drained a clutch "3" from the left corner with 2:14 left that now had the Pirates to within one trailing 54-53. Marshall's Bennett came right back and connected on a jumper with 1:57 left to get the Tigers back up by three at 56-53. Hayes was able to get Park Center back to within two when she knocked down one charity stripe shot after getting fouled with :51.7 left but disaster seemingly struck the Pirates again with the sands of time running out on this one. First, junior guard McKenna DuBois; normally one of the offensive sparkplugs for this Park Center team, fouled out with :45.3 left and that sent Marshall junior guard Sarah Buysse to the line where she knocked down two freebies making it a two-possession game and a 60-56 Tiger lead. One the Pirates next possession with :24 left, McMorris made a strong drive and finish to get the Marshall lead down to two again at 60-58. Park Center's VanderHyde called timeout again to set up his defense but with :20.1 left, another blow to the Pirate ship was delivered when McMorris fouled out and now Park Center, without two of its best starters on the floor and a third key member; junior guard Hannah Schaub, relegated to a player/coach role as she recovers from her ACL injury, appeared to have used up its last lifeline. But just when Marshall could have put this one away for good, Buysse couldn't get her free throw to go down and with :14.1 left and one last gasp hope left, Park Center's VanderHyde called his last timeout in order to try and set up the tying or winning score. The Pirates would bring the ball down the floor; hounded by Marshall defenders and with seconds winding down, Danielle Schaub got the ball and the otherwise shy and giggly freshman off the court made a fearless move into the lane and launched a one-handed runner that kissed the glass and fell into the cylinder as the horn sounded and the Park Center contingent was going bonkers as we were now headed to overtime tied at 60-all.
In the first overtime, Marshall junior forward Callie Graff was able to connect with a lay-up that allowed the Tigers to cling to an oh-so-precarious 62-60 lead. Both Danielle Schaub and Simonet committed turnovers on the Pirates first two possessions of the first overtime period but so did Marshall's Beekman and Bennett. Finally, with 1:23 left, Simonet was able to connect on a lay-up that had things knotted up at 62 a piece but with 1:07 left, Marshall's Bennett was fouled and she was able to get two free throws out of it that once again gave the Tigers a two-point advantage at 64-62. The Pirates would be incredibly patient with the ball on their last possession of the first overtime and, with :32 left, another freshman; Hayes, would get into the spotlight as she used her 6'2" frame to drive into the lane and connect with a lay-up that once again tied the issue at 64-all. With the fans at Williams Arena going absolutely nuts, Marshall now had one last chance to try and win it. The Tigers Saugstad tried to win it as she attempted to drive the ball into the lane but the Pirate defense caused her to lose the ball as it popped out crazily out of her hands as the horn sounded ending the first overtime.
By the second overtime, most of the fans needed oxygen masks (including yours truly) to try and catch their breath as this classic wore on. Beekman was able to get into the paint for a score for the Tigers that put Marshall back out in front 66-64. Park Center's Simonet and Ayobamidele couldn't get short jumpers to go down on the Pirates ensuing possession but Marshall wasn't able to capitalize on their next possession either. With 1:48 left, Simonet was able to get one freebie to go down after getting fouled but so was Marshall's Buysse when she got hacked with 1:25 left that had the Tigers back up by two at 67-65. With Park Center seemingly facing doomsday once again and the Tigers trying desperately to hold on to the ball and milk the clock out, Simonet came out of nowhere and snared the ball away from Marshall's Buysse and dashed the other way for a lay-up that tied things up again at 67-all with the Park Center student section and fans simply going crazy. But Marshall still had one chance left and tried to craftily work the clock down. But with :03 left, Tiger sophomore reserve forward Marah Mulso turned the ball over and now the Pirates had one last chance to try and win it. Park Center's VanderHyde called a timeout to try and set something up and the Pirates got the ball to Danielle Schaub and with :00.9 left she tried to uncork the game-winning three-point attempt from the right wing but it bounced off with the issue still undecided tied up at 67-all. Who would crack first?
Marshall tried once again to gain the upper hand in the third overtime as a Beekman offensive rebound for a putback with 2:59 left had the Tigers up 69-67 but the Pirates; somehow given a second wind in all this, looked to be fresher and more determined than ever. With 2:46 left, Ayobamidele connected with a lay-up that had things tied up yet again at 69-all. Marshall's Beekman would launch an errant shot with 2:28 left and although Saugstad was able to snare the offensive rebound and give the Tigers another chance, junior reserve forward Callie Graff promptly turned the ball over to the Pirates. With 2:04 left in this thriller, the first signs of anyone cracking in this one finally appeared. Hayes went into the lane for a lay-up that the Pirates ahead in this one at 71-69 and worse yet from a Marshall perspective, Bennett committed her fifth foul of the night that forced her to the bench. Hayes was unable to put down the obligatory freebie and now the Pirates would be in the role of trying to nurse a precarious two-point advantage. With 1:08 left, Marshall's Beekman snared a steal and although a three-point attempt by Saugstad missed its mark with :43 left, Beekman was there for the offensive rebound and she promptly put a shot in that had this unbelievable game tied up at 71-all. Park Center's VanderHyde called a timeout to try and set up one last play to try and win it and end this thing once and for all. With the Pirates trying desperately to keep the ball away from a hungry Marshall defense, Simonet was fouled with :21 left. Her first free throw attempt missed its mark but she was able to get the second for a 72-71 Pirate lead. Now Marshall was faced with the dubious task of trying to get fouled to get sent to the free throw line or somehow find an opening to launch a game-winning shot. But with :12 left, an aggressive move on defense by the Pirates' Ayobamidele forced Marshall's Buysse to turn the ball over and Ayobamidele smartly got the ball to Danielle Schaub. With :06 left, Danielle Schaub was fouled by Marshall's Saugstad that sent the freshman to the line to try and ice this thing. Danielle Schaub's first free throw was good but the second one bounced off and Marshall grabbed the rebound and the Tigers raced down the floor to try and set up the game winner. But with :01 left, Buysse; trying to hurry things, turned the ball over and the Pirates dribbled out the last grains of sand in this unbelievable, incredible contest as the Park Center players, coaches, student section and fans celebrated wildly when the horn mercifully sounded as Park Center claimed their first-ever state championship with a 73-71 victory in a game that will undoubtedly go down in the annals as one of the greatest games ever. In fact, this game was the longest in girls state tournament history.
I was able to corral Park Center's VanderHyde before the official press conference afterward and asked him, "How the hell are you!" He laughed and said he was about ready to burst. When things calmed down a bit in the press conference afterward, VanderHyde said this game was arguably "a war of attrition" and somehow the Pirates found a way to survive when a lot of teams likely would have folded. VanderHyde admitted that "there was obvious concern when McMorris fouled out with DuBois already on the bench" but he couldn't help but heap a ton of praise on the group of freshmen on this team that somehow, someway, found a way to pull this squad through. He said that this win was "huge for the program" and Simonet, who led all scorers on this night with her 26 points, was referred to as "so reliable and dependable" by VanderHyde. I also had a chance to speak with Danielle Schaub afterward as well and she spoke about the play she made at the end of regulation to force the first overtime. "The play to force overtime was meant to go to (Mikayla) Hayes but I was open" she said. I also asked her about how she and her teammates found a way to get through this; with the crowd and the noise and the environment and the setting with a state championship on the line. "You have to give 110%; you have to give it your all" and the Pirates did just that. Additionally, I spoke with McMorris as well who called this win in her last game as a Park Center Pirate "Very satisgying....it means everything." When I asked her about if she was surprised at how the freshmen core had to carry the load after both she and DuBois fouled out she replied that "she wasn't shocked or surprised at all at what our freshmen did....they brought it all to the table tonight!" And so it was. This game, IMHO, will undoubtedly go down as one of the greatest games ever played and I have to tip my hat to both sides at providing basketball fans with an unbelievable and unforgettable treat on this night.
Minnesota Girls State Tournament - Class AA Championship Game - New Richland-H-E-G vs Kenyon-Wanamingo - 3-22-14 2:00 P.M.
The second game on tap this afternoon from Williams Arena on this day was the much-anticipated match-up between defending state champ New Richland-H-E-G and challenger Kenyon-Wanamingo for the Class 2AA crown. These two team met back in January on New Richland-H-E-G's home floor with the panthers claiming a tough seven-point victory so the hope was that this one would follow along the same lines.
The Knights took a 5-2 lead in the opening minutes but a "3" from New Richland-H-E-G's Maddie Wagner from the right wing at the 15:27 mark tied things up at 5-all. Kenyon-Wanamingo was in a 2-3 zone defense to start this one out; most likely in hopes of preventing Maddie's older sister and senior star Carlie Wagner from making several forays into the paint and make her shoot from the outside; a pick-your-poison proposition from a Kenyon-Wanamingo perspective. Nevertheless, things woud stay tight until about the midway point. Panther senior guard Jade Schultz drained a "3" from the right corner at the 11:13 mark and then fellow senior post Paige Overgaard connected on a lay-up at the 10:53 mark that suddenly had New Richland-H-E-G up 19-10 and the Panther contingent going nuts. Kenyon-Wanamingo Head Coach Brent Lurken knew it was time to call a timeout as his Knight's team must have felt the weight of the world on their shoulders with all the noise.
Kenyon-Wanamingo's senior sharpshooting forward Siri Sviggum tried to get her team closer when she drained a "3" from the right wing with 9:30 left to cut the Panther's lead down to 19-13 but the Knights were not having much success trying to get the ball down low and New Richland-H-E-G Head Coach John Schultz switched up his defense to a 1-3-1 zone in an effort to try and confuse Kenyon-Wanamingo. With the Knights offense sputtering, New Richland-H-E-G took full advantage. A free throw by Carlie Wagner with 6:00 left had the Panthers up double digits at 23-13 and a score down low by Overgaard with 5:06 left upped the lead to 25-13. Maddie Wagner struck again from three-point land as her trey from the left wing with 4:40 left suddenly had the Panthers up 28-13. A Maddie Wagner jumper from the left wing with 2:29 left upped the New Richland-H-E-G lead to sixteen at 33-17 and another Overgaard score down low with 1:50 left upped it to 35-17. Kenyon-Wanamingo's junior reserve guard Emily Ashland tried to shave some of the fat off of the Panther cushion with her "3" from the right corner with :40 left but two free throws by senior forward Hannah Lundberg kept the cushion at 18 with a 37-19 lead once halftime arrived. Carlie Wagner's ten points did lead the way for New Richland-H-E-G in the first half but younger sister Maddie Wagner was right behind with her eight points in a balanced Panther scoring attack. Sviggum and junior forward Megan Quam each had six points to pace Kenyon-Wanamingo in the first half. Rebounds were fairly close with New Richland-H-E-G holding a slight 21-19 advantage on the boards but Kenyon-Wanamingo was guilty of 12 first half turnovers compared to only four for New Richland-H-E-G. That was going to have to change if the Knights were entertaining any ideas about getting back into this one.
The turnover bugaboo soon reared its ugly head for Kenyon-Wanamingo early on in the second half as the Panther's Carlie Wagner easily stole an errant Knight pass and dashed the other way for an easy lay-up at the 17:15 mark for a twenty-point 39-19 New Richland-H-E-G lead. That lead soon expanded to 42-19 when Carlie Wagner uncorked a "3" from the right corner at the 15:09 mark and another Carlie Wagner trey shortly thereafter from the right wing made it a 45-23 game. Still another Carlie Wagner "3" from the right wing at the 13:10 mark made it a 48-23 New Richland-H-E-G lead and the rout appeared on.
The Carlie Wagner show continued in this championship game. She knocked down a jumper from the left elbow at the 12:31 mark and then connected with a lay-up at the 12:07 mark as New Richland-H-E-G's lead bulged to 52-30. A Carlie Wagner "3" from the top of the key barely made the net move; it was so accurate at the 11:18 mark for a 56-32 lead. By this time, she had easily made up for an "off" (if that term could ever be applied to her) first half and had tallied 29 points. Kenyon-Wanamingo kept fighting and wouldn't give up; two scores by Quam whittled the Panther lead down to 56-42 with 8:00 left but it still simply looked like a bridge too far for this Kenyon-Wanamingo to cross. But one thing I learned about this team as this game came down to the home stretch is that this Kenyon-Wanaming team has the heart of a lion and if they're going to go down, they're going to go down fighting and make their opponent sweat. It took some time but they kept chipping and whittling away at the Panther lead; applying ball-pressure defense and looking for any crack or opening they could find. One free throw by Quam with 5:52 left and a lay-up by senior guard Meg Clark with 5:47 left had the deficit cut down to fourteen trailing 60-46 and two more Quam charity stripe shots with 5:16 left had New Richland-H-E-G's lead down to 61-49. Meg Clark's twin sister Audra Clark was able to knock down one free throw with 3:13 left to narrow the gap slightly trailing 63-52 and then with 2:01 left, Meg Clark was fouled behind the arc trying to launch a three-point attempt and was able to knock down two out of the three free throw attempts to close in further trailing 64-56. New Richland-H-E-G struggled a bit from the charity stripe when the Knights quickly fouled in order to preserve what little time was left and, had the game been any closer, the Panthers would have had reason to seriously sweat bullets. As it was, Kenyon-Wanamingo could get no closer than seven on two occasions late in the game and Carlie Wagner hit insurance charity stripe shots within the last minute to preserve a 71-61 victory and a repeat as Class AA champions.
I had an opportunity to speak with Kenyon-Wanamingo's Lurken after the game and I had to tip my hat to him and his squad for never giving up in this one, even when all appeared lost early in the second half. "They're such a determined group of girls" Lurken remarked. "We needed to get a couple of extra shots" he also added. The Clark twins also took time to speak to me afterward as well. I first asked Audra about how this team found a way to fight back and make a game out of it towards the end. "It was our last chance and we wanted to keep fighting" she said. Meg talked about what it was like to have to battle Carlie Wagner in this championship game. "She can be intimidating but you have to find a way to get over that and just play" she said. Audra also talked about what it's been like to have been a part of this Kenyon-Wanamingo program. "It's been an awesome experience" she said. Indeed, these sisters have been playing together with their teammates since grade school and this had always been a long-standing goal of theirs. In the end, this Kenyon-Wanamingo team won respect but New Richland-H-E-G won another state championship.
The Knights took a 5-2 lead in the opening minutes but a "3" from New Richland-H-E-G's Maddie Wagner from the right wing at the 15:27 mark tied things up at 5-all. Kenyon-Wanamingo was in a 2-3 zone defense to start this one out; most likely in hopes of preventing Maddie's older sister and senior star Carlie Wagner from making several forays into the paint and make her shoot from the outside; a pick-your-poison proposition from a Kenyon-Wanamingo perspective. Nevertheless, things woud stay tight until about the midway point. Panther senior guard Jade Schultz drained a "3" from the right corner at the 11:13 mark and then fellow senior post Paige Overgaard connected on a lay-up at the 10:53 mark that suddenly had New Richland-H-E-G up 19-10 and the Panther contingent going nuts. Kenyon-Wanamingo Head Coach Brent Lurken knew it was time to call a timeout as his Knight's team must have felt the weight of the world on their shoulders with all the noise.
Kenyon-Wanamingo's senior sharpshooting forward Siri Sviggum tried to get her team closer when she drained a "3" from the right wing with 9:30 left to cut the Panther's lead down to 19-13 but the Knights were not having much success trying to get the ball down low and New Richland-H-E-G Head Coach John Schultz switched up his defense to a 1-3-1 zone in an effort to try and confuse Kenyon-Wanamingo. With the Knights offense sputtering, New Richland-H-E-G took full advantage. A free throw by Carlie Wagner with 6:00 left had the Panthers up double digits at 23-13 and a score down low by Overgaard with 5:06 left upped the lead to 25-13. Maddie Wagner struck again from three-point land as her trey from the left wing with 4:40 left suddenly had the Panthers up 28-13. A Maddie Wagner jumper from the left wing with 2:29 left upped the New Richland-H-E-G lead to sixteen at 33-17 and another Overgaard score down low with 1:50 left upped it to 35-17. Kenyon-Wanamingo's junior reserve guard Emily Ashland tried to shave some of the fat off of the Panther cushion with her "3" from the right corner with :40 left but two free throws by senior forward Hannah Lundberg kept the cushion at 18 with a 37-19 lead once halftime arrived. Carlie Wagner's ten points did lead the way for New Richland-H-E-G in the first half but younger sister Maddie Wagner was right behind with her eight points in a balanced Panther scoring attack. Sviggum and junior forward Megan Quam each had six points to pace Kenyon-Wanamingo in the first half. Rebounds were fairly close with New Richland-H-E-G holding a slight 21-19 advantage on the boards but Kenyon-Wanamingo was guilty of 12 first half turnovers compared to only four for New Richland-H-E-G. That was going to have to change if the Knights were entertaining any ideas about getting back into this one.
The turnover bugaboo soon reared its ugly head for Kenyon-Wanamingo early on in the second half as the Panther's Carlie Wagner easily stole an errant Knight pass and dashed the other way for an easy lay-up at the 17:15 mark for a twenty-point 39-19 New Richland-H-E-G lead. That lead soon expanded to 42-19 when Carlie Wagner uncorked a "3" from the right corner at the 15:09 mark and another Carlie Wagner trey shortly thereafter from the right wing made it a 45-23 game. Still another Carlie Wagner "3" from the right wing at the 13:10 mark made it a 48-23 New Richland-H-E-G lead and the rout appeared on.
The Carlie Wagner show continued in this championship game. She knocked down a jumper from the left elbow at the 12:31 mark and then connected with a lay-up at the 12:07 mark as New Richland-H-E-G's lead bulged to 52-30. A Carlie Wagner "3" from the top of the key barely made the net move; it was so accurate at the 11:18 mark for a 56-32 lead. By this time, she had easily made up for an "off" (if that term could ever be applied to her) first half and had tallied 29 points. Kenyon-Wanamingo kept fighting and wouldn't give up; two scores by Quam whittled the Panther lead down to 56-42 with 8:00 left but it still simply looked like a bridge too far for this Kenyon-Wanamingo to cross. But one thing I learned about this team as this game came down to the home stretch is that this Kenyon-Wanaming team has the heart of a lion and if they're going to go down, they're going to go down fighting and make their opponent sweat. It took some time but they kept chipping and whittling away at the Panther lead; applying ball-pressure defense and looking for any crack or opening they could find. One free throw by Quam with 5:52 left and a lay-up by senior guard Meg Clark with 5:47 left had the deficit cut down to fourteen trailing 60-46 and two more Quam charity stripe shots with 5:16 left had New Richland-H-E-G's lead down to 61-49. Meg Clark's twin sister Audra Clark was able to knock down one free throw with 3:13 left to narrow the gap slightly trailing 63-52 and then with 2:01 left, Meg Clark was fouled behind the arc trying to launch a three-point attempt and was able to knock down two out of the three free throw attempts to close in further trailing 64-56. New Richland-H-E-G struggled a bit from the charity stripe when the Knights quickly fouled in order to preserve what little time was left and, had the game been any closer, the Panthers would have had reason to seriously sweat bullets. As it was, Kenyon-Wanamingo could get no closer than seven on two occasions late in the game and Carlie Wagner hit insurance charity stripe shots within the last minute to preserve a 71-61 victory and a repeat as Class AA champions.
I had an opportunity to speak with Kenyon-Wanamingo's Lurken after the game and I had to tip my hat to him and his squad for never giving up in this one, even when all appeared lost early in the second half. "They're such a determined group of girls" Lurken remarked. "We needed to get a couple of extra shots" he also added. The Clark twins also took time to speak to me afterward as well. I first asked Audra about how this team found a way to fight back and make a game out of it towards the end. "It was our last chance and we wanted to keep fighting" she said. Meg talked about what it was like to have to battle Carlie Wagner in this championship game. "She can be intimidating but you have to find a way to get over that and just play" she said. Audra also talked about what it's been like to have been a part of this Kenyon-Wanamingo program. "It's been an awesome experience" she said. Indeed, these sisters have been playing together with their teammates since grade school and this had always been a long-standing goal of theirs. In the end, this Kenyon-Wanamingo team won respect but New Richland-H-E-G won another state championship.
Saturday, March 22, 2014
Minnesota Girls State Tournament - Class A Championship Game- Minneota vs Win-E-Mac - 3-22-14 12:00 P.M.
Made my back over to Williams Arena on this bright and sunny but cold Saturday for the championship games of the Minnesota Girls State Tournament. The first game on tap today would be the Class A Championship Game featuring defending state champ Minneota going up against Win-E-Mac. The Vikings got back to the championship game by virtue of their incredibly exciting semifinal win over Goodhue and the heroics of junior forward Taylor Reiss while the Patriots held of Mankato Loyola to advance. On paper anyway, Minneota would be heavily favored to win and repeat as state champs but the way this state tournament is gone, all I can do is paraphrase ESPN's Chris Berman and say "THAT'S why the play the games."
The fireworks started early in this championship game as both sides tried to make a splash early on. A lay-up by sophomore point guard Madison McKeever of Win-E-Mac had the Patriots up 4-2 by the 16:25 mark but that was negated when Minneota junior guard Payton Boerboom drained a "3" from the left wing at the 16:05 mark for a 5-4 Viking lead which was the start of a 9-0 Minneota run that made it an 11-4 game by the 14:11 mark and Win-E-Mac Head Coach Ian Hanson; apprehensive of getting into a hole early on, called a timeout to get his squad settled down. The Patriots seemed to come out of that break in the action with a better focus and intensity as McKeever promptly drilled a "3" from the top of the key at the 13:52 mark to cut the Minneota lead down to 11-7. By the 11:55 mark, the score was suddenly knotted up at 11-all thanks to two free throws by McKeever who seemed to be taking over the game for the Patriots. By the 10:07 mark, the Vikings had re-established a bit of a cushion with a 15-11 lead but this was far sight better for Win-E-Mac compared to what they were staring at early on in this contest.
The Patriots would make things very interesting over the next three minutes as a McKeever free throw with 8:14 left and a lay-up senior forward Shelby Kaster drew Win-E-Mac to within two trailing 17-15. Senior guard Korbyn Ross then gave Win-E-Mac its first lead at 18-17 since the opening moments when she uncorked a "3" from the right corner with 7:02 left that had the Patriots fans screaming with delight. But there would be reason for even more joy among the Win-E-Mac contingent as the Patriots proceeded to go on a 9-2 run over the next three minutes; highlighted by a pretty lay-up by McKeever that now had Win-E-Mac ahead 27-19 with 4:35 left and had Minneota coach Chad Johnston calling for a timeout to search for answers. The Patriots extended the lead to 29-19 before the Vikings were able to make a bit of an inroad on that cushion. Win-E-Mac, however, would get the lead back to a ten-point lead at 31-21 before Minneota's three-point sharpshooter, junior Emily Stienessen, was able to uncork a trey from the right wing with :43 left to help the Vikings get back to within seven trailing 31-24. Two free throws by Win-E-Mac's Ross with :40.7 left had the Patriot lead back up to nine at 33-24 but a Stienessen lay-up allowed Minneota to get back to within seven again trailing 33-26. That should have had the Minneota contingent feeling a bit better but then just before the halftime buzzer, the Patriots' Ross struck again; this time snaring an offensive rebound for a putback that re-established that nine-point lead at 35-26 and Minneota's Johnson somehow had to find a way to get his team breathing fire during the halftime break to avoid the upset that underdog Win-E-Mac was threatening to pull off. McKeever set William Arena ablaze with her 17 first half points while Ross followed up the Patriot effort with her ten points. Minneota junior forward Taylor Reiss led the Viking attack with her ten first half points while Stienessen added nine points. Minneota did have the rebounding edge at 21-18 but also committed 12 first half turnovers to only four for Win-E-Mac and that had to change for the Vikings if they were going to repeat as state champs.
The Patriots were able to retain that nine-point edge in the opening three minutes of the first half and Win-E-Mac's Ross played an integral role in helping her team keep that advantage. A drive and finish by Ross at the 17:17 mark plus two Ross free throws had the Patriots up 41-32 by the 14:52 mark. Minneota's problems mounted when Win-E-Mac's McKeever got a hot hand as she connected on a lay-up in transition at the 12:55 mark and then uncorked a jumper just inside the arc from the top of the key at the 12:24 mark for a 47-32 Patriot lead. By this point, Win-E-Mac was content to take some air out of the ball and, by the midway point, it definitely looked like Minneota was in deep, deep doo-doo.
But the defending state champs would not be ready to throw in the towel on this one and they slowly fought their way back. They got on a 7-0 burst to cut the deficit back into single digits and then extended that to a 12-0 run when senior forward Megan Larson snared an offensive rebound for a putback and got fouled in the process and her ensuing free throw suddenly had the Vikings to within five trailing 47-42. Then a score in the paint by Stienessen with 7:03 cut Win-E-Mac's lead down to 47-44 and the Minneota students and fans were going nuts. The Patriots would get their lead back up to 52-44 with 4:32 left but this Minneota team was far from finished. A Stienessen "3" with 4:22 left and a rare "3" from senior forward Molly Hennen from the left wing with 3:35 left suddenly had the Vikings to within two trailing 52-50. But two scores by Win-E-Mac - a lay-up by Ross with 2:00 left that had players from both teams falling all over the place it seemed like; and a lay-up by freshman Alayna Espeseth with 1:27 left - had the Patriots up 56-50 and Minneota's dreams of a repeat state championship died right there. Win-E-Mac's Ross knocked down one charity stripe shot with 1:02 left and then Win-E-Mac's McKeever came up with a game-clinching steal with :57 left that got her fouled as well. Her ensuing freebies now had the Patriots up 59-50 which, for all intents and purposes, was the ballgame. Two more McKeever free throws with :39.7 left were insurance and this upstart Win-E-Mac team; unseeded in this state tournament, pulled off a shocker; claiming the Class A state title with a 61-53 victory.
A very happy Head Coach Ian Hanson later spoke about what this win means for him but for the Win-E-Mac program in general. "It's a lot of fun!" he said "It's special as I never got here as a player but to do it as a coach is great." I asked Hanson about how his team stayed calm in the late stages when Minneota drew close. "I told them to take a breath" he replied. They kept their cool and held off a late Minneota charge. As far as the team itself, Hanson couldn't help but gush with pride. "They hang out together; they're best friends" as this group has been together for a long time and has always had this goal. Ross concurred those sentiments as well. "We've been together since third grade and have worked so hard for this she said. Ross admitted that "I had a first couple of rough games" in this state tournament but today, with this being her last game in a Win-E-Mac uniform, she decided to step up and be bold. "I put my trust in my teammates" she added and said that that one early three she hit from the corner in this game seemed to really help her and her teammates settle down and get their teeth into the match. McKeever's 27 points led the way for Win-E-Mac in this state championship game and her along with Ross and Kaster were named to the All-Tournament team as well. Minneota was led by Reiss' 18 points while Stienessen had 17 points to pace the Vikings who saw their dreams of a repeat come to a halt.
The fireworks started early in this championship game as both sides tried to make a splash early on. A lay-up by sophomore point guard Madison McKeever of Win-E-Mac had the Patriots up 4-2 by the 16:25 mark but that was negated when Minneota junior guard Payton Boerboom drained a "3" from the left wing at the 16:05 mark for a 5-4 Viking lead which was the start of a 9-0 Minneota run that made it an 11-4 game by the 14:11 mark and Win-E-Mac Head Coach Ian Hanson; apprehensive of getting into a hole early on, called a timeout to get his squad settled down. The Patriots seemed to come out of that break in the action with a better focus and intensity as McKeever promptly drilled a "3" from the top of the key at the 13:52 mark to cut the Minneota lead down to 11-7. By the 11:55 mark, the score was suddenly knotted up at 11-all thanks to two free throws by McKeever who seemed to be taking over the game for the Patriots. By the 10:07 mark, the Vikings had re-established a bit of a cushion with a 15-11 lead but this was far sight better for Win-E-Mac compared to what they were staring at early on in this contest.
The Patriots would make things very interesting over the next three minutes as a McKeever free throw with 8:14 left and a lay-up senior forward Shelby Kaster drew Win-E-Mac to within two trailing 17-15. Senior guard Korbyn Ross then gave Win-E-Mac its first lead at 18-17 since the opening moments when she uncorked a "3" from the right corner with 7:02 left that had the Patriots fans screaming with delight. But there would be reason for even more joy among the Win-E-Mac contingent as the Patriots proceeded to go on a 9-2 run over the next three minutes; highlighted by a pretty lay-up by McKeever that now had Win-E-Mac ahead 27-19 with 4:35 left and had Minneota coach Chad Johnston calling for a timeout to search for answers. The Patriots extended the lead to 29-19 before the Vikings were able to make a bit of an inroad on that cushion. Win-E-Mac, however, would get the lead back to a ten-point lead at 31-21 before Minneota's three-point sharpshooter, junior Emily Stienessen, was able to uncork a trey from the right wing with :43 left to help the Vikings get back to within seven trailing 31-24. Two free throws by Win-E-Mac's Ross with :40.7 left had the Patriot lead back up to nine at 33-24 but a Stienessen lay-up allowed Minneota to get back to within seven again trailing 33-26. That should have had the Minneota contingent feeling a bit better but then just before the halftime buzzer, the Patriots' Ross struck again; this time snaring an offensive rebound for a putback that re-established that nine-point lead at 35-26 and Minneota's Johnson somehow had to find a way to get his team breathing fire during the halftime break to avoid the upset that underdog Win-E-Mac was threatening to pull off. McKeever set William Arena ablaze with her 17 first half points while Ross followed up the Patriot effort with her ten points. Minneota junior forward Taylor Reiss led the Viking attack with her ten first half points while Stienessen added nine points. Minneota did have the rebounding edge at 21-18 but also committed 12 first half turnovers to only four for Win-E-Mac and that had to change for the Vikings if they were going to repeat as state champs.
The Patriots were able to retain that nine-point edge in the opening three minutes of the first half and Win-E-Mac's Ross played an integral role in helping her team keep that advantage. A drive and finish by Ross at the 17:17 mark plus two Ross free throws had the Patriots up 41-32 by the 14:52 mark. Minneota's problems mounted when Win-E-Mac's McKeever got a hot hand as she connected on a lay-up in transition at the 12:55 mark and then uncorked a jumper just inside the arc from the top of the key at the 12:24 mark for a 47-32 Patriot lead. By this point, Win-E-Mac was content to take some air out of the ball and, by the midway point, it definitely looked like Minneota was in deep, deep doo-doo.
But the defending state champs would not be ready to throw in the towel on this one and they slowly fought their way back. They got on a 7-0 burst to cut the deficit back into single digits and then extended that to a 12-0 run when senior forward Megan Larson snared an offensive rebound for a putback and got fouled in the process and her ensuing free throw suddenly had the Vikings to within five trailing 47-42. Then a score in the paint by Stienessen with 7:03 cut Win-E-Mac's lead down to 47-44 and the Minneota students and fans were going nuts. The Patriots would get their lead back up to 52-44 with 4:32 left but this Minneota team was far from finished. A Stienessen "3" with 4:22 left and a rare "3" from senior forward Molly Hennen from the left wing with 3:35 left suddenly had the Vikings to within two trailing 52-50. But two scores by Win-E-Mac - a lay-up by Ross with 2:00 left that had players from both teams falling all over the place it seemed like; and a lay-up by freshman Alayna Espeseth with 1:27 left - had the Patriots up 56-50 and Minneota's dreams of a repeat state championship died right there. Win-E-Mac's Ross knocked down one charity stripe shot with 1:02 left and then Win-E-Mac's McKeever came up with a game-clinching steal with :57 left that got her fouled as well. Her ensuing freebies now had the Patriots up 59-50 which, for all intents and purposes, was the ballgame. Two more McKeever free throws with :39.7 left were insurance and this upstart Win-E-Mac team; unseeded in this state tournament, pulled off a shocker; claiming the Class A state title with a 61-53 victory.
A very happy Head Coach Ian Hanson later spoke about what this win means for him but for the Win-E-Mac program in general. "It's a lot of fun!" he said "It's special as I never got here as a player but to do it as a coach is great." I asked Hanson about how his team stayed calm in the late stages when Minneota drew close. "I told them to take a breath" he replied. They kept their cool and held off a late Minneota charge. As far as the team itself, Hanson couldn't help but gush with pride. "They hang out together; they're best friends" as this group has been together for a long time and has always had this goal. Ross concurred those sentiments as well. "We've been together since third grade and have worked so hard for this she said. Ross admitted that "I had a first couple of rough games" in this state tournament but today, with this being her last game in a Win-E-Mac uniform, she decided to step up and be bold. "I put my trust in my teammates" she added and said that that one early three she hit from the corner in this game seemed to really help her and her teammates settle down and get their teeth into the match. McKeever's 27 points led the way for Win-E-Mac in this state championship game and her along with Ross and Kaster were named to the All-Tournament team as well. Minneota was led by Reiss' 18 points while Stienessen had 17 points to pace the Vikings who saw their dreams of a repeat come to a halt.
Minnesota Girls State Tournament - Class A Semifinal - Kenyon-Wanamingo vs Esko - 3-21-14 8:00 P.M.
The nightcap from Williams Arena on this Friday night featured the other Class A semifinal pitting Kenyon-Wanamingo against upstart Esko which found a way to knock off highly-favored New London-Spicer back on Wednesday night. The Knights; with their 29-1 record, would be heavily favored in this one and the Eskomos would have to find the same magic they found two nights earlier.
Kenyon-Wanamingo had Esko on their heels early; bolting to an 8-0 lead in the opening minutes unleashing a whirlwind attack and the Eskomos had only made an incremental dent by the 14:33 mark; cutting into the cushion to trail 13-6. It appeared the Esko was in a heap of trouble early on in this one given the Knight's obvious advantage in speed and athleticism but this resilient and resourceful Eskomo squad hung tough and gradually fought their way back into the thick of things. Trailing 15-9, senior forward Kailee Kat snared an offensive rebound for a putback with 8:05 left and then two free throws by freshman reserve forward Karlie Kulas kept the deficit at four trailing 17-13 with 7:11 left. But the dam broke after that stand as Kenyon-Wanamingo proceeded to go on a 12-1 run over the next five minutes. Freshman reserve guard Mara Quam connected on a lay-up in transition with 5:48 left and a rebound and putback by junior forward Brittney Flom with 5:04 left along with two Flom free throws with 4:30 left suddenly had the Knights up double digits at 25-14. With 3:02 left, Megan Quam knocked down a jumper from the left elbow and two free throws by senior guard Siri Sviggum made it a 29-14 game. At halftime, Kenyon-Wanamingo extended the run to take a 32-14 lead into the locker room and you had to think that it would take a miracle of gigantic proportions for Esko to get back into this one. Sviggum's 12 points paced Kenyon-Wanamingo in the first half while Esko had a very balanced scoring attack in the first half: three players with three points a piece and two players with two points. The Knights did hold a 16-11 edge in rebounds and the Eskos also were guilty of nine turnovers which factored into things at this point.
Esko needed to get off to a great start in the second half and a "3" from Kat from the left top area at the 17:45 mark was certainly a spark that could ignite something like that. But the Knights extended the lead to 42-19 by the 14:15 mark and Esko could at best trade buckets with Kenyon-Wanamingo which simply was not going to get the job done. By the 13:40 mark and trailing 44-19, Esko Head Coach Scott Antonutti saw this one clearly slipping into the abyss and called a timeout to try and get his squad reorganized.
This Esko squad certainly didn't give up however and a "3" from the top of the key by freshman reserve forward Judy Wagemaker with 9:18 left and a Wagemaker free throw with 8:10 left helped slice a little fat off of the Kenyon-Wanamingo cushion but they would not catch the Knights on this night. With the Knights up 49-25, Mara Quam knocked down a "3" with 6:46 left for a 52-25 Kenyon-Wanamingo lead. Both Esko's Antonutti and Kenyon-Wanamingo Head Coach Brent Lurken were able to gradually insert their reserves into this game and it gave them a chance to get their names in the books. The Knights would roll to a 60-36 victory on this night to cement their place into Saturday's championship game opposite New Richland-H-E-G. Kenyon-Wanamingo's Sviggum led all scorers with 18 points while Esko's Wagemaker was a surprise leader in the scoring department for the Eskomos with 15 points.
I asked Kenyon-Wanamingo's Lurken about how important this core group that the Knights have Sviggum, the Clark twins, Flom, and Megan Quam and what it's meant for them to get to this point. "We knew we had a good group" Lurken replied and "our goal was getting to state". He also added that "Our core group is so crucial....there's so much chemistry there." He pointed out that these players have played together for many years now and they know each other so well and they know what each other is going to do on both ends of the floor. Flom concurred to the chemistry the squad has saying that "We know each other so well." About matching up against powerhouse New Richland-H-E-G on Saturday afternoon, Flom was bullish on her team's chances. "It's a great challenge and we're ready for it." The short turnaround time could be a factor for both squads but Flom pointed out that "we have to be ready and focused." Indeed, the Knights gave New Richland-H-E-G a tough game on the Panthers home floor back in January and it's certainly not out of the realm of possibility that they could do so again - and then some - Saturday afternoon.
Kenyon-Wanamingo had Esko on their heels early; bolting to an 8-0 lead in the opening minutes unleashing a whirlwind attack and the Eskomos had only made an incremental dent by the 14:33 mark; cutting into the cushion to trail 13-6. It appeared the Esko was in a heap of trouble early on in this one given the Knight's obvious advantage in speed and athleticism but this resilient and resourceful Eskomo squad hung tough and gradually fought their way back into the thick of things. Trailing 15-9, senior forward Kailee Kat snared an offensive rebound for a putback with 8:05 left and then two free throws by freshman reserve forward Karlie Kulas kept the deficit at four trailing 17-13 with 7:11 left. But the dam broke after that stand as Kenyon-Wanamingo proceeded to go on a 12-1 run over the next five minutes. Freshman reserve guard Mara Quam connected on a lay-up in transition with 5:48 left and a rebound and putback by junior forward Brittney Flom with 5:04 left along with two Flom free throws with 4:30 left suddenly had the Knights up double digits at 25-14. With 3:02 left, Megan Quam knocked down a jumper from the left elbow and two free throws by senior guard Siri Sviggum made it a 29-14 game. At halftime, Kenyon-Wanamingo extended the run to take a 32-14 lead into the locker room and you had to think that it would take a miracle of gigantic proportions for Esko to get back into this one. Sviggum's 12 points paced Kenyon-Wanamingo in the first half while Esko had a very balanced scoring attack in the first half: three players with three points a piece and two players with two points. The Knights did hold a 16-11 edge in rebounds and the Eskos also were guilty of nine turnovers which factored into things at this point.
Esko needed to get off to a great start in the second half and a "3" from Kat from the left top area at the 17:45 mark was certainly a spark that could ignite something like that. But the Knights extended the lead to 42-19 by the 14:15 mark and Esko could at best trade buckets with Kenyon-Wanamingo which simply was not going to get the job done. By the 13:40 mark and trailing 44-19, Esko Head Coach Scott Antonutti saw this one clearly slipping into the abyss and called a timeout to try and get his squad reorganized.
This Esko squad certainly didn't give up however and a "3" from the top of the key by freshman reserve forward Judy Wagemaker with 9:18 left and a Wagemaker free throw with 8:10 left helped slice a little fat off of the Kenyon-Wanamingo cushion but they would not catch the Knights on this night. With the Knights up 49-25, Mara Quam knocked down a "3" with 6:46 left for a 52-25 Kenyon-Wanamingo lead. Both Esko's Antonutti and Kenyon-Wanamingo Head Coach Brent Lurken were able to gradually insert their reserves into this game and it gave them a chance to get their names in the books. The Knights would roll to a 60-36 victory on this night to cement their place into Saturday's championship game opposite New Richland-H-E-G. Kenyon-Wanamingo's Sviggum led all scorers with 18 points while Esko's Wagemaker was a surprise leader in the scoring department for the Eskomos with 15 points.
I asked Kenyon-Wanamingo's Lurken about how important this core group that the Knights have Sviggum, the Clark twins, Flom, and Megan Quam and what it's meant for them to get to this point. "We knew we had a good group" Lurken replied and "our goal was getting to state". He also added that "Our core group is so crucial....there's so much chemistry there." He pointed out that these players have played together for many years now and they know each other so well and they know what each other is going to do on both ends of the floor. Flom concurred to the chemistry the squad has saying that "We know each other so well." About matching up against powerhouse New Richland-H-E-G on Saturday afternoon, Flom was bullish on her team's chances. "It's a great challenge and we're ready for it." The short turnaround time could be a factor for both squads but Flom pointed out that "we have to be ready and focused." Indeed, the Knights gave New Richland-H-E-G a tough game on the Panthers home floor back in January and it's certainly not out of the realm of possibility that they could do so again - and then some - Saturday afternoon.
Friday, March 21, 2014
Minnesota Girls State Tournament - Class AA Semifinal - New Richland-H-E-G vs Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted
The first game of the night session at Williams Arena on this Friday night featured the #1 seed New Richland-H-E-G going up against #4 seed Howard Lake-Waverly Winsted. The defending state champion Panthers are led by none other than Carly Wagner who is bound to be a Minnesota Golden Gopher this next season playing right here on this floor. The Lakers, decided underdogs in this one, got here by virtue of their quarterfinal win over Minnehaha Academy on Wednesday and weren't going to roll over for anyone.
Wagner got her squad off to a 3-0 lead when, on their first possession she calmly walked the ball up the court and routinely dropped a "3" from the top of the key at the 17:16 mark. Surprisingly, however, Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted would respond at get out to an 8-3 lead by the 13:26 mark and extend the lead to 11-5 by the 12:25 mark. But the Panthers would stay cool and methodically whittle away at this early Laker foray. Two Carlie Wagner free throws at the 12:14 a mark and an offensive rebound and putback by fellow senior post Paige Overgaard brought New Richland-H-E-G to within two trailing 11-9. Carlie Wagner's younger sister, freshman Maddie Wagner, then unleashed a "3" from the right wing at the 11:10 mark that tied the game at 12-all. The Panthers would then go on a quick 7-0 run; punctuated by Carlie Wagner's lay-up in transition with 9:27 left for a 19-12 New Richland-H-E-G lead.
The Panthers 2-3 zone kept Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted out of sorts on the offensive end and, although the Lakers diminutive 5'3" point guard Abby Miller was able to knock down three free throws with 8:15 left after getting fouled behind the arc, New Richland-H-E-G was able to maintain a 6-7 point cushion. With 7:01 left, Laker hearts broke when senior guard Mackenzie Uter was attempting a lay-up in transition and went down awkwardly and appeared to injure her right knee and had to be helped off the court. With 5:57 left, another Wagner sister made her presence felt: Marnie; Maddie's twin sister (and Carly's younger sis as well) as she uncorked a "3" from the right wing with 5:57 left to extend the Panthers lead to 27-18. To their credit, the Lakers would trim that cushion down to six points trailing 27-21 but a 5-0 burst by New Richland-H-E-G would have the lead to 32-21 when Maddie Wagner grabbed an offensive rebound for a putback with 3:29 left. The Panthers were also in the double-bonus with 2:30 left and, complicating things for Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted was that the Panthers got into the double-bonus with 2:30 left. Still, the Lakers had hopes when Miller let loose with a "3" with 2:20 left that helped Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted get within six trailing 33-27 but a late 7-1 run by New Richland-H-E-G; capped by a jumper in the lane off the glass by junior reserve forward Kelli Harrington with just :23 left allowed the Panthers to take a somewhat commanding 40-28 lead into the locker room at the half. As you would expect, Carlie Wagner paced New Richland-H-E-G with her 16 points but young sis Marnie was right behind with her ten points. Miller's 13 points led the Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted attack. The Panthers had a decided 28-18 advantage on the boards which certainly played a part to helping them gain the lead that they had at the half.
New Richland-H-E-G went right to work once the second half got underway....Actually, it would more accurate to say that it was Carlie Wagner who went to work. She connected with a pull-up jumper at the 16:30 mark and was able to get into the paint for another score at the 16:04 mark that got her fouled and allowed her to sink the obligatory freebie for a 45-30 Panther lead. She also added a jumper from the left corner at the 15:07 mark to help maintain the cushion and the 2-3 zone defense that New Richland-H-E-G was employing was making things very difficult for the Lakers inside. Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted's Miller tried to counter that with two treys of her own - one from the left wing at the 15:48 mark and another from the left top area at the 14:50 mark - that got the Lakers to within single digits trailing 47-38 but Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted simply did not have the firepower to keep up when the Panthers. A 7-0 burst by New Richland-H-E-G over the next two minutes now had the Panthers up 54-38 by the 12:28 mark and now the Lakers would be hard-pressed to try and bring this one back.
By the 10:54 mark, the Panthers extended their lead to nineteen at 59-40 when Overgaard was able to snare an offensive rebound for a putback and got fouled in the process and allowed her to sink the obligatory freebie. A Carlie Wagner "3" from the left corner with 9:53 left made it a twenty point cushion at 62-42. Other players were contributing as well. Freshman reserve guard Gretchen Ramaker snared an offensive rebound for a putback with 9:25 left and yet another Carlie Wagner score; a lay-up in transition shortly afterward, had the Panthers up 67-45. With Uter's injury in the first half, the Lakers were robbed of their primary ball-handler and the subsequent turnovers in the second half by Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted reflected that. With 6:34 left, a lay-up in transition by Carlie Wagner gave her 36 points that broke a long-standing tournament scoring record held by Janet Karvonen and, more importantly, had New Richland-H-E-G safely in front by a score of 73-49. With 3:18 left and the outcome all but certain, New Richland-H-E-G Head Coach John Schultz took out his starters and gave the reserves a chance to perform mop-up duty and the Panthers rolled to an 87-56 victory.
The focus afterward in the media session focused on Carlie Wagner breaking the tournament all-time scoring record but Carlie Wagner, in her usual humble way, deflected those accolades that come with it. "The record didn't mean anything to me" she replied when asked about it. I did ask her about how important it was to her and her team getting back to the championship game and defending their state title. "It means everthing in the world to us" she said; adding about how they always take things "one game at a time." Head Coach John Schultz added his thoughts about that saying that "It really takes a lot of the pressure off." I also asked him about what it's like to coach a team that has someone with the ability and caliber of Carlie Wagner. "Carlie has a green light to do anything" he said. He agreed with my assessment that when Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted's Uter went down, things slowly spun out of control for them with turnovers. So Carlie Wagner finishes this night with 41 points in her record-breaking performance while the Lakers' Miller had a tremendous night in a losing effort, pouring in 27 points.
Wagner got her squad off to a 3-0 lead when, on their first possession she calmly walked the ball up the court and routinely dropped a "3" from the top of the key at the 17:16 mark. Surprisingly, however, Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted would respond at get out to an 8-3 lead by the 13:26 mark and extend the lead to 11-5 by the 12:25 mark. But the Panthers would stay cool and methodically whittle away at this early Laker foray. Two Carlie Wagner free throws at the 12:14 a mark and an offensive rebound and putback by fellow senior post Paige Overgaard brought New Richland-H-E-G to within two trailing 11-9. Carlie Wagner's younger sister, freshman Maddie Wagner, then unleashed a "3" from the right wing at the 11:10 mark that tied the game at 12-all. The Panthers would then go on a quick 7-0 run; punctuated by Carlie Wagner's lay-up in transition with 9:27 left for a 19-12 New Richland-H-E-G lead.
The Panthers 2-3 zone kept Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted out of sorts on the offensive end and, although the Lakers diminutive 5'3" point guard Abby Miller was able to knock down three free throws with 8:15 left after getting fouled behind the arc, New Richland-H-E-G was able to maintain a 6-7 point cushion. With 7:01 left, Laker hearts broke when senior guard Mackenzie Uter was attempting a lay-up in transition and went down awkwardly and appeared to injure her right knee and had to be helped off the court. With 5:57 left, another Wagner sister made her presence felt: Marnie; Maddie's twin sister (and Carly's younger sis as well) as she uncorked a "3" from the right wing with 5:57 left to extend the Panthers lead to 27-18. To their credit, the Lakers would trim that cushion down to six points trailing 27-21 but a 5-0 burst by New Richland-H-E-G would have the lead to 32-21 when Maddie Wagner grabbed an offensive rebound for a putback with 3:29 left. The Panthers were also in the double-bonus with 2:30 left and, complicating things for Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted was that the Panthers got into the double-bonus with 2:30 left. Still, the Lakers had hopes when Miller let loose with a "3" with 2:20 left that helped Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted get within six trailing 33-27 but a late 7-1 run by New Richland-H-E-G; capped by a jumper in the lane off the glass by junior reserve forward Kelli Harrington with just :23 left allowed the Panthers to take a somewhat commanding 40-28 lead into the locker room at the half. As you would expect, Carlie Wagner paced New Richland-H-E-G with her 16 points but young sis Marnie was right behind with her ten points. Miller's 13 points led the Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted attack. The Panthers had a decided 28-18 advantage on the boards which certainly played a part to helping them gain the lead that they had at the half.
New Richland-H-E-G went right to work once the second half got underway....Actually, it would more accurate to say that it was Carlie Wagner who went to work. She connected with a pull-up jumper at the 16:30 mark and was able to get into the paint for another score at the 16:04 mark that got her fouled and allowed her to sink the obligatory freebie for a 45-30 Panther lead. She also added a jumper from the left corner at the 15:07 mark to help maintain the cushion and the 2-3 zone defense that New Richland-H-E-G was employing was making things very difficult for the Lakers inside. Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted's Miller tried to counter that with two treys of her own - one from the left wing at the 15:48 mark and another from the left top area at the 14:50 mark - that got the Lakers to within single digits trailing 47-38 but Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted simply did not have the firepower to keep up when the Panthers. A 7-0 burst by New Richland-H-E-G over the next two minutes now had the Panthers up 54-38 by the 12:28 mark and now the Lakers would be hard-pressed to try and bring this one back.
By the 10:54 mark, the Panthers extended their lead to nineteen at 59-40 when Overgaard was able to snare an offensive rebound for a putback and got fouled in the process and allowed her to sink the obligatory freebie. A Carlie Wagner "3" from the left corner with 9:53 left made it a twenty point cushion at 62-42. Other players were contributing as well. Freshman reserve guard Gretchen Ramaker snared an offensive rebound for a putback with 9:25 left and yet another Carlie Wagner score; a lay-up in transition shortly afterward, had the Panthers up 67-45. With Uter's injury in the first half, the Lakers were robbed of their primary ball-handler and the subsequent turnovers in the second half by Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted reflected that. With 6:34 left, a lay-up in transition by Carlie Wagner gave her 36 points that broke a long-standing tournament scoring record held by Janet Karvonen and, more importantly, had New Richland-H-E-G safely in front by a score of 73-49. With 3:18 left and the outcome all but certain, New Richland-H-E-G Head Coach John Schultz took out his starters and gave the reserves a chance to perform mop-up duty and the Panthers rolled to an 87-56 victory.
The focus afterward in the media session focused on Carlie Wagner breaking the tournament all-time scoring record but Carlie Wagner, in her usual humble way, deflected those accolades that come with it. "The record didn't mean anything to me" she replied when asked about it. I did ask her about how important it was to her and her team getting back to the championship game and defending their state title. "It means everthing in the world to us" she said; adding about how they always take things "one game at a time." Head Coach John Schultz added his thoughts about that saying that "It really takes a lot of the pressure off." I also asked him about what it's like to coach a team that has someone with the ability and caliber of Carlie Wagner. "Carlie has a green light to do anything" he said. He agreed with my assessment that when Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted's Uter went down, things slowly spun out of control for them with turnovers. So Carlie Wagner finishes this night with 41 points in her record-breaking performance while the Lakers' Miller had a tremendous night in a losing effort, pouring in 27 points.
Minnesota Girls State Tournament - Class A Semifinal - Mankato Loyola vs Win-E-Mac - 3-21-14 2:00 P.M.
The second half of the Friday afternoon matinee over at Williams Arena featured a match-up between another team that wears LA Ram Royal Blue, Gold and White - Mankato Loyola and Win-E-Mac out of Erskine. The Crusaders were the Section 2A champs and came here with a 27-2 record while the Patriots of Win-E-Mac were the Section 8A champs and had an almost identical record of 28-2. This one would be a tough one to call and the game before was a tough act to follow for sure.
Win-E-Mac would take a 4-2 lead at the 15:43 mark on a drive and finish off the glass by sophomore guard Madison McKeever and the Patriots would extend their lead to 9-6 on a jumper by senior guard Korbyn Ross from the right wing at the 13:58 mark. The Crusaders would battle back and eventually knot the issue at 11-all by the 12:16 mark and freshman guard Lindsey Theuninck's free throw would have Mankato Loyola out in front 12-11. A "3" from the left top area at the 11:31 mark by junior guard Megan Schroeder put the Crusaders out in front 15-13 so it looked as if we were in for another potential entertaining game.
Schroeder, however, had also picked up her second foul before the midway point and Mankato Loyola Head Coach wasn't going to take any chances and had her sit a spell to save her for the second half. Two lay-ups by Win-E-Mac's freshman forward Alayna Espeseth had the Patriots back out in front 17-15 with 7:58 left and a one-handed driving jumper by McKeever with 6:53 left extended the Patriot advantage to 19-16 but the Crusaders would climb right back and grab a 20-19 lead with 4:53 left on a lay-up in transition by Schroeder in what was proving to be a very fast-paced game by both squads. This see-saw affair would turn again as the Patriots staged a 7-2 run over the next two minutes to grab a 26-22 advantage highlighted by a lay-up by senior forward Shelby Kaster's lay-up with 2:28 left. Win-E-Mac would extend its lead to 28-22 at the half as Mankato Loyola went cold down the stretch of the first half. McKeever would pace Win-E-Mac in the first half with her 15 points while Schroeder's 16 points led the way for Mankato Loyola. The Crusaders did own a slight advantage on the glass at 25-22 but they also committed 11 turnovers to Win-E-Mac's five so it was arguably a glass half-full proposition for Mankato Loyola at the break.
The Crusaders started making inroads on the little cushion Win-E-Mac had established by the halftime break when Mankato Loyola's Theuninck suddenly got a hot hand. First, she connected with lay-up in transition at the 15:27 mark and then uncorked a "3" from the left top area at the 14:53 mark that whittled the Patriot lead down to 30-28. But Win-E-Mac had no intentions of letting their opponent get comfortable and proceeded to go on a 7-2 burst over the next two minutes highlighted by a steal and lay-up the other way by Ross at the 13:11 mark that had the Patriots up 37-30 and Win-E-Mac appeared to be gaining more and more control in this one by the midway point.
The Patriots maintained that 6-7 point cushion over the next four minutes and Mankato Loyola had trouble sustaining any real offensive push that might have drawn the Crusaders closer. Schroeder was back in the game for Mankato Loyola but she too, struggled to find her touch from the perimeter and the charity stripe as well. Complicating Mankato Loyola's problems was that the Patriots got into the bonus with under seven minutes left and then the Crusader's Theuninck fouled out with five minutes left; robbing Mankato Loyola of a potent scorer. With 4:35 left, Win-E-Mac was finally able to establish a double-digit advantage at 52-42 and Theuninck's father Rick; the Crusader Head Coach, had no other choice but to burn a timeout to try and save the sagging Mankato Loyola fortunes. The Crusaders were able to slice the Win-E-Mac lead down to seven at 52-45 with 3:33 left. A little more than a minute later the Crusaders were given new life when Schroeder snared a steal and got an easy lay-up out of it and got fouled in the process. Her ensuing freebie now had Mankato Loyola within a single possession trailing 54-51. Win-E-Mac would get the lead back up to 57-51 with 1:20 left but a "3" from the right corner by Mankato Loyola's senior reserve guard Jordyn Strachan with 1:08 left got the Crusaders within a single possession again trailing 57-54. Win-E-Mac's McKeever appeared to have sealed the deal for the Patriots with two pairs of charity stripe shots that had the Patriots back up by seven at 61-54 with :50.6 left but the Crusader's Strachan made lightning strike twice when she nailed another "3" from the left wing with :26 left that drew Mankato Loyola to within four trailing 61-57. The Crusaders promptly fouled Win-E-Mac's junior reserve guard Kara Stonstelie but she missed both free throws and this gave the Crusaders a chance to get it down to a single possession again. Freshman RaeAnn Dose was the unlikely choice to try and make things tight but her score in the paint with just :18 left had the Crusaders within two trailing 61-59. Mankato Loyola promptly fouled McKeever which, at first glance may have been a bad thing but McKeever was only able to make the back end of her two charity stripe attempts and, trailing 62-59 the Crusaders had their chance. They got the ball to Strachan in the right corner behind the arc and she tried uncorking one with :05 left but this shot was not true. The long rebound went to Mankato Loyola, however, but instead of kicking the ball back out for another attempt they got it into the hands of Schroeder who was able to get in the paint for an easy two points but that would not be enough. Personally, I thought they would have tried kicking it back out for an all-or-nothing last-ditch three-point attempt but it was not to be as Win-E-Mac escaped with a 62-61 victory to move into Saturday's championship game.
Afterward, a very happy Win-E-Mac Head Coach Ian Hanson admitted that "We knew they (Mankato Loyola) were a quick team and it would be an up-and-down battle." When things got tight at the end, Hanson said that "We knew they were going to come with pressure but we told the kids not to panic." WRT Saturday's championship game against Minneota, Hanson admitted that "It will take a team effort to beat them tomorrow." Hanson also said that his squad "had a chip on its shoulder about coming into the state tournament unseeded". McKeever's 32 points led all scorers in this game and Mankato Loyola's Schroeder led her team with 21 points.
Win-E-Mac would take a 4-2 lead at the 15:43 mark on a drive and finish off the glass by sophomore guard Madison McKeever and the Patriots would extend their lead to 9-6 on a jumper by senior guard Korbyn Ross from the right wing at the 13:58 mark. The Crusaders would battle back and eventually knot the issue at 11-all by the 12:16 mark and freshman guard Lindsey Theuninck's free throw would have Mankato Loyola out in front 12-11. A "3" from the left top area at the 11:31 mark by junior guard Megan Schroeder put the Crusaders out in front 15-13 so it looked as if we were in for another potential entertaining game.
Schroeder, however, had also picked up her second foul before the midway point and Mankato Loyola Head Coach wasn't going to take any chances and had her sit a spell to save her for the second half. Two lay-ups by Win-E-Mac's freshman forward Alayna Espeseth had the Patriots back out in front 17-15 with 7:58 left and a one-handed driving jumper by McKeever with 6:53 left extended the Patriot advantage to 19-16 but the Crusaders would climb right back and grab a 20-19 lead with 4:53 left on a lay-up in transition by Schroeder in what was proving to be a very fast-paced game by both squads. This see-saw affair would turn again as the Patriots staged a 7-2 run over the next two minutes to grab a 26-22 advantage highlighted by a lay-up by senior forward Shelby Kaster's lay-up with 2:28 left. Win-E-Mac would extend its lead to 28-22 at the half as Mankato Loyola went cold down the stretch of the first half. McKeever would pace Win-E-Mac in the first half with her 15 points while Schroeder's 16 points led the way for Mankato Loyola. The Crusaders did own a slight advantage on the glass at 25-22 but they also committed 11 turnovers to Win-E-Mac's five so it was arguably a glass half-full proposition for Mankato Loyola at the break.
The Crusaders started making inroads on the little cushion Win-E-Mac had established by the halftime break when Mankato Loyola's Theuninck suddenly got a hot hand. First, she connected with lay-up in transition at the 15:27 mark and then uncorked a "3" from the left top area at the 14:53 mark that whittled the Patriot lead down to 30-28. But Win-E-Mac had no intentions of letting their opponent get comfortable and proceeded to go on a 7-2 burst over the next two minutes highlighted by a steal and lay-up the other way by Ross at the 13:11 mark that had the Patriots up 37-30 and Win-E-Mac appeared to be gaining more and more control in this one by the midway point.
The Patriots maintained that 6-7 point cushion over the next four minutes and Mankato Loyola had trouble sustaining any real offensive push that might have drawn the Crusaders closer. Schroeder was back in the game for Mankato Loyola but she too, struggled to find her touch from the perimeter and the charity stripe as well. Complicating Mankato Loyola's problems was that the Patriots got into the bonus with under seven minutes left and then the Crusader's Theuninck fouled out with five minutes left; robbing Mankato Loyola of a potent scorer. With 4:35 left, Win-E-Mac was finally able to establish a double-digit advantage at 52-42 and Theuninck's father Rick; the Crusader Head Coach, had no other choice but to burn a timeout to try and save the sagging Mankato Loyola fortunes. The Crusaders were able to slice the Win-E-Mac lead down to seven at 52-45 with 3:33 left. A little more than a minute later the Crusaders were given new life when Schroeder snared a steal and got an easy lay-up out of it and got fouled in the process. Her ensuing freebie now had Mankato Loyola within a single possession trailing 54-51. Win-E-Mac would get the lead back up to 57-51 with 1:20 left but a "3" from the right corner by Mankato Loyola's senior reserve guard Jordyn Strachan with 1:08 left got the Crusaders within a single possession again trailing 57-54. Win-E-Mac's McKeever appeared to have sealed the deal for the Patriots with two pairs of charity stripe shots that had the Patriots back up by seven at 61-54 with :50.6 left but the Crusader's Strachan made lightning strike twice when she nailed another "3" from the left wing with :26 left that drew Mankato Loyola to within four trailing 61-57. The Crusaders promptly fouled Win-E-Mac's junior reserve guard Kara Stonstelie but she missed both free throws and this gave the Crusaders a chance to get it down to a single possession again. Freshman RaeAnn Dose was the unlikely choice to try and make things tight but her score in the paint with just :18 left had the Crusaders within two trailing 61-59. Mankato Loyola promptly fouled McKeever which, at first glance may have been a bad thing but McKeever was only able to make the back end of her two charity stripe attempts and, trailing 62-59 the Crusaders had their chance. They got the ball to Strachan in the right corner behind the arc and she tried uncorking one with :05 left but this shot was not true. The long rebound went to Mankato Loyola, however, but instead of kicking the ball back out for another attempt they got it into the hands of Schroeder who was able to get in the paint for an easy two points but that would not be enough. Personally, I thought they would have tried kicking it back out for an all-or-nothing last-ditch three-point attempt but it was not to be as Win-E-Mac escaped with a 62-61 victory to move into Saturday's championship game.
Afterward, a very happy Win-E-Mac Head Coach Ian Hanson admitted that "We knew they (Mankato Loyola) were a quick team and it would be an up-and-down battle." When things got tight at the end, Hanson said that "We knew they were going to come with pressure but we told the kids not to panic." WRT Saturday's championship game against Minneota, Hanson admitted that "It will take a team effort to beat them tomorrow." Hanson also said that his squad "had a chip on its shoulder about coming into the state tournament unseeded". McKeever's 32 points led all scorers in this game and Mankato Loyola's Schroeder led her team with 21 points.
Minnesota Girls State Tournament - Class A Semifinal - Minneota vs Goodhue - 3-21-14 !2:00 P.M.
The opener on this Friday afternoon on Day 4 of the Minnesota Girls State Tournament featured a Class A semifinal showdown between #1 seed Minneota and #4 seed Goodhue. The Vikings sport a fabulous 30-1 record and got to the big stage by beating Wabasso in the Section 3A Championship game while the Wildcats of Goodhue were able to bound up the Mighty Mississippi and the CP Rail River Sub mainline to the Twin Cities by virtue of their win over Rushford-Peterson in the Class 1A Championship Game. This one would be another case of not knowing either team well but definitely intriguing enough to want to find out for sure. The one thing that stood out for me immediately in this one was that Minneota sports Royal Blue, Gold and White while Goodhue was clad in Purple so this one would kind of take me back to the days when my Los Angeles Rams had to battle the Minnesota Vikings. As you likely know, that rivalry was a WAR.
A score in the paint by Goodhue senior forward Meredith Watson at the 14:24 mark that got her fouled and allowed her to sink the obligatory free throw had the Wildcats up 5-2 but an offensive rebound and putback by Minneota senior star forward Taylor Reiss at the 13:42 mark allowed the Vikings to close the gap to one trailing 5-4 and Minneota would assume a 6-5 lead by the 10:24 mark with both sides seemingly struggling from the perimeter early on in this one so defense was the watchword early on for both teams in this one.
Goodhue would shake some of those shooting cobwebs off when senior guard Molly Miller uncorked a "3" from the top of the key with 9:48 left and a score in the paint by Watson off of an inbounds pass allowed the Wildcats to hold a slim 10-8 led with 6:56 left as Minneota continued to struggle with their shooting touch. The Vikings were able to knot the score at 10-all on an offensive rebound and putback by junior forward Payton Boerboom with 6:05 left and a score down low by Reiss with 3:32 left had Minneota up 15-12. The Vikings seemed to be on the verge of taking control of this one before the half but Goodhue's Miller came to the rescue for her Wildcat teammates. A jumper from the right elbow with 1:05 left drew Goodhue to within one and then a daring foray into the lane by Miller who finished and got fouled in the process and sank the obligatory freebie now had the Wildcats back out in front 20-18 with :25.2 left. The late round of fireworks in this one took another twist when Minneota's junior forward Emily Stienessen drained a "3" from the right wing with just :02 left that put the Vikings back out in front by a 21-20 count when the halftime buzzer sounded. Goodhue was paced by Miller's 11 first half points while Minneota featured a somewhat more balanced attack as Reiss' nine points led the way and that late "3" by Stienessen helped pad her total to five points in the first half. Minneota, however, held a decided advantage in rebounds at 23-13 which was no big surprise but you had to think, though, that in such a close game, that that factor could eventually derail Goodhue's hopes of pulling off a huge upset. Turnovers were fairly close as well as Minneota committed nine while Goodhue was guilty of seven turnovers.
Five straight points by the Wildcats; including a drive and finish by Watson right at the 17:00 mark that got her fouled and allowed her to sink the ensuing free throw had Goodhue in good shape with a 25-20 advantage but the Vikings would manage to strike right back as Reiss got down low to score and got fouled in the process and her charity stripe shot was good that helped draw Minneota to within one trailing 25-24 at the 15:40 mark and another Steinessen "3"; this one from the top of the key at the 15:03 mark, put the Vikings out in front 27-25. By the 11:44 mark both teams had fought to a 29-29 deadlock and it looked as if this one could go right down to the wire.
Defense continued to dominate as this second half progressed and scoring would come at a premium. A lay-up by Goodhue 8th grader Sydney Lodermeier had Goodhue up 33-31 with 5:50 left and the Vikings clung to a precarious 35-34 lead with 4:54 left. An offensive rebound and putback by Watson upped Goodhue's lead to 39-36 with 3:22 left but Stienesen came to Minneota's rescue again as she uncorked another three-point bomb; this one from the top of the key with 3:05 left that had the issue deadlocked again at 39 a piece. The tie would continue at 41-all and Minneota's Steinessen couldn't get a "3" to fall from the left top area with :30 left and Goodhue got the ball back. With :16.6 left, Goodhue Head Coach Josh Wieme called a timeout but when the Wildcats tried to inbound the ball, Minneota's Reiss came out of nowhere to snare the steal and promptly dashed the other way for a lay-up and was fouled in the process. Reiss missed the front end of the one-and-one but Minneota's senior reserve forward Megan Larson was right there to grab the long rebound and she promptly put it back up for a score to seal the deal for Minneota. Goodhue got one last shot right before the buzzer sounded but the Vikings had secured a thrilling 45-43 victory to move into the championship game on Saturday afternoon.
A happy but calm and composed Minneota Head Coach Chad Johnston admitted that his squad didn't shoot all that well save for those Steinessen treys but they kept grinding and found a way. I asked him specifically how they stayed composed in those last few final frantic minutes when everything was hanging in the balance. "Give the kids credit" he replied...."They could have buckled". They didn't and a lot of the credit arguably has to go to junior Taylor Reiss and senior forward Molly Hennen. I asked Reiss afterward if that steal she made was just pure instinct or if she saw the opening that allowed her to do that. "I definitely saw the opening and just went after it" she replied. I also asked her about how she stayed calm and composed throughout this game when both contingents were so loud. "I just tried to block out the noise and concentrate" she said. She also admitted that being here before (and winning it last year) definitely helped. Reiss' 11 points led a balanced Minneota attack in this one while Goodhue's Miller led all scorers with her 25 points in a losing effort.
A score in the paint by Goodhue senior forward Meredith Watson at the 14:24 mark that got her fouled and allowed her to sink the obligatory free throw had the Wildcats up 5-2 but an offensive rebound and putback by Minneota senior star forward Taylor Reiss at the 13:42 mark allowed the Vikings to close the gap to one trailing 5-4 and Minneota would assume a 6-5 lead by the 10:24 mark with both sides seemingly struggling from the perimeter early on in this one so defense was the watchword early on for both teams in this one.
Goodhue would shake some of those shooting cobwebs off when senior guard Molly Miller uncorked a "3" from the top of the key with 9:48 left and a score in the paint by Watson off of an inbounds pass allowed the Wildcats to hold a slim 10-8 led with 6:56 left as Minneota continued to struggle with their shooting touch. The Vikings were able to knot the score at 10-all on an offensive rebound and putback by junior forward Payton Boerboom with 6:05 left and a score down low by Reiss with 3:32 left had Minneota up 15-12. The Vikings seemed to be on the verge of taking control of this one before the half but Goodhue's Miller came to the rescue for her Wildcat teammates. A jumper from the right elbow with 1:05 left drew Goodhue to within one and then a daring foray into the lane by Miller who finished and got fouled in the process and sank the obligatory freebie now had the Wildcats back out in front 20-18 with :25.2 left. The late round of fireworks in this one took another twist when Minneota's junior forward Emily Stienessen drained a "3" from the right wing with just :02 left that put the Vikings back out in front by a 21-20 count when the halftime buzzer sounded. Goodhue was paced by Miller's 11 first half points while Minneota featured a somewhat more balanced attack as Reiss' nine points led the way and that late "3" by Stienessen helped pad her total to five points in the first half. Minneota, however, held a decided advantage in rebounds at 23-13 which was no big surprise but you had to think, though, that in such a close game, that that factor could eventually derail Goodhue's hopes of pulling off a huge upset. Turnovers were fairly close as well as Minneota committed nine while Goodhue was guilty of seven turnovers.
Five straight points by the Wildcats; including a drive and finish by Watson right at the 17:00 mark that got her fouled and allowed her to sink the ensuing free throw had Goodhue in good shape with a 25-20 advantage but the Vikings would manage to strike right back as Reiss got down low to score and got fouled in the process and her charity stripe shot was good that helped draw Minneota to within one trailing 25-24 at the 15:40 mark and another Steinessen "3"; this one from the top of the key at the 15:03 mark, put the Vikings out in front 27-25. By the 11:44 mark both teams had fought to a 29-29 deadlock and it looked as if this one could go right down to the wire.
Defense continued to dominate as this second half progressed and scoring would come at a premium. A lay-up by Goodhue 8th grader Sydney Lodermeier had Goodhue up 33-31 with 5:50 left and the Vikings clung to a precarious 35-34 lead with 4:54 left. An offensive rebound and putback by Watson upped Goodhue's lead to 39-36 with 3:22 left but Stienesen came to Minneota's rescue again as she uncorked another three-point bomb; this one from the top of the key with 3:05 left that had the issue deadlocked again at 39 a piece. The tie would continue at 41-all and Minneota's Steinessen couldn't get a "3" to fall from the left top area with :30 left and Goodhue got the ball back. With :16.6 left, Goodhue Head Coach Josh Wieme called a timeout but when the Wildcats tried to inbound the ball, Minneota's Reiss came out of nowhere to snare the steal and promptly dashed the other way for a lay-up and was fouled in the process. Reiss missed the front end of the one-and-one but Minneota's senior reserve forward Megan Larson was right there to grab the long rebound and she promptly put it back up for a score to seal the deal for Minneota. Goodhue got one last shot right before the buzzer sounded but the Vikings had secured a thrilling 45-43 victory to move into the championship game on Saturday afternoon.
A happy but calm and composed Minneota Head Coach Chad Johnston admitted that his squad didn't shoot all that well save for those Steinessen treys but they kept grinding and found a way. I asked him specifically how they stayed composed in those last few final frantic minutes when everything was hanging in the balance. "Give the kids credit" he replied...."They could have buckled". They didn't and a lot of the credit arguably has to go to junior Taylor Reiss and senior forward Molly Hennen. I asked Reiss afterward if that steal she made was just pure instinct or if she saw the opening that allowed her to do that. "I definitely saw the opening and just went after it" she replied. I also asked her about how she stayed calm and composed throughout this game when both contingents were so loud. "I just tried to block out the noise and concentrate" she said. She also admitted that being here before (and winning it last year) definitely helped. Reiss' 11 points led a balanced Minneota attack in this one while Goodhue's Miller led all scorers with her 25 points in a losing effort.
Thursday, March 20, 2014
Minnesota Girls State Tournament - Class AAAA Semifinal - Lakeville North vs Bloomington Kennedy - 3-20-14 8:00 P.M.
The nightcap at Williams Arena on this Thursday night had the other Class AAAA semifinal featuring the other upstart - Lakeville North - which upset #2 seed Centennial on Tuesday taking on #3 seed Bloomington Kennedy. The Eagles would be a definite favorite in this one but as we've already found out, you'd better not take this Lakeville North team lightly as Centennial found out the hard way on Tuesday.
Tonoia Wade's "3" from the top of the key and a offensive rebound for a putback had Bloomington Kennedy up 5-0 by the 16:51 mark but the Panthers closed the gap to 5-4 by the 15:20 mark and two free throws by junior forward MacKenzie Denk at the 14:48 mark helped keep Lakeville North close trailing 7-6. A 7-0 burst by the Eagles highlighted by another Wade "3"; this one from the right wing at the 13:29 mark and a steal and lay-up the other way by senior guard Kenisha Bell along with a Wade score in the paint had Bloomington Kennedy up 14-6. Lakeville North's sophomore reserve guard Sarah Krynski's "3" from the left corner at the 11:20 mark cut into the deficit but with 9:03 left, Bloomington Kennedy's Wade struck again from behind the arc from the left wing area that had the Eagles up 17-9 and in pretty good shape.
Bloomington Kennedy would get the lead to ten with 7:55 left at 23-13 but the Panthers made some inroads on the Eagle cushion when Denk was able to take an inbounds pass with 5:19 left and score in the paint and get fouled in the process as well and the obligatory free throw had Lakeville North within five trailing 25-20. The Panthers would stay within striking distance over the next four minutes before they were able to make a move. Back-to-back Lakeville North scores with 1:44 and 1:13 left cut the Eagles lead down to 30-27 and then Denk was fouled in the paint with :37 left and her two charity stripe shots drew the Panthers to within a scant point trailing 30-29. Bloomington Kennedy was able to get a late score to nudge their lead back up to 32-29 but Lakeville North Head Coach Shelly Soule had to be encourage that her team was hanging right in there with an arguably bigger, faster, and more athletic Bloomington Kennedy team. Wade's 15 points easily led Bloomington Kennedy in the first half while Denk paced the Lakeville North attack with 11 points. Lakeville North actually had a 19-16 edge in rebounding and despite those three treys from Wade, neither team was outstanding from behind the arc in the games first 18 minutes.
This pesky Lakeville North team had no intentions of going quietly into the night and by the 14:38 mark they were still very much within striking distance; trailing 35-31. The Panthers drew even closer as senior guard Erika Rozell struck twice with scores at the 13:46 and 13:17 mark that sliced the Eagle lead down to 37-35 although Bloomington Kennedy was able to stretch things out to a 41-35 advantage by the 10:15 mark. The Eagles star player Bell also snared a steal and dashed the other way for a lay-up with 9:55 left to stretch it to a 45-35 advantage and it looked like after getting close, Lakeville North was back at Square One.
The Eagles were able to inch the lead upward with 6:32 left on a score in the paint by sophomore reserve forward Lashayla Wright-Ponder and two Bell freebies for a 51-38 advantage. Turnovers were beginning to catch up with Lakeville North as they tried desperately to stay close. A Bell tip-in of an inbounds pass with 5:34 left made it a 53-40 Bloomington Kennedy lead and two Bell free throws with 5:22 left had the Eagles up 55-40. A drive and finish by senior post Izzy Odor with 1:31 left sealed Lakeville North's fate as Bloomington Kennedy advanced to Saturday night's championship game with a hard-fought 61-51 victory over a gamey Lakeville North squad.
A disappointed Lakeville North Head Coach Shelly Soule; still trying to absorb this loss, remained bullish and upbeat about her team despite tonight's setback. Soule remarked that they initially wanted to pack the paint against Bloomington Kennedy but those early Wade "3's" forced Soule to scrap that plan and adjust. She also talked about the young core of players she has coming back for next year including Denk who Soule labeled "the leader of our team". Denk's 17 points on this night led the way for the Panthers in the losing effort while Bloomington Kennedy side had several players in double figures. Wade tallied 19 points while Bell was right behind with 18 points and Wright-Ponder finished with 12 points.
Tonoia Wade's "3" from the top of the key and a offensive rebound for a putback had Bloomington Kennedy up 5-0 by the 16:51 mark but the Panthers closed the gap to 5-4 by the 15:20 mark and two free throws by junior forward MacKenzie Denk at the 14:48 mark helped keep Lakeville North close trailing 7-6. A 7-0 burst by the Eagles highlighted by another Wade "3"; this one from the right wing at the 13:29 mark and a steal and lay-up the other way by senior guard Kenisha Bell along with a Wade score in the paint had Bloomington Kennedy up 14-6. Lakeville North's sophomore reserve guard Sarah Krynski's "3" from the left corner at the 11:20 mark cut into the deficit but with 9:03 left, Bloomington Kennedy's Wade struck again from behind the arc from the left wing area that had the Eagles up 17-9 and in pretty good shape.
Bloomington Kennedy would get the lead to ten with 7:55 left at 23-13 but the Panthers made some inroads on the Eagle cushion when Denk was able to take an inbounds pass with 5:19 left and score in the paint and get fouled in the process as well and the obligatory free throw had Lakeville North within five trailing 25-20. The Panthers would stay within striking distance over the next four minutes before they were able to make a move. Back-to-back Lakeville North scores with 1:44 and 1:13 left cut the Eagles lead down to 30-27 and then Denk was fouled in the paint with :37 left and her two charity stripe shots drew the Panthers to within a scant point trailing 30-29. Bloomington Kennedy was able to get a late score to nudge their lead back up to 32-29 but Lakeville North Head Coach Shelly Soule had to be encourage that her team was hanging right in there with an arguably bigger, faster, and more athletic Bloomington Kennedy team. Wade's 15 points easily led Bloomington Kennedy in the first half while Denk paced the Lakeville North attack with 11 points. Lakeville North actually had a 19-16 edge in rebounding and despite those three treys from Wade, neither team was outstanding from behind the arc in the games first 18 minutes.
This pesky Lakeville North team had no intentions of going quietly into the night and by the 14:38 mark they were still very much within striking distance; trailing 35-31. The Panthers drew even closer as senior guard Erika Rozell struck twice with scores at the 13:46 and 13:17 mark that sliced the Eagle lead down to 37-35 although Bloomington Kennedy was able to stretch things out to a 41-35 advantage by the 10:15 mark. The Eagles star player Bell also snared a steal and dashed the other way for a lay-up with 9:55 left to stretch it to a 45-35 advantage and it looked like after getting close, Lakeville North was back at Square One.
The Eagles were able to inch the lead upward with 6:32 left on a score in the paint by sophomore reserve forward Lashayla Wright-Ponder and two Bell freebies for a 51-38 advantage. Turnovers were beginning to catch up with Lakeville North as they tried desperately to stay close. A Bell tip-in of an inbounds pass with 5:34 left made it a 53-40 Bloomington Kennedy lead and two Bell free throws with 5:22 left had the Eagles up 55-40. A drive and finish by senior post Izzy Odor with 1:31 left sealed Lakeville North's fate as Bloomington Kennedy advanced to Saturday night's championship game with a hard-fought 61-51 victory over a gamey Lakeville North squad.
A disappointed Lakeville North Head Coach Shelly Soule; still trying to absorb this loss, remained bullish and upbeat about her team despite tonight's setback. Soule remarked that they initially wanted to pack the paint against Bloomington Kennedy but those early Wade "3's" forced Soule to scrap that plan and adjust. She also talked about the young core of players she has coming back for next year including Denk who Soule labeled "the leader of our team". Denk's 17 points on this night led the way for the Panthers in the losing effort while Bloomington Kennedy side had several players in double figures. Wade tallied 19 points while Bell was right behind with 18 points and Wright-Ponder finished with 12 points.
Minnesota Girls State Tournament - Class AAAA Semifinal - Eastview vs Eden Prairie - 3-20-14 6:00 P.M.
The evening session at Williams Arena saw the focus shift back to the Class AAA field and the first game on tap for this evening would be #1 seed Eastview taking on upstart #4 seed Eden Prairie. The Lightning survived their quarterfinal clash with St. Paul Central while the Eagles were able to hold off Anoka in their quarterfinal game. Eastview as the #1 seed would undoubtedly be the favorite in this contest but, as I said before, once you get here you can never, EVER take anything for granted.
Both teams started this one off on something of a hot note but Eden Prairie was able to gain an 8-5 advantage by the 14:00 mark and Eden Prairie Head Coach Chris Carr; looking snappy and dapper in his shirt and tie, had his squad prepared well. The Lightning though, did not pay much attention to Carr's wardrobe and a "3" from the right wing by Eastview sophomore guard Erika Schlosser had the Lightning up 11-10 by the 12:59 mark. Eden Prairie sophomore reserve guard Esabelle Levine had no fears about being out on the floor on this one and at the 11:02 mark she uncorked her own "3" from the left wing to put the Eagles back out in front 13-11. Eastview would soon have things deadlocked at 13 a piece and, at the moment anyway, it definitely looked like we had a game on our hands to go with the ones we had in the afternoon.
The Lightning were finally able to open up a bit of wiggle room and get a 17-13 advantage after senior guard Kari Opatz knocked down two freebies after being fouled and junior forward Hana Metoxen got one charity stripe to go down with 5:52 left and senior forward Emee Udo got two freebies to go down with 4:44 left and suddenly Eastview had established a 22-15 lead. Two more charity stripe shots by the Lightning's senior reserve guard Megan Boehm upped the ante to 25-17 with 2:21 left. Eden Prairie could only cut into that deficit incrementally and by the half Eastview had a 25-19 advantage going into the locker room at the half. Surprisingly, Eastview's junior star guard Madison Guebert was held scoreless in the first half and it was Opatz' nine points pacing the Lightning in the first half. Boehm led the way for Eden Prairie in the first half with her ten points. Rebounding was very even with Eastview holding a 13-12 advantage in that department but the big disparity in this one so far was that the Lightning were sent to the charity stripe way more often than Eden Prairie and you can bet that Carr was not happy about that one.
The Eagles seemed to catch that much-needed second wind once the second half got underway as a score in the paint by junior post Rachel Platt at the 17:11 mark and a jumper from the right wing by junior reserve guard Andrea Jirele drew Eden Prairie to within two trailing 25-23 by the 16:42 mark. Eastview's Schlosser tried to stem the tide with her "3" from the left wing at the 16:08 mark but two free throws by senior guard Jayla Mayes-Jackson had the Eagles back in the thick of things trailing 28-25 at the 15:40 mark. Two more scores by Eden Prairie including free throws by Jirele at the 14:05 mark gave the Eagles their first lead since the early moments of the first half at 30-29 and a steal and lay-up the other way by junior forward Marth Kuderer that drew a foul and allowed her to sink the obligatory charity stripe shot suddenly had Eden Prairie up 33-29 at the 13:54 mark and the complexion of this one had changed immensely.
Eastview would recover and two free throws by Opatz had the Lightning back up 35-33 at the 11:02 mark to complete a 6-0 Lightning burst. Things would stay tight over the next five minutes with Eden Prairie holding precarious two point leads that they could never extend. With 6:35 left, the Lightning were in the double-bonus and Eastview's Metoxen was able to get one freebie to go in with 6:34 left after she got fouled again to knot things up at 42 a piece. Both sides would trade one-point leads that made things nerve-wracking for everybody over the next two and a half minutes. Eastview's Guebert was able to give her squad a three-point 48-45 advantage with her shots at the charity stripe with 4:02 left but the issue was still far, far from decided. Two more free throws by Guebert with 2:36 left and a lay-up by Udo with 2:15 left kept the margin at three with the Eastview lead at 52-49. With 1:15 left, Eastview's Opatz snuck into the paint and snared a pass from Guebert for an easy score and now the Lightning were up 54-49. Eden Prairies fortunes appeared to sink further when the Eagles failed to score on their ensuing possession and to make matters worse, Mayes-Jackson was shaken up in a scramble for a loose ball and had to be helped off the court with 1:15 left. Opatz and Udo made charity stripe shots in the final minute and Eastview avoided a huge upset with a 62-51 win to advance to the championship game on Saturday night.
A happy and relieved Eastview Head Coach Melissa Guebert was "just happy to be able to take a breath" afterward and underscored how proud she was of her team for hanging tough when the tough got going. During those uncertain moments, she kept reminding her squad of where they wanted to be this time. She admitted that "they would have been so disappointed not to get to the championship game this time around." She also said that they're very excited to get to the championship game "but we want to win it as well." She also called Udo the team's "unsung heroine" and couldn't praise her enough. I also asked Guebbert about Metoxen. "Great rebounder....she's so strong with the ball." I also got to ask Opatz about what it was like in the second half when the outcome was still very uncertain. She said that Guebbert told the squad "Stay under control....If we do what we need to do on defense our offense will come to us." Udo led Eastview on this night pacing the Lightning with 17 points while Boehm's 22 points led the Eden Prairie attack in a losing effort.
Both teams started this one off on something of a hot note but Eden Prairie was able to gain an 8-5 advantage by the 14:00 mark and Eden Prairie Head Coach Chris Carr; looking snappy and dapper in his shirt and tie, had his squad prepared well. The Lightning though, did not pay much attention to Carr's wardrobe and a "3" from the right wing by Eastview sophomore guard Erika Schlosser had the Lightning up 11-10 by the 12:59 mark. Eden Prairie sophomore reserve guard Esabelle Levine had no fears about being out on the floor on this one and at the 11:02 mark she uncorked her own "3" from the left wing to put the Eagles back out in front 13-11. Eastview would soon have things deadlocked at 13 a piece and, at the moment anyway, it definitely looked like we had a game on our hands to go with the ones we had in the afternoon.
The Lightning were finally able to open up a bit of wiggle room and get a 17-13 advantage after senior guard Kari Opatz knocked down two freebies after being fouled and junior forward Hana Metoxen got one charity stripe to go down with 5:52 left and senior forward Emee Udo got two freebies to go down with 4:44 left and suddenly Eastview had established a 22-15 lead. Two more charity stripe shots by the Lightning's senior reserve guard Megan Boehm upped the ante to 25-17 with 2:21 left. Eden Prairie could only cut into that deficit incrementally and by the half Eastview had a 25-19 advantage going into the locker room at the half. Surprisingly, Eastview's junior star guard Madison Guebert was held scoreless in the first half and it was Opatz' nine points pacing the Lightning in the first half. Boehm led the way for Eden Prairie in the first half with her ten points. Rebounding was very even with Eastview holding a 13-12 advantage in that department but the big disparity in this one so far was that the Lightning were sent to the charity stripe way more often than Eden Prairie and you can bet that Carr was not happy about that one.
The Eagles seemed to catch that much-needed second wind once the second half got underway as a score in the paint by junior post Rachel Platt at the 17:11 mark and a jumper from the right wing by junior reserve guard Andrea Jirele drew Eden Prairie to within two trailing 25-23 by the 16:42 mark. Eastview's Schlosser tried to stem the tide with her "3" from the left wing at the 16:08 mark but two free throws by senior guard Jayla Mayes-Jackson had the Eagles back in the thick of things trailing 28-25 at the 15:40 mark. Two more scores by Eden Prairie including free throws by Jirele at the 14:05 mark gave the Eagles their first lead since the early moments of the first half at 30-29 and a steal and lay-up the other way by junior forward Marth Kuderer that drew a foul and allowed her to sink the obligatory charity stripe shot suddenly had Eden Prairie up 33-29 at the 13:54 mark and the complexion of this one had changed immensely.
Eastview would recover and two free throws by Opatz had the Lightning back up 35-33 at the 11:02 mark to complete a 6-0 Lightning burst. Things would stay tight over the next five minutes with Eden Prairie holding precarious two point leads that they could never extend. With 6:35 left, the Lightning were in the double-bonus and Eastview's Metoxen was able to get one freebie to go in with 6:34 left after she got fouled again to knot things up at 42 a piece. Both sides would trade one-point leads that made things nerve-wracking for everybody over the next two and a half minutes. Eastview's Guebert was able to give her squad a three-point 48-45 advantage with her shots at the charity stripe with 4:02 left but the issue was still far, far from decided. Two more free throws by Guebert with 2:36 left and a lay-up by Udo with 2:15 left kept the margin at three with the Eastview lead at 52-49. With 1:15 left, Eastview's Opatz snuck into the paint and snared a pass from Guebert for an easy score and now the Lightning were up 54-49. Eden Prairies fortunes appeared to sink further when the Eagles failed to score on their ensuing possession and to make matters worse, Mayes-Jackson was shaken up in a scramble for a loose ball and had to be helped off the court with 1:15 left. Opatz and Udo made charity stripe shots in the final minute and Eastview avoided a huge upset with a 62-51 win to advance to the championship game on Saturday night.
A happy and relieved Eastview Head Coach Melissa Guebert was "just happy to be able to take a breath" afterward and underscored how proud she was of her team for hanging tough when the tough got going. During those uncertain moments, she kept reminding her squad of where they wanted to be this time. She admitted that "they would have been so disappointed not to get to the championship game this time around." She also said that they're very excited to get to the championship game "but we want to win it as well." She also called Udo the team's "unsung heroine" and couldn't praise her enough. I also asked Guebbert about Metoxen. "Great rebounder....she's so strong with the ball." I also got to ask Opatz about what it was like in the second half when the outcome was still very uncertain. She said that Guebbert told the squad "Stay under control....If we do what we need to do on defense our offense will come to us." Udo led Eastview on this night pacing the Lightning with 17 points while Boehm's 22 points led the Eden Prairie attack in a losing effort.
Minnesota Girls State Tournament - Class AAA Semifinal - Fergus Falls vs Marshall - 3-20-14 2:00 P.M.
The second game on tap from Williams Arena on this Thursday was the other Class AAA semifinal pitting Fergus Falls against Marshall. The Otters got here by knocking off Kasson-Mantorville while the Tigers took care of business against Chisago Lakes.
Things would stay nip and tuck in the opening minutes of this one with neither side able to gain any noticeable advantage. The Otters held a slim 6-5 lead by the 14:28 mark and a "3" at the 11:14 mark by senior guard Brianna Ramusson from the left wing gave Fergus Falls a 9-7 advantage and a score in the paint off of an inbounds pass by junior reserve forward Kathryn Sawtell made it an 11-7 Otter lead. The Fergus Falls lead would grow to 15-9 with 8:40 left before Marshall's junior forward Callie Graff was able to cut into the deficit with her two charity stripes to trim the Otters lead to 15-11.
Fergus Falls, however, would go on a 5-0 push and senior forward Anna Monke put an exclamation on that burst with a "3" from the top of the key with 7:06 left and a 20-11 Otter lead that had Marshall Head Coach Dan Westby clamoring for a timeout to try and get his team settled down. The Tigers, however, soon found themselves down by 13 at 24-11 when Monke got into the paint for a score with 5:11 left. Marshall would be able to whittle the Otter lead down to single digits and a "3" by junior guard Sarah Buysse from the right corner with 1:47 left had the Tigers within seven trailing 28-21 but a late Fergus Falls score by senior guard Bailey Strand allowed the Otters to take a 30-21 lead into the locker room at the half. Strand led the Fergus Falls efforts in the first half with 12 points while Marshall had a balanced attack with Graff's eight points, Buysse's seven points and six points from senior forward Hannah Bennett. Fergus Falls did enjoy a decided advantage on the glass with 23 rebounds to Marshall's 19. That was definitely going to have to change if the Tigers were going to entertain hopes of getting their teeth back into this one.
Marshall appeared to get off on the right foot when senior forward Kenzie Beekman drilled a "3"from the left wing at the 17:49 mark that sliced the Otter lead to 30-24. Graff was able to sneak into the paint for a score at the 14:32 mark that drew the Tigers to within five trailing 35-30 and two Buysse free throws at the 14:21 mark got Marshall even close trailing 35-32. A drive and finish by Bennett at the 12:03 mark got her fouled as well and the obligatory freebie kept the Tigers close trailing 39-35. A score in the paint by Beekman off of an inbounds pass at the 11:01 mark enabled Marshall to still stay in the thick of things trailing 41-37 at the 10:46 mark.
But as hard as Marshall worked to get themselves back into this game, you couldn't help but wonder if some of the missed opportunities the Tigers had were going to catch up with them. Still, Marshall had a lot of fight left in them and a Buysse "3" from the left wing with 6:19 left along with a free throw from junior forward Morgan Saugstad drew the Tigers agonizingly close; trailing 46-44 with plenty of time remaining. With 2:40 left, Marshall's Beekman snuck into the paint for a score that finally tied the issue at 46-all and Fergus Falls; with cobwebs seemingly formed on its basket in this second half struggled to find answers. The Otters junior reserve forward Rachel Johnson had a temporary one as she made one freebie after getting fouled with 2:15 left that gave Fergus Falls a 47-46 lead but then Marshall's Bennett got into the paint for a score after a steal and put in a shot to let Marshall regain the lead at 48-47. A jumper from sophomore reserve forward Marah Mulson from the left wing put Marshall up 50-47 with 1:20 left but the Otters who went on a dust bowl-like drought for a good chunk of the second half were able to regain a 51-50 advantage with just :20.1 left. However, on Marshall's last possession, they stayed patient and with just :03.7 remaining on the clock, Graff took a daring foray into the paint and drew a foul and was able to sink the ensuing free throws despite the Fergus Falls student section doing everything possible but throwing sticks and stones her way. Trailing 52-51, the Otters had one final shot but a missed desperation shot by Rasmusson off the glass allowed Marshall to capture a gritty 52-51 win.
Marshall Head Coach Dan Westby remained cool and calm while his team let loose with various whoops and cheers in the adjoining locker room. I asked him how his squad stayed determined despite all the missed opportunities they had earlier in the second half. "We haven't had a lot of close games this year" Westby replied "but the ones we did have we won." About moving on to the title game, Westby simply replied "We're excited to have an opportunity." I also asked him about Buysse; his junior guard. "She's a big track kid and has a lot of speed". That athleticism definitely helped Marshall in the clutch moments. Buysse herself admitted that this was what they wanted. "This was a goal we wanted to achieve.....We never stopped fighting and we found a way." Buysse and Bennett each tallied 13 points in this win for Marshall while Graff netted 12 points and Beckman was right behind with 11 points; a very balanced attack. Fergus Falls' Strand led her team with 22 points.
Things would stay nip and tuck in the opening minutes of this one with neither side able to gain any noticeable advantage. The Otters held a slim 6-5 lead by the 14:28 mark and a "3" at the 11:14 mark by senior guard Brianna Ramusson from the left wing gave Fergus Falls a 9-7 advantage and a score in the paint off of an inbounds pass by junior reserve forward Kathryn Sawtell made it an 11-7 Otter lead. The Fergus Falls lead would grow to 15-9 with 8:40 left before Marshall's junior forward Callie Graff was able to cut into the deficit with her two charity stripes to trim the Otters lead to 15-11.
Fergus Falls, however, would go on a 5-0 push and senior forward Anna Monke put an exclamation on that burst with a "3" from the top of the key with 7:06 left and a 20-11 Otter lead that had Marshall Head Coach Dan Westby clamoring for a timeout to try and get his team settled down. The Tigers, however, soon found themselves down by 13 at 24-11 when Monke got into the paint for a score with 5:11 left. Marshall would be able to whittle the Otter lead down to single digits and a "3" by junior guard Sarah Buysse from the right corner with 1:47 left had the Tigers within seven trailing 28-21 but a late Fergus Falls score by senior guard Bailey Strand allowed the Otters to take a 30-21 lead into the locker room at the half. Strand led the Fergus Falls efforts in the first half with 12 points while Marshall had a balanced attack with Graff's eight points, Buysse's seven points and six points from senior forward Hannah Bennett. Fergus Falls did enjoy a decided advantage on the glass with 23 rebounds to Marshall's 19. That was definitely going to have to change if the Tigers were going to entertain hopes of getting their teeth back into this one.
Marshall appeared to get off on the right foot when senior forward Kenzie Beekman drilled a "3"from the left wing at the 17:49 mark that sliced the Otter lead to 30-24. Graff was able to sneak into the paint for a score at the 14:32 mark that drew the Tigers to within five trailing 35-30 and two Buysse free throws at the 14:21 mark got Marshall even close trailing 35-32. A drive and finish by Bennett at the 12:03 mark got her fouled as well and the obligatory freebie kept the Tigers close trailing 39-35. A score in the paint by Beekman off of an inbounds pass at the 11:01 mark enabled Marshall to still stay in the thick of things trailing 41-37 at the 10:46 mark.
But as hard as Marshall worked to get themselves back into this game, you couldn't help but wonder if some of the missed opportunities the Tigers had were going to catch up with them. Still, Marshall had a lot of fight left in them and a Buysse "3" from the left wing with 6:19 left along with a free throw from junior forward Morgan Saugstad drew the Tigers agonizingly close; trailing 46-44 with plenty of time remaining. With 2:40 left, Marshall's Beekman snuck into the paint for a score that finally tied the issue at 46-all and Fergus Falls; with cobwebs seemingly formed on its basket in this second half struggled to find answers. The Otters junior reserve forward Rachel Johnson had a temporary one as she made one freebie after getting fouled with 2:15 left that gave Fergus Falls a 47-46 lead but then Marshall's Bennett got into the paint for a score after a steal and put in a shot to let Marshall regain the lead at 48-47. A jumper from sophomore reserve forward Marah Mulson from the left wing put Marshall up 50-47 with 1:20 left but the Otters who went on a dust bowl-like drought for a good chunk of the second half were able to regain a 51-50 advantage with just :20.1 left. However, on Marshall's last possession, they stayed patient and with just :03.7 remaining on the clock, Graff took a daring foray into the paint and drew a foul and was able to sink the ensuing free throws despite the Fergus Falls student section doing everything possible but throwing sticks and stones her way. Trailing 52-51, the Otters had one final shot but a missed desperation shot by Rasmusson off the glass allowed Marshall to capture a gritty 52-51 win.
Marshall Head Coach Dan Westby remained cool and calm while his team let loose with various whoops and cheers in the adjoining locker room. I asked him how his squad stayed determined despite all the missed opportunities they had earlier in the second half. "We haven't had a lot of close games this year" Westby replied "but the ones we did have we won." About moving on to the title game, Westby simply replied "We're excited to have an opportunity." I also asked him about Buysse; his junior guard. "She's a big track kid and has a lot of speed". That athleticism definitely helped Marshall in the clutch moments. Buysse herself admitted that this was what they wanted. "This was a goal we wanted to achieve.....We never stopped fighting and we found a way." Buysse and Bennett each tallied 13 points in this win for Marshall while Graff netted 12 points and Beckman was right behind with 11 points; a very balanced attack. Fergus Falls' Strand led her team with 22 points.
Minnesota Girls State Tournament - Class AAA Semifinal - Minneapolis Washburn vs Park Center - 3-20-14 12:00 P.M.
Got over to the University of Minnesota's venerable Williams Arena early on this Thursday to get ready and settled in for the much-anticipated high noon showdown between #4 seed Minneapolis Washburn and #1 seed Park Center. This would be a game of contrasts as the Millers fortunes revolve around 6'4" senior post and Iowa-bound Chase Coley while the Pirates have a bevy of speedy, athletic players with senior forward and Wisconsin-bound Cayla McMorris leading the way. Both student sections were in early as well and you could just tell that it was on!!!!
There would be no fooling around or no cat and mouse games with 2-3 zones or slowdown in this one once the opening tip took place. This was man-to-man in your face defense from both sides. Washburn took a 4-2 lead on a jumper from junior guard Emma Shepherd from the left wing shortly after the opening tip and Coley was able to connect on a one-handed jumper in the lane at the 16:24 mark. Another Shepherd jumper; this one from the right corner at the 14:27 mark made it a 6-2 game before Park Center freshman guard Ann Simonet's basket shortly afterward cut the Miller's lead to 6-4. Washburn would then proceed to go on a 6-2 run fueled by a score in the paint by Coley at the 13:00 mark and a short jumper from senior reserve forward Natalie Holdahl at the 11:24 mark but the Pirates would then get on a 6-0 run of their own highlighted by a steal and lay-up by McMorris at the 10:51 mark and two Simonet lay-ups. A McMorris "3" from the right wing with 9:36 left had Park Center up 15-14.
Washburn's Holdahl would knock down a "3" from the right top with 7:22 left for a 19-17 Miller lead but a steal and jumper off the glass by Park Center's McMorris enabled the Pirates to grab a 20-19 lead with 6:23 left. McMorris would go off on another transition attempt with 5:56 left but got tangled up with Washburn's senior guard Aliyah Wilson and Wilson took the worst of it as she was down with a possible knee injury and had to be helped off the court and down to the locker room. The Pirates would extend their lead to a four-point advantage at 25-21 with 3:30 left and a turnaround jumper in the lane by lanky freshman post Mikayla Hayes with 3:13 left made it a 27-21 ballgame. Park Center looked to be in control somewhat by this point but a late Washburn burst changed that mindset. Sophomore reserve guard Shai'Anye Wesley connected on a lay-up with 2:14 left and two other Miller scores; one with 1:07 left and a Coley "3" from the right top area with just :09 left brought Washburn to within one trailing 29-28 once the halftime buzzer sounded. McMorris led the Park Center attack with 12 points while Simonet was surprisingly right behind with 8 points. Coley's 13 points paced the Millers and Washburn also held a slight advantage on the boards at 21-18.
Park Center would get off to a very good start once the second half got underway as McMorris grabbed a steal at the 17:28 mark and connected on a short shot off the glass and a score down low by Hayes at the 16:47 mark made it a 33-28 Pirate lead. Another Simonet lay-up at the 16:26 mark and another Hayes score down low had Park Center up 37-30 by the 15:53 mark and an offensive rebound and putback by Hayes at the 15:09 mark maintained the seven-point advantage at 39-32. Two free throws by Washburn junior point guard Lucia Renikoff and a Coley lay-up in transition at the 13:31 mark helped the Millers crawl back to within three trailing 39-36. A "3" by the Miller's Holdahl from the right wing at the 11:30 mark allowed Washburn to creep even closer trailing 41-39.
Park Center would manage to get on another push as a McMorris pull-up jumper with 8:33 left helped the Pirates regain a five-point edge at 46-41 and a pretty drive into the line and finish off the glass by freshman guard Danielle Schaub with 7:36 left maintained that five-point edge at 48-43. A "3" from the right corner by McMorris got the lead up to 51-43 with 5:22 left and now Washburn was under some duress to try and bring this one back. Two McMorris scores had Park Center up 54-47 and seemingly in the safe zone with 1:40 left but this Washburn team still had a wisp of hope when Coley got into the paint for a score with :55 left and then Holdahl uncorked a "3" from the right corner with :42 left that brought the Millers to a single possession trailing 58-55. Nerve-racking time for Park Center to be sure but when they needed to get the charity stripe shots late they got them. Simonet and junior guard McKenna DuBois did what they had to do late from the free throw line and Park Center scored a narrow 63-59 win that sends the Pirates to their first-ever state title game.
A very happy and excited Park Center Head Coach Chris VanderHyde said he was "excited for the girls" after this win. VanderHyde also thought his squad handled the nerves better in this game than they did the first. "There were a lot of nerves" he admitted "but they handled it better today." About McMorris who led all scorers with 26 points before fouling out very late: She steps up on the big stage....she wants this so bad." He also sang praises about his guard play saying "Our guards are phenominal." VanderHyde had no preference on who the Pirates get in the state title game but did say that "We need to be ready and have a game plan." I also had a chance to ask Danielle Schaub on how she handled this environment with the loud student sections. She giggled a bit and said, "I like the pressure....it didn't bother me." She also added that "I think we can win it all." I also had an opportunity to ask the Wisconsin-bound McMorris about the big steals she came up with early in this game. "It's instinct and I'm always reading their (her opponents) eyes." She definitely did that today and now the Pirates find themselves one game away from hoisting a state title trophy.
There would be no fooling around or no cat and mouse games with 2-3 zones or slowdown in this one once the opening tip took place. This was man-to-man in your face defense from both sides. Washburn took a 4-2 lead on a jumper from junior guard Emma Shepherd from the left wing shortly after the opening tip and Coley was able to connect on a one-handed jumper in the lane at the 16:24 mark. Another Shepherd jumper; this one from the right corner at the 14:27 mark made it a 6-2 game before Park Center freshman guard Ann Simonet's basket shortly afterward cut the Miller's lead to 6-4. Washburn would then proceed to go on a 6-2 run fueled by a score in the paint by Coley at the 13:00 mark and a short jumper from senior reserve forward Natalie Holdahl at the 11:24 mark but the Pirates would then get on a 6-0 run of their own highlighted by a steal and lay-up by McMorris at the 10:51 mark and two Simonet lay-ups. A McMorris "3" from the right wing with 9:36 left had Park Center up 15-14.
Washburn's Holdahl would knock down a "3" from the right top with 7:22 left for a 19-17 Miller lead but a steal and jumper off the glass by Park Center's McMorris enabled the Pirates to grab a 20-19 lead with 6:23 left. McMorris would go off on another transition attempt with 5:56 left but got tangled up with Washburn's senior guard Aliyah Wilson and Wilson took the worst of it as she was down with a possible knee injury and had to be helped off the court and down to the locker room. The Pirates would extend their lead to a four-point advantage at 25-21 with 3:30 left and a turnaround jumper in the lane by lanky freshman post Mikayla Hayes with 3:13 left made it a 27-21 ballgame. Park Center looked to be in control somewhat by this point but a late Washburn burst changed that mindset. Sophomore reserve guard Shai'Anye Wesley connected on a lay-up with 2:14 left and two other Miller scores; one with 1:07 left and a Coley "3" from the right top area with just :09 left brought Washburn to within one trailing 29-28 once the halftime buzzer sounded. McMorris led the Park Center attack with 12 points while Simonet was surprisingly right behind with 8 points. Coley's 13 points paced the Millers and Washburn also held a slight advantage on the boards at 21-18.
Park Center would get off to a very good start once the second half got underway as McMorris grabbed a steal at the 17:28 mark and connected on a short shot off the glass and a score down low by Hayes at the 16:47 mark made it a 33-28 Pirate lead. Another Simonet lay-up at the 16:26 mark and another Hayes score down low had Park Center up 37-30 by the 15:53 mark and an offensive rebound and putback by Hayes at the 15:09 mark maintained the seven-point advantage at 39-32. Two free throws by Washburn junior point guard Lucia Renikoff and a Coley lay-up in transition at the 13:31 mark helped the Millers crawl back to within three trailing 39-36. A "3" by the Miller's Holdahl from the right wing at the 11:30 mark allowed Washburn to creep even closer trailing 41-39.
Park Center would manage to get on another push as a McMorris pull-up jumper with 8:33 left helped the Pirates regain a five-point edge at 46-41 and a pretty drive into the line and finish off the glass by freshman guard Danielle Schaub with 7:36 left maintained that five-point edge at 48-43. A "3" from the right corner by McMorris got the lead up to 51-43 with 5:22 left and now Washburn was under some duress to try and bring this one back. Two McMorris scores had Park Center up 54-47 and seemingly in the safe zone with 1:40 left but this Washburn team still had a wisp of hope when Coley got into the paint for a score with :55 left and then Holdahl uncorked a "3" from the right corner with :42 left that brought the Millers to a single possession trailing 58-55. Nerve-racking time for Park Center to be sure but when they needed to get the charity stripe shots late they got them. Simonet and junior guard McKenna DuBois did what they had to do late from the free throw line and Park Center scored a narrow 63-59 win that sends the Pirates to their first-ever state title game.
A very happy and excited Park Center Head Coach Chris VanderHyde said he was "excited for the girls" after this win. VanderHyde also thought his squad handled the nerves better in this game than they did the first. "There were a lot of nerves" he admitted "but they handled it better today." About McMorris who led all scorers with 26 points before fouling out very late: She steps up on the big stage....she wants this so bad." He also sang praises about his guard play saying "Our guards are phenominal." VanderHyde had no preference on who the Pirates get in the state title game but did say that "We need to be ready and have a game plan." I also had a chance to ask Danielle Schaub on how she handled this environment with the loud student sections. She giggled a bit and said, "I like the pressure....it didn't bother me." She also added that "I think we can win it all." I also had an opportunity to ask the Wisconsin-bound McMorris about the big steals she came up with early in this game. "It's instinct and I'm always reading their (her opponents) eyes." She definitely did that today and now the Pirates find themselves one game away from hoisting a state title trophy.
Minnesota Girls State Tournament - Class AA Quarterfinal - Esko vs New London-Spicer - 3-19-14 8:00 P.M.
The nightcap at Mariucci Arena featured another Class AA Quarterfinal matching up Esko; the Section 7AA champ going up against the #3 seed New London-Spicer which had to survive an overtime scare against Sauk Centre to capture the Section 6AA crown. Both teams featured nearly identical records and once again not knowing much about either squad it would be difficult to guess as to how this one might play out.
New London-Spicer was in a 2-3 zone early on and this made Esko go into a delay game but when they found the shot they wanted from behind the arc they took it - and cashed in on it for an 8-2 lead by the 12:50 mark and doing a lot of the damage for the Eskomos was junior forward Ashley Bergerson who had a sharp eye early on and ignored the various chants from the New London-Spicer student section. Freshman reserve guard Judy Wagemaker connected with a jumper in the lane with 9:34 left and another Bergerson "3" from the right corner with 8:50 left got the Eskomo lead to 16-4 and New London-Spicer Head Coach Mike Dreier knew he had a problem on his hand and called a timeout to try and solve it.
The Wildcats finally found some scoring and cut the Eskomo lead down to 16-9 thanks to a huge "3" from senior guard Taylor Thunstedt with 6:55 left and Dreier had adjusted the Wildcats defensive schemes in hopes of cooling off a hot Bergerson. Another Thunstedt "3" with 2:18 left whittled the Esko lead down to 18-14 and still another Thunstedt "3" with :47 left narrowed the Esko lead down to 19-17. Esko righted the ship somewhat right before the halftime buzzer when diminutive freshman guard Ava Gonsorowski made a hard drive along the right baseline and got a finish for a 21-17 Eskomo lead but New London-Spicer; which could have been a heap of trouble early on, had been able to close the gap nicely thanks to those Thunstedt treys. As you would expect, Thundstedt's 11 points paced the Wildcats in the first half while Esko was a bit more balanced in their scoring attack with Bergerson's nine points leading the way. New London-Spicer did lead the way on the rebounding front 15-12 so from a Wildcat perspective you had to be encouraged anyway.
A Thunstedt jumper from the free throw line at the 17:31 mark of the second half got the Wildcats to within two again trailing 21-19 but Esko refused to budge from its patiently offensive gameplane that Head Coach Scott Antonutti had designed for this contest; especially in light of the fact that New London-Spicer seemed content to stay in that 2-3 zone. A pretty lay-up by Gonsorowski at the 10:00 mark put the Eskos up 25-21 and you began to wonder if this slowdown game was beginning to take its toll on the Wildcats.
A lay-up by Esko junior guard Bailey Mudek with 8:10 left upped the Eskomo lead to 27-22 but a 4-0 burst by the Wildcats cut the Esko lead down to a scant 27-26 count with 7:15 left. Then the Eskomos made the mistake of fouling Thunstedt behind the arc and she promptly knocked down three free throws to tie things up at 29-all and a short while later the Wildcats took the lead at 31-29 and now you had to wonder if Esko might be looking for that proverbial panic button. Esko's Antonutti did call a timeout anyway with 5:13 left to stem this setback. Another Thunstedt jumper with just under 5:00 left upped the Wildcat lead to 33-29 and suddenly things appeared bleak for the Eskomos. Bergerson, who had been quiet since her hot streak, hit a "3" from the right top area with 3:11 left and then senior guard Erika Shady drilled a "3" from the top of the key with 2:13 left and just like that Esko was back out in front 35-33 and now it was nail-biting time for the third-seeded Wildcats. With 1:11 left, Esko got into the bonus and Gonsorowski was sent to the line where she knocked down one freebie for a 36-33 lead. Still enough time for the Wildcats but on their ensuing possession they could not convert on an attempted score in the paint and junior reserve guard Kailee Kiminski was fouled but could not convert on the freebie. Still another chance for New London-Spicer. A quick score by the Wildcats got the Esko lead down to a scant point but they fouled right away and sent the Eskomos Wagemaker to the line with :34.9 left. She calmly knocked down two free throws that had Esko back up 38-35. The Wildcats committed a turnover on their ensuing possession and Gonsorowski was sent to the line again where this time she got one freebie for a 39-35 lead. On the ensuing Wildcat possession, Thundstedt hurriedly tried to get into position for a three-point attempt but committed a turnover in doing so and now with just :09.9 left the Eskomos thwarted a last-ditch attempt by New London-Spicer and pulled off the upset of the night with a 39-35 victory.
A very happy Antonutti afterward spoke of how unselfish his players are and how it doesn't matter to them who's getting the points; it's all about the team and working together as a unit. I asked Antonutti specifically about that situation late in the game when New London-Spicer assumed that 33-29 lead with just under 5:00 remaining. Antonutti: "I called a timeout and I just told the girls to flush those mistakes and turnovers out of their minds....They're so resilient". And sure enough, those back-to-back three-pointers by Bergerson and Shady proved to be the game-changer when everything could have gone kablooey Esko. Gonsorowski surprisingly led the Esko scoring attack with 14 points while Bergerson was right behind with 12 points. Thunstedt easily led the New London-Spicer attack with her 24 points.
New London-Spicer was in a 2-3 zone early on and this made Esko go into a delay game but when they found the shot they wanted from behind the arc they took it - and cashed in on it for an 8-2 lead by the 12:50 mark and doing a lot of the damage for the Eskomos was junior forward Ashley Bergerson who had a sharp eye early on and ignored the various chants from the New London-Spicer student section. Freshman reserve guard Judy Wagemaker connected with a jumper in the lane with 9:34 left and another Bergerson "3" from the right corner with 8:50 left got the Eskomo lead to 16-4 and New London-Spicer Head Coach Mike Dreier knew he had a problem on his hand and called a timeout to try and solve it.
The Wildcats finally found some scoring and cut the Eskomo lead down to 16-9 thanks to a huge "3" from senior guard Taylor Thunstedt with 6:55 left and Dreier had adjusted the Wildcats defensive schemes in hopes of cooling off a hot Bergerson. Another Thunstedt "3" with 2:18 left whittled the Esko lead down to 18-14 and still another Thunstedt "3" with :47 left narrowed the Esko lead down to 19-17. Esko righted the ship somewhat right before the halftime buzzer when diminutive freshman guard Ava Gonsorowski made a hard drive along the right baseline and got a finish for a 21-17 Eskomo lead but New London-Spicer; which could have been a heap of trouble early on, had been able to close the gap nicely thanks to those Thunstedt treys. As you would expect, Thundstedt's 11 points paced the Wildcats in the first half while Esko was a bit more balanced in their scoring attack with Bergerson's nine points leading the way. New London-Spicer did lead the way on the rebounding front 15-12 so from a Wildcat perspective you had to be encouraged anyway.
A Thunstedt jumper from the free throw line at the 17:31 mark of the second half got the Wildcats to within two again trailing 21-19 but Esko refused to budge from its patiently offensive gameplane that Head Coach Scott Antonutti had designed for this contest; especially in light of the fact that New London-Spicer seemed content to stay in that 2-3 zone. A pretty lay-up by Gonsorowski at the 10:00 mark put the Eskos up 25-21 and you began to wonder if this slowdown game was beginning to take its toll on the Wildcats.
A lay-up by Esko junior guard Bailey Mudek with 8:10 left upped the Eskomo lead to 27-22 but a 4-0 burst by the Wildcats cut the Esko lead down to a scant 27-26 count with 7:15 left. Then the Eskomos made the mistake of fouling Thunstedt behind the arc and she promptly knocked down three free throws to tie things up at 29-all and a short while later the Wildcats took the lead at 31-29 and now you had to wonder if Esko might be looking for that proverbial panic button. Esko's Antonutti did call a timeout anyway with 5:13 left to stem this setback. Another Thunstedt jumper with just under 5:00 left upped the Wildcat lead to 33-29 and suddenly things appeared bleak for the Eskomos. Bergerson, who had been quiet since her hot streak, hit a "3" from the right top area with 3:11 left and then senior guard Erika Shady drilled a "3" from the top of the key with 2:13 left and just like that Esko was back out in front 35-33 and now it was nail-biting time for the third-seeded Wildcats. With 1:11 left, Esko got into the bonus and Gonsorowski was sent to the line where she knocked down one freebie for a 36-33 lead. Still enough time for the Wildcats but on their ensuing possession they could not convert on an attempted score in the paint and junior reserve guard Kailee Kiminski was fouled but could not convert on the freebie. Still another chance for New London-Spicer. A quick score by the Wildcats got the Esko lead down to a scant point but they fouled right away and sent the Eskomos Wagemaker to the line with :34.9 left. She calmly knocked down two free throws that had Esko back up 38-35. The Wildcats committed a turnover on their ensuing possession and Gonsorowski was sent to the line again where this time she got one freebie for a 39-35 lead. On the ensuing Wildcat possession, Thundstedt hurriedly tried to get into position for a three-point attempt but committed a turnover in doing so and now with just :09.9 left the Eskomos thwarted a last-ditch attempt by New London-Spicer and pulled off the upset of the night with a 39-35 victory.
A very happy Antonutti afterward spoke of how unselfish his players are and how it doesn't matter to them who's getting the points; it's all about the team and working together as a unit. I asked Antonutti specifically about that situation late in the game when New London-Spicer assumed that 33-29 lead with just under 5:00 remaining. Antonutti: "I called a timeout and I just told the girls to flush those mistakes and turnovers out of their minds....They're so resilient". And sure enough, those back-to-back three-pointers by Bergerson and Shady proved to be the game-changer when everything could have gone kablooey Esko. Gonsorowski surprisingly led the Esko scoring attack with 14 points while Bergerson was right behind with 12 points. Thunstedt easily led the New London-Spicer attack with her 24 points.
Wednesday, March 19, 2014
Minnesota Girls State Tournament - Class AA Quarterfinal - Redwood Valley vs Kenyon-Wanamingo - 3-19-14 6:00 P.M.
The early evening game at Mariucci Arena would have Redwood Valley going up against #2 seed Kenyon Wanamingo which sported a spectacular 29-1 record. Again, two teams that I am very unfamiliar with; save for Kenyon-Wannamingo which I saw play back in November, so it would be a bit of a learning process as this one went along. The Cardinals, decided underdogs in this one with a 19-9 record, got here by virtue of the Section 3AA Championship Game win over Fairmont while the Knights had to survive a tough game from Plainview-Elgin-Millville to survive the Section 1AA Championship Game.
Kenyon-Wanamingo was able to establish a 5-0 lead by the 14:30 mark but it was some tough going early on for the Knights as they had to fight to get through the 2-3 zone that Redwood Valley was showing early on. However, the Knights' senior forward Siri Sviggum was able to knock down a "3" from the left corner at the 15:18 mark that opened things up a bit for Kenyon-Wanamingo with an 8-1 advantage as Redwood Valley struggled on the offensive end. The Cardinals finally shook off some of those early cobwebs when junior guard Lauren Hanson was able to connect on a jumper along the right baseline at the 11:54 mark Kenyon-Wanamingo extended their lead to 12-3 on a score in the paint by junior forward Megan Quam at the 9:47 mark and a "3" from junior 6'0" post Brittney Flom made it a 15-3 game shortly thereafter.
A short jumper from the left side by Sviggum with 6:11 left maintained a fairly comfortable cushion for the Knights at a 19-6 count and a Sviggum "3" from the top with just over five minutes left extended the lead to 24-6 and Redwood Valley was now in some serious trouble. Senior guard Meg Clark got into the paint for a score with 4:12 left and a 28-8 Knight lead. Kenyon-Wanamingo was also in the bonus by this time as well; adding to the problems of Redwood Valley Head Coach Trevor Wittwer. A Flom "3" from the right top area with 2:36 left bulged Kenyon-Wanamingo's lead to 35-8 and a trey by junior reserve guard Emily Ashland made it 38-8 in favor of the Knights and it became apparent that this one was turning into a runaway train. Kenyon-Wanamingo took a seemingly prohibitive 39-12 lead into the locker room at the half and it would take a miracle of gigantic proportions for Redwood Valley to get back into this one. Sviggum's 14 points paced the Knights in the first half and they also held a decisive 23-10 edge on the glass as well.
The Cardinals woes continued once the second half got underway and scores by the Clark twins - Meg and Audra - had Kenyon-Wanamingo up 49-21 by the 12:43 mark. A Flom score in the paint upped the margin to thirty at 53-23 by the 11:56 mark and by this point the so-called "Mercy Rule" might very well come into play. With 6:00 left, the "Mercy Rule" indeed come into effect with Kenyon-Wanamingo up comfortably by 35. With such a big lead and with time winding down, Knights Head Coach Brent Lurken had a golden opportunity to rest his starters and insert his reserves to give them some experience on the big stage. Kenyon-Wanamingo would win this one by a 64-31 margin and after this one it was easy to see why the Knights were the second-seed in this state tournament. I asked Lurken afterward if having such a large lead affected his team's intensity after halftime. "There's a tendency for a natural letdown" he admitted but he also felt that his team did a good job of avoiding that trap. Sviggum's 23 points led the way for the Knights in this one while senior guard Tara Sandgren led the Redwood Valley cause with 13 points.
Kenyon-Wanamingo was able to establish a 5-0 lead by the 14:30 mark but it was some tough going early on for the Knights as they had to fight to get through the 2-3 zone that Redwood Valley was showing early on. However, the Knights' senior forward Siri Sviggum was able to knock down a "3" from the left corner at the 15:18 mark that opened things up a bit for Kenyon-Wanamingo with an 8-1 advantage as Redwood Valley struggled on the offensive end. The Cardinals finally shook off some of those early cobwebs when junior guard Lauren Hanson was able to connect on a jumper along the right baseline at the 11:54 mark Kenyon-Wanamingo extended their lead to 12-3 on a score in the paint by junior forward Megan Quam at the 9:47 mark and a "3" from junior 6'0" post Brittney Flom made it a 15-3 game shortly thereafter.
A short jumper from the left side by Sviggum with 6:11 left maintained a fairly comfortable cushion for the Knights at a 19-6 count and a Sviggum "3" from the top with just over five minutes left extended the lead to 24-6 and Redwood Valley was now in some serious trouble. Senior guard Meg Clark got into the paint for a score with 4:12 left and a 28-8 Knight lead. Kenyon-Wanamingo was also in the bonus by this time as well; adding to the problems of Redwood Valley Head Coach Trevor Wittwer. A Flom "3" from the right top area with 2:36 left bulged Kenyon-Wanamingo's lead to 35-8 and a trey by junior reserve guard Emily Ashland made it 38-8 in favor of the Knights and it became apparent that this one was turning into a runaway train. Kenyon-Wanamingo took a seemingly prohibitive 39-12 lead into the locker room at the half and it would take a miracle of gigantic proportions for Redwood Valley to get back into this one. Sviggum's 14 points paced the Knights in the first half and they also held a decisive 23-10 edge on the glass as well.
The Cardinals woes continued once the second half got underway and scores by the Clark twins - Meg and Audra - had Kenyon-Wanamingo up 49-21 by the 12:43 mark. A Flom score in the paint upped the margin to thirty at 53-23 by the 11:56 mark and by this point the so-called "Mercy Rule" might very well come into play. With 6:00 left, the "Mercy Rule" indeed come into effect with Kenyon-Wanamingo up comfortably by 35. With such a big lead and with time winding down, Knights Head Coach Brent Lurken had a golden opportunity to rest his starters and insert his reserves to give them some experience on the big stage. Kenyon-Wanamingo would win this one by a 64-31 margin and after this one it was easy to see why the Knights were the second-seed in this state tournament. I asked Lurken afterward if having such a large lead affected his team's intensity after halftime. "There's a tendency for a natural letdown" he admitted but he also felt that his team did a good job of avoiding that trap. Sviggum's 23 points led the way for the Knights in this one while senior guard Tara Sandgren led the Redwood Valley cause with 13 points.
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