Was out at the Anoka-Ramsey Community College campus on this late Sunday afternoon to take in the Region 13A Championship Game between host Anoka-Ramsey and arch-rival Minnesota West. The Golden Rams captured both regular season match-ups; games that Lady Jays probably felt that they should have won and would no doubt be looking to turn the tables on the host Golden Rams where a berth in the National Tournament was at stake.
Minnesota West got off to a great start in the regular season match-up at Anoka-Ramsey and the Lady Jays were hopeful they could replicate that start in this championship match-up. But Minnesota West sputtered offensively and looked out of sorts in the opening minutes as the Golden Rams slowly built a lead. With the score tied at 4-all, strong freshman forward Ashley Carter moved along the right baseline for a finish at the 17:03 mark and fellow freshman guard Mattie Racek connected with a lay-up at the 12:49 mark for an 8-4 Anoka-Ramsey lead. Two free throws by Carter at the 12:29 mark and a "3" by Racek from the left corner at the 10:53 mark put the Lady Jays in an early hole trailing 13-4 and Minnesota West Head Coach Mike Fury, not liking the look of this, called a timeout to try and find a quick fix after having already burned one thirty-second timeout a few minutes before. A free throw from sophomore forward Kristen Andersen along with an offensive rebound and putback by freshman guard Lydia Kemper cut into the deficit but the Golden Rams soon consolidated on their advantage and owned a two-touchdown 21-7 lead with 2:06 left when Racek; who had an exceptional first half, connected on a lay-up in transition and followed that up with a drive and finish in the paint. A jumper from the left corner by the Parker, Colorado native upped the Anoka-Ramsey lead to 23-8 with just 1:33 left before the Lady Jays were finally able to shake off the cobwebs that plagued them for most of the first half. Two free throws by Anderson with 1:19 left and a pretty steal by Kemper who dashed the other way for a lay-up with 1:15 left whittled the Golden Ram lead down to 23-12. Sophomore guard Tiffany Gehl added two shots from the charity stripe with :59.1 left and a Gehl score in the paint with just :38 left brought the Lady Jays to within seven trailing 23-16. Racek capped off a great first half for herself with a lay-up with :22 left to up the Anoka-Ramsey advantage to 25-16 by the halftime break but Minnesota West appeared to have awoken from its prolonged slumber.
The Golden Rams appeared to still hold the upper hand once the second half got underway but, for whatever reason, you could detect a subtle change in the complexion of the game and the feeling that things could go horribly wrong for the home team in this second half. A drive and finish by sophomore post Olivia Antilla at the 18:45 mark and a free throw by the former Osseo standout gave Anoka-Ramsey a ten-point cushion at 28-18 by the 17:57 mark but the Lady Jays would find a way to slowly chip away at the Golden Ram lead. A score in the paint by Andersen at the 17:39 mark and an Andersen "3" from the right wing at the 16:59 mark cut the Anoka-Ramsey lead in half at 28-23. Minnesota West would manage to stay within striking distance; keeping the deficit in the single-digit range despite the best efforts of Antilla and savvy sophomore point guard Maria Loughlin, the Golden Rams were unable to make that big push that usually puts their opponents in the rear-view mirror by this point. Even more troubling was the fact that both Loughlin and Carter were getting into foul trouble; much to the chagrin of Anoka-Ramsey Head Coach David DeWitt who was growing more frustrated by the minute with each whistle. Loughlin, in fact, picked up her fourth foul by the 11:51 mark with the Golden Rams holding a tenuous 36-33 lead which shrunk to a one-point margin when Lady Jay freshman reserve forward Bailey Tish maneuvered into the paint for a score at the 11:45 mark. Anoka-Ramsey found a bit more breathing room when willowy sophomore shooting guard Nicole Schaub finally found the range from behind the arc from the right corner at the 11:22 mark and Antilla was able to muscle into the paint for a score that got her fouled and she made good on the obligatory freebie for a 42-35 Golden Ram advantage.
But near-disaster struck Anoka-Ramsey past the midway point of the second half. First, Carter fouled out with 8:55 left that sent Gehl to the line to knock down two free throws. Then, at the 8:51 mark with the Golden Rams holding a slim 42-39 lead, Schaub got tangled up with a Minnesota West player for a loose ball and somehow Schaub's left knee gave out in the process and she fell to the floor writhing in pain while holding that left knee. It was a heartbreaking sight to see; even more so with the fact that younger sister Hannah, a Park Center standout herself, was in the stands after suffering the same exact ACL injury just five days before and the pain and heartache she was suffering was tough to take. Anoka-Ramsey recovered from this momentarily as Racek was able to get back-to-back scores to grab a 48-41 lead and a Loughlin steal and dash the other way for a lay-up got the Golden Rams a 50-41 lead but even that ray of reassurance faltered. Minnesota West's Kemper knocked down a "3" from the left wing with 6:44 left to cut the deficit to six and then Loughlin was whistled for her fifth foul with 6:32 left. Anoka-Ramsey's bench was now totally depleted and with a slim lead and a seeming mountain of time left, Minnesota West had a golden opportunity to seize control of this game and record a gigantic upset of their arch-rival.
But the Lady Jays didn't count on the five remaining Anoka-Ramsey players to hold firm and deny them that opportunity that lay before them. When everything could have gone kablooey for the five Golden Rams left on the floor, they found a way to shoulder the weight of the world and hold their ground and protect the lead. Antilla was nails in the waning minutes: back-to-back free throws with 4:09 and 3:37 left upped the lead to 54-46 and a jumper in the lane by Antilla with 3:04 left made it an eight-point 56-48 lead. As DeWitt directed the Golden Rams to be patient on offense, it paved the way for another Antilla jumper in the lane with 1:49 left for a 58-48 Anoka-Ramsey lead and that window of opportunity for Minnesota West vanished as quickly as it appeared. Gehl was able to get into the paint for a score and got fouled in the process and she made the obligatory freebie but the Lady Jays could never make any serious inroads on the Anoka-Ramsey advantage. Free throws by Racek with :49.1 and :33.8 left maintained the double-digit margin and the Golden Rams held on for an emotional 65-55 victory that now sends them to the National Tournament in Rochester to be held March 13 through the 15th.
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