Made my way up to Anoka-Ramsey on Tuesday night to catch this intriguing scrimmage between visiting Augsburg and Anoka-Ramsey. Both teams obviously have a lot to prove this coming season and, with the new faces on each side, it would be interesting to get a glimpse of how the newcomers would do and how they would mesh with the returning veterans.
1st Scrimmage:
Both sides struggled offensively in the early going as things were tight in the opening minutes. Augsburg grabbed a 2-0 lead at the 18:43 mark on junior guard Destiny Scott's lay-up but that was answered by Anoka-Ramsey freshman Maya DeLao's jumper from the right wing at the 18:21 mark. With both squads playing tight man-to-man defense, the scoring output suffered as neither side could gain a decided advantage. A lay-up by Augsburg senior guard Abbey Luger at the 17:25 mark tied things at 4-all but Anoka-Ramsey would come right back and hold a 6-4 lead by the 15:54 mark. Sophomore forward Laykn Bauer, however, would help get Augsburg back out in front by a count of 8-6 by the 12:23 mark thanks to a short shot from the right side and a charity stripe shot shortly afterward.
Anoka-Ramsey was finally able to assume some semblance of control in this first scrimmage at the 11:10 mark when sophomore guard Mattie Racek drilled a "3" from the top of the key that had the Golden Rams back out in front by a score of 12-8. Anoka-Ramsey would build the advantage to seven points at 19-12 with 4:57 left before the Auggies got untracked and went on a 7-0 run of their own over the next two minutes that had things knotted up at 19-all with 3:16 left. First, junior newcomer Raeann Sorenson, who comes to Augsburg after two years at Ridgewater College, knocked down one free throw with 4:48 left and a "3" from the left corner by junior guard Ashley Anfinson with 4:30 left pulled the Auggies to within three and a score inside by freshman post Hannah Steinhaus who hails from Waterville sliced the deficit to a scant point. Then freshman Bridget Bednar from Pierz made a freebie at the aforementioned 3:16 mark that knotted the score. But DeLao would come to the rescue for the Golden Rams in the home stretch of this one. She connected on a drive and finish with 2:34 left to put Anoka-Ramsey back out in front 21-19 and then a pretty lay-up by the former Simley standout that drew a foul in the process sent her to the charity stripe where she connected and made it a 24-19 game. Augsburg sophomore reserve guard Alison Ranum helped the Auggies stay within striking distance - she connected with a lay-up with 1:12 left and a free throw by the former Fridley product made it a one-possession game as Anoka-Ramsey clung to a 26-23 advantage. But Golden Ram sophomore point guard Hannah Norton's "3" from the left top area with :11 left proved to be the insurance that Anoka-Ramsey would need in this first scrimmage as they took this one by a count of 29-23.
2nd Scrimmage:
Perhaps the sting of defeat in the first scrimmage lit the fires of desire in the Auggies once it was time to tip off the second scrimmage. Or maybe it was because they simply upped their intensity after a long talk with Head Coach Bill McKee and his assistant Joshua Hersch. Whatever the reason, Augsburg came out with a newfound sense of purpose in this second scrimmage and they quickly took control as scores in the paint by Anfinson and Steinhaus had the Auggies up 4-0 by the 18:44 mark. Two scores by the Golden Rams had Anoka-Ramsey within two trailing 6-4 at the 17:55 mark but a free throw by Sorenson at the 17:48 mark and a "3" from the right wing by Scott at the 17:15 mark had the Auggies up by six at 10-4 and they never looked back. An 8-2 push by the Auggies over the next four minutes; fueled by a short turnaround jumper by junior guard Jenna Orth and a score off of an inbounds pass by Bednar that got her fouled and allowed her to knock down the obligatory freebie allowed the Auggies to grab an 18-8 lead by the 13:13 mark. Anoka-Ramsey tried to make inroads on the Augsburg advantage as Racek drained a "3" from the right top area at the 12:36 mark but another free throw by Sorenson at the 12:22 mark and a finish in the paint by Steinhaus made it a 22-13 game by the 11:50 mark.
Much to the chagrin of Anoka-Ramsey Head Coach David DeWitt, the bottom fell out for the Golden Rams as Augsburg continued with its charge. Despite a DeLao "3" from the right wing area with 8:11 left, the Auggies began to pour it on. Orth knocked down a free throw with 5:48 left and the former Melrose product followed that up with a lay-up in transition with 5:36 left. A Luger rebound and putback doubled up the Golden Rams at 34-17. A Ranum score in the paint with 2:47 left and a Luger score in the paint with 2:12 left that got her fouled and allowed her to sink the ensuing freebie only added to Anoka-Ramsey's miseries as Augsburg now held a 39-17 lead. Ranum provided the finishing touches in this runaway as she connected with a lay-up in transition with :08.5 left as the Auggies won this one by a count of 41-17.
3rd Scrimmage:
The third and final scrimmage on this night was twelve-minute running time affair that didn't allow for much in the way of scoring as the previous two scrimmages did but did allow some other players a chance to step up and show their game. Sophomore newcomer Alandra Brown-Cox; who transferred to Anoka-Ramsey after playing one year at Itasca Community College, was able to shake off the jitters from the first two scrimmages and make the most of this opportunity and she used her speed and athleticism to snare an errant Augsburg pass and dash the other way for an easy lay-up at the 8:13 mark and a 2-0 Golden Ram lead. Two scores by Luger - one in the paint with 7:50 left and a steal and lay-up the other way less than twenty seconds later - put Augsburg out in front 4-2 but Brown-Cox would help but Anoka-Ramsey back out in front for good in this one as she muscled into the paint for a score and got fouled in the process and her free throw put made it a 5-4 game. A pretty drive by Brown-Cox along the left baseline and finish with 4:50 left enabled Anoka-Ramsey to take this one by a final count of 11-6.
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