Was over at venerable Hutton Arena on this Veterans Day to take in the scrimmage between visiting Anoka-Ramsey and host Hamline. I was very anxious to get a look at Hamline as I think this is a squad that has potential to make a move in the MIAC this season after a disappointing 2013-14 campaign. They're certainly loaded with talent and athleticism and those attributes were certainly on display on this night.
1st Scrimmage
The Golden Rams got off to a good start in this one; building a 6-3 lead behind sophomore guard Mattie Racek's jumper from the right wing at the 18:27 mark and her "3" from the same area at the 17:36 mark. But Hamline was quick to right the ship. Sophomore guard Chelsey Bonsante uncorked a "3" of her own from the right wing at the 17:25 mark that tied the score and then senior Jordan Sammons showed her ability to shoot from long range as well as she drilled a "3" from the left top area at the 16:45 mark to put the Pipers out in front 9-6 and had Anoka-Ramsey Assistant Coach James Fassett calling a timeout to get his squad's defense adjusted. The Golden Rams managed to stay within striking distance for a short period of time thank to a jumper from the left wing by freshman guard Maya DeLao at the 15:34 mark but an 8-0 Hamline burst over the next three minutes set the tone for the rest of the first scrimmage. Sammons drained another "3" from the top of the key at the 13:50 mark and then the senior standout from Apple Valley connected with a lay-up in transition a short time later. Bonsante's short shot in the lane at the 12:07 mark gave the Pipers a 17-8 advantage before Anoka-Ramsey's Racek was able to erase some of that nine-point deficit with another "3" from the left top area with 9:29 left.
Hamline maintained that 7-8 point cushion over the next 2 1/2 minutes and then the Pipers were finally able to open up a double-digit advantage with 6:41 left when lanky freshman post Alex Peterson connected with a jumper along the left baseline for a 23-13 Piper lead. Another Peterson score; a short shot in transition with 5:59 left and Bonsante's lay-up in transition with 5:20 left made it a 27-13 game as the Pipers feasted on several Anoka-Ramsey miscues. Another "3" by Racek from the left wing off the glass with 4:26 left temporarily shook off some of the offensive cobwebs for Anoka-Ramsey but they were simply ineffective in trying to get the ball inside. Piper junior guard Emily Behrman's running hook shot in the lane off the glass with 3:05 left and sophomore guard Chloe Graves' drive and finish with 1:05 left allowed Hamline to open up a fifteen-point advantage at 32-17 and a late Anoka-Ramsey flurry could only incrementally improve the deficit as the Pipers took the first scrimmage 32-20.
2nd Scrimmage
The Pipers appeared to pick up where they left off after the first scrimmage; grabbing a 4-0 lead thanks to two scores by Bonsante but the Hamline faithful held their collective breaths at the 17:05 mark when Sammons went down after a tough collision down low but she was thankfully back up under her own power and on the bench to sit a spell to recover. Anoka-Ramsey managed to knot things up at 6 a piece at the 15:56 mark but it was here that Hamline embarked on a 15-0 tear. Graves drilled a "3" from the left corner at the 14:51 mark and then followed that up with a lay-up at the 12:14 mark for a 14-6 Piper lead. The Denver, Colorado native then snared a steal and dashed the other way for an easy lay-up at the 11:40 mark for a 16-6 Hamline lead and then sophomore reserve Monica Herzog connected with a lay-up in transition at the 10:06 mark. Graves punctuated the run with a "3" from the left wing with 9:25 left and suddenly the Golden Rams found themselves staring at a 21-6 deficit.
But Anoka-Ramsey was unable to make any gouges into the wide gap that the Pipers had established as they continued to struggle with turnovers and miscues which allowed Hamline to take full advantage. Sammons; back on the court for the Pipers by this time, nailed a "3" from the top of the key with 8:35 left for a 24-7 Hamline lead. Anoka-Ramsey tried to counter with a pretty move and finish in the paint by sophomore forward Alandra Brown-Cox with 7:42 left but Sammons uncorked another "3" with 7:29 left from the left wing area and then Bonsante was able to maneuver into the paint for a score that got her fouled and sent her to the line for the obligatory freebie. A Sammons steal and lay-up the other way with 4:14 left widened Hamline's lead to 32-12. Sophomore reserve guard Kelly Stacken was able to score in the paint for the Pipers to maintain that twenty-point advantage at 34-14 with 1:51 left as Hamline cruised to a 36-19 win.
3rd Scrimmage
The last scrimmage of the night was a 15-minute running-time affair that allowed Hamline Head Coach Kerri Stockwell to unload her bench and give her younger players a chance to show what they could do. Somewhat predictably, this round was a much closer and tightly contested. DeLayo's jumper in the lane at the 14:36 mark got Anoka-Ramsey on the board first and the Golden Rams held a 3-2 lead after Racek made good on a free throw at the 12:03 mark but then a "3" from the left top area by junior reserve guard Julie Albrecht gave Hamline its first lead at 5-3 with 8:25 left. Both teams traded treys over the next 2 1/2 minutes but the Golden Rams appeared to gain some control after Racek snared a steal and dashed the other way for a lay-up with 4:51 left and Brown-Cox connected with a short shot off the glass with 3:39 left for an 11-8 Anoka-Ramsey lead. But two late scores by Hamline - a score in the paint by freshman reserve post Ivannie Robertson with 3:20 left and a short jumper by sophomore reserve post Ali Winslow with 1:42 left - proved to be the difference as the Pipers edge Anoka-Ramsey in the finale by a score of 12-11.
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