And, just like in the first game tonight, you just knew it was going to come down to another Hopkins vs Eastview match-up, right? They were both on display on the floor at Williams Arena on this Saturday night for the rubber match on the big stage for the whole ball of wax. The Lightning knocked off the Royals in overtime back in early December at the Hopkins Breakdown event but Hopkins turned the table on Eastview on New Year's Eve at the St. Olaf tournament. Who would prevail this time?
The answer to that question - at least early on anyway - appeared to be the Royals as they raced out to an 8-2 lead by the 15:25 mark on the strength of two scores by junior guard Nia Hollie. But Eastview rose to the challenge and went on a 6-0 burst of their own in the form of two huge treys - one from junior guard Erika Schlosser at the 14:37 mark from the left top area and the other coming from willowy sophomore guard Rachel Ranke from the left corner at the 14:05 mark. Hopkins would respond with a 7-0 burst of their own as two free throws by senior guard TT Starks at the 13:44 mark and a Starks score in the paint at the 12:36 mark and a "3" from junior reserve guard Evelyn Knox from the left wing now had the Royals back out in front 15-8. A Hollie score in the paint at the 10:49 mark kept the cushion at six for Hopkins with a 17-11 lead and a score in the paint by senior guard Viria Livingston with 9:21 left made it an eight-point Royal lead at 19-11. Not to be outdone, though, the Lightning scratched and clawed their way as a drive and finish along the left baseline by senior forward Hannah Metoxen with 6:57 left and another Ranke "3" from the left corner with 5:37 left sliced Hopkins lead down to 21-19. Eastview would hang around with that two-point deficit until Starks drained a "3" from the left wing with 4:03 left for a 26-21 Royal lead and it looked as if Hopkins was in control. Eastview, however, would make a big statement in the home stretch of the first half. Metoxen connected with a short jumper with 3:42 left and pairs of free throws by strong senior forward Samantha Trammel sliced the Royals lead down to a scant point at 28-27 with :52.9 left. Hopkins had one last chance to expand their lead before halftime but an untimely turnover gave the Lightning a golden opportunity with scant seconds left and they made the most of it as Ranke got herself open at the top of the key and drained a "3" with just two seconds left to give Eastview an unlikely 30-28 advantage once the buzzer sounded ending the first half. Ranke's nine points led the way for the Lightning in the first half and Trammel was right behind with her eight points. Hopkins had balanced scoring as well and Hollie's eight points led the way while Starks added seven. Both teams had thirteen rebounds a piece so, at the moment anyway, this one had the makings of a very close, very tight contest.
One thing that the Royals under Head Coach Brian Cosgriff thrive on is getting out to a hot start in the second half and Hopkins did just that; getting an 8-0 spurt that established some cushion. Two scores by Hollie and an offensive rebound and putback by under-appreciated guard Ashley Bates and a lay-up in transition by Starks gave the Royals a 36-30 advantage before Eastview was able to put a halt to that run at the 14:53 mark on a score in the paint by Metoxen. The Lightning were able to close the gap to four points on a "3" by Schlosser from the right wing area at the 13:07 mark that reduced Hopkins lead to 41-37 but a 9-0 expedition by the Royals; capped by a Hollie "3" from the top of the key that kissed off the glass suddenly had Hopkins up 50-37 and had Eastview Head Coach Melissa Guebert clamoring for a timeout. Another Schlosser "3" from the left top area with 8:57 left along with two free throws by senior guard Madison Guebert and one more by Schlosser with 7:33 left had the Lightning back to within single digits trailing 50-43. The Royals, however, would push the lead back up to twelve points at 56-44 when Hollie went coast-to-coast for a lay-up with 5:18 left and at that point, all looked lost for Eastview. But one thing that I've learned about watching this Eastview team over the years under Guebert's helm is that they often play their best in the face of adversity when their backs are against the wall. Hopkins still held a double-digit cushion at 61-48 when Bates connected with a lay-up with 4:16 left but this is where things almost unraveled for the Royals as Eastview made a spirted comeback bid. One Guebert freebie with 2:55 left and a Guebert lay-up in transition after a steal cut the Royals lead down to ten at 61-51 and two more Guebert charity stripe shots with 2:08 left now had the Lightning back in single-digit range trailing 61-53. With 1:43 left, Trammel muscled into the paint to snare an offensive rebound of her own miss for a putback that cut into the Hopkins cushion further. Guebert had the Eastview faithful on their feet with a roar when she connected on a drive and finish with 1:13 left and got fouled in the process as well and her ensuing free throw now had the Lightning trailing by only three at 61-58. A Hollie free throw with 1:05 left increased Hopkins' lead to 62-58 but Eastview had an opportunity to get to cut the deficit to a scant point when Ranke got free behind the arc again with :52 left but her three-point attempt was off the mark and that ended the Lightning comeback attempt. Insurance free throws by sophomore guard Dee Dee Winston, Starks and Hollie within the last minute preserved the hard-fought win and gave Cosgriff and Company another state title with a 68-60 victory.
A happy and relieved Cosgriff said afterward that "I knew it would be close....They're (Eastview) very good." He also spoke of his squad's defensive efforts early on in the second half that gave the Royals a bit of a cushion. "It's (the defense) been our calling card" he said. Of Hollie's big game where she finished with 26 points to lead all scorers: "Big-time players make shots when they need to." I asked Cosgriff specifically about Bates who, IMHO, doesn't seem to get the recognition she deserves. "Bates flies under the radar" Cosgriff said, adding that "she plays great defense." I asked Bates about the last couple of minutes when Eastview made that comeback bid and if there was ever any nervousness or panic that might have set in. "No, we've been there before" she replied adding that "we needed to stay calm." About winning this state title she said "It's really special....It's been our goal from Day 1....Our team is really close." On the other side of the coin, I asked Eastview's Melissa Guebert about this game and the last-gasp comeback bid that fell just short. "We needed to keep chipping away and we had to keep the energy-level up" she said adding that "I'm proud of their effort." Madison Guebert, in her last game as a Lightning, led the Eastview attack with her 19 points while Trammel finished with 12 points and Schlosser added 11 in the losing effort.
Los Angeles Rams
Sunday, March 22, 2015
Minnesota Girl's State Tournament - Class AAA Championship Game Recap - Marshall vs Park Center 3-21-15
And somehow, you just knew it had to come down to these two again - Marshall and Park Center for all the marbles in the Class AAA final on a Saturday night at Williams Arena. While I wasn't counting on another three-overtime thriller like last year, I knew this one certainly had the potential to be very, very good.
The Tigers bolted out to a 5-0 lead on a lay-up in transition by senior guard Sarah Buysse at the 17:07 mark and a "3" from the left corner by fellow senior forward Callie Graff at the 15:20 mark. Park Center would cut Marshall's lead to one at 5-4 on two but two freebies by senior forward Morgan Saugstad at the 14:19 mark gave Marshall a 7-4 lead. Then the Pirate offense; which struggled a bit in the early going, started to find its groove. A "3" from the right corner by senior point guard Hannah Schaub at the 13:41 mark tied the issue at 7-all and a Hannah Schaub lay-up at the 13:02 mark kept the score knotted at 9 a piece. It was here, though, that Park Center was able to establish a bit of a cushion with a 5-0 run thanks to a one-handed lay-up by lanky sophomore post Mikayla Hayes at the 12:06 mark and a "3" from flashy sophomore reserve forward Fey Ayobamadele at the 11:17 mark that gave the Pirates a 14-9 advantage. One charity stripe shot by Hayes with 8:17 left and a drive and one-handed finish by Hannah Schaub wowed the crowd at Williams and had Park Center up 17-11. Then it was younger sister Danielle Schaub's turn to get into the act as she launched a three-point bomb from the left corner with 5:45 left and a "3" from the left corner by senior guard McKenna DuBois with 3:59 left stretched the lead out to 23-15 and the Tigers; struggling with turnovers and miscues thanks to a pesky Pirate defense, was in a bit of a bind. However, a late 6-0 Marshall run tightened things up before the half. A score in the paint by Morgan Saugstad with 2:01 left and another one by Graff with 1:25 left trimmed the Park Center lead down to 25-21 and two Buysse freebies with :50.2 left now made it a one-possession game with the Pirates up only 25-23. Senior reserve post Camille McCoy's score in the paint with :34 left made the halftime score 27-23 in favor of Park Center. Arguably, things could have been a lot worse for the Tigers at this point with 11 first half turnovers although Marshall did own a decisive 22-8 advantage on the boards. Both Hannah Schaub and Hayes paced the Pirates with their seven points with Marshall was led by both Buysse and Morgan Saugstad with their six points.
The Tigers sought to right some of their first half wrongs once the second half got underway and a score in the paint by junior forward Marah Mulso at the 17:44 mark and another one by Morgan Saugstad at the 16:02 mark knotted the issue at 27-all. Marshall was able to forge a two-point advantage at 29-27 and a Mulso lay-up at the 14:23 mark maintained the two-point edge at 31-29. The Pirates would come right back, though, as a short jumper by Ayobamadele at the 11:18 mark and a steal and lay-up the other way by sophomore guard Ann Simonet at the 11:05 mark gave the Pirates the lead at 33-31 and Park Center would expand that lead to five points on a score in the paint by Hayes with 8:23 left and two Ayobamadele free throws with 7:06 left for a 39-34 advantage. Marshall would close the gap to single possession, though, as Buysse's drive along the right baseline for a finish that got her fouled and allowed her to sink the obligatory free throw with 6:35 left and a "3" from the left wing by junior forward Lexi Saugstad with 4:44 left now had Park Center up only by a 41-39 count and the issue was very much in doubt by this point. But, just when it seemed like the Tigers might be on the verge of finally stopping the Pirate machine, a stingy Park Center defense and timely "3's" saved the day for the green and gold faithful. Simonet; who struggled for a good portion of the game with her three-point touch, finally found the groove with 4:20 left when she got open in the left corner and drained one from there that pushed the lead back to five at 44-39. A Hayes lay-up with 2:30 left and another Simonet "3" - this one from the left corner again with 1:46 left - pushed the lead to six at 49-43 and now it was desperation time for Marshall as, down two possessions with time dwindling, they had no choice but to foul in order to preserve what little time was left. Hannah Schaub, who did a masterful job of running the offense and preserving the victory in those last few minutes, knocked down two freebies with :44.7 left and Simonet added one more with :15 left gave the Pirates a second state Class AAA title - this time in somewhat less dramatic fashion - with a 52-45 victory.
A happy and ecstatic Park Center Head Coach Chris VanderHyde admitted afterward that he felt the squad "came out a little sluggish in the second half" but noted that the team's defensive efforts really saved the day in the crucial situations. "We didn't rebound so well" he said "but our defense was phenomenal." I asked VanderHyde what the identity of this program is now with two state championships under their belt. "We play fast and up-tempo; gritty and with confidence." Certainly those aspects were on full display tonight. I also spoke with a number of players afterward. Danielle Schaub: "Defense wins championships" she said and although she didn't have a great night shooting the ball, she's all over the court with her defense and tonight was no different. She plays smart with the ball and sees the whole court and knows how to get her teammates involved as well. Her big sister Hannah Schaub was full of smiles afterward as you can imagine. I asked her about what it was like running the half-court offensive sets when there wasn't a lot of cushion in the score and simply ran the whole show with an air of confidence and ability. "It's the flow of the game" she said "and you play with it". She also spoke about the great chemistry of this team over the last few years and she's really been the glue that has helped get this team to where it is right now. She also talked about the team's defensive efforts on this night; getting steals and creating turnovers at seemingly some of the most crucial junctures of this contest. "The steals gave us energy" she admitted. On getting this state championship in her senior year when she was forced to watch last year's thriller on the sidelines with that ACL injury: "It's one of the best feelings" she said smiling and the joy and happiness about having this chance and making the most of it was evident. Simonet talked about some of her early shooting struggles in this game and how making that first trey in the second half helped. "The first one (I made) really helped a lot" she said. Both she Danielle Schaub admitted it was a "HUGE relief" not to have to do the three-overtime thing again and finish up the deal in regulation. DuBois was of the same mindset afterward as she said the team "wanted to get it over and get it done with" and they did just that. She admitted that "It took a little bit to get untracked" but also said that it "definitely feels good to go out with a win." Ayobamedele, the flashy sophomore reserve who really provides a spark on both ends of the floor for the Pirates, talked about her team's defensive efforts and how they focus heavily on it as it creates their offensive opportunities. "We worked hard on (it) in every single practice" she said. Hayes, who led the Pirates in scoring with her 13 points, admitted that she got a little frustrated when she picked up her third foul early in the second half, said it was definitely a relief to finish this one up in regulation unlike last year; echoing the sentiments of Simonet and Danielle Schaub. "Definitely a relief!" she said smiling. I also asked her about how she's been able to expand her game and abilities as she's been willing to take three-pointers when left out on the arc. "I'm not just an inside player" she said and it's definitely been fun to watch her grow and develop her abilities and you can bet that she'll only be better in the years to come. On the flip side, Marshall was led by Mulso's 15 points while Buysse and Morgan Saugstad both added ten points a piece. The Tigers owned a decisive 45-22 advantage on the boards in this contest but were also guilty of 21 turnovers as well and that was what likely cost them in this contest. Marshall also shot only 15-46 for 32.6% from FG range and was a paltry 2-12 from behind the arc for only 16.7% and those numbers will not offset all those turnovers.
The Tigers bolted out to a 5-0 lead on a lay-up in transition by senior guard Sarah Buysse at the 17:07 mark and a "3" from the left corner by fellow senior forward Callie Graff at the 15:20 mark. Park Center would cut Marshall's lead to one at 5-4 on two but two freebies by senior forward Morgan Saugstad at the 14:19 mark gave Marshall a 7-4 lead. Then the Pirate offense; which struggled a bit in the early going, started to find its groove. A "3" from the right corner by senior point guard Hannah Schaub at the 13:41 mark tied the issue at 7-all and a Hannah Schaub lay-up at the 13:02 mark kept the score knotted at 9 a piece. It was here, though, that Park Center was able to establish a bit of a cushion with a 5-0 run thanks to a one-handed lay-up by lanky sophomore post Mikayla Hayes at the 12:06 mark and a "3" from flashy sophomore reserve forward Fey Ayobamadele at the 11:17 mark that gave the Pirates a 14-9 advantage. One charity stripe shot by Hayes with 8:17 left and a drive and one-handed finish by Hannah Schaub wowed the crowd at Williams and had Park Center up 17-11. Then it was younger sister Danielle Schaub's turn to get into the act as she launched a three-point bomb from the left corner with 5:45 left and a "3" from the left corner by senior guard McKenna DuBois with 3:59 left stretched the lead out to 23-15 and the Tigers; struggling with turnovers and miscues thanks to a pesky Pirate defense, was in a bit of a bind. However, a late 6-0 Marshall run tightened things up before the half. A score in the paint by Morgan Saugstad with 2:01 left and another one by Graff with 1:25 left trimmed the Park Center lead down to 25-21 and two Buysse freebies with :50.2 left now made it a one-possession game with the Pirates up only 25-23. Senior reserve post Camille McCoy's score in the paint with :34 left made the halftime score 27-23 in favor of Park Center. Arguably, things could have been a lot worse for the Tigers at this point with 11 first half turnovers although Marshall did own a decisive 22-8 advantage on the boards. Both Hannah Schaub and Hayes paced the Pirates with their seven points with Marshall was led by both Buysse and Morgan Saugstad with their six points.
The Tigers sought to right some of their first half wrongs once the second half got underway and a score in the paint by junior forward Marah Mulso at the 17:44 mark and another one by Morgan Saugstad at the 16:02 mark knotted the issue at 27-all. Marshall was able to forge a two-point advantage at 29-27 and a Mulso lay-up at the 14:23 mark maintained the two-point edge at 31-29. The Pirates would come right back, though, as a short jumper by Ayobamadele at the 11:18 mark and a steal and lay-up the other way by sophomore guard Ann Simonet at the 11:05 mark gave the Pirates the lead at 33-31 and Park Center would expand that lead to five points on a score in the paint by Hayes with 8:23 left and two Ayobamadele free throws with 7:06 left for a 39-34 advantage. Marshall would close the gap to single possession, though, as Buysse's drive along the right baseline for a finish that got her fouled and allowed her to sink the obligatory free throw with 6:35 left and a "3" from the left wing by junior forward Lexi Saugstad with 4:44 left now had Park Center up only by a 41-39 count and the issue was very much in doubt by this point. But, just when it seemed like the Tigers might be on the verge of finally stopping the Pirate machine, a stingy Park Center defense and timely "3's" saved the day for the green and gold faithful. Simonet; who struggled for a good portion of the game with her three-point touch, finally found the groove with 4:20 left when she got open in the left corner and drained one from there that pushed the lead back to five at 44-39. A Hayes lay-up with 2:30 left and another Simonet "3" - this one from the left corner again with 1:46 left - pushed the lead to six at 49-43 and now it was desperation time for Marshall as, down two possessions with time dwindling, they had no choice but to foul in order to preserve what little time was left. Hannah Schaub, who did a masterful job of running the offense and preserving the victory in those last few minutes, knocked down two freebies with :44.7 left and Simonet added one more with :15 left gave the Pirates a second state Class AAA title - this time in somewhat less dramatic fashion - with a 52-45 victory.
A happy and ecstatic Park Center Head Coach Chris VanderHyde admitted afterward that he felt the squad "came out a little sluggish in the second half" but noted that the team's defensive efforts really saved the day in the crucial situations. "We didn't rebound so well" he said "but our defense was phenomenal." I asked VanderHyde what the identity of this program is now with two state championships under their belt. "We play fast and up-tempo; gritty and with confidence." Certainly those aspects were on full display tonight. I also spoke with a number of players afterward. Danielle Schaub: "Defense wins championships" she said and although she didn't have a great night shooting the ball, she's all over the court with her defense and tonight was no different. She plays smart with the ball and sees the whole court and knows how to get her teammates involved as well. Her big sister Hannah Schaub was full of smiles afterward as you can imagine. I asked her about what it was like running the half-court offensive sets when there wasn't a lot of cushion in the score and simply ran the whole show with an air of confidence and ability. "It's the flow of the game" she said "and you play with it". She also spoke about the great chemistry of this team over the last few years and she's really been the glue that has helped get this team to where it is right now. She also talked about the team's defensive efforts on this night; getting steals and creating turnovers at seemingly some of the most crucial junctures of this contest. "The steals gave us energy" she admitted. On getting this state championship in her senior year when she was forced to watch last year's thriller on the sidelines with that ACL injury: "It's one of the best feelings" she said smiling and the joy and happiness about having this chance and making the most of it was evident. Simonet talked about some of her early shooting struggles in this game and how making that first trey in the second half helped. "The first one (I made) really helped a lot" she said. Both she Danielle Schaub admitted it was a "HUGE relief" not to have to do the three-overtime thing again and finish up the deal in regulation. DuBois was of the same mindset afterward as she said the team "wanted to get it over and get it done with" and they did just that. She admitted that "It took a little bit to get untracked" but also said that it "definitely feels good to go out with a win." Ayobamedele, the flashy sophomore reserve who really provides a spark on both ends of the floor for the Pirates, talked about her team's defensive efforts and how they focus heavily on it as it creates their offensive opportunities. "We worked hard on (it) in every single practice" she said. Hayes, who led the Pirates in scoring with her 13 points, admitted that she got a little frustrated when she picked up her third foul early in the second half, said it was definitely a relief to finish this one up in regulation unlike last year; echoing the sentiments of Simonet and Danielle Schaub. "Definitely a relief!" she said smiling. I also asked her about how she's been able to expand her game and abilities as she's been willing to take three-pointers when left out on the arc. "I'm not just an inside player" she said and it's definitely been fun to watch her grow and develop her abilities and you can bet that she'll only be better in the years to come. On the flip side, Marshall was led by Mulso's 15 points while Buysse and Morgan Saugstad both added ten points a piece. The Tigers owned a decisive 45-22 advantage on the boards in this contest but were also guilty of 21 turnovers as well and that was what likely cost them in this contest. Marshall also shot only 15-46 for 32.6% from FG range and was a paltry 2-12 from behind the arc for only 16.7% and those numbers will not offset all those turnovers.
Minnesota Girl's State Tournament - Class AA Championship Game Recap - Sauk Centre vs Dover-Eyota 3-21-15
The second game of the Saturday afternoon session at Williams Arena was the Class AA Championship Game; a highly-anticipated match-up against #1 seed Sauk Centre going up against #2 seed Dover-Eyota which handled Roseau with ease last night. With the short turn-around time after yesterday, how much would each team have left in the tank for this one? Presumably both were fired and up and ready to go but it would be interesting to see how each side would hold up for 40 minutes.
The Eagles established a 4-2 advantage by the 14:46 mark in what was becoming a defensive slugfest of a contest but Sauk Centre took a bit of a hit early on when freshman guard Kelsey Peschel picked up 2 fouls by the 15:29 mark and Mainstreeter Head Coach Scott Bergman had no choice but to sit his star pupil for a spell. Dover-Eyota stretched their lead to 8-2 by the 12:51 mark when junior post Megan Hintz scored in the paint but Sauk Centre; which struggled mightily from the perimeter in the early going, finally shook off some cobwebs. One score by senior reserve guard Mauren Theisen in the paint at the 12:11 mark and one free throw by Peschel; back in the game by this point, cut the Eagle lead down to 8-7 and then a coast-to-coast lay-up by the fearless Peschel allowed the 'Streeters to poke their nose out in front for the first time at 9-8 at the 11:16 mark. A "3" by Mauren Theisen from the left corner at the 10:53 mark gave Sauk Centre a 12-10 advantage. The Eagles would tighten things up and two free throws by senior guard/forward Brandi Blattner gave Dover-Eyota a slim 18-16 advantage with 6:23 left. The Mainstreeters were forced to be a bit more patient on offense than they would prefer and a stingy 2-3 zone defense that Eagle Head Coach Brian Harris employed likely played a big role in Sauk Centre's unusual hesitations on offense. Dover-Eyota would get their lead to 23-19 on a score by Hintz in the paint with 5:56 left and one Blattner free throw with 5:01 left but a "3" from the top of the key by freshman guard Maesyn Theisen with 4:26 left brought the Mainstreeters right back into the fray trailing 23-22. The Eagles would re-establish a three-point edge at 27-24 when Blattner connected with a short shot off the glass with 2:47 left but this is where things REALLY started to get interesting and the fireworks started. Dover-Eyota appeared to be in prime position to take a bit of an edge with 1:30 left and up 28-26 - and in the double-bonus as well. A Hintz lay-up in transition with :43 left that got her fouled and allowed her to sink the obligatory free throw put the Eagles up 31-28 but a "3" from the right wing by Maesyn Theisen with :33 left knotted the issue at 31-all. Dover-Eyota looked to go up ahead into the locker room at the break when sophomore reserve forward Madison Field connected with a lay-up with :09 left but a long pass downcourt to the Mainstreeter's Mauren Theisen allowed her to get a lay-up on a late-reacting Eagle defense that got her fouled in the process and allowed her to sink the obligatory free throw giving Sauk Centre a 34-33 lead once the buzzer finally did sound ending the first half. Blattner's 13 points paced Dover-Eyota while Maesyn Theisen's 17 points paced Sauk Centre in a wild first half. Dover-Eyota, though, had a big edge in rebounding at 32-20 and that had to be a sore spot with the Mainstreeter's Bergman.
Dover-Eyota re-established a three-point edge at 39-36 in the opening minutes of the second half and that Eagle lead would stretch to 43-39 when sophomore reserve guard Haley Finstuen connected with a lay-up at the 12:21 mark. Right back came Sauk Centre. One trey by junior guard Madison Greenwaldt at the 11:11 mark frm the right top area and another from Maesyn Theisen at the 10:41 mark suddenly had the "Streeters back out in front 45-43. This wild back-and-forth affair would continue over the next six minutes. Dover-Eyota would get their nose back out in front; holding a precarious 51-50 lead with 7:14 left but when Maesyn Theisen drained a "3" from the left top area with 6:44 left and when junior post Rebecca Weir knocked down two charity stripe shots with 5:46 left, the Mainstreeters were now out in front 55-51. But, as legendary NFL Films narrater John Facenda once said, "Great teams aren't always great, they're just great when they have to be." And the Eagles stepped up their game and showed their true grit and embarked on a game-clinching 20-3 run to get the win - and state title. Hintz knocked down two charity stripe shots with 4:53 left that trimmed the deficit to two points and an offensive rebound and putback by Blattner, who dominated the boards in this decisive game-ending stretch, tied the game at 55-all. With 4:03 left, Hintz got into the paint for a score and got fouled in the process and the obligatory freebie now had Dover-Eyota up 58-55 and that sequence of events seemed to have an incredibly deflating effect on the Mainstreeters as they never could recover. With 3:33 left, Blattner again snared an offensive rebound for a putback that shoved the Eagle lead up to 60-55 and there was no looking back from there. A score off of an inbounds pass by junior guard Madison Nelson with 2:52 left padded the cushion at 62-55 and two free throws by Hintz with 1:10 left along with a Nelson lay-up with :53 left sealed the deal and gave Dover-Eyota the Class AA title with a 71-58 victory.
Blattner's 25 points led the way for Dover-Eyota while Hintz was right behind with her 24 points. The thing that really stood out to me though, was the dominating performance that the Eagles had on the boards; just in the second half alone with a 39-12 advantage. Those types of things help you win championships. Maesyn Theisen led the way for Sauk Centre with her 23 points in the losing effort.
The Eagles established a 4-2 advantage by the 14:46 mark in what was becoming a defensive slugfest of a contest but Sauk Centre took a bit of a hit early on when freshman guard Kelsey Peschel picked up 2 fouls by the 15:29 mark and Mainstreeter Head Coach Scott Bergman had no choice but to sit his star pupil for a spell. Dover-Eyota stretched their lead to 8-2 by the 12:51 mark when junior post Megan Hintz scored in the paint but Sauk Centre; which struggled mightily from the perimeter in the early going, finally shook off some cobwebs. One score by senior reserve guard Mauren Theisen in the paint at the 12:11 mark and one free throw by Peschel; back in the game by this point, cut the Eagle lead down to 8-7 and then a coast-to-coast lay-up by the fearless Peschel allowed the 'Streeters to poke their nose out in front for the first time at 9-8 at the 11:16 mark. A "3" by Mauren Theisen from the left corner at the 10:53 mark gave Sauk Centre a 12-10 advantage. The Eagles would tighten things up and two free throws by senior guard/forward Brandi Blattner gave Dover-Eyota a slim 18-16 advantage with 6:23 left. The Mainstreeters were forced to be a bit more patient on offense than they would prefer and a stingy 2-3 zone defense that Eagle Head Coach Brian Harris employed likely played a big role in Sauk Centre's unusual hesitations on offense. Dover-Eyota would get their lead to 23-19 on a score by Hintz in the paint with 5:56 left and one Blattner free throw with 5:01 left but a "3" from the top of the key by freshman guard Maesyn Theisen with 4:26 left brought the Mainstreeters right back into the fray trailing 23-22. The Eagles would re-establish a three-point edge at 27-24 when Blattner connected with a short shot off the glass with 2:47 left but this is where things REALLY started to get interesting and the fireworks started. Dover-Eyota appeared to be in prime position to take a bit of an edge with 1:30 left and up 28-26 - and in the double-bonus as well. A Hintz lay-up in transition with :43 left that got her fouled and allowed her to sink the obligatory free throw put the Eagles up 31-28 but a "3" from the right wing by Maesyn Theisen with :33 left knotted the issue at 31-all. Dover-Eyota looked to go up ahead into the locker room at the break when sophomore reserve forward Madison Field connected with a lay-up with :09 left but a long pass downcourt to the Mainstreeter's Mauren Theisen allowed her to get a lay-up on a late-reacting Eagle defense that got her fouled in the process and allowed her to sink the obligatory free throw giving Sauk Centre a 34-33 lead once the buzzer finally did sound ending the first half. Blattner's 13 points paced Dover-Eyota while Maesyn Theisen's 17 points paced Sauk Centre in a wild first half. Dover-Eyota, though, had a big edge in rebounding at 32-20 and that had to be a sore spot with the Mainstreeter's Bergman.
Dover-Eyota re-established a three-point edge at 39-36 in the opening minutes of the second half and that Eagle lead would stretch to 43-39 when sophomore reserve guard Haley Finstuen connected with a lay-up at the 12:21 mark. Right back came Sauk Centre. One trey by junior guard Madison Greenwaldt at the 11:11 mark frm the right top area and another from Maesyn Theisen at the 10:41 mark suddenly had the "Streeters back out in front 45-43. This wild back-and-forth affair would continue over the next six minutes. Dover-Eyota would get their nose back out in front; holding a precarious 51-50 lead with 7:14 left but when Maesyn Theisen drained a "3" from the left top area with 6:44 left and when junior post Rebecca Weir knocked down two charity stripe shots with 5:46 left, the Mainstreeters were now out in front 55-51. But, as legendary NFL Films narrater John Facenda once said, "Great teams aren't always great, they're just great when they have to be." And the Eagles stepped up their game and showed their true grit and embarked on a game-clinching 20-3 run to get the win - and state title. Hintz knocked down two charity stripe shots with 4:53 left that trimmed the deficit to two points and an offensive rebound and putback by Blattner, who dominated the boards in this decisive game-ending stretch, tied the game at 55-all. With 4:03 left, Hintz got into the paint for a score and got fouled in the process and the obligatory freebie now had Dover-Eyota up 58-55 and that sequence of events seemed to have an incredibly deflating effect on the Mainstreeters as they never could recover. With 3:33 left, Blattner again snared an offensive rebound for a putback that shoved the Eagle lead up to 60-55 and there was no looking back from there. A score off of an inbounds pass by junior guard Madison Nelson with 2:52 left padded the cushion at 62-55 and two free throws by Hintz with 1:10 left along with a Nelson lay-up with :53 left sealed the deal and gave Dover-Eyota the Class AA title with a 71-58 victory.
Blattner's 25 points led the way for Dover-Eyota while Hintz was right behind with her 24 points. The thing that really stood out to me though, was the dominating performance that the Eagles had on the boards; just in the second half alone with a 39-12 advantage. Those types of things help you win championships. Maesyn Theisen led the way for Sauk Centre with her 23 points in the losing effort.
Saturday, March 21, 2015
Minnesota Girl's State Tournament - Class A Championship Game Recap - Maranatha Christian Academy vs Ada-Borup 3-21-15
The high-noon showdown on Saturday was the Class A Championship Game between #1 and #2 seeds - Maranatha Christian Academy and Ada-Borup - two programs that have been here before AND have both won state championships before. This game would be a stark contrast of styles - the frenetic, fast-paced up and down style of Maranatha Christian Academy and slower, deliberate style of Ada-Borup. Which style would win out?
With Ada-Borup getting out to an early 6-3 lead, the Mustangs battled right back and a jumper from the left corner by willowy 6'0" forward Jaclyn Jarnot at the 15:33 mark just inside the arc cut Cougar's lead down to 6-5. But a 6-0 Ada-Borup push; highlighted by a rebound and putback by sophomore guard Elizabeth Birkemeyer at the 14:13 mark made it 13-5 and the Cougar lead got to double digits at 17-7 by the 12:38 mark. A lay-up in transition by senior forward Miki Lee at the 12:10 mark and one freebie by senior forward Haley Poehler increased the lead to 20-7 and those lime-green socks that the Mustangs were wearing certainly weren't bringing them much luck up to this point anyway. More importantly, though, Maranatha Christian Academy was having considerable difficulty on both ends of the floor with the bigger, stronger Cougar front line and that really threw a monkey wrench in the Mustang's half-court sets. A lay-up by junior reserve forward Morgan Miller with 8:35 left stretched the Ada-Borup lead out to 26-10 before before Maranatha Christian Academy recovered a bit. Senior guard Lexi Lee connected with a jumper from the left elbow with 8:00 left and one free throw by Jacklyn Jarnot with 7:02 left trimmed the deficit a bit but after a score in the paint by Cougar senior forward Miki Lee with 6:34 left and a lay-up by junior reserve forward Morgan Miller with 6:01 left the Ada-Borup lead was now stretched out to 32-13 in the Mustangs were clearly in the danger zone by this point. However, Maranatha Christian Academy managed to recover and they finally started to find their groove offensively. Two free throws by junior guard Ashley Lewis with 5:22 left was followed by successive lay-ups in transition: one by Lexi Lee with 5:00 left and another by junior guard Alaina Jarnot with 4:46 left and suddenly the Mustangs started looking like their old selves; scoring in bunches and the Cougar lead was cut to 32-19. A jumper by Lexi Lee from the left elbow area with 1:55 left and a three-point bomb by Jacklyn Jarnot from the right corner with :51 left now had Maranatha Christian Academy trailing by only ten at 40-30 and it arguably could have been closer than that once the halftime buzzer sounded. Ada-Borup had a relatively balanced scoring attack; led by Miki Lee's 14 points while Lexi Lee led the way for the Mustangs with her 17 points. But the really big factor from the halftime stat sheet was rebounds where Ada-Borup held an astounding 24-13 edge. That HAD to change for Maranatha Christian Academy if they were going to bring this all the way back.
The Mustangs did not get the hot start that they had hoped for once the second half started. One score by Poehler; a jumper in the lane at the 16:27 mark and a lay-up by junior guard Lexi Nelson at the 15:31 mark upped the Ada-Borup lead to 44-30 and a score off of an inbounds pass by Birkemeyer at the 14:45 mark maintained that fourteen point edge at 46-32. And it's not like Maranatha Christian Academy didn't have opportunities to draw closer in the early stages of the second half but a bevy of missed shots; including lay-ups and "bunnies" that could have easily brought the Mustangs within reasonable striking distance, ultimately doomed Maranatha Christian Academy. As such, the Cougars kept their opponent at bay with smart play and rebounding on both ends of the floor. A score in the paint by Poehler at the 12:14 mark and two free throws by senior forward Lexi Merkens with 8:58 left kept Ada-Borup in the safe zone up 57-42 and that safe zone was maintained on a short jumper by Miki Lee with 8:40 left. The Mustangs, though, made one last counter move to throw a few seeds of doubt into their opponent. A steal and lay-up by Lexi Lee with 7:12 left and a short jumper after a steal by Alaina Jarnot with 6:31 left brought Maranatha Christian Academy a bit closer and a free throw by Lexi Lee with 2:45 left cut the Cougar lead down to eleven at 71-60. Alas, that was as close as the Mustangs could get and they never could find that one "big" shot that might have drawn them to within single digits. Insurance free throws by Merkens, Poehler and Miki Lee down the stretch gave Ada-Borup yet another Class A championship with a 82-65 victory.
While the team celebrated yet another state championship with parents in the concourse and I was not able to get a word with Ada-Borup Head Coach David Smart as I had anticipated, I did get to speak with Cougar senior forward Haley Poehler who was nice enough to come down toward the locker room area afterward. About winning the championship her response quite simply was "It feels awesome....unbelievable!" she exclaimed; adding that the reality really hasn't sunk in yet. I asked Poehler about her squad's unrelenting efforts on defense and rebounding as well. "We couldn't give them those second shots" she replied. "We had to get those rebounds." Indeed, while it was Miki Lee who led the Cougar attack in the scoring column with her 22 points, it was Poehler's 18 rebounds that were as equally important. For Maranatha Christian Academy, a disappointing finish to a great 29-4 season and you can bet that they'll be back in the mix next year with the Jarnot sisters and others back. Lexi Lee, however, who finished with a game-high 32 points will graduate and move on this spring and she will be missed.
With Ada-Borup getting out to an early 6-3 lead, the Mustangs battled right back and a jumper from the left corner by willowy 6'0" forward Jaclyn Jarnot at the 15:33 mark just inside the arc cut Cougar's lead down to 6-5. But a 6-0 Ada-Borup push; highlighted by a rebound and putback by sophomore guard Elizabeth Birkemeyer at the 14:13 mark made it 13-5 and the Cougar lead got to double digits at 17-7 by the 12:38 mark. A lay-up in transition by senior forward Miki Lee at the 12:10 mark and one freebie by senior forward Haley Poehler increased the lead to 20-7 and those lime-green socks that the Mustangs were wearing certainly weren't bringing them much luck up to this point anyway. More importantly, though, Maranatha Christian Academy was having considerable difficulty on both ends of the floor with the bigger, stronger Cougar front line and that really threw a monkey wrench in the Mustang's half-court sets. A lay-up by junior reserve forward Morgan Miller with 8:35 left stretched the Ada-Borup lead out to 26-10 before before Maranatha Christian Academy recovered a bit. Senior guard Lexi Lee connected with a jumper from the left elbow with 8:00 left and one free throw by Jacklyn Jarnot with 7:02 left trimmed the deficit a bit but after a score in the paint by Cougar senior forward Miki Lee with 6:34 left and a lay-up by junior reserve forward Morgan Miller with 6:01 left the Ada-Borup lead was now stretched out to 32-13 in the Mustangs were clearly in the danger zone by this point. However, Maranatha Christian Academy managed to recover and they finally started to find their groove offensively. Two free throws by junior guard Ashley Lewis with 5:22 left was followed by successive lay-ups in transition: one by Lexi Lee with 5:00 left and another by junior guard Alaina Jarnot with 4:46 left and suddenly the Mustangs started looking like their old selves; scoring in bunches and the Cougar lead was cut to 32-19. A jumper by Lexi Lee from the left elbow area with 1:55 left and a three-point bomb by Jacklyn Jarnot from the right corner with :51 left now had Maranatha Christian Academy trailing by only ten at 40-30 and it arguably could have been closer than that once the halftime buzzer sounded. Ada-Borup had a relatively balanced scoring attack; led by Miki Lee's 14 points while Lexi Lee led the way for the Mustangs with her 17 points. But the really big factor from the halftime stat sheet was rebounds where Ada-Borup held an astounding 24-13 edge. That HAD to change for Maranatha Christian Academy if they were going to bring this all the way back.
The Mustangs did not get the hot start that they had hoped for once the second half started. One score by Poehler; a jumper in the lane at the 16:27 mark and a lay-up by junior guard Lexi Nelson at the 15:31 mark upped the Ada-Borup lead to 44-30 and a score off of an inbounds pass by Birkemeyer at the 14:45 mark maintained that fourteen point edge at 46-32. And it's not like Maranatha Christian Academy didn't have opportunities to draw closer in the early stages of the second half but a bevy of missed shots; including lay-ups and "bunnies" that could have easily brought the Mustangs within reasonable striking distance, ultimately doomed Maranatha Christian Academy. As such, the Cougars kept their opponent at bay with smart play and rebounding on both ends of the floor. A score in the paint by Poehler at the 12:14 mark and two free throws by senior forward Lexi Merkens with 8:58 left kept Ada-Borup in the safe zone up 57-42 and that safe zone was maintained on a short jumper by Miki Lee with 8:40 left. The Mustangs, though, made one last counter move to throw a few seeds of doubt into their opponent. A steal and lay-up by Lexi Lee with 7:12 left and a short jumper after a steal by Alaina Jarnot with 6:31 left brought Maranatha Christian Academy a bit closer and a free throw by Lexi Lee with 2:45 left cut the Cougar lead down to eleven at 71-60. Alas, that was as close as the Mustangs could get and they never could find that one "big" shot that might have drawn them to within single digits. Insurance free throws by Merkens, Poehler and Miki Lee down the stretch gave Ada-Borup yet another Class A championship with a 82-65 victory.
While the team celebrated yet another state championship with parents in the concourse and I was not able to get a word with Ada-Borup Head Coach David Smart as I had anticipated, I did get to speak with Cougar senior forward Haley Poehler who was nice enough to come down toward the locker room area afterward. About winning the championship her response quite simply was "It feels awesome....unbelievable!" she exclaimed; adding that the reality really hasn't sunk in yet. I asked Poehler about her squad's unrelenting efforts on defense and rebounding as well. "We couldn't give them those second shots" she replied. "We had to get those rebounds." Indeed, while it was Miki Lee who led the Cougar attack in the scoring column with her 22 points, it was Poehler's 18 rebounds that were as equally important. For Maranatha Christian Academy, a disappointing finish to a great 29-4 season and you can bet that they'll be back in the mix next year with the Jarnot sisters and others back. Lexi Lee, however, who finished with a game-high 32 points will graduate and move on this spring and she will be missed.
Minnesota Girl's State Tournament - Class AA Semifinal Game Recap - Dover-Eyota vs Roseau 3-20-15
The nightcap on Friday night at Williams Arena was the other Class AA semifinal matchup featuring Dover-Eyota going up against upstart Roseau which had pulled off the upset on Wednesday night when they beat Esko. On paper anyway, the Eagles looked like prohibitive favorites but in these kinds of settings - and considering that Roseau had already pulled off one upset anyway - you just never knew for sure.
Early on though, one thing that was apparent was that Dover-Eyota definitely did have a big advantage in the rebounding department and a game-opening 8-0 spurt had the Rams on their heels early on. Roseau 8th grade guard Kacie Borowicz tried to cut into that deficit with her short jumper at the 15:07 mark and one freebie by older sister and sophomore guard Kylie Borowicz at the 15:00 mark trimmed the Eagles lead down to 8-3 but a "3" from the right top area by junior guard Madison Nelson at the 14:37 mark and an offensive rebound and putback by junior post Megan Hintz at the 13:38 mark helped extend the Dover-Eyota lead to 15-6. A lay-up by senior forward Danielle Higgins at the 12:50 mark gave the Eagles an 18-8 lead and an offensive rebound and putback by versatile senior guard Brandi Blattner at the 11:33 lead gave Dover-Eyota a fourteen-point cushion at 22-8 and Roseau Head Coach Kelsey Didrikson wasted little time in calling a halt to the action to get her squad calmed down. To their credit, though, the Rams slowly battled their way back into the thick of things and it was not surprisingly the Borowicz sisters who had a large part in the comeback bid for Roseau. And one positive already for the Rams is that they got into the bonus with 6:31 left as well. Kacie Borowicz got a lay-up in transition with 6:03 left that cut the Dover-Eyota lead down to fourteen at 32-18 and with 4:47 left, Kylie Borowicz launched a "3" from the left wing area to keep the Roseau momentum going. With 4:06 left Kylie Borowicz went coast to coast for a lay-up and then struck again with 3:29 left as she got a lay-up in transition and got fouled in the process as well and her freebie shrunk the Eagle lead further. A Kylie Borowicz drive into the lane and finish with 2:54 left now cut Dover-Eyota's lead down to 38-28 and a Kacie Borowicz jumper from the right elbow area with 2:17 left now had the Rams within single digits trailing 38-30. Kylie Borowicz' "3" from the right corner with 1:34 left cut the Eagles lead further as it was now a 40-33 game but fortunately for Dover-Eyota, they recovered just enough to take a 46-35 lead into the locker room at the half. Nelson's 16 points paced the Eagle attack while Kylie Borowicz seemingly did it all for the Rams in the first half with her 18 points. More importantly, you had to think that the late Roseau run awoke Dover-Eyota and Head Coach Brian Harris.
The Eagles as expected came out wide awake once the second half started and quickly put distance between themselves and their opponent. A Blattner score in the paint at the 17:50 mark and a Nelson lay-up in transition at the 16:09 mark sparked an 11-4 run that made it a 2 57-39 game after Hintz' offensive rebound for a putback at the 16:08 mark. But Dover-Eyota was just beginning to put the pedal to the metal. The lead bulged to twenty at 66-46 on Blattner's drive and finish in the lane off the glass at the 12:15 mark and a Nelson lay-up at the 10:09 mark now made it 70-46 Eagles and there would be no miracle comeback or Borowicz sisters heroics that could save Roseau now. With the Eagles' transition game in full bore, Blattner connected with a lay-up in transition that now made it a thirty-point game with 8:46 left at 76-46. With the issue already decided at this point, both Dover-Eyota's Harris and Roseau's Didrikson sent in their reserves for clean-up duty down the stretch and the Eagles closed out the deal with a resounding 94-61 victory that sends them into Saturday's championship game against Sauk Centre.
Harris felt afterward that his team had to get it together in the locker room at the half. "We got regrouped at halftime and we wanted to wear them out." On the upcoming championship game with Sauk Centre Harris said "The tough thing is that they play a lot like us - up and down......They have guards that can shoot '3's' and we'll have to get defensive rebounds against them (Sauk Centre)." Blattner, who finished this game with 22 points, said that "We'll have to pressure the ball and pound it inside....We've got to 'move it'!" She also pointed out that it'll be important for her and her teammates to "relax a little bit" and noted that, despite tonight's big win, "There's always room for improvement."
Early on though, one thing that was apparent was that Dover-Eyota definitely did have a big advantage in the rebounding department and a game-opening 8-0 spurt had the Rams on their heels early on. Roseau 8th grade guard Kacie Borowicz tried to cut into that deficit with her short jumper at the 15:07 mark and one freebie by older sister and sophomore guard Kylie Borowicz at the 15:00 mark trimmed the Eagles lead down to 8-3 but a "3" from the right top area by junior guard Madison Nelson at the 14:37 mark and an offensive rebound and putback by junior post Megan Hintz at the 13:38 mark helped extend the Dover-Eyota lead to 15-6. A lay-up by senior forward Danielle Higgins at the 12:50 mark gave the Eagles an 18-8 lead and an offensive rebound and putback by versatile senior guard Brandi Blattner at the 11:33 lead gave Dover-Eyota a fourteen-point cushion at 22-8 and Roseau Head Coach Kelsey Didrikson wasted little time in calling a halt to the action to get her squad calmed down. To their credit, though, the Rams slowly battled their way back into the thick of things and it was not surprisingly the Borowicz sisters who had a large part in the comeback bid for Roseau. And one positive already for the Rams is that they got into the bonus with 6:31 left as well. Kacie Borowicz got a lay-up in transition with 6:03 left that cut the Dover-Eyota lead down to fourteen at 32-18 and with 4:47 left, Kylie Borowicz launched a "3" from the left wing area to keep the Roseau momentum going. With 4:06 left Kylie Borowicz went coast to coast for a lay-up and then struck again with 3:29 left as she got a lay-up in transition and got fouled in the process as well and her freebie shrunk the Eagle lead further. A Kylie Borowicz drive into the lane and finish with 2:54 left now cut Dover-Eyota's lead down to 38-28 and a Kacie Borowicz jumper from the right elbow area with 2:17 left now had the Rams within single digits trailing 38-30. Kylie Borowicz' "3" from the right corner with 1:34 left cut the Eagles lead further as it was now a 40-33 game but fortunately for Dover-Eyota, they recovered just enough to take a 46-35 lead into the locker room at the half. Nelson's 16 points paced the Eagle attack while Kylie Borowicz seemingly did it all for the Rams in the first half with her 18 points. More importantly, you had to think that the late Roseau run awoke Dover-Eyota and Head Coach Brian Harris.
The Eagles as expected came out wide awake once the second half started and quickly put distance between themselves and their opponent. A Blattner score in the paint at the 17:50 mark and a Nelson lay-up in transition at the 16:09 mark sparked an 11-4 run that made it a 2 57-39 game after Hintz' offensive rebound for a putback at the 16:08 mark. But Dover-Eyota was just beginning to put the pedal to the metal. The lead bulged to twenty at 66-46 on Blattner's drive and finish in the lane off the glass at the 12:15 mark and a Nelson lay-up at the 10:09 mark now made it 70-46 Eagles and there would be no miracle comeback or Borowicz sisters heroics that could save Roseau now. With the Eagles' transition game in full bore, Blattner connected with a lay-up in transition that now made it a thirty-point game with 8:46 left at 76-46. With the issue already decided at this point, both Dover-Eyota's Harris and Roseau's Didrikson sent in their reserves for clean-up duty down the stretch and the Eagles closed out the deal with a resounding 94-61 victory that sends them into Saturday's championship game against Sauk Centre.
Harris felt afterward that his team had to get it together in the locker room at the half. "We got regrouped at halftime and we wanted to wear them out." On the upcoming championship game with Sauk Centre Harris said "The tough thing is that they play a lot like us - up and down......They have guards that can shoot '3's' and we'll have to get defensive rebounds against them (Sauk Centre)." Blattner, who finished this game with 22 points, said that "We'll have to pressure the ball and pound it inside....We've got to 'move it'!" She also pointed out that it'll be important for her and her teammates to "relax a little bit" and noted that, despite tonight's big win, "There's always room for improvement."
Minnesota Girl's State Tournament - Class AA Semifinal Game Recap - Sauk Centre vs Minnehaha Academy 3-20-15
The first game on tap for the Friday evening session at Williams Arena featured the first of the Class AA semifinals - this one pitting Sauk Centre going up against Minnehaha Academy. While the Mainstreeters, with their sparkling 30-1 record may have had the edge on paper anyway, I had to figure that this one had the potential to be a good one.
The Redhawks; employing a 2-3 zone, stifled Sauk Centre's offensive attack early on and established a 4-1 lead by the 14:37 mark on a lay-up in transition by senior Angela Scharf at the 16:33 mark and a lay-up off of an inbounds pass by freshman guard Terra Rhoades at the 16:00 mark. Sauk Centre though, would regain the edge at 7-6 on treys from both freshman guard Kelsey Peschel from the right wing at the 13:56 mark and one from freshman guard Maesyn Theisen at the 12:53 mark. One jumper from the left corner by Maesyn Theisen at the 10:15 mark and a Maesyn Theisen score in the paint had the Mainstreeters up 11-9. Both teams would trade one-point leads over the next five minutes with neither side being able to gain any decisive advantage. Sauk Centre senior reserve guard Mauren Theisen banged home a "3" from the right corner with 5:25 left that forged a 22-all deadlock but a 4-0 spurt by Minnehaha Academy; capped by a lay-up by senior guard Gracia Gilreath with 2:53 left gave the Redhawks a bit of separation at 26-22 but that little cushion didn't last long. Maesyn Theisen drained a "3" from the left corner with 2:03 left and two charity stripe shots by junior post Rebecca Weir knotted things up at 27-all. Sauk Centre gained a four-point edge on 2 free throws by sophomore reserve guard Jill Klaphake with :57 left and a pair of freebies by senior guard Madison Moritz with :33.1 left for a 31-27 Mainstreeter lead but a very late score by the Redhawks cut that lead to 31-29 at the half. 14 points from Mauren Theisen led the way for Sauk Centre while sophomore guard Sarah Kaminski led the way for the Redhawks with her nine points. Rebounds were nearly even but turnovers had to be a concern for Head Coach Josh Thurow as his Redhawks were guilty of 12 in the first half.
Minnehaha Academy looked to regain that edge once the second half got underway and two scores by Kaminski - a "3" from the left top area at the 17:04 mark and two free throws at the 16:21 mark - did give the Redhawks the lead back at 34-31. Sauk Centre would come right back, though. Moritz drilled one trey from the left corner at the 16:03 mark and a lay-up by junior guard Madison Greenwaldt at the 15:17 mark gave the Mainstreeters a two-point advantage at 36-34 and two free throws by Maesyn Theisen had Sauk Centre's lead up to three at 38-35 at the 14:31 mark. Again, a Redhawk response in the form of a four-point push now had Minnehaha Academy up 39-38 by the 12:25 mark. Now it was Sauk Centre's turn to respond. Two freebies by Moritz with 9:23 left and two more by Peschel with 9:04 left gave the Mainstreeters a 42-40 edge. Gilreath's lay-up with 8:49 left that got her fouled and allowed her to sink the obligatory freebie gave Minnehaha Academy a brief 43-42 lead but this is where things appeared to change in Sauk Centre's favor. Maesyn Theisen connected with a lay-up with 7:24 left and then Klaphake snared a steal and dashed the other way for a lay-up for a 46-43 Mainstreeter lead and the Redhawks Thurow called an immediate timeout to survey the damage. But Sauk Centre was intent on trying to inflict more damage and a Maesyn Theisen jumper along the left baseline with 4:39 left upped the 'Streeter lead to five at 48-43. But Minnehaha Academy was far from finished. Gilreath connected with a lay-up in transition with 3:20 left and got fouled in the process as well and her ensuing freebie attempt was good which shrunk the Sauk Centre lead down to 48-46. Moritz would get two free throws for the Mainstreeters with 2:05 left but then Redhawk senior reserve guard Megan Thurow cooly drained a "3" from the right corner that cut Sauk Centre's lead down to a scant point at 50-49 and threw a ton of doubt into the issue. And when Moritz was called for traveling with 1:19 left, Minnehaha had a golden opportunity to seize the moment. Alas, it was not to be for the Redhawks at the most crucial moments. Maesyn Theisen snared a steal with :53.1 seconds and was immediately fouled and her two ensuing charity stripe shots now made it a three-point lead at 52-49. Still, a sliver of a chance for the Redhawks but they now needed a three-pointer and when Kaminski finally got half a look with :33 left, her attempted bomb was off the mark. Sauk Centre got the rebound and Moritz was immediately fould and she sank two insurance free throws with :11.6 left to seal the deal for the Mainstreeters as Sauk Centre advanced to Saturday's final with a 54-49 victory.
Sauk Centre Head Coach Scott Bergman heaped a lot of praise on Thurow's Minnehaha Academy squad afterward. "They play tremendous defense" he said. About Saturday's final showdown? "With the short turn-around time, there's not a lot of time to strategize.....We just haveto go out and play." Mauren Theisen's 14 points led the way for the Mainstreeters in this one while Maesyn Theisen was right behind with her 12 points. Kaminski led the way for Minnehaha Academy in the losing effort with her 14 points.
The Redhawks; employing a 2-3 zone, stifled Sauk Centre's offensive attack early on and established a 4-1 lead by the 14:37 mark on a lay-up in transition by senior Angela Scharf at the 16:33 mark and a lay-up off of an inbounds pass by freshman guard Terra Rhoades at the 16:00 mark. Sauk Centre though, would regain the edge at 7-6 on treys from both freshman guard Kelsey Peschel from the right wing at the 13:56 mark and one from freshman guard Maesyn Theisen at the 12:53 mark. One jumper from the left corner by Maesyn Theisen at the 10:15 mark and a Maesyn Theisen score in the paint had the Mainstreeters up 11-9. Both teams would trade one-point leads over the next five minutes with neither side being able to gain any decisive advantage. Sauk Centre senior reserve guard Mauren Theisen banged home a "3" from the right corner with 5:25 left that forged a 22-all deadlock but a 4-0 spurt by Minnehaha Academy; capped by a lay-up by senior guard Gracia Gilreath with 2:53 left gave the Redhawks a bit of separation at 26-22 but that little cushion didn't last long. Maesyn Theisen drained a "3" from the left corner with 2:03 left and two charity stripe shots by junior post Rebecca Weir knotted things up at 27-all. Sauk Centre gained a four-point edge on 2 free throws by sophomore reserve guard Jill Klaphake with :57 left and a pair of freebies by senior guard Madison Moritz with :33.1 left for a 31-27 Mainstreeter lead but a very late score by the Redhawks cut that lead to 31-29 at the half. 14 points from Mauren Theisen led the way for Sauk Centre while sophomore guard Sarah Kaminski led the way for the Redhawks with her nine points. Rebounds were nearly even but turnovers had to be a concern for Head Coach Josh Thurow as his Redhawks were guilty of 12 in the first half.
Minnehaha Academy looked to regain that edge once the second half got underway and two scores by Kaminski - a "3" from the left top area at the 17:04 mark and two free throws at the 16:21 mark - did give the Redhawks the lead back at 34-31. Sauk Centre would come right back, though. Moritz drilled one trey from the left corner at the 16:03 mark and a lay-up by junior guard Madison Greenwaldt at the 15:17 mark gave the Mainstreeters a two-point advantage at 36-34 and two free throws by Maesyn Theisen had Sauk Centre's lead up to three at 38-35 at the 14:31 mark. Again, a Redhawk response in the form of a four-point push now had Minnehaha Academy up 39-38 by the 12:25 mark. Now it was Sauk Centre's turn to respond. Two freebies by Moritz with 9:23 left and two more by Peschel with 9:04 left gave the Mainstreeters a 42-40 edge. Gilreath's lay-up with 8:49 left that got her fouled and allowed her to sink the obligatory freebie gave Minnehaha Academy a brief 43-42 lead but this is where things appeared to change in Sauk Centre's favor. Maesyn Theisen connected with a lay-up with 7:24 left and then Klaphake snared a steal and dashed the other way for a lay-up for a 46-43 Mainstreeter lead and the Redhawks Thurow called an immediate timeout to survey the damage. But Sauk Centre was intent on trying to inflict more damage and a Maesyn Theisen jumper along the left baseline with 4:39 left upped the 'Streeter lead to five at 48-43. But Minnehaha Academy was far from finished. Gilreath connected with a lay-up in transition with 3:20 left and got fouled in the process as well and her ensuing freebie attempt was good which shrunk the Sauk Centre lead down to 48-46. Moritz would get two free throws for the Mainstreeters with 2:05 left but then Redhawk senior reserve guard Megan Thurow cooly drained a "3" from the right corner that cut Sauk Centre's lead down to a scant point at 50-49 and threw a ton of doubt into the issue. And when Moritz was called for traveling with 1:19 left, Minnehaha had a golden opportunity to seize the moment. Alas, it was not to be for the Redhawks at the most crucial moments. Maesyn Theisen snared a steal with :53.1 seconds and was immediately fouled and her two ensuing charity stripe shots now made it a three-point lead at 52-49. Still, a sliver of a chance for the Redhawks but they now needed a three-pointer and when Kaminski finally got half a look with :33 left, her attempted bomb was off the mark. Sauk Centre got the rebound and Moritz was immediately fould and she sank two insurance free throws with :11.6 left to seal the deal for the Mainstreeters as Sauk Centre advanced to Saturday's final with a 54-49 victory.
Sauk Centre Head Coach Scott Bergman heaped a lot of praise on Thurow's Minnehaha Academy squad afterward. "They play tremendous defense" he said. About Saturday's final showdown? "With the short turn-around time, there's not a lot of time to strategize.....We just haveto go out and play." Mauren Theisen's 14 points led the way for the Mainstreeters in this one while Maesyn Theisen was right behind with her 12 points. Kaminski led the way for Minnehaha Academy in the losing effort with her 14 points.
Friday, March 20, 2015
Minnesota Girl's State Tournament - Class AAAA Semifinal Game Recap - Eastview vs STMA 3-19-15
The nightcap at Williams Arena on this Thursday evening was the second Class AAAA semifinal game which pitted defending state champ Eastview against highly-regarded STMA as both teams were able to advance to this setting with relatively comfortable victories on Tuesday. While the Lightning appeared as the favorites as defending state champ, this up-and-coming Knight team has been making a name for itself lately and, with a 26-3 record, you certainly couldn't take them lightly.
And being the underdogs certainly bother STMA either as the Knights got out to a 5-0 lead in the game's first two minutes. A "3" from senior guard Bobbi Brendefur from the left corner at the 17:04 mark and a jumper from the right elbow area by junior guard/forward Sydney Tracy at the 16:14 mark provided the advantage. STMA would hold the five-point edge as Brendefur made a drive into the lane for a finish at the 15:12 mark and then connected with a "3" from the right corner at the 13:26 mark for a 10-5 Knight lead. Eastview finally got untracked a bit as strong senior forward Samantha Trammel connected with a lay-up at the 11:43 mark and then got a score in the paint at the 10:40 mark that trimmed the STMA lead down to 12-9 but the Knights would get another push and a "3" from the top of the key by sophomore guard Lizzy Heil with 7:30 left increased STMA's lead to 17-11. A 6-0 push by the Lightning, capped by a score in the paint by sophomore reserve guard Allie Pickrain with 3:47 left tied the issue at 17 and the half would end in a 21-all deadlock. While rebounds and turnovers were virtually even, the big factor may have been that Eastview senior star guard Madison Guebert did not find her shooting touch in the first half and was held to a scant two points.
Eastview sought to shake off those first half jitters as a "3" from the left corner by sophomore guard Rachel Ranke at the 17:46 mark and a Ranke drive into the lane and finish at the 16:10 mark had the Lightning up 26-23 and a Trammel jumper along the left baseline at the 15:14 mark increased Eastview's lead to 28-23. One Guebert freebie at the 14:27 mark and a short jumper off the glass by Ranke at the 12:22 mark extended the lead to 31-23. Guebert picked up her third foul at the 10:04 mark but her Head Coach and mother, Melissa Guebert, kept her in there. Good decision. Guebert connected with a jumper from the left elbow off of an inbounds pass with 8:32 left and then got a lay-up in transition after a steal to complete this game-changing 14-2 burst for a 35-23 Lightning lead and STMA Head Coach Kent Hamre knew well and full that a timeout was warranted. By this time, however, the damage had been done and the Knights never were able to fully recover though a Heil offensive rebound for a putback with 4:34 left got STMA back to within single digits trailing 39-30. But Eastview quickly got the lead back to double-digit range with 2:35 left and a Trammel score in the paint with 1:55 left increased the lead to 45-30. Insurance freebies by both Trammel and junior guard Erika Schlosser got Eastview a 48-30 win - and a third date with rival Hopkins. This time in the state championship game.
Melissa Guebert talked about some of the problems of the first half and admitted that "we felt lucky to be tied at the half." She was disappointed with the overall performance of her team in the first half as she felt they were just out of sorts and she challenged her seniors at the half to regain their composure and do what they're supposed to do. "Our defensive intensity set the tone in the second half" she said. As for the upcoming championship game with Hopkins on Saturday night, Guebert noted that "We know each other well......We have to keep our composure - all the time." I mentioned to Guebert afterward about how senior forward Hana Metoxen; who went scoreless on this night but contributed in so many other ways; particularly with rebounds and going after loose balls and tie-ups. "It's nice to see her finally getting the recognition she deserves" Guebert said, noting that a lot of the things Metoxen does often doesn't show up in the stat sheets afterward. Metoxen, humble as always, talked about the upcoming rubber game with Hopkins. "They are very athletic" she noted but, remembering when they beat the Royals in early January at the Hopkins breakdown event added that "We know we have a chance to beat them."
And being the underdogs certainly bother STMA either as the Knights got out to a 5-0 lead in the game's first two minutes. A "3" from senior guard Bobbi Brendefur from the left corner at the 17:04 mark and a jumper from the right elbow area by junior guard/forward Sydney Tracy at the 16:14 mark provided the advantage. STMA would hold the five-point edge as Brendefur made a drive into the lane for a finish at the 15:12 mark and then connected with a "3" from the right corner at the 13:26 mark for a 10-5 Knight lead. Eastview finally got untracked a bit as strong senior forward Samantha Trammel connected with a lay-up at the 11:43 mark and then got a score in the paint at the 10:40 mark that trimmed the STMA lead down to 12-9 but the Knights would get another push and a "3" from the top of the key by sophomore guard Lizzy Heil with 7:30 left increased STMA's lead to 17-11. A 6-0 push by the Lightning, capped by a score in the paint by sophomore reserve guard Allie Pickrain with 3:47 left tied the issue at 17 and the half would end in a 21-all deadlock. While rebounds and turnovers were virtually even, the big factor may have been that Eastview senior star guard Madison Guebert did not find her shooting touch in the first half and was held to a scant two points.
Eastview sought to shake off those first half jitters as a "3" from the left corner by sophomore guard Rachel Ranke at the 17:46 mark and a Ranke drive into the lane and finish at the 16:10 mark had the Lightning up 26-23 and a Trammel jumper along the left baseline at the 15:14 mark increased Eastview's lead to 28-23. One Guebert freebie at the 14:27 mark and a short jumper off the glass by Ranke at the 12:22 mark extended the lead to 31-23. Guebert picked up her third foul at the 10:04 mark but her Head Coach and mother, Melissa Guebert, kept her in there. Good decision. Guebert connected with a jumper from the left elbow off of an inbounds pass with 8:32 left and then got a lay-up in transition after a steal to complete this game-changing 14-2 burst for a 35-23 Lightning lead and STMA Head Coach Kent Hamre knew well and full that a timeout was warranted. By this time, however, the damage had been done and the Knights never were able to fully recover though a Heil offensive rebound for a putback with 4:34 left got STMA back to within single digits trailing 39-30. But Eastview quickly got the lead back to double-digit range with 2:35 left and a Trammel score in the paint with 1:55 left increased the lead to 45-30. Insurance freebies by both Trammel and junior guard Erika Schlosser got Eastview a 48-30 win - and a third date with rival Hopkins. This time in the state championship game.
Melissa Guebert talked about some of the problems of the first half and admitted that "we felt lucky to be tied at the half." She was disappointed with the overall performance of her team in the first half as she felt they were just out of sorts and she challenged her seniors at the half to regain their composure and do what they're supposed to do. "Our defensive intensity set the tone in the second half" she said. As for the upcoming championship game with Hopkins on Saturday night, Guebert noted that "We know each other well......We have to keep our composure - all the time." I mentioned to Guebert afterward about how senior forward Hana Metoxen; who went scoreless on this night but contributed in so many other ways; particularly with rebounds and going after loose balls and tie-ups. "It's nice to see her finally getting the recognition she deserves" Guebert said, noting that a lot of the things Metoxen does often doesn't show up in the stat sheets afterward. Metoxen, humble as always, talked about the upcoming rubber game with Hopkins. "They are very athletic" she noted but, remembering when they beat the Royals in early January at the Hopkins breakdown event added that "We know we have a chance to beat them."
Minnesota Girl's State Tournament - Class AAAA Semifinal Game Recap - Hopkins vs Shakopee - 3-19-15
The first game of this Thursday evening session at Williams Arena was the Class AAAA semifinal game between powerhouse Hopkins and up-and-coming Shakopee which had knocked off White Bear Lake on Tuesday in the quarterfinals. The Sabers were hoping that they might have a few tricks up their sleeves to try and spring another upset but they would quickly find out how and why this Hopkins team is a big favorite to win the whole ball of wax.
After the Royals bolted out to an early 7-1 lead; thanks to a jumper from the top of the key just inside the arc by junior guard Nia Hollie at the 16:53 mark and a score in the paint by speedy sophomore guard DeeDee Winston at the 16:07 mark, Shakopee trimmed the Hopkins lead down to 7-4 on a "3" from the top of the key by willowy 6'2" junior guard/forward Taylor Koenen at the 13:38 mark and got to within a single possession again on a Koenen jumper along the left baseline at the 12:04 mark as the Royals held a 10-7 advantage. Hopkins' Hollie responded with a "3" from the left corner at the 11:46 mark but Koenen again found the range again from behind the arc - this one from the top of the key at the 11:16 mark that cut the Royals lead down to 13-10. It was here, though, that Hopkins went on its first big run of the evening - a 14-2 burst that was capped on a lay-up in transition by senior guard TT Starks that got her fouled and sent her to the line to sink the obligatory free throw that now had the Royals up 27-12. A 5-2 push by the Sabers; capped by a drive and finish by junior forward Caleigh Rodning that got her fouled and allowed her to sink the ensuing freebie trimmed Hopkins' lead down to 29-17. But a score in the paint by senior guard Viria Livingston with 3:01 left and two free throws by Starks with 1:48 left put the Royals in pretty decent shape at the half up 37-23. What was becoming apparent, though, was that Shakopee was having all sorts of problems in it half-court offensive sets; resulting in numerous turnovers and easy Hopkins points and that the Royals speed and athleticism is just something you can't re-create in any practice session.
That theme became all the more clearer once the second half got underway as Hopkins Head Coach Brian Cosgriff and his Royals squad applied the proverbial hands to the neck grasp to choke off the Shakopee windpipe; applying aggressive full- and half-court pressure defense and trapping that forced several Saber miscues and turnovers and led to a 19-0 Hopkins run that erased any doubt whatsoever as to how this one was going to go. Shakopee Head Coach Juan Mitchell tried in vain to stem this Royal tidal wave with a timeout at the 16:20 mark to no avail. A Koenen score in the paint at the 12:17 mark finally ended the Shakopee scoring drought but down 56-25, the damage had already been done. One lay-up by junior reserve guard K'Aezha Wubben at the 12:00 mark and one Wubben freebie at the 10:43 mark stretched the lead out to 59-25 and it was pretty much academic after that. The "Mercy Rule" kicked in with 8:00 left and with the issue long having been decided, both Cosgriff and Mitchell sent in their reserves for clean-up duty as Hopkins breezed into the championship game with a resounding 64-33 victory that really didn't even seem that close. Both Hollie and Starks tallied 16 points on this evening while Koenen's 12 points led Shakopee. I asked Cosgriff, after this exclamation point that his squad made on this night, if he thought his squad's race to the title would be an easy one. "NO!" he exclaimed emphatically. "Never." "We'll be in for a war."
After the Royals bolted out to an early 7-1 lead; thanks to a jumper from the top of the key just inside the arc by junior guard Nia Hollie at the 16:53 mark and a score in the paint by speedy sophomore guard DeeDee Winston at the 16:07 mark, Shakopee trimmed the Hopkins lead down to 7-4 on a "3" from the top of the key by willowy 6'2" junior guard/forward Taylor Koenen at the 13:38 mark and got to within a single possession again on a Koenen jumper along the left baseline at the 12:04 mark as the Royals held a 10-7 advantage. Hopkins' Hollie responded with a "3" from the left corner at the 11:46 mark but Koenen again found the range again from behind the arc - this one from the top of the key at the 11:16 mark that cut the Royals lead down to 13-10. It was here, though, that Hopkins went on its first big run of the evening - a 14-2 burst that was capped on a lay-up in transition by senior guard TT Starks that got her fouled and sent her to the line to sink the obligatory free throw that now had the Royals up 27-12. A 5-2 push by the Sabers; capped by a drive and finish by junior forward Caleigh Rodning that got her fouled and allowed her to sink the ensuing freebie trimmed Hopkins' lead down to 29-17. But a score in the paint by senior guard Viria Livingston with 3:01 left and two free throws by Starks with 1:48 left put the Royals in pretty decent shape at the half up 37-23. What was becoming apparent, though, was that Shakopee was having all sorts of problems in it half-court offensive sets; resulting in numerous turnovers and easy Hopkins points and that the Royals speed and athleticism is just something you can't re-create in any practice session.
That theme became all the more clearer once the second half got underway as Hopkins Head Coach Brian Cosgriff and his Royals squad applied the proverbial hands to the neck grasp to choke off the Shakopee windpipe; applying aggressive full- and half-court pressure defense and trapping that forced several Saber miscues and turnovers and led to a 19-0 Hopkins run that erased any doubt whatsoever as to how this one was going to go. Shakopee Head Coach Juan Mitchell tried in vain to stem this Royal tidal wave with a timeout at the 16:20 mark to no avail. A Koenen score in the paint at the 12:17 mark finally ended the Shakopee scoring drought but down 56-25, the damage had already been done. One lay-up by junior reserve guard K'Aezha Wubben at the 12:00 mark and one Wubben freebie at the 10:43 mark stretched the lead out to 59-25 and it was pretty much academic after that. The "Mercy Rule" kicked in with 8:00 left and with the issue long having been decided, both Cosgriff and Mitchell sent in their reserves for clean-up duty as Hopkins breezed into the championship game with a resounding 64-33 victory that really didn't even seem that close. Both Hollie and Starks tallied 16 points on this evening while Koenen's 12 points led Shakopee. I asked Cosgriff, after this exclamation point that his squad made on this night, if he thought his squad's race to the title would be an easy one. "NO!" he exclaimed emphatically. "Never." "We'll be in for a war."
Minnesota Girl's State Tournament - Class AAA Semifinal Game Recap - Park Center vs Kasson-Mantorville 3-19-15
The second game of the Thursday afternoon session at Williams Arena featured the tilt between defending state champion Park Center and upstart Kasson-Mantorville which had upset a highly-regarded New Prague team on Wednesday afternoon over at Mariucci Arena. Most people, including myself, had pretty much penciled in the Pirates into the state championship game for Saturday night again but, to get there, they would first have to take care of business against this pesky Komet team that was quickly making a name for itself and, as it turned out, the task was much more difficult than anyone anticipated.
Still, any anticipated difficulty didn't seem to faze the Pirates early on anyway as the bolted out to an 11-2 lead on the strength of their fast-paced transition game that always seems to give opponents fits. A jumper along the left baseline by flashy sophomore reserve forward Fey Ayobamadele at the 14:42 mark and a score in the paint by lanky sophomore post Mikayla Hayes at the 14:15 mark that got her fouled and allowed her to sink the obligatory freebie made it 7-2. One lay-up by senior point guard Hannah Schaub at the 13:42 mark and a lay-up in transition by sophomore guard Ann Simonet at the 11:44 mark gave Park Center that 11-2 lead and the Komets seemingly appeared to be in over their collective heads at that moment. A short jumper off the glass by diminutive sophomore guard Danielle Schaub at the 10:09 mark and an Ayobamadele "3" from the left top area with 8:52 left made it 16-4 and things were definitely looking rosy for the Pirates and their fun student section. Kasson-Mantorville, however, slowly battled their way right back into the thick of things and Park Center got curiously out of synch on offense. Komet 6'2" sophomore post Kristin Scott got two free throws to go down after getting fouled with 6:05 left and then got a score in the paint with 4:53 left that trimmed the Pirate lead down to 18-12. Part of the problem for the Pirates when things started to go downhill a bit was that Hayes got tagged for three fouls in that first half and Park Center Head Coach Chris VanderHyde had no choice but to sit her for a spell to preserve her for the second half. Junior reserve guard Maddie Worden snared an offensive rebound of her own miss for a putback with 3:02 left that shrunk the Pirate lead to 18-14 and a Scott lay-up with 1:22 left had the Komets; once left for dead early on in the first half, now within a single possession trailing 18-16 which is how the first half ended and the Park Center contingent definitely did some head-scratching during the halftime break. The Pirates had a very balanced scoring attack in the first half with Hannah Schaub's four points leading the way while both Scott and Worden had six points each to pace Kasson-Mantorville. The big worry for VanderHyde at the half had to be the disparate advantage the Komets had in rebounding with a 22-11 advantage and that had to change if the Pirates wanted to get back to the big stage on Saturday night and avoid the upset.
Simonet's "3" from the left corner at the 17:14 mark of the second half had Pirate fans and the student section breathing a bit easier as Park Center's lead stretched to 21-16 but that "feel good" feeling didn't last long as the Komets picked up right where they left off. Another Scott score in the paint at the 16:25 mark and a "3" from senior guard Kari Pingel at the 15:23 mark had the Komets back to a single possession again trailing 23-21. Another Scott foray and score in the paint at the 13:22 mark got her fouled in the process and sent her to the charity stripe to sink the obligatory freebie that put Kasson-Mantorville out in front for the first time at 24-23 and a score in the paint by senior forward Danika Hodgman at the 12:46 mark upped that lead to 26-23. It was here, though, that the Pirates finally woke up and realized the seriousness of the moment. Simonet uncorked another "3"; this one from the left wing area at the 12:34 mark that tied the issue at 26. One score in the paint by freshman reserve post Azsha Michael at the 11:27 mark and a "3" from the top of the key by Hannah Schaub at the 10:04 mark had Park Center back out in front 31-28. Two scores by Scott - one with 8:14 left and another with 7:38 left tied the issue once again at 32 but the Pirates; now an experienced squad, were able to make the right moves at the right time. Two freebies by Hannah Schaub with 6:42 left and a jumper off the glass after a steal by Danielle Schaub with 6:31 left had Park Center up 36-32. Then Hayes, who was saddled with those first half fouls, showed her worth. One score in the paint with 5:36 left and a "3" from the right top area off the glass no less upped the Pirate lead to 42-34 and Kasson-Mantorville was now reeling. Komet Head Coach Ryan Heraldson called a timeout with 2:04 left to try and stem this late Pirate tide but Simonet and Hannah Schaub made insurance free throws down the stretch and a stingy Park Center defense ensured a date on Saturday night for a highly-anticipated rematch with Marshall with a 47-37 victory.
VanderHyde afterward admitted that adjustments needed to be made at the half when Kasson-Mantorville's run tightened things up. "We started the second half in zone defense and we had a bigger line-up with (Azsha) Michael in there"; referring to those three fouls that Hayes had. As far as looking ahead to the title game rematch with Marshall? "It's going to be a battle" he said smiling. "They'll be ready. We'll be ready. It'll be a great game!" Hannah Schaub talked as well about the adjustments that needed to be made including Scott who was a thorn in the side for the Pirates on this day. The senior, headed to Valparaiso next year who paced the Pirate attack with her 12 points, talked about some of the great moves she made late to help preserve the hard-fought victory. "All in the moment" she said. "It just flows!" About playing Marshall on Saturday night - AND being on the floor this time to do it instead of being relegated to the sidelines as she was a year ago? "Oh my gosh!" she exclaimed. "It just gives me chills.....I'm so happy!" Danielle Schaub thought a big key to the second half was to"play our game." Like her big sis, she, too, can't wait for Saturday night. "I'm so excited!" she said. "It's going to be fun playing them again.
Still, any anticipated difficulty didn't seem to faze the Pirates early on anyway as the bolted out to an 11-2 lead on the strength of their fast-paced transition game that always seems to give opponents fits. A jumper along the left baseline by flashy sophomore reserve forward Fey Ayobamadele at the 14:42 mark and a score in the paint by lanky sophomore post Mikayla Hayes at the 14:15 mark that got her fouled and allowed her to sink the obligatory freebie made it 7-2. One lay-up by senior point guard Hannah Schaub at the 13:42 mark and a lay-up in transition by sophomore guard Ann Simonet at the 11:44 mark gave Park Center that 11-2 lead and the Komets seemingly appeared to be in over their collective heads at that moment. A short jumper off the glass by diminutive sophomore guard Danielle Schaub at the 10:09 mark and an Ayobamadele "3" from the left top area with 8:52 left made it 16-4 and things were definitely looking rosy for the Pirates and their fun student section. Kasson-Mantorville, however, slowly battled their way right back into the thick of things and Park Center got curiously out of synch on offense. Komet 6'2" sophomore post Kristin Scott got two free throws to go down after getting fouled with 6:05 left and then got a score in the paint with 4:53 left that trimmed the Pirate lead down to 18-12. Part of the problem for the Pirates when things started to go downhill a bit was that Hayes got tagged for three fouls in that first half and Park Center Head Coach Chris VanderHyde had no choice but to sit her for a spell to preserve her for the second half. Junior reserve guard Maddie Worden snared an offensive rebound of her own miss for a putback with 3:02 left that shrunk the Pirate lead to 18-14 and a Scott lay-up with 1:22 left had the Komets; once left for dead early on in the first half, now within a single possession trailing 18-16 which is how the first half ended and the Park Center contingent definitely did some head-scratching during the halftime break. The Pirates had a very balanced scoring attack in the first half with Hannah Schaub's four points leading the way while both Scott and Worden had six points each to pace Kasson-Mantorville. The big worry for VanderHyde at the half had to be the disparate advantage the Komets had in rebounding with a 22-11 advantage and that had to change if the Pirates wanted to get back to the big stage on Saturday night and avoid the upset.
Simonet's "3" from the left corner at the 17:14 mark of the second half had Pirate fans and the student section breathing a bit easier as Park Center's lead stretched to 21-16 but that "feel good" feeling didn't last long as the Komets picked up right where they left off. Another Scott score in the paint at the 16:25 mark and a "3" from senior guard Kari Pingel at the 15:23 mark had the Komets back to a single possession again trailing 23-21. Another Scott foray and score in the paint at the 13:22 mark got her fouled in the process and sent her to the charity stripe to sink the obligatory freebie that put Kasson-Mantorville out in front for the first time at 24-23 and a score in the paint by senior forward Danika Hodgman at the 12:46 mark upped that lead to 26-23. It was here, though, that the Pirates finally woke up and realized the seriousness of the moment. Simonet uncorked another "3"; this one from the left wing area at the 12:34 mark that tied the issue at 26. One score in the paint by freshman reserve post Azsha Michael at the 11:27 mark and a "3" from the top of the key by Hannah Schaub at the 10:04 mark had Park Center back out in front 31-28. Two scores by Scott - one with 8:14 left and another with 7:38 left tied the issue once again at 32 but the Pirates; now an experienced squad, were able to make the right moves at the right time. Two freebies by Hannah Schaub with 6:42 left and a jumper off the glass after a steal by Danielle Schaub with 6:31 left had Park Center up 36-32. Then Hayes, who was saddled with those first half fouls, showed her worth. One score in the paint with 5:36 left and a "3" from the right top area off the glass no less upped the Pirate lead to 42-34 and Kasson-Mantorville was now reeling. Komet Head Coach Ryan Heraldson called a timeout with 2:04 left to try and stem this late Pirate tide but Simonet and Hannah Schaub made insurance free throws down the stretch and a stingy Park Center defense ensured a date on Saturday night for a highly-anticipated rematch with Marshall with a 47-37 victory.
VanderHyde afterward admitted that adjustments needed to be made at the half when Kasson-Mantorville's run tightened things up. "We started the second half in zone defense and we had a bigger line-up with (Azsha) Michael in there"; referring to those three fouls that Hayes had. As far as looking ahead to the title game rematch with Marshall? "It's going to be a battle" he said smiling. "They'll be ready. We'll be ready. It'll be a great game!" Hannah Schaub talked as well about the adjustments that needed to be made including Scott who was a thorn in the side for the Pirates on this day. The senior, headed to Valparaiso next year who paced the Pirate attack with her 12 points, talked about some of the great moves she made late to help preserve the hard-fought victory. "All in the moment" she said. "It just flows!" About playing Marshall on Saturday night - AND being on the floor this time to do it instead of being relegated to the sidelines as she was a year ago? "Oh my gosh!" she exclaimed. "It just gives me chills.....I'm so happy!" Danielle Schaub thought a big key to the second half was to"play our game." Like her big sis, she, too, can't wait for Saturday night. "I'm so excited!" she said. "It's going to be fun playing them again.
Minnesota Girl's State Tournament - Class AAA Semifinal Game Recap - Orono vs Marshall 3-19-15
The first game on this Thursday of the 2015 Minnesota Girl's State Tournament was the highly-anticipated high noon showdown between Orono and Marshall. There were some who had already tagged the Spartans to get into the championship game on Saturday night but personally I had felt from the outset that Marshall would stand a very good chance of getting back to the big stage on Saturday night. I just like how they play and they play very smart. Turns out that maybe I am learning a thing or two about this game. :)
Things would be tight in the early going as expected. After Tiger senior forward Callie Graff put Marshall ahead 6-4 when she grabbed an offensive rebound for a putback and got fouled in the process and made the obligatory free throw, Orono senior guard Kiera Nelson's lay-up in transition at the 15:44 mark tied the issue at 6. It was at this juncture, though, that the Tigers made their first decisive move of the day as Marshall went on a 6-0 push; spurred by a short shot off the glass by junior forward Marah Mulso and a score in the paint by senior guard Sarah Buysse that made it 15-6 by the 12:26 mark. Orono's normally reliable shooters curiously went cold and the 2-3 defense that Marshall Head Coach Dan Westby employed at the outset of this contest contributed to that. And the Tigers continued to stay hot on the offensive end and went on a 10-4 run to provide even more separation. Buysse connected with a lay-up at the 10:52 mark and a score in the paint by fellow senior forward Morgan Saugstad with 9:15 left made it 21-10. Pairs of free throws by both Graff and Buysse completed this spurt to make it 25-10 with 7:44 left and it wasn't until Orono senior reserve guard Sydney Reiners drained a "3" from the left top area with 3:16 left did the Spartans find any semblance of offensive consistency. Still, Marshall took a rather comfortable 35-20 lead into the locker room at the half and a rowdy and raucous Orono student section that had been whooping it well before tip-off had to wonder what in the blazes was going on. Surprisingly for Marshall, it was Graff's ten points that led the way in the first half for the Tigers and a 12-25 effort from FG range for 48% and 3-5 from downtown for 60% certainly played a big part. Perhaps just as important, Marshall had a decided advantage on the boards at 20-12. Something good had to happen for Head Coach Ellen Wiese's squad early on in the second half if this thing wasn't going to get away from them and the sooner the better.
Wiese must have had those same exact thoughts in mind and whatever she told her Spartan squad in that locker room at the half certainly had a positive effect. A lay-up in transition by junior guard Danielle Jorgenson at the 17:00 mark was the start of a 12-2 Orono burst that sliced Marshall's lead down to a scant three points at 37-34 at the 12:12 mark and a short jumper from the left side by senior forward Rachel Heussner completed the run and the Orono student section and fans were going nuts by this point and there was certainly every reason to think that the Tigers, who almost certainly had the Park Center debacle in their head from a year ago, just might start looking in vain for the proverbial panic button. This time, however, Marshall dug in their heels and responded. An 9-2 run completely changed the complexion of this contest at the most critical point and Orono was caught off guard just when they thought they had brought this thing back and now the Spartans had to dig deep again in an effort to try and get within striking distance. To their credit, Orono closed the gap to four points at 46-42 when lanky 6'4" junior post Meghan Mandel connected with a pretty turnaround jumper with 5:08 left but that's as close as the Spartans would get. Two free throws by junior forward Lexi Saugstad with 4:21 left and two more by Buysse with 2:09 left gave the Tigers a 50-44 lead. Still, Orono was not ready to give up the ghost just yet. Jorgenson's lay-up in transition with just :29.4 left trimmed the Tiger lead down to 52-48 and somehow Orono just had to get a stop to have a chance to make it a one possession game again. Indeed, when the Spartans applied pressure defense on the ensuing Marshall possession, they forced that long-awaited turnover but when Marshall's Buysse intercepted an errant Orono pass with :20 left, the final Spartan threat died right there. Buysse was immediately fouled and got one charity stripe to go down out of it and Marshall pulled off an exciting 55-48 upset of #1-seeded Orono.
I asked Westby afterward if there was ever any worry or panic that might have set in when Orono went on that 12-2 run to start the second half. "Sure, some" he replied. "But we hit a couple of key buckets to start another little run of our own" he said. Actually, Westby said he was somewhat disappointed in his 2-3 zone and eventually switched to a man-to-man defense as the game progressed and it may have been a different look that might have caused more trouble for the Spartans. I asked Buysse about her huge steal with just :20 left that sealed the deal for Marshall. She noted that they practice these types of situations frequently during the season. She also noted that the team tried to keep calm during that big Orono run at the beginning of the second half and that just seemed to work for them. About getting back to the state championship game again? "It's a huge deal for us" she said and you can be that, as the leader of the squad, she'll have her teammates ready to go. Buysse finished this contest with 13 points in a very balanced Tiger scoring attack while Mandel's 14 points paced Orono in the losing effort.
Things would be tight in the early going as expected. After Tiger senior forward Callie Graff put Marshall ahead 6-4 when she grabbed an offensive rebound for a putback and got fouled in the process and made the obligatory free throw, Orono senior guard Kiera Nelson's lay-up in transition at the 15:44 mark tied the issue at 6. It was at this juncture, though, that the Tigers made their first decisive move of the day as Marshall went on a 6-0 push; spurred by a short shot off the glass by junior forward Marah Mulso and a score in the paint by senior guard Sarah Buysse that made it 15-6 by the 12:26 mark. Orono's normally reliable shooters curiously went cold and the 2-3 defense that Marshall Head Coach Dan Westby employed at the outset of this contest contributed to that. And the Tigers continued to stay hot on the offensive end and went on a 10-4 run to provide even more separation. Buysse connected with a lay-up at the 10:52 mark and a score in the paint by fellow senior forward Morgan Saugstad with 9:15 left made it 21-10. Pairs of free throws by both Graff and Buysse completed this spurt to make it 25-10 with 7:44 left and it wasn't until Orono senior reserve guard Sydney Reiners drained a "3" from the left top area with 3:16 left did the Spartans find any semblance of offensive consistency. Still, Marshall took a rather comfortable 35-20 lead into the locker room at the half and a rowdy and raucous Orono student section that had been whooping it well before tip-off had to wonder what in the blazes was going on. Surprisingly for Marshall, it was Graff's ten points that led the way in the first half for the Tigers and a 12-25 effort from FG range for 48% and 3-5 from downtown for 60% certainly played a big part. Perhaps just as important, Marshall had a decided advantage on the boards at 20-12. Something good had to happen for Head Coach Ellen Wiese's squad early on in the second half if this thing wasn't going to get away from them and the sooner the better.
Wiese must have had those same exact thoughts in mind and whatever she told her Spartan squad in that locker room at the half certainly had a positive effect. A lay-up in transition by junior guard Danielle Jorgenson at the 17:00 mark was the start of a 12-2 Orono burst that sliced Marshall's lead down to a scant three points at 37-34 at the 12:12 mark and a short jumper from the left side by senior forward Rachel Heussner completed the run and the Orono student section and fans were going nuts by this point and there was certainly every reason to think that the Tigers, who almost certainly had the Park Center debacle in their head from a year ago, just might start looking in vain for the proverbial panic button. This time, however, Marshall dug in their heels and responded. An 9-2 run completely changed the complexion of this contest at the most critical point and Orono was caught off guard just when they thought they had brought this thing back and now the Spartans had to dig deep again in an effort to try and get within striking distance. To their credit, Orono closed the gap to four points at 46-42 when lanky 6'4" junior post Meghan Mandel connected with a pretty turnaround jumper with 5:08 left but that's as close as the Spartans would get. Two free throws by junior forward Lexi Saugstad with 4:21 left and two more by Buysse with 2:09 left gave the Tigers a 50-44 lead. Still, Orono was not ready to give up the ghost just yet. Jorgenson's lay-up in transition with just :29.4 left trimmed the Tiger lead down to 52-48 and somehow Orono just had to get a stop to have a chance to make it a one possession game again. Indeed, when the Spartans applied pressure defense on the ensuing Marshall possession, they forced that long-awaited turnover but when Marshall's Buysse intercepted an errant Orono pass with :20 left, the final Spartan threat died right there. Buysse was immediately fouled and got one charity stripe to go down out of it and Marshall pulled off an exciting 55-48 upset of #1-seeded Orono.
I asked Westby afterward if there was ever any worry or panic that might have set in when Orono went on that 12-2 run to start the second half. "Sure, some" he replied. "But we hit a couple of key buckets to start another little run of our own" he said. Actually, Westby said he was somewhat disappointed in his 2-3 zone and eventually switched to a man-to-man defense as the game progressed and it may have been a different look that might have caused more trouble for the Spartans. I asked Buysse about her huge steal with just :20 left that sealed the deal for Marshall. She noted that they practice these types of situations frequently during the season. She also noted that the team tried to keep calm during that big Orono run at the beginning of the second half and that just seemed to work for them. About getting back to the state championship game again? "It's a huge deal for us" she said and you can be that, as the leader of the squad, she'll have her teammates ready to go. Buysse finished this contest with 13 points in a very balanced Tiger scoring attack while Mandel's 14 points paced Orono in the losing effort.
Thursday, March 19, 2015
Minnesota Girl's State Tournament - Class AA Quarterfinal Game Recap - Roseau vs Esko 3-18-15
The last game on this Wednesday evening featured another interesting match-up of unknown teams - Section 8AA champ Roseau going up against Section 7AA champ and #3 seed Esko. Both squads came into this game with identical records of 26-4 so, in my mind anyway, this one would virtually be a toss-up.
Both teams played something of a cat and mouse game early on as neither side could gain more than a one-point advantage. Eighth grader Kacie Borowicz connected with a jumper from the FT line at the 15:51 mark and sophomore Kiley Borowicz got a lay-up at the 14:56 mark to give the Rams a 4-3 lead. Esko grabbed a 5-4 lead on two charity stripe shots by senior guard Kailee Kaminski at the 14:40 mark but Roseau countered with a 6-0 run fueled by a "3" from the right top area by freshman reserve guard Victoria Johnson and a jumper from the free throw line by senior reserve forward Rachel Lindemann that made it 11-5 by the 11:30 mark. Esko would answer with a 6-0 spurt of its own that knotted the issue at 11-all with 8:00 left to put things right back at Square One. Actually, the bigger issue as this game progressed would be which team would commit more turnovers as both the Eskimos and the Rams were guilty of several boo-boos that saw an abundance of scoring opportunities squandered. The Borowicz' of Roseau - Kacie and Kiley - continued to be a thorn in the side for Esko as the duo helped put the Rams up 15-13 with 4:56 left and a short jumper by Kacie Borowicz with 4:44 left upped the Roseau lead to 17-13. Once again, Esko battled back. Sophomore reserve guard Karlie Kulas knocked down a jumper from the left side with 3:35 left and two free throws by senior guard Bailey Mudek knotted things up at 17. Roseau's 18-17 halftime lead came courtesy of one free throw by Kiley Borowicz with :53.1 left but, as I had suspected at the outset, this game seemed like a toss-up that could easily come down to the last possession.
The cat-and-mouse game continued once the second half got underway A Kiley Borowicz lay-up at the 16:00 minute mark put the Rams up 20-17 but Esko countered less than a minute later when Mudek banged home a "3" from the right wing to make it 20-all. The Eskimos were able to poke their nose out in front for a change at the 12:51 mark when sophomore reserve guard Mandi Dincau drilled a "3" from the left corner for a 25-24 Esko lead. A Dincau lay-up at the 11:47 mark and one Mudek free throw at the 11:24 mark had the Eskimos up 28-24 but their advantage was short-lived. Kacie Borowicz mad a drive into the lane for a finish at the 10:59 mark and got fouled in the process and the obligatory freebie brought Roseau to within one trailing 28-27. Junior forward Amelia Johnson's jumper from the right wing with 9:14 left put the Rams back out in front 29-28 but Esko would find another way to tangle up the issue at 31-all when 6'5" senior post Molly Trapp snared an offensive rebound for a putback with 6:01 left. So there we were; all knotted up in this cat-and-mouse game with neither side really being able to gain any decisive advantage. But things finally changed with 5:41 left and, again, it would be the Borowicz sisters doing the damage for the Rams. Kiley Borowicz first banged home a "3" at the 5:41 mark and then snared a steal for a lay-up ten seconds later for a 36-31 Roseau lead. Two Kylie Borowicz free throws with 5:12 left and two more by Kacie Borowicz with 4:18 left made it 40-34 and Kiley Borowicz' lay-up with 4:03 left put the finishing touches on this decisive 11-3 run for a 42-34 Ram lead and Esko Head Coach Scott Antonutti had no choice but to call a timeout. By that time, though, the damage had been done and the Eskimos simply could not recover. Johnson snared an offensive rebound for a putback with 3:27 left and insurance freebies by both Kacie and Kiley Borowicz sealed the deal for a 50-37 Roseau win that sends the Rams into the semifinals.
Roseau Head Coach Kelsey Didrikson heaped a ton of praise on the Borowicz sisters afterward and rightly so. Kiley finished with a game-high 23 points while Kacie, the eighth grader, poured in 20 of her own to lead the way for the Rams. Didrikson felt that her squad's defensive effort made the difference in that critical stretch when the Rams went on that 11-3 run that changed things. "This time of year you have to win with defense" she said. Didrikson and her staff felt comfortable playing Esko and added that "We were familiar with them." Kylie Borowicz felt that she had to step up her game in the second half as she felt that the team "wasn't doing so good in the first half." About the run in the second half, she added "When we get on a run, we just get much more efficient." Esko's Antonutti could only point to the 19 turnovers his team committed on this night. "They capitalized on them" he said. When Roseau got on that run Antonutti said that "we got tight" and they never were able to recover from it.
Both teams played something of a cat and mouse game early on as neither side could gain more than a one-point advantage. Eighth grader Kacie Borowicz connected with a jumper from the FT line at the 15:51 mark and sophomore Kiley Borowicz got a lay-up at the 14:56 mark to give the Rams a 4-3 lead. Esko grabbed a 5-4 lead on two charity stripe shots by senior guard Kailee Kaminski at the 14:40 mark but Roseau countered with a 6-0 run fueled by a "3" from the right top area by freshman reserve guard Victoria Johnson and a jumper from the free throw line by senior reserve forward Rachel Lindemann that made it 11-5 by the 11:30 mark. Esko would answer with a 6-0 spurt of its own that knotted the issue at 11-all with 8:00 left to put things right back at Square One. Actually, the bigger issue as this game progressed would be which team would commit more turnovers as both the Eskimos and the Rams were guilty of several boo-boos that saw an abundance of scoring opportunities squandered. The Borowicz' of Roseau - Kacie and Kiley - continued to be a thorn in the side for Esko as the duo helped put the Rams up 15-13 with 4:56 left and a short jumper by Kacie Borowicz with 4:44 left upped the Roseau lead to 17-13. Once again, Esko battled back. Sophomore reserve guard Karlie Kulas knocked down a jumper from the left side with 3:35 left and two free throws by senior guard Bailey Mudek knotted things up at 17. Roseau's 18-17 halftime lead came courtesy of one free throw by Kiley Borowicz with :53.1 left but, as I had suspected at the outset, this game seemed like a toss-up that could easily come down to the last possession.
The cat-and-mouse game continued once the second half got underway A Kiley Borowicz lay-up at the 16:00 minute mark put the Rams up 20-17 but Esko countered less than a minute later when Mudek banged home a "3" from the right wing to make it 20-all. The Eskimos were able to poke their nose out in front for a change at the 12:51 mark when sophomore reserve guard Mandi Dincau drilled a "3" from the left corner for a 25-24 Esko lead. A Dincau lay-up at the 11:47 mark and one Mudek free throw at the 11:24 mark had the Eskimos up 28-24 but their advantage was short-lived. Kacie Borowicz mad a drive into the lane for a finish at the 10:59 mark and got fouled in the process and the obligatory freebie brought Roseau to within one trailing 28-27. Junior forward Amelia Johnson's jumper from the right wing with 9:14 left put the Rams back out in front 29-28 but Esko would find another way to tangle up the issue at 31-all when 6'5" senior post Molly Trapp snared an offensive rebound for a putback with 6:01 left. So there we were; all knotted up in this cat-and-mouse game with neither side really being able to gain any decisive advantage. But things finally changed with 5:41 left and, again, it would be the Borowicz sisters doing the damage for the Rams. Kiley Borowicz first banged home a "3" at the 5:41 mark and then snared a steal for a lay-up ten seconds later for a 36-31 Roseau lead. Two Kylie Borowicz free throws with 5:12 left and two more by Kacie Borowicz with 4:18 left made it 40-34 and Kiley Borowicz' lay-up with 4:03 left put the finishing touches on this decisive 11-3 run for a 42-34 Ram lead and Esko Head Coach Scott Antonutti had no choice but to call a timeout. By that time, though, the damage had been done and the Eskimos simply could not recover. Johnson snared an offensive rebound for a putback with 3:27 left and insurance freebies by both Kacie and Kiley Borowicz sealed the deal for a 50-37 Roseau win that sends the Rams into the semifinals.
Roseau Head Coach Kelsey Didrikson heaped a ton of praise on the Borowicz sisters afterward and rightly so. Kiley finished with a game-high 23 points while Kacie, the eighth grader, poured in 20 of her own to lead the way for the Rams. Didrikson felt that her squad's defensive effort made the difference in that critical stretch when the Rams went on that 11-3 run that changed things. "This time of year you have to win with defense" she said. Didrikson and her staff felt comfortable playing Esko and added that "We were familiar with them." Kylie Borowicz felt that she had to step up her game in the second half as she felt that the team "wasn't doing so good in the first half." About the run in the second half, she added "When we get on a run, we just get much more efficient." Esko's Antonutti could only point to the 19 turnovers his team committed on this night. "They capitalized on them" he said. When Roseau got on that run Antonutti said that "we got tight" and they never were able to recover from it.
Wednesday, March 18, 2015
Minnesota Girl's State Tournament - Class AA Quarterfinal Game Recap - Fairmount vs Dover-Eyota 3-18-15
The third Class AA quarterfinal matchup featured Section AA champ Fairmont going up against Section 1AA champ and #2 seed Dover-Eyota. Again, two teams that I know little about but was very interested nonetheless to see how this game would develop.
Dover-Eyota was able to build a 12-6 lead by the 13:01 mark fueled in part by two early scores by senior guard Brandi Blattner and two free throws by junior post Megan Hintz and the Eagles maintained that six-point edge when Blattner knocked down one charity stripe shot at the 10:49 mark for a 14-8 Dover-Eyota lead. A Blattner jumper along the left baseline at the 10:07 mark extended the lead to 16-8 and a lay-up by Hintz with 8:46 left and a score in the paint by junior guard Madison Nelson doubled-up Fairmont at 20-10 with 7:49 left in the first half. Fairmont was able to shave the Eagles lead down to seven at 27-20 when reserve junior post Courtney Mosloski scored in the paint with 4:16 left and another score in the paint by senior forward Alex Christianson kept the deficit at seven trailing 29-22 but a 4-0 flurry by Dover-Eyota capped by a score in the paint by Blattner enabled the Eagles to take a ten-point 33-23 lead into the locker room at the half.
Dover-Eyota gradually extended that lead to sixteen points at 47-31 by the 11:00 mark and Fairmont had ample opportunities to keep the game relatively closed but blew several missed easy "bunny" shots but, at the same time, some of the credit had to go to the Eagles on defense as they forced Fairmont into some bad shots as well. With 9:24 left, Nelson took an inbounds pass and connected with a short jumper off the glass to make it a 51-31 game and Fairmont Head Coach Don Waletich saw this one slipping away and called a timeout to try and stave off the seemingly inevitable. Fairmont sliced the Eagle advantage down to 51-35 with 7:50 left but when Mosloski knocked down two freebies with 7:26 left and when senior guard Emily Kim drained a "3" from the left wing with 7:15 left, that nice cushy twenty-point lead that Dover-Eyota had was suddenly reduced to eleven at 51-40. As time started becoming more and more of a factor, the Eagles were still not completely out of the woods as Fairmont's Christianson snared an offensive rebound for a putback with 4:01 left and a steal and lay-up the other way by senior guard Sierra Schultz reduced Dover-Eyota's lead to nine at 55-46. The Cardinals threw one last scare into Dover-Eyota when Christianson connected on a lay-up in transition with 1:35 left that cut the Eagle lead down to six at 57-51. One free throw by senior forward Danielle Higgins with 1:27 left and a big lay-up in transition by Nelson with :53.8 left ended the Fairmont threat and insurance free throws in the final minute saved the day for Dover-Eyota as they held on to win 62-53.
Dover-Eyota Head Coach Brian Harris had nothing but praise for their opponent on this night saying that "They're a very good team.....Maybe we got a little lackadaisical when we had that twenty-point lead." At the same time, however, Harris never felt any panic setting in from his perspective when the Cardinals chopped the Dover-Eyota lead down to seven late in the game. At the same time, he had nothing but praise for his senior, Blattner. "She runs our team" he said. "She's our team leader, our point guard and best defender.....She was able to calm the rest of the team down when things got a little tight." Blattner herself admitted that there "may have been a little panic but we knew we had it". About this win and going forward? "We're excited" she said enthusiastically. "It's fun to be in and we want to accomplish what we set out to do." Indeed Blattner's 19 points paced the Eagles in this outing while Nelson also had 16 points. Schultz' 22 points led Fairmont in their losing effort as the Cardinals complete a fine season at 21-7.
Dover-Eyota was able to build a 12-6 lead by the 13:01 mark fueled in part by two early scores by senior guard Brandi Blattner and two free throws by junior post Megan Hintz and the Eagles maintained that six-point edge when Blattner knocked down one charity stripe shot at the 10:49 mark for a 14-8 Dover-Eyota lead. A Blattner jumper along the left baseline at the 10:07 mark extended the lead to 16-8 and a lay-up by Hintz with 8:46 left and a score in the paint by junior guard Madison Nelson doubled-up Fairmont at 20-10 with 7:49 left in the first half. Fairmont was able to shave the Eagles lead down to seven at 27-20 when reserve junior post Courtney Mosloski scored in the paint with 4:16 left and another score in the paint by senior forward Alex Christianson kept the deficit at seven trailing 29-22 but a 4-0 flurry by Dover-Eyota capped by a score in the paint by Blattner enabled the Eagles to take a ten-point 33-23 lead into the locker room at the half.
Dover-Eyota gradually extended that lead to sixteen points at 47-31 by the 11:00 mark and Fairmont had ample opportunities to keep the game relatively closed but blew several missed easy "bunny" shots but, at the same time, some of the credit had to go to the Eagles on defense as they forced Fairmont into some bad shots as well. With 9:24 left, Nelson took an inbounds pass and connected with a short jumper off the glass to make it a 51-31 game and Fairmont Head Coach Don Waletich saw this one slipping away and called a timeout to try and stave off the seemingly inevitable. Fairmont sliced the Eagle advantage down to 51-35 with 7:50 left but when Mosloski knocked down two freebies with 7:26 left and when senior guard Emily Kim drained a "3" from the left wing with 7:15 left, that nice cushy twenty-point lead that Dover-Eyota had was suddenly reduced to eleven at 51-40. As time started becoming more and more of a factor, the Eagles were still not completely out of the woods as Fairmont's Christianson snared an offensive rebound for a putback with 4:01 left and a steal and lay-up the other way by senior guard Sierra Schultz reduced Dover-Eyota's lead to nine at 55-46. The Cardinals threw one last scare into Dover-Eyota when Christianson connected on a lay-up in transition with 1:35 left that cut the Eagle lead down to six at 57-51. One free throw by senior forward Danielle Higgins with 1:27 left and a big lay-up in transition by Nelson with :53.8 left ended the Fairmont threat and insurance free throws in the final minute saved the day for Dover-Eyota as they held on to win 62-53.
Dover-Eyota Head Coach Brian Harris had nothing but praise for their opponent on this night saying that "They're a very good team.....Maybe we got a little lackadaisical when we had that twenty-point lead." At the same time, however, Harris never felt any panic setting in from his perspective when the Cardinals chopped the Dover-Eyota lead down to seven late in the game. At the same time, he had nothing but praise for his senior, Blattner. "She runs our team" he said. "She's our team leader, our point guard and best defender.....She was able to calm the rest of the team down when things got a little tight." Blattner herself admitted that there "may have been a little panic but we knew we had it". About this win and going forward? "We're excited" she said enthusiastically. "It's fun to be in and we want to accomplish what we set out to do." Indeed Blattner's 19 points paced the Eagles in this outing while Nelson also had 16 points. Schultz' 22 points led Fairmont in their losing effort as the Cardinals complete a fine season at 21-7.
Minnesota Girl's State Tournament - Class AA Quarterfinal Game Recap - Annandale vs Minnehaha Academy 3-18-15
The second Class AA quarterfinal game on this day featured at least one team that I've seen before - Section 4AA champ and #4 seed Minnehaha Academy taking on Section 5AA and #5 seed Annandale; located just west of the Twin Cities on Canadian Pacific Railway's Paynesville Sub mainline. The Redhawks have been a perennial contender for several years and previous team's under Head Coach Josh Thurow have won the whole ball of wax before. The Cardinals, with a 23-7 record were less well-known but a #5 seed vs a #4 seed game can always be interesting.
The Redhawks raced out to an 8-0 lead in the game's opening minutes as two scores by senior post Lilly Thomey - a lay-up at the 17:00 mark and a short turn-around jumper off the glass at the 16:16 mark helped spark the run. A jumper in the lane by junior guard Sarah Kaminski at the 15:55 mark and a lay-up by senior guard Gracia Gilreath at the 15:04 mark completed the run. Meanwhile, the Cardinals were having a devilish time trying to figure out Minnehaha Academy's somewhat unconventional 2-3 zone and it wasn't until freshman reserve post Kamryn D'Heilly's score in the paint at the 14:37 mark that Annandale finally got on the board. The Cardinals, however, closed the gap to 8-6 with 9:30 left on another D'Heilly score in the paint and the Redhawks, whose offensive output momentarily had stalled, didn't get back into the scoring column until 8:56 left on a score in the paint by 8th grade reserve post Avery New. Minnehaha Academy's lead would stay at the four-point margin until Kaminski launched a "3" from the top of the key with 5:05 left that upped the Redhawks lead to 17-10. Annandale, though, hung tough. Junior guard Hannah Groth scored in the paint with 4:11 left and D'Heilly was able to knock down a freebie with 2:09 and 1:36 left that shrunk Minnehaha Academy's lead down to 17-14. The Cardinals had a shot to draw even closer just before the half on their last possession but the freshman, D'Heilly, got impatient when she had the ball and launched up an errant shot with :06 left on the clock. The Redhawks got the rebound and got the ball off to freshman guard Terra Rhoades who dashed down the floor to get a lay-up with just :02 left on the clock to up Minnehaha's lead at the half to 19-14 in this low-scoring affair.
Minnehaha Academy stretched the lead out to eight on two occasions early on in the second half. Rhoades connected with a lay-up at the 16:26 mark and got another one off of an inbounds pass at the 15:04 mark for a 23-17 lead and Thomey's score in the paint at the 14:16 mark made it 25-17. A Rhoades lay-up in transition after a steal at the 13:55 mark maintained that eight-point edge at 27-19 but the Cardinals clawed back as a "3" from the top of the key by senior post Hannah Spaulding at the 12:36 mark trimmed the Redhawk lead down to 29-25. A 7-0 Minnehaha Academy run stretched the lead out to 36-25 near the midway point of the second half and two Thomey freebies with 8:50 left made it 38-28 and the Redhawks appeared to be in good shape. But this pesky Annandale team was not about to go away just yet as a 4-0 spurt fueled by a Spaulding jumper from the right top area with 8:24 left and a D'Heilly score in the paint with 7:18 left chopped the Minnehaha Academy lead down to 38-32 and an alarmed Thurow called a timeout to discuss things with his squad. That stoppage in play had the Redhawks come out with a new determination down the stretch as they dug in their heels and put a halt to any more Annandale runs. Smart play and free throws by the reliable Kaminski with 4:14 left upped the lead to 42-34. Though things were still dangerous for Minnehaha Academy with the eight-point advantage and the fact that Kaminski was saddled with her fourth foul with 4:09 left, others picked up the slack for the Redhawks. One free throw by Rhoades with 3:03 left and another by senior forward Angela Scharf with 2:52 left not only made it a double-digit lead at 44-34 but now Minnehaha Academy was in the double-bonus as well. Insurance free throws by Thomey with 1:10 left helped seal the deal for the Redhawks as Minnehaha Academy claimed a tough 49-38 win to advance to the semifinals.
I asked Thurow afterward about that critical moment in the second half when Annandale had cut the Redhawk lead down to six at 38-32 and what happened during that timeout. "We needed to get back to full-court pressure and force turnovers" he said. That strategy seemed to work as the Cardinals could do little offensively afterward. I also asked Rhoades about the game and her big showing on this day. She said that the scoring aspect really isn't that big of a deal for her. She thought that "our press was a big factor today" and that "we still have a better game in us." I also spoke with Thomey about that second half when their lead got reduced to six points and if there was ever any worry. She did admit that, at first anyway, there was some panic but that feeling soon dissipated when she remembered all the hard work that they've done during this season. "All the work we've done really helped calm us down" she said. And this win today certainly provides the Redhawks with a boost of confidence as well. "It's quite a bit of reassurance" Thomey added.
The Redhawks raced out to an 8-0 lead in the game's opening minutes as two scores by senior post Lilly Thomey - a lay-up at the 17:00 mark and a short turn-around jumper off the glass at the 16:16 mark helped spark the run. A jumper in the lane by junior guard Sarah Kaminski at the 15:55 mark and a lay-up by senior guard Gracia Gilreath at the 15:04 mark completed the run. Meanwhile, the Cardinals were having a devilish time trying to figure out Minnehaha Academy's somewhat unconventional 2-3 zone and it wasn't until freshman reserve post Kamryn D'Heilly's score in the paint at the 14:37 mark that Annandale finally got on the board. The Cardinals, however, closed the gap to 8-6 with 9:30 left on another D'Heilly score in the paint and the Redhawks, whose offensive output momentarily had stalled, didn't get back into the scoring column until 8:56 left on a score in the paint by 8th grade reserve post Avery New. Minnehaha Academy's lead would stay at the four-point margin until Kaminski launched a "3" from the top of the key with 5:05 left that upped the Redhawks lead to 17-10. Annandale, though, hung tough. Junior guard Hannah Groth scored in the paint with 4:11 left and D'Heilly was able to knock down a freebie with 2:09 and 1:36 left that shrunk Minnehaha Academy's lead down to 17-14. The Cardinals had a shot to draw even closer just before the half on their last possession but the freshman, D'Heilly, got impatient when she had the ball and launched up an errant shot with :06 left on the clock. The Redhawks got the rebound and got the ball off to freshman guard Terra Rhoades who dashed down the floor to get a lay-up with just :02 left on the clock to up Minnehaha's lead at the half to 19-14 in this low-scoring affair.
Minnehaha Academy stretched the lead out to eight on two occasions early on in the second half. Rhoades connected with a lay-up at the 16:26 mark and got another one off of an inbounds pass at the 15:04 mark for a 23-17 lead and Thomey's score in the paint at the 14:16 mark made it 25-17. A Rhoades lay-up in transition after a steal at the 13:55 mark maintained that eight-point edge at 27-19 but the Cardinals clawed back as a "3" from the top of the key by senior post Hannah Spaulding at the 12:36 mark trimmed the Redhawk lead down to 29-25. A 7-0 Minnehaha Academy run stretched the lead out to 36-25 near the midway point of the second half and two Thomey freebies with 8:50 left made it 38-28 and the Redhawks appeared to be in good shape. But this pesky Annandale team was not about to go away just yet as a 4-0 spurt fueled by a Spaulding jumper from the right top area with 8:24 left and a D'Heilly score in the paint with 7:18 left chopped the Minnehaha Academy lead down to 38-32 and an alarmed Thurow called a timeout to discuss things with his squad. That stoppage in play had the Redhawks come out with a new determination down the stretch as they dug in their heels and put a halt to any more Annandale runs. Smart play and free throws by the reliable Kaminski with 4:14 left upped the lead to 42-34. Though things were still dangerous for Minnehaha Academy with the eight-point advantage and the fact that Kaminski was saddled with her fourth foul with 4:09 left, others picked up the slack for the Redhawks. One free throw by Rhoades with 3:03 left and another by senior forward Angela Scharf with 2:52 left not only made it a double-digit lead at 44-34 but now Minnehaha Academy was in the double-bonus as well. Insurance free throws by Thomey with 1:10 left helped seal the deal for the Redhawks as Minnehaha Academy claimed a tough 49-38 win to advance to the semifinals.
I asked Thurow afterward about that critical moment in the second half when Annandale had cut the Redhawk lead down to six at 38-32 and what happened during that timeout. "We needed to get back to full-court pressure and force turnovers" he said. That strategy seemed to work as the Cardinals could do little offensively afterward. I also asked Rhoades about the game and her big showing on this day. She said that the scoring aspect really isn't that big of a deal for her. She thought that "our press was a big factor today" and that "we still have a better game in us." I also spoke with Thomey about that second half when their lead got reduced to six points and if there was ever any worry. She did admit that, at first anyway, there was some panic but that feeling soon dissipated when she remembered all the hard work that they've done during this season. "All the work we've done really helped calm us down" she said. And this win today certainly provides the Redhawks with a boost of confidence as well. "It's quite a bit of reassurance" Thomey added.
Minnesota Girl's State Tournament - Class AA Quarterfinal Game Recap - Norwood-Young America vs Sauk Centre 3-18-15
The first of the Class AA quarterfinal games kicked off in the 2:00 P.M. slot and the first game in this field featured the Section 2AA champ Norwood-Young America going up against the Section 6AA champ and #1 seed Sauk Centre. It was back to being in the woods again without a flashlight as I knew virtually nothing about either squad save for the fact that I had watched Sauk Centre play in this field some four years ago when now-University of Iowa player Kali Peschel hit the game winning jumper at the buzzer in the Class AA consolation game against Providence. Ironically, her younger sister, Kelsey, is now a freshman starter for the Mainstreeters.
The Raiders; an underdog on paper anyway, didn't seem fazed by the moment or the fact that they were pitted against the number one seed in their first game as they battled toe-to-toe with Sauk Centre and forged a 13-all tie but a 6-0 burst by the Mainstreeters; highlighted by a pretty lay-up in transition by Peschel with 9:12 left, put Sauk Centre up 19-13 with 8:48 left. The Raiders could have folded right then and there but instead they embarked on a nice 6-0 push of their own; highlighted by an offensive rebound and putback by freshman reserve post Bren Fox with 6:55 that knotted the issue at 19. Much to the surprise of many at Mariucci, Norwood-Young America forged a three-point advantage at 24-21 with 5:19 left but the number-one seeded squad calmly got their mojo back. Junior guard Madison Greenwaldt drained a "3" from the right wing with 4:41 left that tied things up again at 24-all. A "3" from the right corner by senior guard Madison Moritz with 1:15 left and one free throw by sophomore reserve guard Jill Klaphake with :56.8 left had the Mainstreeters back up at the half 29-24 but they were far from out of the woods just yet.
Peschel, the freshman, put her Mainstreeter teammates on her back early on in the second half as she started out things with a "3" from the right wing at the 16:47 mark and then connected on a hard drive and finish in the lane at the 16:05 mark that put Sauk Centre up 34-26 and a "3" from the right corner by Greenwaldt at the 15:19 mark had the Mainstreeters up 37-29. Greenwaldt had the hot hand again at the 13:22 mark for a "3" to make it 40-31 and a Peschel lay-up at the 12:43 mark gave the Mainstreeters their first double-digit lead at 42-31. Two treys from the right corner by senior guard Mauren Theisen - one at the 11:41 mark and another one at the 11:02 mark - now had Sauk Centre up 50-35 and Norwood-Young America Head Coach Gary Lembcke; seeing this one slip away fast, called a timeout. Unfortunately for the Raiders, however, the Kelsey Peschel Show was far from over. A score in the paint with 8:48 left gave Sauk Centre a 20-point cushion at 57-37 and a lay-up by Moritz with 8:11 left increased the lead to 59-37. A Peschel lay-up with 7:35 left increased the Mainstreeter advantage to 61-39 which was, for all intents and purposes, the game. Sauk Centre Head Coach Scott Bergman had his squad get deliberate and slow things down and Norwood-Young America never could recover as the Mainstreeters cruised to a 67-45 victory.
Bergman afterward stated that his bench played a big factor in the second half "and we wore them down" he said. I asked him about Peschel and her willingness to put the team on her back at the beginning of the second half. "She likes to take the ball to the bucket and has no fear" Bergman said about his freshman. I also asked Peschel about the second half. She noted that their lead at the half was not all that big and felt that she needed to step up her game. She also talked about watching her older sister Kali; now playing at the University of Iowa, when she was playing for Sauk Centre. "That motivated me" she said. She also spoke of how the team's goal is to simply get better and better each day and, as the number one seed, it appears as if they have done just that.
The Raiders; an underdog on paper anyway, didn't seem fazed by the moment or the fact that they were pitted against the number one seed in their first game as they battled toe-to-toe with Sauk Centre and forged a 13-all tie but a 6-0 burst by the Mainstreeters; highlighted by a pretty lay-up in transition by Peschel with 9:12 left, put Sauk Centre up 19-13 with 8:48 left. The Raiders could have folded right then and there but instead they embarked on a nice 6-0 push of their own; highlighted by an offensive rebound and putback by freshman reserve post Bren Fox with 6:55 that knotted the issue at 19. Much to the surprise of many at Mariucci, Norwood-Young America forged a three-point advantage at 24-21 with 5:19 left but the number-one seeded squad calmly got their mojo back. Junior guard Madison Greenwaldt drained a "3" from the right wing with 4:41 left that tied things up again at 24-all. A "3" from the right corner by senior guard Madison Moritz with 1:15 left and one free throw by sophomore reserve guard Jill Klaphake with :56.8 left had the Mainstreeters back up at the half 29-24 but they were far from out of the woods just yet.
Peschel, the freshman, put her Mainstreeter teammates on her back early on in the second half as she started out things with a "3" from the right wing at the 16:47 mark and then connected on a hard drive and finish in the lane at the 16:05 mark that put Sauk Centre up 34-26 and a "3" from the right corner by Greenwaldt at the 15:19 mark had the Mainstreeters up 37-29. Greenwaldt had the hot hand again at the 13:22 mark for a "3" to make it 40-31 and a Peschel lay-up at the 12:43 mark gave the Mainstreeters their first double-digit lead at 42-31. Two treys from the right corner by senior guard Mauren Theisen - one at the 11:41 mark and another one at the 11:02 mark - now had Sauk Centre up 50-35 and Norwood-Young America Head Coach Gary Lembcke; seeing this one slip away fast, called a timeout. Unfortunately for the Raiders, however, the Kelsey Peschel Show was far from over. A score in the paint with 8:48 left gave Sauk Centre a 20-point cushion at 57-37 and a lay-up by Moritz with 8:11 left increased the lead to 59-37. A Peschel lay-up with 7:35 left increased the Mainstreeter advantage to 61-39 which was, for all intents and purposes, the game. Sauk Centre Head Coach Scott Bergman had his squad get deliberate and slow things down and Norwood-Young America never could recover as the Mainstreeters cruised to a 67-45 victory.
Bergman afterward stated that his bench played a big factor in the second half "and we wore them down" he said. I asked him about Peschel and her willingness to put the team on her back at the beginning of the second half. "She likes to take the ball to the bucket and has no fear" Bergman said about his freshman. I also asked Peschel about the second half. She noted that their lead at the half was not all that big and felt that she needed to step up her game. She also talked about watching her older sister Kali; now playing at the University of Iowa, when she was playing for Sauk Centre. "That motivated me" she said. She also spoke of how the team's goal is to simply get better and better each day and, as the number one seed, it appears as if they have done just that.
Minnesota Girl's State Tournament - Class AAA Quarterfinal Game Recap - Kasson-Mantorville vs New Prague 3-18-15
The second game on this day from Mariucci Arena featured a couple of unknown teams for me - Kasson-Mantorville; the Section 1AAA champ going up against the Section 4AAA champ and #3 seed New Prague. With these types of games; particularly with unknown teams, you just never know what you're going to get and as I watched this game unfold after having been shoved up to the upper-level press area, that premonition rang true.
This one was tight throughout the opening minutes with neither side being able to gain any kind of decisive advantage. After I got settled in to the upper level, New Prague was holding a slim 22-21 advantage, Kasson-Mantorville sophomore post Kristin Scott got into the paint for a score and got fouled in the process and the obligatory freebie had the Komets up 24-22 and a jumper in the lane with 6:48 left by Scott increased that advantage to 26-22 and a jumper by senior guard Kari Pingel from the left corner with 6:25 left made it 28-22 Kasson-Mantorville. That six-point advantage was short-lived, however, as the Trojans fought their way back. Two free throws by senior guard Jess Allar with 5:22 left sliced the deficit to four and then sophomore guard Maize Deihl came up big. One free throw with 5:13 left and then a "3" from the right corner with 4:20 left tied the issue at 28 and then a score in the paint with 3:22 left had New Prague up 30-28. The Komets would come right back, though, and forge a 32-all deadlock with 1:32 left. The score would stay deadlocked until Kasson-Mantorville senior forward Danika Hodgman connected with a jumper in the lane and got fouled in the process with :14.2 left and the obligatory freebie gave the Komets a 35-32 lead which they took into the locker room at the half.
New Prague would recover from that late first half lapse and eventually get the score tied again at 39-all but at the 14:12 mark, the Komets' Scott would strike down low again as she scored and got fouled in the process and her free throw put Kasson-Mantorville up by three again at 42-39. Diehl appeared ready to come to the rescue again for the Trojans, though, when she drove into the lane for one score at the 10:52 mark and then followed that up with a score in the paint at the 10:21 mark that narrowed the Komets lead down to 43-42. However, a Pingel "3" from the right wing with 8:44 left shoved the lead back up to three points at 45-42 and an offensive rebound and putback by 8th grade post Peyton Suess with 7:12 left maintained that three-point edge at 47-44. Trailing 49-46 with 5:02 left, New Prague still didn't appear to be in the danger zone just yet but a score by Scott in the paint with 4:25 left upped the Kasson-Mantorville lead to 51-46 and that's when things began to fall apart for the Trojans. Senior guard Jess Allar fouled out with 3:22 left and New Prague Head Coach Ron Gunderson; not at all pleased with the call on his senior guard, voiced his displeasure to the officials and promptly got nailed for a technical that sent the Komets Scott to the line where sank both freebies that increased the Kasson-Mantorville lead to 53-46. The Trojans tried desperately to fight back from that unfortunate set of circumstances. Sophomore reserve forward Taylor Hustad nailed a "3" from the right corner with 3:04 left and a lay-up by senior forward Jenna Cox with :45.9 left narrowed the margin to three trailing 58-55. The Komets junior guard Maddie Worden was sent to the line for two freebies but couldn't connect on either attempt. Somehow, though, she was able to sneak in and snare her own miss and get a lay-up with :38.2 left which sealed the deal as Kasson-Mantorville pulled off the upset by a final count of 62-55.
Kasson-Mantorville Head Coach Ryan Heraldson spoke at length about how proud he was of his squad and how they held up after senior guard Cori Kennedy went down with an injury early in the contest. "She's our leader and point guard.....but we'll adjust". Heraldson also thought one of the keys to his squad's victory was the hustle they showed going after loose balls. Indeed, that may very well have offset the 20 turnovers the Komets were guilty of in this contest. The other big factor in the final stats was rebounds where Kasson-Mantorville simply pounded the boards for a 42-24 advantage which had to be another sore spot for New Prague's Gunderson. It will be interesting to see how the Komets adjust without Kennedy on the floor but after today's win they may have received a huge boost of confidence.
This one was tight throughout the opening minutes with neither side being able to gain any kind of decisive advantage. After I got settled in to the upper level, New Prague was holding a slim 22-21 advantage, Kasson-Mantorville sophomore post Kristin Scott got into the paint for a score and got fouled in the process and the obligatory freebie had the Komets up 24-22 and a jumper in the lane with 6:48 left by Scott increased that advantage to 26-22 and a jumper by senior guard Kari Pingel from the left corner with 6:25 left made it 28-22 Kasson-Mantorville. That six-point advantage was short-lived, however, as the Trojans fought their way back. Two free throws by senior guard Jess Allar with 5:22 left sliced the deficit to four and then sophomore guard Maize Deihl came up big. One free throw with 5:13 left and then a "3" from the right corner with 4:20 left tied the issue at 28 and then a score in the paint with 3:22 left had New Prague up 30-28. The Komets would come right back, though, and forge a 32-all deadlock with 1:32 left. The score would stay deadlocked until Kasson-Mantorville senior forward Danika Hodgman connected with a jumper in the lane and got fouled in the process with :14.2 left and the obligatory freebie gave the Komets a 35-32 lead which they took into the locker room at the half.
New Prague would recover from that late first half lapse and eventually get the score tied again at 39-all but at the 14:12 mark, the Komets' Scott would strike down low again as she scored and got fouled in the process and her free throw put Kasson-Mantorville up by three again at 42-39. Diehl appeared ready to come to the rescue again for the Trojans, though, when she drove into the lane for one score at the 10:52 mark and then followed that up with a score in the paint at the 10:21 mark that narrowed the Komets lead down to 43-42. However, a Pingel "3" from the right wing with 8:44 left shoved the lead back up to three points at 45-42 and an offensive rebound and putback by 8th grade post Peyton Suess with 7:12 left maintained that three-point edge at 47-44. Trailing 49-46 with 5:02 left, New Prague still didn't appear to be in the danger zone just yet but a score by Scott in the paint with 4:25 left upped the Kasson-Mantorville lead to 51-46 and that's when things began to fall apart for the Trojans. Senior guard Jess Allar fouled out with 3:22 left and New Prague Head Coach Ron Gunderson; not at all pleased with the call on his senior guard, voiced his displeasure to the officials and promptly got nailed for a technical that sent the Komets Scott to the line where sank both freebies that increased the Kasson-Mantorville lead to 53-46. The Trojans tried desperately to fight back from that unfortunate set of circumstances. Sophomore reserve forward Taylor Hustad nailed a "3" from the right corner with 3:04 left and a lay-up by senior forward Jenna Cox with :45.9 left narrowed the margin to three trailing 58-55. The Komets junior guard Maddie Worden was sent to the line for two freebies but couldn't connect on either attempt. Somehow, though, she was able to sneak in and snare her own miss and get a lay-up with :38.2 left which sealed the deal as Kasson-Mantorville pulled off the upset by a final count of 62-55.
Kasson-Mantorville Head Coach Ryan Heraldson spoke at length about how proud he was of his squad and how they held up after senior guard Cori Kennedy went down with an injury early in the contest. "She's our leader and point guard.....but we'll adjust". Heraldson also thought one of the keys to his squad's victory was the hustle they showed going after loose balls. Indeed, that may very well have offset the 20 turnovers the Komets were guilty of in this contest. The other big factor in the final stats was rebounds where Kasson-Mantorville simply pounded the boards for a 42-24 advantage which had to be another sore spot for New Prague's Gunderson. It will be interesting to see how the Komets adjust without Kennedy on the floor but after today's win they may have received a huge boost of confidence.
Minnesota Girls State Tournament - Class AAA Quarterfinal Game Recap - Richfield vs Park Center 3-18-15
The setting on this second day of the 2015 Minnesota Girls State Tournament changed from Target Center to the University of Minnesota's Mariucci Arena and the first game on tap at 10:00 A.M. featured the defending champ from Class AAA - Park Center out of the Northwest Suburban Conference and the champ once again in Section 3AAA going up against Richfield out of the Metro West Conference and the Section 6AAA champ. Obviously, from following Park Center the last few seasons I'm very familiar with them and I was able to catch Richfield early in the season so at least I wasn't coming in totally cold like I was with some of the teams yesterday.
Pirate sophomore guard Danielle Schaub had the hot hand early in this contest as her short jumper off the glass at the 16:47 mark and her steal and lay-up the other way at the 15:11 mark got Park Center out to a 6-2 lead. The Spartans would close the gap to one; trailing 8-7 when senior post Delilah Taylor banged home a "3" from the top of the key off the glass but the Pirates would then respond with a flurry of treys - one from sophomore guard Ann Simonet from the left corner at the 13:12 mark, another from senior guard Hannah Schaub from the right wing at the 12:00 mark and another from fellow senior guard McKenna DuBois from the left wing at the 11:33 mark - to give Park Center a 17-7 lead. That ten-point advantage would grow to as much as thirteen when freshman reserve guard Jada Buford drained a "3" from the left corner with 7:14 left for a 26-13 advantage and a score in the paint by senior reserve forward Camille McCoy with 3:31 left made it 35-19. Richfield was having considerable difficulty keeping up with the fast-paced transition game that the Pirates thrive on and had to work hard to get the ball inside. Pairs of free throws by Taylor with 1:07 left and with :15.3 left trimmed the deficit to eleven trailing 37-26 but Simonet added two free throws herself for the Pirates with just :10 left to give Park Center a 39-26 halftime lead. Although Richfield had the edge on the boards at 23-17, they shot a dismal 8-27 from the floor for 29.6% and were only 2-9 from three-point land. Simonet's nine points led a relatively balanced Park Center scoring attack while Taylor's 12 points led Richfield.
Two scores by lanky Pirate sophomore post Mikayla Hayes - one at the 17:28 mark and another one at the 16:35 mark - built Park Center's lead to 17 at 43-26 and matters looked even more dire for Richfield when senior forward Kyla Adams got nabbed for her third foul at the 15:46 mark. The Spartans, however, were able to catch a bit of a second wind and chipped some of the fat off the deficit and a jumper from the right wing by junior guard Tenzin Tsega at the 11:31 mark reduced Park Center's lead to 50-38. Some teams may have had an inclination to panic right then and there but this Pirate squad, who has virtually seen it all after last year's title game experience, responded with the calmness and coolness that you would expect from a veteran squad. Sophomore reserve forware Fey Ayobamadele connected with one lay-up at the 11:13 mark and then knocked down a short jumper with 9:09 left that increased the Pirate lead to 57-40 and Park Center was back in control. The Pirates maintained that 15-16-point cushion down the stretch and insurance freebies by Hayes with 3:25 and 2:27 left let Park Center get back into the semifinals with a 72-56 victory.
I asked Park Center Head Coach Chris VanderHyde afterward if there was any concern at all with the early 10:00 A.M. start. "Not at all" he replied. "We have a lot of 8:00 A.M. practices on Saturday morning so it didn't bother us at all. We were sharp." As far as handling the Adams sisters of Richfield down low, he talked about how important it was to mix it up a little and put different defenders on them at different times. I also asked Vander Hyde about what it was like coming into this state tournament as the defending champion. "We have to treat it new" he replied, adding that "With a different group and having it be a new experience for us." DuBois said it was no concern at all with the early start and that this win today gives them a huge head of steam going forward. Hannah Schaub talked about how incredibly happy she was to playing this year after having to sit out last year with the ACL injury. Certainly with the way they looked today, the Pirates have a shot at repeating.
Pirate sophomore guard Danielle Schaub had the hot hand early in this contest as her short jumper off the glass at the 16:47 mark and her steal and lay-up the other way at the 15:11 mark got Park Center out to a 6-2 lead. The Spartans would close the gap to one; trailing 8-7 when senior post Delilah Taylor banged home a "3" from the top of the key off the glass but the Pirates would then respond with a flurry of treys - one from sophomore guard Ann Simonet from the left corner at the 13:12 mark, another from senior guard Hannah Schaub from the right wing at the 12:00 mark and another from fellow senior guard McKenna DuBois from the left wing at the 11:33 mark - to give Park Center a 17-7 lead. That ten-point advantage would grow to as much as thirteen when freshman reserve guard Jada Buford drained a "3" from the left corner with 7:14 left for a 26-13 advantage and a score in the paint by senior reserve forward Camille McCoy with 3:31 left made it 35-19. Richfield was having considerable difficulty keeping up with the fast-paced transition game that the Pirates thrive on and had to work hard to get the ball inside. Pairs of free throws by Taylor with 1:07 left and with :15.3 left trimmed the deficit to eleven trailing 37-26 but Simonet added two free throws herself for the Pirates with just :10 left to give Park Center a 39-26 halftime lead. Although Richfield had the edge on the boards at 23-17, they shot a dismal 8-27 from the floor for 29.6% and were only 2-9 from three-point land. Simonet's nine points led a relatively balanced Park Center scoring attack while Taylor's 12 points led Richfield.
Two scores by lanky Pirate sophomore post Mikayla Hayes - one at the 17:28 mark and another one at the 16:35 mark - built Park Center's lead to 17 at 43-26 and matters looked even more dire for Richfield when senior forward Kyla Adams got nabbed for her third foul at the 15:46 mark. The Spartans, however, were able to catch a bit of a second wind and chipped some of the fat off the deficit and a jumper from the right wing by junior guard Tenzin Tsega at the 11:31 mark reduced Park Center's lead to 50-38. Some teams may have had an inclination to panic right then and there but this Pirate squad, who has virtually seen it all after last year's title game experience, responded with the calmness and coolness that you would expect from a veteran squad. Sophomore reserve forware Fey Ayobamadele connected with one lay-up at the 11:13 mark and then knocked down a short jumper with 9:09 left that increased the Pirate lead to 57-40 and Park Center was back in control. The Pirates maintained that 15-16-point cushion down the stretch and insurance freebies by Hayes with 3:25 and 2:27 left let Park Center get back into the semifinals with a 72-56 victory.
I asked Park Center Head Coach Chris VanderHyde afterward if there was any concern at all with the early 10:00 A.M. start. "Not at all" he replied. "We have a lot of 8:00 A.M. practices on Saturday morning so it didn't bother us at all. We were sharp." As far as handling the Adams sisters of Richfield down low, he talked about how important it was to mix it up a little and put different defenders on them at different times. I also asked Vander Hyde about what it was like coming into this state tournament as the defending champion. "We have to treat it new" he replied, adding that "With a different group and having it be a new experience for us." DuBois said it was no concern at all with the early start and that this win today gives them a huge head of steam going forward. Hannah Schaub talked about how incredibly happy she was to playing this year after having to sit out last year with the ACL injury. Certainly with the way they looked today, the Pirates have a shot at repeating.
Tuesday, March 17, 2015
Minnesota Girl's State Tournament - Class AAAA Quarterfinal Game Recap - Centennial vs STMA 3-17-15
The last Class AAAA Quarterfinal game on this afternoon featured another interesting matchup - Centennial out of the Northwest Suburban Conference and the Section 5AAAA champ by virtue of their win over Wayzata going up against Section 8AAAA champ and third-seeded STMA out of the Mississippi 8 Conference. I was anxious to see the Knights in action; especially since they knocked off highly-regard Elk River in the Section 8AAAA final (again) and also because many considered STMA as a dark horse in this field.
This contest was a bit more difficult for me to wrap my arms around and get a feel for how this might go - even though I knew that this one had the potential to be tight. After STMA had built a 7-3 lead by the 16:21 mark, the Cougars responded with a push of their own as senior guard/forward Jaycie Gerding's lay-up at the 13:54 mark tied the issue at 7. With things tied up at 9-all, Centennial went on another 4-0 push with Gerding's steal and lay-up the other way at the 11:50 mark as the exclamation mark. The Knights would close the gap to one when senior guard Bobbi Brendefur connected with a lay-up at the 11:02 mark and got fouled in the process that allowed her to sink the obligatory freebie to close the gap to 13-12. A Gerding "3" from the left wing at the 10:44 mark and two free throws by lanky 6'2" sophomore post Sarah Grow at the 10:14 mark, however, pushed the Cougars lead to 18-12 but STMA would respond with a 5-0 spurt that closed the gap to a single point with 4:42 left. Centennial would grab a three-point advantage when Grow snared an offensive rebound for a putback with 4:21 left at 20-17 but it was here that the Knights embarked on a 10-2 run down the stretch. Two free throws by junior guard Sydney Tracy with 3:25 left sliced the deficit to one point and a jumper off the glass by sophomore reserve guard Lizzy Heil with 2:52 left put STMA out in front 21-20. A Gerding lay-up with 2:36 left put the Cougars back out in front again at 22-21 with 2:36 left but a "3" from the top of the key by junior guard Kitri Zezza with 1:57 left and a Zezza freebie with 1:02 left made it a 25-22 ballgame for the Knights. From Centennial Head Coach Greg Amundson's perspective, things wouldn't have been quite so bad if STMA senior forward Jordyn hadn't sneaked into the paint for a lay-up with just :02 left on the clock before the half but she did and, as a result, the Knights held a 27-22 lead when the buzzer sounded for intermission. STMA featured a very balanced scoring attack with six points each by Zezza and Tracy leading the way. Gerding's nine points led Centennial but the Cougars sore spot in the first half was turnovers as they committed 11 of them.
STMA came out on fire once the second half started. Zezza connected with another "3"; this one from the right corner at the 17:29 mark and a lay-up in transition by Tracy after a Cougar turnover gave the Knights a ten-point 32-22 advantage. Centennial freshman reserve guard Cla34-33ire Orth tried to counter with her "3" from the right corner at the 15:45 mark but, like a thief in the night, Zezza picked the ball away from the Cougar's Gerding and went in for an easy lay-up and a 34-25 STMA lead and Centennial's Amundson had no choice but to call a timeout to get his squad settled down. Just as they had in that Section 5AAAA title game with Wayzata, the Cougars did indeed settle down and respond. A Grow score in the paint at the 12:10 mark and a Gerding lay-up at the 11:46 mark that also got her fouled and sent her to the charity stripe to sink the obligatory freebie cut the deficit down to 34-31 at the 11:46 mark and another Grow score in the paint at the 11:11 mark got the deficit cut down to a scant point at 34-33. Two more Grow scores had the deficit down to one point again trailing 38-37 with 9:28 left but it was here that STMA went on a seemingly decisive 18-5 run over the course of a five minute span that really changed the complexion of things and Tracy's lay-up in transition with 4:35 left gave the Knights a 56-42 lead and Centennial was now under the gun. Turnovers were piling up for Amundson's squad and the Cougars couldn't slow down the potent STMA attack in transition. A Gerding jumper with 2:54 left cut the deficit down to eleven at 60-49 but that's as close as Centennial could get down the stretch. A Zezza lay-up in transition with 2:23 left and insurance free throws in the waning moments sealed the deal for the Knights as STMA advanced to the semifinals on Thursday night with a 66-53 victory.
I got to speak a bit with the bubbly junior Zezza afterward. I asked her about her shooting performance on this late afternoon where she finished with 15 points and if she does this on a nightly basis. "In a tough game like this, we all just needed to step up" she said adding that "If we work well together, we can be a force." STMA Head Coach Kent Hamre spoke of the great leadership on his squad; particularly of his senior Bredenfur. "It was them....simply great leadership". Hamre also spoke briefly of the upcoming match-up with Eastview on Thursday night and spoke of what a great team they are but at the same time, seemed excited about the opportunity to roll the dice a little. On the other side of the coin, Centennial's Amundson couldn't help but point to the 22 turnovers that ultimately did his squad in. "You have to take care of the basketball" he pointed out. He also spoke glowingly of his senior leader Gerding. "She's been the glue that has held this team together" he said; adding that Gerding has had cramping issues in her legs as of late. Still, a disappointing end for a Centennial squad that I felt had a lot of potential.
This contest was a bit more difficult for me to wrap my arms around and get a feel for how this might go - even though I knew that this one had the potential to be tight. After STMA had built a 7-3 lead by the 16:21 mark, the Cougars responded with a push of their own as senior guard/forward Jaycie Gerding's lay-up at the 13:54 mark tied the issue at 7. With things tied up at 9-all, Centennial went on another 4-0 push with Gerding's steal and lay-up the other way at the 11:50 mark as the exclamation mark. The Knights would close the gap to one when senior guard Bobbi Brendefur connected with a lay-up at the 11:02 mark and got fouled in the process that allowed her to sink the obligatory freebie to close the gap to 13-12. A Gerding "3" from the left wing at the 10:44 mark and two free throws by lanky 6'2" sophomore post Sarah Grow at the 10:14 mark, however, pushed the Cougars lead to 18-12 but STMA would respond with a 5-0 spurt that closed the gap to a single point with 4:42 left. Centennial would grab a three-point advantage when Grow snared an offensive rebound for a putback with 4:21 left at 20-17 but it was here that the Knights embarked on a 10-2 run down the stretch. Two free throws by junior guard Sydney Tracy with 3:25 left sliced the deficit to one point and a jumper off the glass by sophomore reserve guard Lizzy Heil with 2:52 left put STMA out in front 21-20. A Gerding lay-up with 2:36 left put the Cougars back out in front again at 22-21 with 2:36 left but a "3" from the top of the key by junior guard Kitri Zezza with 1:57 left and a Zezza freebie with 1:02 left made it a 25-22 ballgame for the Knights. From Centennial Head Coach Greg Amundson's perspective, things wouldn't have been quite so bad if STMA senior forward Jordyn hadn't sneaked into the paint for a lay-up with just :02 left on the clock before the half but she did and, as a result, the Knights held a 27-22 lead when the buzzer sounded for intermission. STMA featured a very balanced scoring attack with six points each by Zezza and Tracy leading the way. Gerding's nine points led Centennial but the Cougars sore spot in the first half was turnovers as they committed 11 of them.
STMA came out on fire once the second half started. Zezza connected with another "3"; this one from the right corner at the 17:29 mark and a lay-up in transition by Tracy after a Cougar turnover gave the Knights a ten-point 32-22 advantage. Centennial freshman reserve guard Cla34-33ire Orth tried to counter with her "3" from the right corner at the 15:45 mark but, like a thief in the night, Zezza picked the ball away from the Cougar's Gerding and went in for an easy lay-up and a 34-25 STMA lead and Centennial's Amundson had no choice but to call a timeout to get his squad settled down. Just as they had in that Section 5AAAA title game with Wayzata, the Cougars did indeed settle down and respond. A Grow score in the paint at the 12:10 mark and a Gerding lay-up at the 11:46 mark that also got her fouled and sent her to the charity stripe to sink the obligatory freebie cut the deficit down to 34-31 at the 11:46 mark and another Grow score in the paint at the 11:11 mark got the deficit cut down to a scant point at 34-33. Two more Grow scores had the deficit down to one point again trailing 38-37 with 9:28 left but it was here that STMA went on a seemingly decisive 18-5 run over the course of a five minute span that really changed the complexion of things and Tracy's lay-up in transition with 4:35 left gave the Knights a 56-42 lead and Centennial was now under the gun. Turnovers were piling up for Amundson's squad and the Cougars couldn't slow down the potent STMA attack in transition. A Gerding jumper with 2:54 left cut the deficit down to eleven at 60-49 but that's as close as Centennial could get down the stretch. A Zezza lay-up in transition with 2:23 left and insurance free throws in the waning moments sealed the deal for the Knights as STMA advanced to the semifinals on Thursday night with a 66-53 victory.
I got to speak a bit with the bubbly junior Zezza afterward. I asked her about her shooting performance on this late afternoon where she finished with 15 points and if she does this on a nightly basis. "In a tough game like this, we all just needed to step up" she said adding that "If we work well together, we can be a force." STMA Head Coach Kent Hamre spoke of the great leadership on his squad; particularly of his senior Bredenfur. "It was them....simply great leadership". Hamre also spoke briefly of the upcoming match-up with Eastview on Thursday night and spoke of what a great team they are but at the same time, seemed excited about the opportunity to roll the dice a little. On the other side of the coin, Centennial's Amundson couldn't help but point to the 22 turnovers that ultimately did his squad in. "You have to take care of the basketball" he pointed out. He also spoke glowingly of his senior leader Gerding. "She's been the glue that has held this team together" he said; adding that Gerding has had cramping issues in her legs as of late. Still, a disappointing end for a Centennial squad that I felt had a lot of potential.
Minnesota Girl's State Tournament - Class AAA Quarterfinal Game Recap - Princeton vs Marshall 3-17-15
The last game on this opening day of the 2015 Minnesota Girl's State Tournament was the second Class AAA quarterfinal game featuring teams that both have the nickname of "Tigers" - Princeton, the Section 7AAA champ going up against last year's runner-up and #4 seed Marshall which came out on top in Section 2AAA. Princeton was another one of those "Who are these guys?" teams to me from not having seen them play before but Marshall made a splash last year; making it to the final where they fell in three overtimes to Park Center. This Marshall team is dominated by juniors and seniors who have been through this experience before and you can bet that they remember the sour feeling of how things ended last year.
It took them just a bit but Marshall found it's groove when senior guard Morgan Saugstad hit back-to-back treys - one at the 15:54 mark and another at the 15:26 mark to make it 6-0 and a free throw by fellow senior forward Callie Graff made it 7-0. Junior forward Marah Mulso's score in the paint made it 9-0 and Princeton Head Coach Andy Fenske felt compelled to call a thirty-second timeout. That stoppage in play, however, did not slow down Marshall as their lead soon expanded to 14-2 in the span of a minute and Fenske was forced to burn a full timeout. Things continued to deteriorate for Princeton, however, and Marshall was quick to pounce on the opportunities it was given. A 9-3 burst by Marshall; capped by a jumper from the right side by Mulso with 9:49 left made it 23-7 and then Marshall's senior guard and leader, Sarah Buysse, figured into the equation. A pair of freebies with 9:14 left and one more with 8:43 left made it 26-7 and then Sarah Buysse found herself open from the left wing area behind the arc and launched a "3" point bomb that now made it 29-7 with 8:08 left. Princeton; continuing to fire blanks from FG range grew more and more frustrated with its offensive futility and that frustration finally came to a halt with 4:11 left when freshman reserve guard Julia Bjurman got one freebie to go down when she was fouled. But that free throw hardly made a dent in the deficit as Marshall methodically wore down its opponent. A Graff lay-up with :53 left and two free throws by Morgan Saugstad with just :02.6 left gave Marshall a prohibitive 42-14 lead at the half. Sarah Buysse's 13 points led the way for Marshall in the first half. Not only was Princeton shooting a miserable 6-29 from FG range for 20.7% but Princeton was getting utterly pounded on the boards as Marshall held a 27-13 advantage on the glass.
Princeton tried to get off on the right track in the second half; going on a 6-0 burst capped by a score in the paint by junior forward Emily Kruschek at the 15:48 mark but any wisp of hope of a spirited comeback in this one by Princeton was quickly put to rest as Marshall proceeded to go on a 10-run of its own making it 52-20 at the 13:28 mark. A score in the paint by sophomore reserve forward Natalie Petrich at the 11:42 mark gave Marshall a thirty-point 54-24 advantage and another foray into the paint and finish by Morgan Saugstad at the 10:09 mark maintained the thirty-point edge at 57-27. With a safe cushion at hand, Marshall would be patient and deliberate in their half-court offensive sets; trying to burn as much time off the clock as possible. It also gave Marshall Head Coach Dan Westby a chance to get his bench onto the floor so they could get their names in the book as well. Junior reserve guard Gabby Hess connected with a drive into the lane with 3:44 left and junior reserve forward Emily Buysse connected with a lay-up with 3:16 left for a 65-29 Marshall lead. Princeton would get one more point on the board to make the final count 65-30 in Marshall's favor once the final buzzer sounded.
I had an opportunity to speak with Marshall's Sarah Buysse afterward, who unofficially tallied 16 points on this night. I asked her first about the formula for success for this Marshall team. "We've been playing together for so long" she replied and she mentioned how this team has worked together for so long as well. I also had to ask her if there is still a bitter taste in the collective mouths of the team after the three overtime loss to Park Center a year ago in the final. "Oh yes....We think about that all the time" she replied. Marshall Head Coach Dan Westby talked about his team's rebounding on this night. "It's all about attitude" he replied noting that his team may not be the biggest but they sure get after it on the floor against bigger teams.
It took them just a bit but Marshall found it's groove when senior guard Morgan Saugstad hit back-to-back treys - one at the 15:54 mark and another at the 15:26 mark to make it 6-0 and a free throw by fellow senior forward Callie Graff made it 7-0. Junior forward Marah Mulso's score in the paint made it 9-0 and Princeton Head Coach Andy Fenske felt compelled to call a thirty-second timeout. That stoppage in play, however, did not slow down Marshall as their lead soon expanded to 14-2 in the span of a minute and Fenske was forced to burn a full timeout. Things continued to deteriorate for Princeton, however, and Marshall was quick to pounce on the opportunities it was given. A 9-3 burst by Marshall; capped by a jumper from the right side by Mulso with 9:49 left made it 23-7 and then Marshall's senior guard and leader, Sarah Buysse, figured into the equation. A pair of freebies with 9:14 left and one more with 8:43 left made it 26-7 and then Sarah Buysse found herself open from the left wing area behind the arc and launched a "3" point bomb that now made it 29-7 with 8:08 left. Princeton; continuing to fire blanks from FG range grew more and more frustrated with its offensive futility and that frustration finally came to a halt with 4:11 left when freshman reserve guard Julia Bjurman got one freebie to go down when she was fouled. But that free throw hardly made a dent in the deficit as Marshall methodically wore down its opponent. A Graff lay-up with :53 left and two free throws by Morgan Saugstad with just :02.6 left gave Marshall a prohibitive 42-14 lead at the half. Sarah Buysse's 13 points led the way for Marshall in the first half. Not only was Princeton shooting a miserable 6-29 from FG range for 20.7% but Princeton was getting utterly pounded on the boards as Marshall held a 27-13 advantage on the glass.
Princeton tried to get off on the right track in the second half; going on a 6-0 burst capped by a score in the paint by junior forward Emily Kruschek at the 15:48 mark but any wisp of hope of a spirited comeback in this one by Princeton was quickly put to rest as Marshall proceeded to go on a 10-run of its own making it 52-20 at the 13:28 mark. A score in the paint by sophomore reserve forward Natalie Petrich at the 11:42 mark gave Marshall a thirty-point 54-24 advantage and another foray into the paint and finish by Morgan Saugstad at the 10:09 mark maintained the thirty-point edge at 57-27. With a safe cushion at hand, Marshall would be patient and deliberate in their half-court offensive sets; trying to burn as much time off the clock as possible. It also gave Marshall Head Coach Dan Westby a chance to get his bench onto the floor so they could get their names in the book as well. Junior reserve guard Gabby Hess connected with a drive into the lane with 3:44 left and junior reserve forward Emily Buysse connected with a lay-up with 3:16 left for a 65-29 Marshall lead. Princeton would get one more point on the board to make the final count 65-30 in Marshall's favor once the final buzzer sounded.
I had an opportunity to speak with Marshall's Sarah Buysse afterward, who unofficially tallied 16 points on this night. I asked her first about the formula for success for this Marshall team. "We've been playing together for so long" she replied and she mentioned how this team has worked together for so long as well. I also had to ask her if there is still a bitter taste in the collective mouths of the team after the three overtime loss to Park Center a year ago in the final. "Oh yes....We think about that all the time" she replied. Marshall Head Coach Dan Westby talked about his team's rebounding on this night. "It's all about attitude" he replied noting that his team may not be the biggest but they sure get after it on the floor against bigger teams.
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