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."
No comments:
Post a Comment