Bethany Lutheran vs Macalester 12-30-16

My last stop for calendar year 2016 happened to be back at Macalester College's Leonard Center for yet another UMAC-MIAC inter-conference clash between visiting Bethany Lutheran and host Macalester.  I wasn't really sure what to expect from this game given that the Vikings were coming into this contest in the midst of a so-so season at 4-6 overall (1-3 in the UMAC) while the Scots were 6-4 overall and 1-3 in MIAC play.  So it was really a matter of expecting the unexpected which, in many ways, is exactly what happened.

Bethany Lutheran would grab an early 4-2 lead on the strength of a score in the paint by junior forward Brooke Henning at the 9:14 mark and a lay-up by sophomore guard Haley Sandin at the 8:47 mark and a free throw by senior guard Minnie Frederick-Childress at the 8:23 mark had the Vikings up 5-4.  Macalester would come right back and take an 8-5 lead on an offensive rebound and putback by junior post Regan Fruh at the 8:08 mark along with a lay-up by junior guard Leah Gray at the 7:23 mark.  Though the Vikings would trim the deficit to one point and a pretty drive and finish by junior reserve forward Dakota Ellinghuysen at the 6:28 mark, the Scots managed to build a bit of a cushion when Gray drained a "3" from the left corner at the 6:16 mark that drew a foul and allowed the San Rafael, California native to sink the obligatory free throw for a four-point play and a 12-7 lead and an offensive rebound and putback by Fruh at the 5:49 mark got the lead to 14-7.  Bethany Lutheran came right back with back-to-back three-point bombs - one by Frederick-Childress from the left top area at the 5:29 mark and another one by Sandin with 3:36 left that sliced the deficit to one point at 14-13.  Junior reserve guard Rachel Sorensen capped this 9-0 burst when she was able to maneuver into the paint for a score and draw a foul and the Windom native's ensuing freebie suddenly had the Vikings back on top 16-14 with 2:27 left.  Bethany Lutheran would maintain a small edge over the next minute until Scot freshman guard Holly Hull drained a "3" from the left wing area with :51 left for a 19-18 Macalester lead and a jumper from the top just inside the arc by reserve senior guard Lauren Clamage with :27 left in the opening period got the lead to 21-18.  Fittingly, the Vikings would close to one point on two Sandin charity stripe shots with just :03.1 left in the opening period that made it a 21-20 game that gave a clear indication of the back-and-forth affair.  

Ever so slowly, the Scots would begin to build a bit of a cushion as the second period progressed. Both sides started the new period trading blows from three-point land - Clamage with one for Macalester from the right top area at the 8:49 mark and Frederick-Childress for Bethany Lutheran from the left top area at the 8:23 mark - that had the Scots up 24-23.  The Vikings, however, would gradually lose ground as two free throws by senior forward Park Masterson at the 8:07 mark and a lay-up in transition by Clamage that drew a foul and allowed the Lake Forest, Illinois native to sink the obligatory free throw at the 7:09 mark had Macalester up by six at 29-23.  Bethany Lutheran would try to get closer as Frederick-Childress drained another three-point bomb - this one from the left wing area at the 6:43 mark but the Scots were a bit better at steadying the ship.  Back-to-back scores by Fruh - an offensive rebound and putback at the 6:20 mark and a score in the paint at the 5:52 mark - got the lead back up to seven at 33-26 and a short jumper by Clamage with 4:53 left maintained that seven-point edge at 35-28.  The Vikings would again try to make inroads as a "3" from the left wing area by Sorensen with 4:01 left cut the deficit down to four at 35-31 but Macalester answered on a "3" from the left wing area by their three-point specialist - junior guard Vivi Gregorich - with 3:42 left that got the lead back up to seven at 38-31.  The ever-improving Clamage would snare a steal and dash the other way for a lay-up with 3:09 left that pushed the lead to nine at 40-31 and a Clamage "3" from the right corner with 1:05 left maintained the nine-point edge and allowed the Scots to take a 43-34 lead into the locker room at the half.  A quick check of the first half box score shows some interesting numbers.  Bethany Lutheran was on fire from behind the arc in the first half shooting 54.5% but shot only 66.7% from the charity stripe - which likely goes a long way in explaining the halftime score as it was.  Rebounds were nearly even as Macalester held a 20-18 edge there although the Vikings had 13 turnovers in the first half compared to the Scots 10.

Despite a Frederick-Childress score in the paint at the 9:53 mark of the third period that temporarily narrowed the gap to seven points at 43-36, things began spiral downward for Bethany Lutheran. Back-to-back scores in the paint by Fruh - one at the 9:41 mark and then again at the 9:14 mark - gave the Scots their first double-digit lead at 47-36.  One Fruh freebie at the 8:24 mark and a score in the paint by Masterson at the 6:58 mark pushed the lead to twelve at 50-38.  Sandin would single-handedly try to bring the Vikings closer with her drive and finish that drew a foul and allowed her to sink a free throw at the 6:23 mark but a Fruh lay-up at the 6:10 mark and another Clamage three-point bomb - this one from the top of the key at the 5:22 mark - pushed the Macalester lead to 55-41. Two Fruh charity stripe shots with 4:54 left and yet another Clamage three-point dagger - this one from the left corner with 3:59 left - gave the Scots a 60-44 advantage.  Senior reserve forward Emilie McGuire snared an offensive rebound for a putback with 3:19 left and two Gregorich free throws with 2:50 left gave Macalester their biggest lead of the night at 64-44 and all could have been lost for the Vikings right then and there.  But Bethany Lutheran managed to dig in their heels and slice a bit of fat off of the deficit before the end of the period.  Two Sorensen free throws with 2:32 left and a Sorensen "3" from the right wing area with 2:19 left trimmed the Scot lead down to 66-49 and although the Scots would manage to build the lead to twenty again on a "3" from the left wing by Hull with 1:38 left and a Hull drive and finish that drew a foul and sent the Overland Park, Kansas native to the line for the ensuing freebie for a 74-54 Macalester lead, the Vikings kept chipping away. Sandin dropped two free throws of her own with 1:05 left and then made good on a drive and finish with :40 left in the period that trimmed the Scot lead down to 74-58.  Senior forward Anna Balcom knocked down a short jumper from the left side with :12 left that drew Bethany Lutheran a bit closer trailing 74-60 and although a McGuire jumper from the left elbow gave the Scots a 76-60 lead going into the fourth period, there was now a bit more reason for hope from the visitors from Mankato.

That hope was bolstered on two quick Viking scores to open the fourth period.  A short jumper from the left side by Ellinghuysen at the 8:30 mark and a steal and lay-up the other way by Frederick-Childress that drew a foul and sent the Flint, Michigan native to the line for the obligatory free throw at the 8:18 mark cut that one-time twenty-point deficit nearly in half to 76-65.  A Gregorich three-point bomb from the left top area at the 6:20 mark appeared to stop this Bethany Lutheran comeback attempt as the Scots lead was pushed back up to 79-65.  But a 9-0 Viking push then ensued.  The speedy Frederick-Childress connected with a lay-up at the 6:06 mark and two Sandin charity stripe shots at the 5:43 mark cut Macalester's lead down to ten at 79-69.  Henning's lay-up in transition at the 5:24 mark got Bethany Lutheran back to within single-digit range at 79-71 and Scot Head Coach Kelly Roysland knew full and well that a timeout was in order to keep this one from slipping away. Still, Sandin would drain a "3" from the right top area that drew the Vikings tantalizingly close trailing 79-74.  Alas, that's as close as Bethany Lutheran would get as the Scots would turn away this unlikely comeback attempt as Macalester acted with a sense of urgency.  A Gregorich jumper from the right wing area with 4:51 left started a game-changing 14-3 run.  Clamage delivered another three-point dagger from the right corner with 4:22 left and Gregorich did the same from the top of the key with 3:47 left for an 87-74 Scot lead.  A Gregorich jumper in the lane with 3:04 left and two pairs of Clamage freebies with 2:42 and 2:10 left pushed the lead to 93-77 and Viking Head Coach Lyle Jones knew his squad had hit the point of no return and called a timeout in hopes of reversing things once more.  But now Macalester was on a roll as a Fruh score in the paint with 1:47 left and a Clamage lay-up with 1:00 left made it a 97-79 game and two Gregorich free throws with :48.8 left had the Scots on the brink of the century mark with a 99-79 lead.  One Hull free throw with :40.3 left got Macalester there and two more charity stripe shots for good measure by Gregorich with :22.4 gave the Scots a 102-83 win.

I haven't had the chance to go through the Macalester records yet but for all the years I've watched the Scots, this is the first time I've ever seen them hit the century mark or surpass it and I asked Roysland about it afterward.  She smiled a little and simply replied that they came close to doing that when they played North Central a year ago.  Still, I think it's a satisfying win to close out the calendar year for the Scots and has to certainly give them a boost of confidence before they dive head-first into MIAC play after the first of the year; especially considering that not only junior guard Grace Dickman is still out indefinitely and now freshman reserve guard Tyana Loiselle has apparently joined her on the IR list as well.  Bethany Lutheran isn't without its injury problems either and Jones confided to me afterward that both his two top guards (presumably Sandin and Frederick-Childress) are battling through nagging injuries and haven't been quite the same.  Having those two healthy will certainly bolster the Vikings hopes as they move into UMAC play after the first of the year.  And I'm sure Jones wishes he could have graduated former player Briana Brandts who was in attendance cheering on her former teammates in uniform again as well.  Both teams had several scorers in double figures on this night.  Leading the way for Macalester was Clamage with her 30 points (a career high for her) followed by Fruh with her 25 points while Gregorich had 21 points and Hull added 12.  Sandin led the way for Bethany Lutheran with her 25 points while Frederick-Childress was right behind with 23 points and Sorensen added 11 points.  The Scots wound up having a decided advantage on the boards at 44-31 and I think the only downer of this game was that it got to be a foul-fest with a total of 43 fouls called.                                                                                    

Park Center Holiday Basketball Showcase - Elk River vs Park Center 12-28-16

The nightcap over at Park Center High School on this Wednesday evening was one that many a basketball connoisseur would drool over - especially if you were a follower of Northwest Suburban Conference Girl's Basketball like I am.  The match-up between powerhouse Elk River; a squad that has been on the cusp of winning the Section 8AAAA title and host Park Center that has been to the State Tournament the last three seasons and winning two state titles in Class AAA before being shoved up to Class AAAA a year ago.  This would be my first good look at the Elks and I would come away being quite impressed.

Elk River came out of the gates on fire; particularly senior guard Gabi Haack as she engineered a 9-0 Elk lead.  An offensive rebound and putback at the 17:30 mark got things started and then a lay-up in transition that drew a foul and sent the future Bradley Brave to the charity stripe for the obligatory free throw at the 17:13 mark made it a 5-0 game.  A Gabi Haack lay-up at the 16:22 mark pushed the lead to 7-0 and a concerned Pirate Head Coach Chris VanderHyde called a thirty-second timeout in hopes of getting his squad out of the doldrums.  Still, Gabi Haack capped this opening run at the 15:18 mark with an offensive rebound and putback that made it 9-0 before Park Center could shake off the cobwebs.  But the Pirates would not only shake them off but also put on the jets and embark on their own 9-0 blitz.  Speedy junior guard Sommer Blakemore started the run with her "3" from the left corner at the 14:58 mark and a lay-up by senior sharp-shooting guard Ann Simonet at the 14:01 mark trimmed the Elks lead down to 9-5.  A Simonet drive along the left baseline and finish at the 13:32 mark and a lay-up by diminutive senior point guard Danielle Schaub at the 12:58 mark knotted the game at 9-all and Elk River Head Coach Jeremy Digiovanni now felt compelled to take a timeout of his own.

Park Center seemed to have found its groove on both ends of the floor, however, and the Pirates exploded on a 12-4 run.  Lanky senior post Mikayla Hayes got inside for a tough hook shot at the 12:33 mark and a short jumper by Schaub at the 10:03 mark had Park Center up 13-11.  A Simonet lay-up at the 9:18 mark maintained that two-point edge at 15-13 and two Schaub three-point bombs - one from the left wing area with 8:37 left and another from the right wing area with 7:57 left - now had the Pirates up 21-13 and a worried Digiovanni was forced to take a match to another timeout. That stoppage in play seemed to revive Elk River as they responded with an 8-0 push to tie the game again.  Two three-point bombs by strong senior forward Sidney Wentland - one from the top of the key with 7:40 left and another from the right corner with 7:16 left - closed the gap to two points at 21-19 and two charity stripe shots by senior guard Ava Kramer had the game tied at 21 with 6:41 left in the first half.  The wild roller-coaster rides by both teams seemed to settle down going down the home stretch before the half as each side seemed content to trade jabs at every available opportunity. A Blakemore "3" from the right top area with 6:04 left had Park Center up again 24-21 but that was met and matched by a "3" from the left wing area with 4:54 left by Elk senior guard Danielle Lachmiller.  The Pirates tried to open up some more space as a turnaround jumper by Hayes with 4:19 left and a Blakemore "3" from the top of the key with 3:35 left had Park Center up 29-24 but again the resilient Elks battled back.  Lachmiller unleashed another "3" - this one from the left corner with 3:22 left and a Kramer score in the paint with 2:39 left had things deadlocked once again at 29 a piece.  The Pirates would get a bit of an edge right before the halftime buzzer as a score in the paint by Hayes with 2:24 left and a Simonet lay-up with 1:44 left had Park Center up 33-31.  Hayes would snare an offensive rebound for a putback with 1:02 left and one Schaub freebie with :44.4 left made it 36-31 but Elk River would get one last score before the halftime recess as Gabi Haack muscled her way into the paint for a score that trimmed the Pirate lead to 36-33.

The fact that the Elks were able to withstand two serious runs by their opponent on the road likely gave them a ton of confidence going into the second half and a 7-0 Elk River run to begin the second half was indicative of that.  After both sides fired blanks in the first two minutes of the second half, Wentland connected with a lay-up in transition that drew a foul in the process and her free throw at the 15:55 mark had things tied up again at 36 a piece.  Two Gabi Haack free throws at the 14:43 mark and a Gabi Haack score in the paint at the 13:54 mark had the Elks up 40-36 before Park Center awoke from their brief slumber.  A short jumper in the lane by Hayes at the 13:26 mark and a Simonet lay-up in transition at the 13:05 mark had this one tied again at 40-all.  Elk River would build a four-point advantage again on a Kramer lay-up at the 12:55 mark and two Wentland free throws at the 11:37 mark and the Elks would maintain that four-point edge over the next minute and a half.

Park Center could have arguably been in between a rock and a hard place right then and there but the resilient Pirates managed to battle back.  Two Hayes free throws at the 9:52 mark and a Hayes score in the paint at the 9:24 mark had the game tied (once again) at 48.  Elk River would grab a couple of two point leads over the next two minutes but, trailing 52-50, Park Center's Simonet drained a "3" from the left corner with 7:11 left for a 53-52 Pirate lead and an offensive rebound and putback by Hayes with 6:29 left increased that lead to 55-52.  Although the Elks would keep things within one possession over the next few possessions and, in fact, would forge a 56-all deadlock on a pull-up jumper in the lane with 5:49 left, it appeared that Park Center was ever so slowly grabbing control of things.  A drive along the left baseline and finish by Schaub with 5:23 left and a Hayes jumper from near the free throw line with 4:54 left had the Pirates up by two at 60-58 and then a Blakemore three-point bomb from the right wing area with 4:25 left gave Park Center a five-point cushion at 63-58 and, presumably anyway, in position to put their collective hands around Elk River's windpipe for the final kill.  But just when it appeared the Pirates were in position to do just that, an experienced and senior-laden Elk team hunkered down and thwarted near-disaster.  A Haack lay-up in transition with 4:09 left had Elk River back to within one possession trailing 63-60 and fellow senior guard Kelsie Cox; quiet from a scoring standpoint, got into the books with her lay-up with 3:36 left that trimmed Park Center's lead down to a scant point at 63-62.  A Hayes score in the paint with 3:14 left got the Pirate lead back up to 65-62 but Wentland found her touch from behind the arc at the top of the key with 2:53 left to forge a 65-all deadlock and any momentum that Park Center may have had up to that point seemingly flew out the window right then and there into the cold night.  A Kelsie Cox lay-up with 2:09 left put the Elks back on top 67-65 and the Pirates' VanderHyde called a timeout to try and keep this one from slipping away.  Sophomore guard Meghan DuBois was fouled with :58.1 left and got one free throw to go down that cut the Elk River lead down to one at 67-66.  The Elks, desperately clinging to a one-point lead, got the ball into Gabi Haack's hands and she was fouled with :39.5 left but could only get the back-end attempt to go down for a 68-66 Elk River lead.  Still plenty of time for the Pirates to get this game deadlocked once again but on their ensuing possession, Park Center suffered a rare miscue that resulted in a turnover.  The Elks' Lachmiller was fouled with :31 left but could only get the back-end attempt to go down for a 69-66 Elk River lead.  Still time for the Pirates to get a good look for a three-point shot and VanderHyde called a timeout with :18.3 left. However, when Park Center tried to inbound the ball after the timeout, a stingy Elk defense prevented anyone from getting open and the Pirates turned the ball over again on a five-second call.  Gabi Haack was immediately fouled with :16.9 left by Schaub who was sent to the bench with her fifth and final foul.  Again, Haack could only get one of the free throw attempts to go down for a 70-66 lead so there was still a sliver of a chance left for Park Center.  But the Pirates were foiled on their ensuing possession and Elk River's Kelsie Cox got one free throw to go down with :10.6 left as the Elks claimed a huge and precious 71-66 road victory.

After having had to play second fiddle to Section 8 rival STMA for the last few seasons, Elk River finally looks primed to shed its role of perennial bridesmaid and finally get over the hump; much the same way Park Center did three seasons ago when they finally downed nemesis DeLaSalle in their section final.  Of course, it's only late December and a lot can happen between now and March but if the Elks stay healthy, this is a team that can not only win the incredibly tough Northwest Suburban Conference but can also make a lot of noise on the big stage.  The pieces and experience are there. Without question, Gabi Haack is one of the top players in the state and the fact that she can not only be a threat from behind the arc but can also use her strong 5'9" frame to get into the paint to do the dirty work down low makes life a heck of a lot easier for teammates such as Wentland, Lachmiller and Kelsie Cox who are no slouches in their own right.  It'll be exciting to see what this group does and I definitely want to catch them in action again.  Meanwhile for Park Center, yet another gut-wrenching loss.  A game in which they had momentum and had themselves in position to win - and yet couldn't close the deal when it counted.  As I said earlier, it's only late December and there's plenty of time to right the ship.  It's the little things that seem to be costing this squad.  A missed lay-up here, a missed "bunny" there.  A few silly errors on defense or a turnover.  And you look at this game and the loss to East Ridge and, to an extent, the loss to Hopkins and you can't help but wonder if these losses get into the players collective minds a bit.  It's not the best analogy but, as a tennis player, I've had my share of losses where I was up a break or two in the third set only to have things get away from me.  And when it happens to you more than once in a short period of time, it's there in the back of your mind whether you're willing to admit it or not.  So it's entirely possible that there may be some mental hurdles that the Pirates have to overcome as well.  I think this team is too talented and too well-coached that they go into a complete funk but they've got to find some answers to some things before they dive head-first into Northwest Suburban Conference play after the first of the year.      

Park Center Holiday Basketball Showcase - Orono vs Champlin Park 12-28-16

Was over at Park Center High School on this Wednesday afternoon to check out the Park Center Holiday Basketball Showcase that featured Rogers, Minnetonka, Orono, Champlin Park, Elk River and, of course, host Park Center.  The 3:45 P.M. game featured two programs that have had a fair amount of success over the years - Orono out of the Wright County East Conference taking on Champlin Park out of the Northwest Suburban Conference.

The navy blue-clad Rebels wasted little time in grabbing a firm hand in this contest in the form of a game-opening 7-0 run.  6'1" senior forward Allison Gerads unleashed a "3" from the right wing area at the 17:24 mark to start things and a lay-up by spark plug junior guard Erica Hicks finished the run at the 16:42 mark on a lay-up that drew a foul and resulted in an obligatory freebie.  Orono would close the gap to 7-4 by the 16:09 mark but an 8-0 run fueled by a Hicks "3" from the left corner at the 15:10 mark and a sweet give-and-go lay-up by Hicks at the 13:18 mark made it a 15-4 game and new Spartan Head Coach Lavesa Glover knew full and well that a timeout was in order.

A Hicks "3" from the left corner at the 9:55 mark got the Champlin Park lead to twelve points at 20-8 before the Spartans were able to whittle some of the fat off of the deficit.  Senior guard Natalie Smaron muscled into the paint for a score at the 9:31 mark that drew a foul and resulted in the ensuing free throw that got Orono back into single-digit range trailing 20-11 and a "3" from the right wing with 8:45 left by fellow senior guard Tori Andrew got the Spartans a bit closer trailing 22-14. But Champlin Park; specifically Hicks, would step on the gas again.  A drive and finish with 8:29 left that drew a foul and sent her to the charity stripe for a free throw and a lay-up in transition with 7:17 left made it 27-14.  Orono looked like it had recovered as one Andrew free throw with 6:55 left and a score in the paint by junior guard Madeline Loder with 6:22 left in the first half got the deficit back down to ten at 27-17 and an Andrew lay-up with 5:56 left had the Spartans back to within single-digits again at 27-19.  Once again the Rebels would rise to the challenge and slam the door shut. Lanky junior forward Gabby Mocchi snared an offensive rebound for a putback with 5:10 left and two scores by junior reserve forward Grace Worwa - an offensive rebound and putback of her own miss with 4:43 left and an offensive rebound and putback with 4:27 left - pushed the lead back up fourteen at 33-19 and Orono's Glover called another timeout in hopes of stemming the tide.  The Rebels, however, maintained that fourteen point cushion down the stretch of the first half and a "3" from the right top area by junior reserve forward Megan Munneke with just :07 left before the half that gave Champlin Park a 42-26 lead going into the locker room.

The Spartans needed a spark to get them going in the second half and a short jumper by junior post Gabby Germanson at the 17:08 mark helped but Champlin Park had no interest in letting their opponent close the gap anytime soon.  A Hicks lay-up in transition at the 15:19 mark ignited a 10-4 Rebel run.  Lanky 6'2" sophomore post Makayla Johnson got a lay-up in transition as well at the 14:55 mark and a drive and finish by Hicks at the 13:58 mark made it a 48-30 ballgame.  Even though the youngster Johnson would get tagged with her fourth foul at the 12:33 mark, Champlin Park kept the beat going as another Hicks drive and finish at the 12:18 mark and a Mocchi lay-up at the 11:42 mark expanded the Rebel lead to twenty at 52-32.

Orono; which struggled all game long with its half-court offense which in part was stymied by an athletic and long Rebel team, slowly made inroads on the deficit in the stretch run of the second half. One Smaron freebie at the 10:37 mark and a lay-up in transition by junior guard Anna Hughes that drew a foul and resulted in a free throw trimmed Champlin Park's lead down to 52-36 at the 9:32 mark.  Loder was able to snare a steal and dash the other way for a lay-up with 7:06 left and one Andrew free throw with 5:36 left and a Loder lay-up with 4:00 left along with two Andrew charity stripe shots with 3:36 left had the Rebel lead down to 59-43.  Loder would connect with a lay-up with 3:18 left and would also sink two free throws with 2:53 left that cut Champlin Park's lead down to 61-47 and two more free throws by freshman reserve guard Amelia Singleton with 1:15 left made things a bit more interesting as the Rebels lead was down to 61-49 but Orono could never get any closer. Champlin Park would close things out - much to the delight of Head Coach Josh Steck - on a score in the paint by freshman reserve guard Izzy Quick with :41 left and two free throws junior reserve guard Sydney Fields with :17 left to claim a 65-49 non-conference victory.

Definitely a good outing for Champlin Park on this day and I'll be the first to admit that I probably underestimated the Rebels somewhat being so close to the Park Center program.  But this is a very athletic team that is long and can attack you in a variety of ways.  Hicks; who finished this game with 32 points, is clearly the go-to girl on the squad but with Allison Gerads back and healthy as well, this team could definitely be a threat in the very competitive Northwest Suburban Conference.

Park Center vs Hopkins 12-20-16

Made my way over to Hopkins High School's Lindbergh Center on this Tuesday evening to take in a much-anticipated non-conference clash between powerhouse programs of two different conferences - visiting Park Center of the Northwest Suburban Conference and host Hopkins of the Lake Conference.  The Royals feature a significantly different line-up than last year's team that made it all the way to the State Championship Game before falling to Minnetonka with several young players carving an identity for themselves but they've shown - so far anyway - that they've got the goods to win the whole ball of wax this year and their number one ranking is no fluke.  With a good crowd on hand on this night that included a handful of former Park Center players and the Hopkins band, the atmosphere was electric.

It took a bit for either side to find any rhythm in the opening minutes as they felt each other out.  The Pirates finally grabbed a 3-0 lead on a lay-up in transition by junior guard Sommer Blakemore that drew a foul and resulted in the obligatory free throw at the 15:53 mark.  Hopkins went on a 6-0 burst as senior guard Dee Dee Winston knocked down a jumper from the right wing at the 14:42 mark and a short jumper by sophomore guard Diayla Chakolis at the 14:22 mark had Hopkins up 4-2.  Junior guard Raena Suggs' lay-up in transition at the 13:57 mark upped the lead to 6-3 before Park Center could answer again on a jumper from the free throw line by senior point guard Danielle Schaub at the 13:41 mark that trimmed the Royal lead to 6-5.  At that point, things looked pretty even but it was here that Hopkins was able to establish some separation.  A score in the paint by Chakolis at the 13:28 mark and a "3" from the left corner by Suggs at the 13:07 mark suddenly increased the lead to 11-5 and a concerned Pirate Head Coach Chris VanderHyde called a timeout to try and make some quick adjustments on defense.  Park Center momentarily regained a bit of control and a "3" from the right top area by senior sharp-shooting guard Ann Simonet at the 9:10 mark had the Pirates right in the thick of things trailing 12-8.  However, a score in the paint off of an inbounds pass by lanky junior forward Angie Hammond with 8:28 left ignited a 10-0 Hopkins run.  Hammond would follow-up this score with a lay-up with 7:58 left and a short jumper by Winston with 6:59 left gave the Royals a ten-point 18-8 lead.  Suggs would connect with a lay-ups in transition with 6:40 and 6:18 left that made it 22-8 before the shocked Pirates could respond.  A Schaub drive and finish with 6:01 left and a Blakemore "3" from the left corner with 5:27 left had Park Center back in single-digit range trailing 22-13 but the Royals would explode again - this time with an 11-0 burst.  Suggs would connect with a lay-up in transition with 4:40 left and then Chakolis connected with a lay-up after a backcourt steal and got fouled in the process and her free throw with 4:25 left expanded Hopkins' lead to 27-13.  Two Hammond scores in the paint - one with 3:00 left and another one with 2:03 left off of an inbounds pass - made it 31-13 and a Winston lay-up in transition with 1:25 left gave the Royals a 33-13 lead before Park Center reserve junior guard Azsha Michael finally stopped the bleeding with her "3" from the left corner with 1:11 left but trailing 33-16 going into the locker room at the half, the Pirates VanderHyde knew he had to make adjustments on defense to limit the easy transition opportunities that Hopkins was getting in the first half.

Park Center definitely looked like they were beyond the point of no return once the second half got underway but the Pirates shocked everybody inside Lindbergh Center on this night and slyly battled their way back.  Blakemore connected with a lay-up in transition at the 17:26 mark and Schaub was able to knock down a jumper from the left wing in transition as well at the 16:10 mark that slimmed the deficit down to fifteen points at 35-20.  One Schaub freebie at the 15:40 mark and a Simonet jumper from the left corner just inside the arc at the 14:56 allowed the Pirates to creep closer trailing 37-23 and a score in the paint by senior post Mikayla Hayes at the 14:04 mark trimmed the Hopkins lead down to 37-25.  A Hayes lay-up at the 13:27 mark that drew a foul and sent the future Florida Gator to the charity stripe for the ensuing freebie suddenly had Park Center back to within single digits again trailing 37-28.  The Royals quickly looked to restore order as a Suggs lay-up in transition at the 12:47 mark and a Suggs drive and finish at the 12:11 mark got the lead back up to thirteen at 41-28.  Suggs capped her own 6-0 push with a pretty one-handed shot at the 11:45 mark that made it 43-28 and, presumably anyway, the Park Center threat had been contained.

But the Pirates refused to be silenced in a venue that, over the last few years anyway, hasn't always been friendly to them.  A short jumper by Schaub at the 11:30 mark seemed to help get Park Center's offense clicking again and it ignited a 7-0 run.  At the 11:11 mark, the future Concordia St. Paul Golden Beat found a crack in the vaunted Royal defense and drained a "3" from the left wing area at the 11:11 mark that trimmed the Hopkins lead down to ten points at 43-33 and then junior reserve forward Charo Nickens found a seam going down the floor in transition and connected with a lay-up at the 10:42 mark and now the Pirates cut the deficit down to eight points at 43-35 and an alarmed Royals Head Coach Brian Cosgriff called a timeout to halt this unexpected charge by the visitors from the Northwest Suburban Conference.  That stoppage in play paid big dividends for Hopkins down the stretch.  Although a Hayes' short turnaround jumper with 7:57 left kept Park Center in the hunt trailing 45-37, they just couldn't seem to find that one big shot that would have helped them draw closer and, at the very least, change the complexion of the game.  As such, pairs of free throws by Chakolis with 7:37 left and by Suggs with 7:19 left got the lead back up to double-digits again at 49-37.  Even worse for the Pirates was the fact that fouls were beginning to catch up with them.  Blakemore collected her fourth foul with 6:38 left and although Park Center would make one last meaningful charge to get back to within single-digit range, it just wasn't quite enough on this night.  Hayes got a score in the paint with 5:55 left and a Simonet three-point bomb from the left corner with 5:24 left cut the Royals lead down to 51-42 and one Hayes charity stripe shot with 2:56 left got it back to that eight-point margin again at 51-43.  It was here that Hopkins finally closed the door on the Pirates hopes.  Chakolis grabbed an offensive rebound of her own miss for a putback with 2:40 left and one Winston freebie with 1:31 left pushed the lead to 54-43.  Simonet was gone with five fouls with 1:09 left; taking away Park Center's primary perimeter threat.  Pairs of free throws by Suggs with :56.1 left, freshman guard Jaide Pressley with :43.4 left and by Winston with :27.9 left helped Hopkins take a 60-47 win.

Northland vs Macalester 12-19-16

Made the run over to Macalester College's Leonard Center for this unusual Monday afternoon non-conference match-up between visiting Northland out of the UMAC taking on host Macalester of the MIAC.  With finals finally in the rear-view mirror and the holidays just around the corner, however, the timing probably couldn't have been better for both teams.  And it was a chance for both squads to get a win to feel good about themselves before they go into the holiday break.

The first period could probably best be described as missed opportunities for both teams; particularly the Lumberjills as they were unable to cash in on several easy opportunities.  As a result, Macalester was able to make the best out of a not-so-great situation and build an early 5-0 lead on the strength of an offensive rebound and putback by junior post Regan Fruh at the 9:44 mark along with one free throw by freshman guard Holly Hull at the 8:44 mark and two more by junior guard Vivi Gregorich at the 8:20 mark.  Northland Head Coach Daryle Tucker; probably realizing his squad was out of sorts from the long trip down to the Twin Cities, took a thirty-second timeout to get his squad settled down.  That seemed to work at first as senior forward Bethany Best snared an offensive rebound of her own miss for a putback at the 7:51 mark and sophomore guard Nicole Huber knocked down two freebies at the 6:28 mark that narrowed the gap to a single point at 5-4.  The Scots got a bit of a charge when senior reserve guard Lauren Clamage got into the game as she connected with a jumper from the free throw line at the 6:17 mark and followed that up with a steal at mid-court and subsequent lay-up at the 6:06 mark for a 9-4 lead and a lay-up by senior forward Park Masterson extended the lead to 11-5 with 3:34 left.  Two Gregorich scores - a jumper from the left wing with 2:29 left and a lay-up with 1:53 left - gave Macalester a 15-6 lead before the Lumberjills could respond with two Best freebies with 1:31 left that made it a 15-8 lead going into the second period.

A "3" from the left corner by sophomore guard Kaitlyn Thompson at the 9:45 mark had Northland back in the thick of things again trailing 15-11 but the Scots threw a monkey wrench in their opponent's comeback plan.  Masterson snared an offensive rebound for a putback at the 9:29 mark and then Gregorich uncorked one of her patented three-point bombs - this one from the right top area at the 7:56 mark - that jumped the lead up to 20-11 and the Lumberjill's Tucker called a full timeout; perhaps a bit impatiently so, to try and turn the tide.  But Gregorich would unleash another "3" - this one coming from the left wing area at the 7:07 mark and a Clamage jumper from the free throw line at the 5:42 mark pushed the lead to 25-13.  The situation would have been a perfect one for Macalester Head Coach Kelly Roysland if Clamage hadn't have picked up her third foul with 4:36 left before the half that forced the former Minnesota Golden Gopher standout to dig deeper into her bench.  Coming down the stretch before the half, Northland twice was able to get back into the ten-point range on two Best scores - a lay-up with 3:32 left and a drive and finish with 2:20 left - that trimmed the Scot lead to 27-17 but one free throw by freshman reserve forward Laurel Kriesel-Bigler with just :03.9 left gave Macalester a 28-17 lead going into the locker room at the break.  A glance of the first half box score shows that the Lumberjills shooting was nothing to write home about - 22.7% from FG range and only 16.7% from behind the arc.  Even more worrisome for Tucker was that Best was doing the bulk of the work with her 12 first half points and 11 first half turnovers by his team weren't helping either.

And the last thing that Northland needed at the beginning of the third period was a sizable Scot run which is precisely what happened.  Slender junior guard Leah Gray started things with a jumper from the left wing area at the 9:03 mark and yet another Gregorich three-point bomb - this one from the right wing area at the 8:49 mark - suddenly made it a 33-17 ballgame and the Lumberjills' Tucker was clamoring for a thirty-second timeout.  But that short stoppage in play didn't seem to cool off Macalester any.  Fruh snared an offensive rebound for a putback at the 8:26 mark and then it was Gregorich capping this 9-0 burst with a lay-up after a steal at mid-court that gave the Scots a 20-point cushion at 37-17.  One of the reasons for this unexpected burst was that Roysland had her squad employing some solid half-court pressure that resulted in two ten-second violations to get over the timeline that helped fuel this Macalester burst.  Huber finally ended the Lumberjills woes with her lay-up in transition at the 7:39 mark but Northland had to endure a 7-0 Scot burst afterward. Gregorich connected with a lay-up at the 6:34 mark and the Boulder, Colorado native followed that up with a "3" from the right corner at the 6:00 mark that made it 42-19.  A lay-up in transition by Hull at the 5:28 mark for a 44-19 lead capped this latest run before the Lumberjills could finally rely on two scores by their best and most reliable player - Best.  Two free throws with 4:42 left and a score in the paint with 4:16 left by the Cable, Wisconsin native trimmed Macalester's lead down to 44-21 but the damage had already been done.  One Hull free throw with 4:10 left along with two Masterson scores - an offensive rebound for a putback with 3:42 left and a lay-up with 3:11 left - made it 49-23. A Clamage "3" from the top of the key with 1:45 left pushed the Scot lead to 52-24 before the Lumberjills finally offered up some firm resistance.  Sophomore forward Ashton Meadows connected with a short turnaround jumper with :47.9 left that also drew a foul and sent the San Antonio, Texas native to the charity stripe for the obligatory free throw.  But Macalester ended the period on a score in the paint by senior reserve forward Emilie McGuire with :36 left and took a sizable 54-27 lead going into the fourth and final period.

Northland sought to undo some of the damage that had been done to them in the early moments of the fourth period and two scores by Huber - a "3" from the right top area at the 9:51 mark and two freebies at the 9:20 mark - trimmed some of the fat from the deficit at 54-32.  Two Best charity stripe shots at the 8:14 mark and a short shot off the glass by sophomore reserve guard Emily Wagner at the 7:24 mark kept things from totally spiraling out of control trailing 56-36.  But the Scots weren't willing to relent just yet.  Two Fruh free throws at the 6:49 mark and a Gray "3" from the left wing area at the 6:11 mark made it 61-37 and a Hull "3" from the left corner with 4:27 left made it 64-40. Sophomore reserve guard Addy Perkins got into the game as well for Macalester and she snared an offensive rebound for a putback with 3:36 left for a 66-42 Scot lead before Northland could make a meaningful late-game 14-0 run that made the score closer than what it appeared.  Sophomore reserve guard Katherine Taylor started this unlikely run with a lay-up in transition with 3:24 left and a steal and lay-up the other way by senior reserve guard Brianna Tody with 2:37 left trimmed Macalester's lead down to 66-46.  A score in the paint by Meadows with 1:47 left and a Tody "3" from the right top area with 1:08 left cut further into the Scot cushion at 66-51.  Two free throws by sophomore reserve guard Emily Howe with :30.9 left and another Tody "3" - this one from the top of the key with :09.3 left - gave the final points in Macalester's 66-56 win.

A somewhat relieved Roysland was glad to get the "W" on the heels of finals week and going into a much-deserved holiday break.  Perhaps the only damper on the day was the presence of junior point guard Grace Dickman in warm-ups but not in uniform.  I was able to speak briefly with Dickman afterward and she wasn't sure when she'd be back.  Roysland said that her situation is "indefinite" right now and that's certainly a blow to Macalester when they delve into the meat of MIAC play after the first of the year.  No doubt that Hull, Gregorich and Clamage will have to step up their games in Dickman's absence.  Gregorich did just that on this day as she led all scorers with her 24 points and, in fact, was the only Scot player in double figures.  On the Northland side, it was Best leading the way with her 21 points with no one else in double figures.  On the bright side for Roysland, Macalester owned the boards on this day by a whopping 50-26 margin although they did have more turnovers than the Lumberjills had although many of those turnovers came in the last few minutes when the reserves were in.    

Vermilion vs Anoka-Ramsey Recap 12-17-16

After leaving Augsburg's Si Melby Hall, I made the trip up to Coon Rapids to take in the 3:00 P.M. game between visiting Vermilion and host Anoka-Ramsey.  I got settled into the gym at the half with Anoka-Ramsey up big 60-22.

Judging by the lopsided score, pretty much everything went the Golden Rams way in the first half and, after coming into this contest today with a bad taste in their mouth after last night's fiasco against Bismarck State, they probably wanted to make a statement and they were certainly doing just that.  And the 2-3 zone defense that current Vermilion and former Anoka-Ramsey Head Coach Keith Lindahl was using was not stopping the onslaught either.  Golden Ram freshman guard Alyssa Correll started the third period with a "3" from the left wing at the 9:21 mark for a 63-22 lead and although the Ironwomen got a score on an offensive rebound and putback by freshman post Danielle Boetcher at the 8:22 mark, Anoka-Ramsey was not yet ready to take its foot off the gas pedal just yet. Speedy sophomore guard Rashonna Thomas connected on a lay-up in transition that drew a foul and allowed the former Columbia Heights standout to sink the ensuing freebie at the 7:19 mark and then a Thomas "3" from the right wing area at the 6:53 mark made it a 69-24 game.  A lay-up in transition by freshman guard Lateah Turmon at the 6:35 mark made it 71-24 before Vermilion could get on the board again on another Boetcher score in the paint at the 6:20 mark.  Consecutive short shots off the glass by freshman post Jennifer Beyer - one at the 5:25 mark and another one at the 5:02 mark - could only scrape a little bit of fat off of the deficit.  The Golden Rams quickly put that added layer of fat back on the lead as sophomore reserve guard Laya Sath drained a "3" from the left wing area with 4:43 left and an offensive rebound and putback by freshman forward Dariel Lipscomb with 2:36 left made it 78-30 before the Ironwomen could save some face on a "3" from the top of the key by sophomore guard Marlee Muhvich with 1:20 left and an offensive rebound and putback of a missed free throw by sophomore post Rebekah Harrington with :47 left.  Harrington would snare another offensive rebound and putback with just :02 left in the period but this one was not going to get close as Anoka-Ramsey took a prohibitive 81-39 lead into the fourth and final period.

The rout continued in the early moments of the fourth period as Thomas connected with a lay-up after a steal in the backcourt at the 9:19 mark and a short jumper by Turmon at the 8:09 mark made it 85-39.  Another short jumper by Correll at the 6:28 mark completed this 6-0 burst that pushed the lead to 87-39 and Anoka-Ramsey Head Coach David DeWitt called off the dogs and had his offense use up as much time as possible before going for a shot.  A Muhvich "3" from the left corner at the 5:36 mark and a score in the paint by Beyer with 3:52 left helped slim up the deficit a bit for Vermilion but Golden Ram freshman guard Amanda Lindsey was able to drain a "3" from the left corner with 3:09 left and a steal and lay-up the other way by freshman reserve guard Denesha Dixon with 3:00 left put the lead back up to 97-44.  The Ironwomen got back-to-back scores by Harrington - a jumper from the right wing area with 1:52 left and an offensive rebound and putback with 1:13 left - but Anoka-Ramsey hit the century mark on a "3" from the left wing area with :54 left and a steal and lay-up the other way by Correll with :38 left was the icing on the cake for this mismatch as the Golden Rams took this one in a landslide by a count of 102-50.

Despite the lopsided loss, Vermilion's Lindahl was in a good enough mood to speak to me afterward and simply said his squad next year will be much improved with the recruiting he has been doing.  Judging from his earlier stints at both Anoka-Ramsey and then at MCTC, he'll likely get the Ironwomen women's basketball program up from the ashes in a short time.  DeWitt, while he'll take the win, likely still had the disappointment of the previous night on his mind and noted that his squad has a couple of tough contests coming up right after the first of the year; most notably with NDSCS on 1-7-17.

UW-River Falls vs Augsburg 12-17-16

Made my way over to Si Melby Hall on the campus of Augsburg College on this wintry December day to take in a big non-conference clash between visiting UW-River Falls out of the WIAC taking on host Augsburg of the MIAC.  Coming into this contest, both teams had something in common: both had lost heartbreakers to St. Kate's.  The Auggies dropped a hotly-contested 93-91 decision to the 'Cats at Butler Center last week Saturday while the Falcons fell victim to a buzzer beater by Kennedy Jennings at Karges Center earlier in the week.  So while this game would take both teams into the long-awaited holiday break, both were looking for some measure of good feeling going into it.

UW-River Falls would build an early 6-2 lead on the strength of a drive and finish by senior guard Hannah Pignato at the 8:26 mark along with two free throws by strong senior forward Kate Theisen at the 8:03 mark and a Theisen offensive rebound and putback at the 6:52 mark.  The Auggies would close the gap to two points when freshman guard Tamira McLemore connected with a short shot at the 5:42 mark but, for the most part anyway, Augsburg seemed to struggle offensively in the early minutes and the Falcons were ready to try and take advantage.  Senior guard Katie Messman drained a "3" from the right corner at the 5:24 mark and sophomore forward Taylor Paulsrud did the same from the right corner with 4:50 left that gave UW-River Falls a 12-6 lead.  The Auggies finally found their shooting touch down the stretch of the opening period that helped close the gap.  McLemore banged home a "3" from the right corner with 4:13 left and although Pignato would sink two freebies for the Falcons with 4:05 left that made it a 14-9 game, Augsburg freshman reserve guard Ari Jones uncorked a "3" from the top of the key with 3:49 left that got the Auggies back to within a single possession trailing 14-12 and the former Osseo player would repeat that feat with 1:23 left that helped Augsburg climb back to a single point trailing 16-15.  Junior post Hannah Steinhaus' free throw with :34.7 left in the first period tied the game at 16 a piece before Theisen gave UW-River Falls a 17-16 lead with one free throw with :04.1 left.

The back-and-forth pattern continued into the second period with the Auggies trying to set the pace this time around.  Freshman guard K'Aezha Wubben connected with a lay-up in transition after a steal at the 8:47 mark and one McLemore charity stripe shot had Augsburg up 19-17 by the 8:05 mark.  UW-River Falls was quick to counter, however, as Theisen scored on a pretty give-and-go lay-up thanks to a perfectly timed bounce pass from junior forward Taylor Karge at the 7:18 mark that knotted the issue at 19 and a Paulsrud lay-up at the 6:24 mark again had the game tied at 21-all.  The Falcons were able to embark on a 6-2 push as a score in the paint by Theisen at the 6:02 mark put UW-River Falls up 23-21.  Two Pignato lay-ups - one at the 5:25 mark and another one with 4:39 left - gave the Falcons a bit of breathing room up 27-23.  Now it was Augsburg's turn to come back as two free throws by junior reserve forward Bridget Bednar with 4:25 left and two more by Jones with 3:32 left and one more by Jones with 2:44 left had the Auggies back out in front 28-27.  Freshman reserve forward Abby Jordan's "3" from the right wing area with 2:25 left expanded Augsburg's lead to 31-27 before the Falcons could close the gap.  The versatile Karge drained a "3" from the left wing area with 1:56 left that sliced the Auggie lead to one at 31-30 and a Paulsrud "3" from the right corner with 1:25 left took some more wind out of Augsburg's sail as UW-River Falls took a 33-31 lead into the locker room at the half.  A glance at the first half box score reveals that neither side shot exceptionally well although the Falcons did hold a bit of an edge percentage-wise from FG range at 41.4% to 30% while the Auggies were slightly better from behind the arc at 40% to 36.4% for UW-River Falls.  The Falcons did hold a slight edge on the boards at 24-21 but they also had more turnovers at 7-5 so the score reflected how close this game truly was.

Augsburg seized some much-needed momentum in the early going of the third period as a Wubben drive and lay-up at the 9:43 mark tied the score at 33 and two McLemore free throws at the 8:53 mark not only gave the Auggies the lead back at 35-33, but now the Falcon's enforcer down low; Theisen, was saddled with her third foul as well much to the chagrin of Head Coach Cindy Holbrook. Freshman guard Aiza Wilson's drive and finish at the 8:04 mark stretched Augsburg's lead to four at 37-33 and an Aiza Wilson "3" from the right corner at the 6:56 mark along with a McLemore drive and finish at the 6:29 mark now had the Auggies up 42-36 and an alarmed Holbrook saw things going south for her squad in a hurry and called for a thirty-second timeout to try and rectify the situation. But Augsburg was able to keep the Falcons at bay for the most part of the third period.  Holding a 42-38 lead, a Bednar lay-up at the 5:45 mark and an offensive rebound and putback by freshman forward Camryn Speese upped the Auggie lead to eight at 46-38.  One Wubben freebie with 4:40 left and a drive and finish by Jones with 4:10 left got the lead to nine at 49-40.  UW-River Falls momentarily halted this march by the home team as Theisen; riding those three fouls, snared an offensive rebound of her own miss for a putback with 3:32 left and a "3" from the right top area by senior reserve guard Mikaela Wilson narrowed Augsburg's lead down to 49-45.  But the Auggies were able to step on the gas again as Jordan swished a "3" from the top of the key with 1:53 left and a drive and finish by Aiza Wilson with 1:15 left quickly had the lead back up to nine at 54-45.  A Wubben drive into the lane and finish with :45 left gave Augsburg its first double-digit lead at 56-46 and although two free throws by Mikaela Wilson with just :02.5 left in the period got the Falcons back to within single digits trailing 56-48, things were looking a bit bleak for UW-River Falls going into the fourth period.

Perhaps it was a sense of urgency or desperation depending upon your point of view but the Falcons; now needing a spark to get them going, found it in the early moments of the fourth period.  A Pignato lay-up at the 8:40 mark sparked a 7-0 explosion.  Messman connected from downtown with a bomb from the left corner at the 7:53 mark and a lay-up in transition by freshman reserve forward Crystal Pearson at the 7:30 mark suddenly had Augsburg's lead down to a scant point and Auggie Head Coach Ted Riverso quickly called a thirty-second timeout to get his squad calmed down.  Two McLemore scores - two free throws at the 7:11 mark and a drive and finish at the 6:49 mark - got Augsburg's lead back up to five at 60-55 and it looked as if the Auggies had regained control of things.  But UW-River Falls had no intentions of going away anytime soon.  Paulsrud uncorked a "3" from the top of the key at the 6:24 mark along with one Mikaela Wilson freebie at the 5:49 mark not only had the Falcons back to a single point trailing 60-59, but now Augsburg's Wubben was saddled with her fourth foul as well.  Two Paulsrud free throws at the 5:37 mark finally had UW-River Falls back in front at 61-60 but alas, that would be the last lead that the Falcons would see for the day.  A Jordan "3" from the left wing area at the 5:09 mark put the Auggies back out in front 63-61 and two McLemore charity stripe shots with 3:24 left maintained that two-point edge at 65-63.  Some of the earlier wind in UW-River Falls' sail seemed to give out when Karge picked up her fourth foul with 3:05 left although the former Mankato East product would make up for that when she tied the contest at 65-all with her lay-up with 2:44 left.  Still, Augsburg seemed to show their best when they needed it the most.  Two Wubben free throws with 2:25 left and a tough drive into the lane and hook shot by Bednar with 2:02 left gave the Auggies a bit more breathing space up 69-65.  Two more free throws by Speese not only had the Auggies up 71-66 but now Theisen was gone with her fifth and final foul of the day.  Surprisingly, the Falcons had one last gasp left in them as one Karge free throw with 1:05 left and another by Pearson with :41.1 left had UW-River Falls back to within a single possession down 71-68 but the Falcons could never quite get that one critical one stop when they needed it or convert when they had the ball.  McLemore sank two free throws with :38.9 left that upped Augsburg's lead to 73-68 and the Falcons suffered a turnover on their ensuing possession and that was game, set and match right there.  One more Speese freebie with :26.9 left and two more by Wubben who was fouled in transition with :16 left sealed the deal for the Auggies as they claimed a tough 76-68 non-conference win to improve to 8-3 on the season.

Augsburg's Riverso said afterward that "A win's a win" although he likely wished it was a conference victory after last Saturday's heart-breaking finish over at St. Kate's.  Still, he has to be happy with how his young squad keeps taking steps forward and this is a good way for the Auggies to go into the holiday break.  Meanwhile, a disappointed Holbrook could only point to execution errors down the stretch in this latest setback.  She talked about how her squad's losses so far have been only been by one or two possessions when things were still in the balance late.  Obviously, not having senior guard Brynn Liljander; who went down with an ACL injury recently, hurts the Falcons and it's no secret that they're not quite as good of a team without her on the floor.  "She shoots 15% better than any other player on our team" Holbrook said.  It's also tough for some of the other players who had previously been in strictly role-type positions; now suddenly thrust into a situation where they have to step into leading roles on the team.  That may take some time for those players to grow into those roles but the Falcons, now saddled with a 5-5 record overall, have to know that time is not on their side and they have to find a way around this if they are to defend their WIAC regular season championship from a season ago.  Holbrook, too, has faith in her squad.  "We'll be fine without Brynn" she said.  McLemore's 18 points led all scorers on this day and following right behind her on the Auggie scoring list was Wubben with her 17 points and then Jordan who had a surprisingly good day with her 12 points.  Paulsrud led the way for UW-River Falls on this day with her 15 points while Pignato and Theisen both had 12 points a piece.  The Falcons actually held a slight advantage on the boards at 38-35 but unfortunately, also had twice as many turnovers as well at 20-10 and those things cost you games.  

Bismarck State vs Anoka-Ramsey 12-16-16

Made my way up to Coon Rapids on this snowy Friday evening as Winter Storm Decima was making its arrival in the Twin Cities to take in one of the Anoka-Ramsey Holiday Classic games - this one between visiting Bismarck State and host Anoka-Ramsey.  The Mystics were an unknown team to me although glancing at their roster, it became readily apparent that they had some good size so it would be interesting to see how they handled the speed and athleticism that Anoka-Ramsey has.

Bismarck State would take a 3-2 lead on a "3" from the right corner by freshman forward Hannah Hanson at the 7:18 mark of the opening period but the Golden Rams were quick to counter.  Freshman guard Alyssa Correll nailed a "3" of her own from the left corner at the 6:54 mark and speedy sophomore point guard Rashonna Thomas snared a steal and dashed the other way for a lay-up at the 6:48 mark that had Anoka-Ramsey up 7-3.  The Mystics would close the gap to one point on a "3" by sophomore guard Cassidy Wilhelm from the left top area at the 6:28 mark and one free throw by fellow sophomore forward Macy Lynch at the 5:51 mark tied the game at 7-all.  Anoka-Ramsey looked to widen the earlier margin and a lay-up by freshman guard Lateah Turmon with 4:55 left in the opening period drew a foul and sent the former Robbinsdale Armstrong product to the line for the obligatory free throw for a 10-7 lead and an offensive rebound and putback by freshman forward Dariel Lipscomb with 3:51 left along with a Lipscomb lay-up with 3:01 left gave the Golden Rams a five-point 14-9 lead.  Right back came Bismarck State as Lynch connected with a lay-up with 2:59 left and freshman reserve guard Nicole Bunting knotted the issue at 14 with her "3" from the right corner with 2:22 left.  A Bunting score in the paint with 1:42 left gave the Mystics their first lead of the ballgame at 16-14 but Anoka-Ramsey was quick to counter as two Correll scores - a jumper from the top of the key with :59 left and another one from the right wing area with :24 left had the Golden Rams up 18-16 at the end of the first period.

Anoka-Ramsey looked like it was on the verge of getting some separation in the early moments of the second period.  Two free throws by Thomas at the 9:46 mark and another one at the 9:36 mark made it a 21-16 game and an offensive rebound and putback by Lipscomb at the 8:56 mark maintained the five-point edge at 23-18.  A short jumper by Thomas in transition at the 8:37 mark and a "3" from the left top area by sophomore reserve guard Laya Sath at the 7:29 mark stretched the lead to eight points at 28-20 and all facets of the Golden Ram offense looked to be clicking the way they should. Thomas' drive and finish at the 6:44 mark and two free throws by freshman reserve guard Biftu Tula at the 6:24 mark gave Anoka-Ramsey a double-digit lead at 32-22.  But the Mystics regrouped and calmly responded with a 9-0 run.  Lynch first connected with a lay-up at the 6:10 mark and two scores by sophomore guard McKayla Howling Wolf - a short shot off the glass at the 5:48 mark and a "3" from the right wing at the 5:17 mark - closed the gap to a single possession at 32-29.  Another Lynch lay-up with 3:32 left brought Bismarck State back to a single-point deficit at 32-31.  Thomas tried to jump start her Golden Ram teammates with her lay-up in transition with 3:23 left that made it a 34-31 game but a "3" from the left corner by Mystic freshman forward Hannah Hanson with 2:12 left knotted the issue again at 34 a piece.  Anoka-Ramsey seemed to get a wake-up call by this latest push by its opponent and closed out the first half on an 8-0 push.  A jumper from the free throw line off the glass by Tula with 1:35 left and two free throws by freshman guard Amanda Lindsay with 1:12 left got the lead back to four points at 38-34.  The speedy Thomas got a lay-up in transition with 1:02 left and Correll closed out the first half with her lay-up after a steal with :24 left that had the Golden Rams feeling a bit better about themselves up 42-34 going into the locker room; even if they weren't able to put away their opponent for good by this point.

Anoka-Ramsey sought to put their opponent in a big hole again - presumably one that they couldn't recover from - once the third period got underway.  A Thomas lay-up at the 9:30 mark and a Correll lay-up after a backcourt steal at the 9:18 mark gave the Golden Rams a 46-34 lead and Bismarck State Head Coach Jason Harris knew he had trouble on his hands and called a thirty-second timeout to try and rectify the situation.  Still, a Turmon lay-up at the 8:24 mark gave Anoka-Ramsey its biggest lead of the game at 48-34 and it appeared right then and there that the Mystics were likely beyond the point of no return at this juncture.  Bismarck State, however, shocked everyone in the warm gym on this cold night (including yours truly) by launching a game-changing 24-4 run to close out the third period and it would be Lynch; the Bismarck, North Dakota product, doing most of the damage.  She started this unlikely burst with her lay-up at the 7:40 mark and was able to knock down one free throw at the 7:08 mark.  Then it was a lay-up in transition at the 6:28 mark and then a drive along the right baseline for a finish at the 5:47 mark got the Mystics back to within a single possession trailing 50-41.  Bunting as able to snare an offensive rebound for a putback at the 5:18 mark and then two more Lynch scores - a short jumper in the lane off of an inbounds pass with 4:27 left and a "3" from the left top area with 3:54 left - suddenly cut the Golden Ram lead down to a scant two points at 50-48 and Head Coach David DeWitt called a timeout to assess the carnage and to try to get his shell-shocked squad calmed down.  But the Mystics were far from finished with their blitzkrieg.  Two Bunting freebies with 3:10 left after she was fouled in transition with 3:10 left tied the game at 50 and with 1:57 left, freshman reserve guard Mariah Sellon connected with a lay-up in transition and drew a foul and the Turtle Lake, North Dakota native's ensuing freebie put Bismarck State up for good at 53-50.  Bunting was able to connect with a lay-up in transition with :23 left after an Anoka-Ramsey turnover that gave the Mystics a 55-50 lead before Thomas finally stopped the Golden Ram hemorrhaging with her offensive rebound and putback of her own miss with :08 left. Bismark State, however, would cap this big offensive when Bunting was fouled on a three-point shot attempt from the top of the key and she calmly knocked down three free throws with no time left on the clock that now had the Mystics up 57-52 going into the fourth period.

One of the things that aided Bismarck State's big comeback was that they switched to a 1-3-1 zone defense that, along with traps here and there, completely took Anoka-Ramsey out of their comfort zone to a point where they simply looked like a mess offensively with several uncharacteristic turnovers.  This pattern continued into the fourth period as a short jumper off the glass by Sellon at the 9:36 mark pushed the lead to 59-52 and had DeWitt clamoring for a thirty-second timeout right then and there.  A Lynch jumper from the right corner just inside the arc at the 8:50 mark put the Golden Rams further in a hole trailing 61-52 but Bismarck State's Harris had cause for concern a bit later when Lynch; who had slowly been accumulating fouls in this contest, picked up her fifth and final foul at the 8:01 mark and with a still uncertain single-digit lead.  But, much to his relief, the Mystics role players stepped up to the plate and carried the load.  Sellon connected with a short jumper off the glass at the 7:54 mark and two Bunting free throws at the 7:36 mark gave Bismarck State its first double-digit advantage at 65-54.  A Turmon lay-up at the 6:54 mark gave the Golden Rams a bit of hope as they got back to within the single-digit range at 65-56 but a Sellon lay-up in transition at the 6:39 mark and two free throws by freshman reserve guard Jaycee Walter at the 5:49 mark got the lead back up to double-digits for the Mystics at 69-56 and there was no looking back. Howling Wolfe got an open look from behind the arc from the left corner and unleashed a three-point bomb at the 5:19 mark for a 72-56 lead that really broke Anoka-Ramsey's back.  The Golden Rams tried to counter on Lindsay's "3" from the left wing area at the 5:03 mark but a 7-2 Mystic push over the next two minutes put the bow tie on this game for good.  One Bunting freebie with 4:53 left and a Bunting lay-up after a steal with 4:42 left made it 75-59.  Two Wilhelm free throws with 3:57 left and a Wilhelm lay-up in transition with 3:17 left made it a 79-61 game and another Howling Wolf three-point bomb - this one from the right corner - made it 82-63.  Both Lipscomb and Thomas got late scores for Anoka Ramsey in the last two minutes but they were for naught as the Mystics took a big 82-68 win.

Bismarck State's Harris was aglow after this game and with good reason.  He talked at length at how Lynch; who is actually a third-year sophomore, transferred to Bismarck State after a semester at another school.  That transfer has paid big dividends for the Mystics program and Lynch for sure will be playing somewhere after this season is over.  "She's definitely a D2 player" Harris said.  Even more encouraging for Harris is how his role players stepped up after Lynch fouled out and kept the beat going.  Meanwhile, a disappointed and somewhat shocked DeWitt could only voice frustration after this contest.  "We've got to figure some things out" he said in his matter-of-fact tone.  Likely one of his big frustrations was how his squad let go of a fourteen-point lead early in the third period in just a matter of minutes.  That, coupled with how things fell apart offensively, is something that will have to be addressed after the holiday break.  The Golden Rams had only five first half turnovers but that number doubled in the second half.  I don't think you can point to just one thing as to what's ailing Anoka-Ramsey right now.  I couldn't help but think on the way home when DeWitt remarked to me after the loss to Milwaukee Technical College that "We're not very good."  And that maybe he wasn't so far off in his assessment at the time.  Still, I don't think this loss is going to ruin their season by any means and they've got enough weapons and talent to learn from the mistakes on this night and move forward.  DeWitt, however, must be shaking his head when he sees that his squad shot only 33.8% on this night from FG range and only 12% from behind the arc.  The fact that rebounds were even at 40 is probably another thing that irks DeWitt.  Rebounding has always been a hallmark of DeWitt's tenure at Anoka-Ramsey and it's a rarity when his squad gets out-rebounded.  Lynch's 25 points led all scorers on this night and Howling Wolf was the only other double-digit scorer for the Mystics with her 11 points.  Anoka-Ramsey had a fairly balanced scoring attack with Thomas leading the way with her "double-double" of 20 points and thirteen rebounds.  Correll had 13 points and Lipscomb had 12 points in the losing effort.  

Carleton vs Northwestern 12-14-16

Made my way over to Roseville and Northwestern University's Ericksen Center on this bone-chilling cold mid-December night to take in an intriguing non-conference match-up between visiting Carleton of the MIAC taking on host Northwestern.  Both teams have had a rough start to this season both record-wise and with injuries so tonight would be a great opportunity for both teams to take a big step forward.

There's no question that basketball is a game of runs and this game showcased that fact as the Eagles opened the game on a 7-1 spurt.  Junior guard Amy Berglund first connected with a jumper from the left elbow area at the 9:32 mark and one free throw by junior guard Andrea Zimpel at the 8:57 mark and a short jumper from the left side by Berglund at the 7:31 mark had Northwestern up 5-1.  Senior post Rachel Hart made it a 7-1 game when she connected with a lay-up in transition at the 6:33 mark and Knights acting Head Coach Chris Dahled; taking the place for Cassie Kosiba who was out on a family emergency, called a thirty-second timeout to get his squad regrouped.  That short stoppage in play seemed to loosen up Carleton a little bit as they struggled mightily with the Eagles 2-3 match-up zone that Head Coach Aaron Kahl loves to use.  The Knights were able to counter as freshman reserve posts Erica Ellefson got a score in the paint at the 5:34 mark and a jumper from the left wing with 3:58 left in the opening period by junior guard Sarah Paller narrowed the gap to a single possession at 7-5.  Junior reserve forward Katherine Miles tied the game at 7-all with her score in the paint with 3:10 left before Northwestern could put on the brakes.  Senior guard Tiffany Stubbs drained a "3" from the left wing area with 2:58 left and a Hart lay-up in transition with 2:11 left gave the Eagles a bit more breathing room up 12-7 going into the second period.

Carleton was seemingly back at Square One once a Berglund lay-up at the 8:28 mark of the second period had the Eagles up 14-7 but again the Knights found a way to claw back into the thick of things.  Willowy sophomore forward Cece Leone finally found her touch from behind the arc with a "3" from the left wing area at the 8:12 mark and although Northwestern's Zimpel was able to knock down a "3" from the left corner at the 6:06 mark for a 17-10 Eagle lead, Carleton crept closer. Freshman post Samantha Cooke snared an offensive rebound for a putback and got fouled in the process and her free throw at the 5:51 mark trimmed Northwestern's lead down to 17-13.  Cooke would strike again a bit later at the 5:30 mark with a short shot off the glass that had the Knights back to within a single possession trailing 17-15.  Eagle senior forward Emily VanLith put her squad back up by four at 19-15 with her lay-up in transition with 3:57 left but Leone dropped two free throws with 2:18 left that again had Carleton within that single possession range trailing 19-17.  But the Knights hopes were dampened a bit when sophomore reserve guard Logan Retzlaff snared a steal and dashed the other way for a lay-up with 1:12 left that gave the Eagles a 21-17 lead that they carried into the locker room at the half.  But considering that Carleton shot a frigid 25% from FG range and an even icier 11.1% from behind the arc in the first half, they were probably pretty fortunate to be where they were.  Rebounds were nearly even in the first half with the Eagles holding a 21-19 advantage and turnovers were identical with each team guilty of seven.

Northwestern threatened to put the Knights in a hole again in the early moments of the third period as a Stubbs jumper in the lane at the 9:28 mark and another VanLith lay-up in transition at the 8:16 mark prompted Carleton's Dahled to call a thirty-second timeout down 25-17.  And, just as they had early on in the contest, the Knights responded.  Cooke connected with a short shot at the 8:00 mark and sophomore guard Maddie Talamantes knocked down a jumper from the left elbow area at the 7:22 mark to make up the ground lost early on trailing 25-21.  Junior forward Sarah Waldfogel was able to do the same from that left elbow area at the 6:08 mark that brought Carleton back to within a single possession trailing 25-23 and there was every reason to think that the Knights could build on the 6-0 run that they had established.  Curiously, however, this is where the wheels started to come off for Carleton and the Eagles were quick to jump on the opportunity.  Freshman reserve guard Jazinae Patterson two scores - a steal and lay-up the other way at the 5:06 mark and a drive into the lane and finish with 4:20 left - upped Northwestern's lead to 29-23.  The Knights would again close to within a possession on a Leone drive into the lane and hook shot finish with 3:55 left and one Leone free throw with 3:06 left that made it 29-26 but that's as close as Carleton would get.  Senior reserve post Jessica Brown connected on a short, one-handed jumper for the Eagles with 2:51 left and one free throw by fellow senior post Rachel Hart with 2:07 left made it a 32-26 ballgame.  A Retzlaff "3" from the right corner with 1:08, however, was the real dagger for Carleton as that extended the lead to nine at 35-26 going into the fourth and final period.

The Knights continued to struggle with their shooting touch once the fourth period got underway and Northwestern was able to methodically extend its lead.  Brown snared an offensive rebound for a putback at the 8:34 mark and a score in the paint by Berglund with 7:11 left gave the Eagles their first double-digit advantage at 39-28.  A jumper by Waldfogel from the left wing area at the 6:34 mark brought Carleton back to within single-digit range at 39-30 and Dahled called a thirty-second timeout in desperate hopes of finding a solution.  A Talamantes lay-up in transition at the 5:59 mark closed the gap to seven points at 39-32 but that's where Northwestern effectively put a lid on the Knights basket and held the visitors scoreless down the stretch.  VanLith connected with a lay-up at the 5:43 mark that drew a foul and sent the Minot, North Dakota native to the line for the obligatory free throw that started a game closing 12-0 run.  A short shot from the left side by Stubbs with 4:51 left and one Zimpel freebie with 3:41 left had the Eagles back up safely at 45-32.  A Berglund lay-up with 2:01 left along with two Patterson free throws with 1:22 left and a Retzlaff drive and lay-up for insurance with :29 left helped Northwestern close out a 51-32 win.

A disappointed Dahled pointed to a lot of factors in the loss.  "I told the team we did so many things right - up until the ball left our hand" he said afterward.  One big factor in this game that helped Northwestern get the win was rebounding where the Eagles held a substantial 43-30 edge.  Dahled called his squad's offensive rebounding "our Achilles heel".  The Knights are still operating without their most dynamic player in Anne Hamilton who was in uniform but did not play tonight and likely won't be on the floor until right after the first of the year.  And freshman point guard Katie Chavez is now sideline with a hip injury and her return time is unknown as of this writing.  Paller; the junior from Brooklyn, New York, has stepped in and done a solid job at the point guard spot.  Now it's just all about making things "click" on offense and getting a few more shots to fall.  Northwestern Head Coach Aaron Kahl on the other hand was quite pleased with his team's efforts tonight; particularly on the rebound front.  "The first time we've done that all year" he added.  Presumably, this win will provide a jump start for the Eagles who got off to a very slow start this season as they travel up north for road games at both Finlandia and Northland before heading out to the Bay area where they'll take on both UC-Santa Cruz and Whittier this next week.  One thing that had to please Kahl was that Northwestern had a very balanced scoring attack on this night with Berlund leading the way with her ten points while Stubbs, VanLith and Retzlaff all had seven points and Patterson had six.  Carleton's Leone led all scorers on this night with her 13 points in the losing effort.

Osseo vs Park Center Recap 12-13-16

Made the short hop over to Park Center High School on this frigid Tuesday evening to take in one of the more interesting rivalries in Northwest Suburban Conference Girl's Basketball between visiting Osseo and host Park Center.  This has been something of a down year for Orioles Head Coach Jen Moen and her staff as they adjust to life without Kiara Russell while the Pirates seemingly have found their groove after dumping the Tornadoes last week Thursday night up at Anoka.

Osseo actually got on the board first in this contest as junior forward Tehya Hampton connected with a lay-up at the 17:51 mark but the Pirates quickly responded.  Junior forward Charo Nickens slithered into the paint for a score at the 17:31 mark and senior sharp-shooting guard Ann Simonet connected with a lay-up after a steal in the backcourt at the 16:43 mark.  A lay-up in transition by junior guard Meghan DuBois at the 15:53 mark gave Park Center a 6-2 lead but the Orioles were able to get back to within a single possession when senior guard Mina Porte connected with a lay-up at the 15:00 mark.  Both teams traded three point baskets - senior guard Danielle Schaub's bomb from the left wing area at the 14:41 mark extended the Pirates lead to 9-4 but eighth grade reserve guard Anna Corona nailed a "3" of her own that helped Osseo climb back to within a single possession again at 9-7 at the 14:20 mark.

But this is exactly where the wheels came off for the Orioles as Park Center started hitting them often with pressure defense and traps that completely befuddled Osseo as the Pirates ripped off a game-changing 20-2 run.  The Orioles had come out in a 1-2-2 zone defense in hopes of clogging up the middle but that didn't seem to deter the green and black-clad Park Center team.  Charo Nickens started the run with a lay-up at the 13:29 mark and then a Simonet "3" from the left wing area at the 11:15 mark stretched the lead to 14-8.  One freebie by junior guard Sommer Blakemore at the 10:25 mark and two more by reserve senior post Mikayla Hayes at the 9:48 mark got the lead to 17-8. Junior reserve guard Azsha Michael snared an offensive rebound and putback of her own miss with 7:25 left and then it was Schaub with a steal and lay-up the other way for a 21-8 Park Center lead. Hayes scored in the paint with 6:34 left and then Simonet uncorked another "3" - this one from the right corner with 5:09 left.  Blakemore capped this game-changing run with a "3" from the right top area with 4:14 left that upped the lead to 29-9 and the Orioles' Moen was left with no choice but to call for a timeout with things getting away from her squad.  But Park Center would put its opponent further in the hole as Hayes connected with a short turnaround jumper with 2:52 left and Simonet let loose with another three-point bomb - this one from the left corner with 2:11 left for a 34-10 Pirate lead.  Osseo could only muster one FG in the last two minutes - a Porte lay-up with 1:46 left that drew a foul and sent her to the line for the obligatory free throw but a lay-up by junior reserve guard Naomi Fields with :31 left and a score in the paint by Hayes with just :01 left on the clock before the half capped a great first half for Park Center as they carried an insurmountable 39-15 lead into the locker room.

Things only got worse for the Orioles once the second half got underway as Park Center went on a 13-4 run in the first four minutes.  Hayes snared an offensive rebound of her own miss for a putback to start things and the future Florida Gator knocked down a short jumper in the lane at the 17:08 mark for a 43-17 lead.  Then it was Simonet again from three-point land; this one from the left corner at the 16:34 mark.  Hayes would snare another offensive rebound for a putback at the 16:11 mark and then two Blakemore scores - a lay-up in transition at the 14:46 mark and a drive and finish at the 14:07 mark made it 52-19 and this one was a runaway.  Osseo would try to counter on two Porte scores - a score in the paint at the 13:54 mark and a drive and finish at the 13:28 mark that drew a foul and allowed her to sink the ensuing freebie.  But the Pirates would gradually stretch their lead to the thirty-plus point mark as DuBois made good on a drive and finish at the 13:12 mark and Hayes snared another routine offensive rebound for a putback at the 12:44 mark that made it 56-24. Blakemore would find the range from behind the arc again; dropping one from the right top area at the 12:23 mark for a 59-26 lead.

With such a sizable lead and with things slowly but surely spiraling out of control, Park Center Head Coach Chris VanderHyde started getting his younger reserves into the game for some valuable playing time.  Fields swished a "3" from the left top area at the 11:27 mark and freshman reserve guard Kayla Cox made a drive into the lane for a pretty finish underneath at the 10:29 mark.  Michael scored in the paint at the 10:50 mark and Cox was able to snare a steal and dash the other way for a lay-up at the 10:39 mark for a 68-28 lead.  The Orioles' Moen called another timeout to no avail as Fields snared an offensive rebound for a putback at the 9:00 mark that made it 70-28.  The MSHSL's "Mercy Rule" with running time kicked in shortly thereafter to help speed this lopsided contest to its conclusion.  Pirate freshman reserve guard Aaliyah Ragulen drained a "3" from the right corner with 4:37 left while Porte was able to get two free throws and a lay-up in transition with under four minutes left for Osseo.  A Ragulen drive and finish with :43 left closed things out as Park Center waltzed to a 75-35 win.

The Pirates' VanderHyde was glad he could get a bunch of his young reserves in the game for clean-up duty in the easy win and, perhaps just as important, was able to get out of this one without any nicks or cuts as well.  Park Center will undoubtedly have a much tougher task when they make the run over to Maple Grove on Friday evening to renew another long-standing rivalry with the Crimson. "They're big and they're long" said VanderHyde; who likely remembers all too well how the Pirates faltered down the stretch against a similar opponent in East Ridge almost two weeks ago. Meanwhile, it's quite a comedown for a proud Osseo program that has had its success over the years as names such as Jennie Sunnarborg, Janay Morton, Mikayla Bailey, Kiara Russell, et al come to mind.  One of the best games I've ever seen was when the underdog Orioles; who lost twice to conference rival Centennial in 2008, knocked off the undefeated Cougars in the 5AAAA Championship Game to go to the State Tournament that year and, in fact, the Orioles made it all the way to the State Championship Game in 2012 where they lost to Hopkins.  There are no easy answers out there for Moen and her staff to try and build up the program again; much less as to how long it will take.      

UW-La Crosse vs UST 12-12-16

Made my way over to UST's Schoenecker Arena again on this cold Monday night to take in this intriguing non-conference clash between UW-La Crosse out of the WIAC going up against UST of the MIAC.  While the Tommies would be a heavy favorite in this game coming in with 7-0 record, it would be important for them to not have a letdown of any sort after their easy win over CSB on Saturday.

And UST hardly appeared to have suffered any letdown effects from Saturday as they bolted out of the gate on the opening tip-off with a 15-2 blitzkrieg.  Two scores by senior guard Gabby Zehrer - a drive and lay-up at the 9:48 mark and a "3" from the top of the key at the 9:13 mark - gave the Tommies a quick 5-2 lead and an offensive rebound and putback by fellow senior post Kaitlin Langer at the 8:07 mark upped the advantage to 7-2.  Junior guard Maddie Wolkow then drained a "3" from the top of the key at the 7:14 mark and two scores by sophomore reserve post Hannah Spaulding - a "3" from the left wing in transition at the 5:03 mark and an offensive rebound for a putback with 4:24 left - made it a 15-2 game before the visiting Eagles could finally stop some of the bleeding on an offensive rebound and putback by senior post MaKenzie Miller with 3:37 left.  Zehrer, however, would bang home a "3" from the left wing area with 3:20 left that made it 18-4 and UW-La Crosse Head Coach Karen Middleton decided right there that a thirty-second timeout was needed.  But the Tommies ended the opening period with a 7-1 push as sophomore reserve forward MacKenzie Denk drained a "3" from the right top area with 2:42 left that made it 21-4 and a one-handed scoop shot by Langer in the paint upped the lead to 23-5.  A jumper from the right corner by junior guard/forward Lauren Fischer with just :02 left put an exclamation point on a great start for UST up 25-5 going into the second period.

The Tommies pushed the lead to 29-5 on a jumper in the lane by freshman reserve guard Sarah Krynski and a score in the paint by Zehrer at the 8:24 mark after a steal before UW-La Crosse got on the board again on a lay-up junior forward Elise DeNoyer at the 7:48 mark.  But Fischer would make the Eagles pay for that as she drained back-to-back "3's" - one from the left corner at the 7:29 mark and the other from the left top area at the 5:36 mark - that bulged the lead to 35-7.  UW-La Crosse would finally break into double-digits on two DeNoyer freebies with 4:36 left and a "3" from the left corner by sophomore reserve post Kimmy Johnson with 4:03 left.  But the Tommies would end the first half on a 9-5 run; highlighted by a Krynski "3" from the right wing area with 3:41 left and a drive and finish by Zehrer with 1:36 left gave UST a commanding 44-17 lead at the half.  The Tommies had a big advantage on the boards in the first half by a 39-25 count and shot a blistering 63% from FG range and 57.1% clip from three-point land.  UW-La Crosse, on the other hand, shot a paltry 19.2% from FG range and an ice-cold 16.7% from behind the arc.  And those figures can be attributed to the Tommies defensive prowess which can just sometimes smother an opponent.

In fact, the only fly in the ointment from a UST perspective was the number of fouls committed in the first half and how they kept accumulating once the third period got underway.  After two free throws by senior guard Rachel Atchison at the 9:48 mark allowed the Eagles to creep closer to the twenty-point mark, the home team went right back to work.  Zehrer uncorked a "3" from the right corner at the 9:04 mark but also picked up her third foul a bit later at the 7:45 mark.  Langer would connect with a lay-up in transition at the 7:27 mark and Fischer would drill a "3" from the right corner at the 5:54 mark to up the lead to 54-19.  Denk would tally her fourth foul of the evening with 4:08 left that forced Tommie Head Coach Ruth Sinn to sit her for a spell.  UW-La Crosse could only make incremental dents in the deficit as two free throws by sophomore forward Kylee Marks with 3:22 left and a short running jumper by freshman reserve guard Delaney Schoenenberger with 2:39 left made the score a bit more respectable at 58-26.  Wolkow would add a lay-up for UST with 2:08 left and, although Denk would finally get sent to the pine with her fifth foul with :55.8 left in the period, the Tommies still had a commanding 60-29 lead going into the fourth and final period.

Junior reserve guard Sydney Kannel got the Eagles off on the right track at the beginning of the final period with her "3" from the left wing area at the 8:44 mark but again, UW-La Crosse could never get any substantial run going that would have drastically changed things.  Langer got into the paint for one score at the 8:30 mark and a steal and lay-up the other way by Zehrer at the 8:09 mark allowed UST to keep its opponent at a distance with a 65-32 lead.  Zehrer would find the range again from three-point land; drilling one from the right top that also drew a foul and sent the former Totino-Grace standout to the charity stripe for a free throw that increased the lead to 69-32.  Spaulding was able to score in the paint off of an inbounds pass at the 6:08 mark but also picked up her fourth foul a bit later at the 5:21 mark.  Sophomore reserve guard McKenna DuBois made her second appearance in the game in the fourth period and the former Park Center standout sank two free throws after getting fouled with 3:43 left.  Freshman reserve post Elsa Anderson snared a missed free throw by sophomore reserve post Alexa Naig with 2:40 left and got a putback for a 76-42 UST lead and freshman reserve guard Rachel Esker knocked down a "3" from the top of the key with 1:28 left as the Tommies won this one going away by a score of 81-45.

I asked UST's Sinn afterward about the number of fouls her team was guilty of in this contest (23) and she candidly offered that "We've got to play cleaner."  She also expressed some disappointment on the number of turnovers her squad committed on this night - 18; noting that they're normally in the 11-12 range.  Still, the Tommies are riding a wave right now and these last two blowouts give them a head of steam heading into a big non-conference showdown at Luther down in Decorah, Iowa on Friday night.  And consider as well that the injury bugaboo has already reared its head for the Tommies.  Sophomore guard Bobbi Brendefur out for the season with an ACL injury and fellow sophomore guard Lucia Renikoff with a broken bone in her hand but both Sinn and Renikoff are optimistic and Renikoff could be back sometime after Christmas break or, at the latest, right after the first of the year.  Zehrer led all scorers on this night with her 21 points while Langer just missed out on a "double-double" with her 14 points and nine rebounds and Fischer; perhaps one of the more under-appreciated players in the MIAC, chipped in with 11 points.  

Augsburg vs St. Kate's 12-10-16

After leaving UST's Schoenecker Arena, I made the short hop on Cleveland and Randolph Avenues over to St. Kate's for the 3:00 P.M. game between visiting Augsburg and host St. Kate's.  I got settled in at Butler Center at the 4:10 mark of the first period with the Wildcats up 16-11.

Augsburg managed to close the five-point gap to just one point on two scores by junior reserve forward Bridget Bednar - two free throws with 3:09 left and a lay-up in transition with 2:48 left - that cut the Wildcat lead down to 16-15.  St. Kates would respond with a 6-0 push as senior reserve guard/forward LaShay Holt made a hard drive in traffic and finished with 2:33 left and followed that up with a jumper from the free throw line with 1:42 left.  Senior guard Alexis Garcia capped the run as she scored on a sleek give-and-go lay-up with 1:01 left that got the Wildcat lead back up to seven at 22-15.  The Auggies would close out the opening period with two scores to get back to within a single possession as a drive and finish by freshman sensation guard Aiza Wilson with :50 left and two free throws by fellow freshman guard K'Aezha Wubben with :34.3 left narrowed St. Kate's lead down to 22-19 going into the second period.

The 'Cats opened up the second period on a 7-2 run thanks to the efforts of Holt; the flashy former St. Paul Humboldt standout.  She connected on a lay-up at the 9:34 mark and drew a foul and sank the obligatory free throw for a 25-19 St. Kate's lead and followed that up with another lay-up at the 9:15 mark that pushed the lead to 27-19.  Then Holt made a drive into the lane for a finish at the 7:59 mark that had the 'Cats in a pretty good position for the moment up 29-21.  Augsburg, however, would respond effectively with an 8-0 push.  Wilson dropped a three-point bomb from the left wing area at the 7:30 mark and two free throws by junior forward Hannah Steinhaus at the 7:12 mark got the Auggies back to within a single possession trailing 29-26.  One freebie by freshman forward Camryn Speese at the 6:45 mark and a lay-up in transition by slender freshman reserve forward Abby Jordan suddenly tied the game at 29-all at the 6:22 mark and St. Kate's Head Coach called a timeout to get his squad regrouped.  The Wildcats responded to the challenge as junior guard Audra Clark drained a "3" from the right top area at the 5:57 mark and senior forward Mari Lee dropped a three-point bomb of her own from the top of the key that gave St. Kate's a bit more breathing room with a 35-31 lead with 4:38 left.  Then it was Garcia who first connected with a lay-up in transition that drew a foul and sent the former Hopkins product to the line for the ensuing freebie for a 38-31 advantage and then got into the paint for another score with 3:52 left for a 40-31 Wildcat lead and now it was Augsburg Head Coach Ted Riverso's turn to call a timeout to talk things over with his squad.  But St. Kate's would maintain the cushion down the stretch and build the lead to double-digits.  One free throw by junior guard Meg Clark with 3:01 left and another by Holt with 2:36 left had the 'Cats up 42-34 and then it was Garcia again doing more damage; this time with a "3" from the left wing area with 1:46 left for a 45-34 lead.  Holt would cap this late mini-push with two free throws with just :07.4 left before the half that allowed St. Kate's to take a 47-34 lead into the locker room at the half.  The Wildcats shot significantly better from FG range at a 46.2% clip compared to Augsburg's 33.3% The Auggies held a slight edge on the boards at 23-20 but also had more turnovers at 9-3 in this frenetically-paced ballgame.

St. Kate's got off to a decent enough start at the beginning of the third period as two lay-ups in transition by Lee - one at the 8:43 mark and another at the 7:19 mark - helped maintained the double-digit advantage at 51-39 and one free throw by the former Dawson-Boyd standout at the 6:26 mark still had the Wildcats with a nice little cushion at 52-42.  Just as problematic for Augsburg was that Speese was now saddled with four fouls but they would still find a way to slyly chip and pick away at the deficit.  Two Wubben free throws at the 6:14 mark and two more by Steinhaus at the 5:41 mark had the Auggies back within single-digit range trailing 54-46 and a Steinhaus lay-up with 4:40 left and one Bednar freebie with 4:08 left sliced some more fat off the 'Cat cushion at 56-49.  A Steinhaus score in the paint with 2:47 left and a drive and finish by another freshman sensation - guard Tamira McLemore with 1:58 left - kept the deficit at seven at 60-53.  Freshman reserve guard Ari Jones dropped a "3" from the right wing area with 1:33 left that cut St. Kate's lead down to six at 62-56. Holt would come to the 'Cats rescue in the final moments of the third period as she connected with a jumper from the charity stripe with 1:08 left and got a lay-up after an Augsburg turnover with just :00.6 left in the period that built the lead back up to double digits at 66-56 but the Auggies were not going anywhere anytime soon.

Perhaps the first ominous signs for St. Kate's came in the early moments of the fourth period when Steinhaus got into the paint for a score at the 9:51 mark that again brought the Auggies back to within single digits trailing 66-58.  But if that wasn't bad enough, successive fouls on Wildcat senior forward Kennedy Jennings - who was already riding three fouls - at the 8:35 and 8:19 marks sent the former Dallas Center-Grimes (IA) standout to the pine for the rest of the contest.  St. Kate's would desperately try to hold off the Auggie charge as a "3" from the top of the key by Garcia at the 7:45 mark and a score in the paint by Holt at the 7:19 mark had the Wildcats up 71-62.  Augsburg would counter as McLemore connected with a lay-up in transition at the 7:10 mark and Steinhaus would score in the paint at the 5:49 mark that sliced the Wildcat lead back down to six at 72-66.  St. Kate's would still manage to grab one last double-digit lead in an effort to try and salt this one away. Freshman reserve guard Danica Cambrice got into the paint for a score at the 5:34 mark and Garcia connected on a lay-up in transition with 3:48 left that gave the Wildcats a 76-66 advantage.  But that was more than enough time for Augsburg to mount a comeback.  McLemore would lead this stirring rally as she first connected with a lay-up in transition with 3:39 left and although Speese would foul out of the contest a bit later with 3:16 left, McLemore's score in the paint with 2:33 left had the Auggies back in single-digit range trailing 78-70.  Then the former Eagan standout swished a "3" from the left corner with 1:58 left and Wilson was able to connect with a jumper from the right elbow thirty seconds later that cut St. Kate's lead down to 80-75.  Riverso called a timeout to set up defensive strategy.  The Auggies were able to get a stop on the next St. Kate's possession and, with :48.4 left in regulation, Wubben was fouled and she calmly strode to the charity stripe and sank two freebies that now had Augsburg back to within a single possession trailing 80-77.  Cambrice was fouled on the ensuing Wildcat possession but she was only able to knock down the back end of the two free throws awarded and that left St. Kate's trying to desperately protect a four-point 81-77 lead. Wubben was able to snare an offensive rebound for a putback of her own miss with :35 left that made it an 81-79 game.  Cambrice was again fouled on the ensuing St. Kate's possession with :20.7 left and again, two free throws would have at least made it a two-possession game.  This time around, Cambrice sank the front-end but the back-end attempt was not true and Steinhaus was there for the Auggies to grab the rebound.  Trailing 82-79, Augsburg carefully worked the ball around the court as the seconds ticked away and with :07.8 left, McLemore got just enough of an opening coming off a screen from the right top area to launch a "3" that found nothing but cotton and, just like that, we were tied at 82-all.  With the crowd at Butler Center going bonkers, Pinkerton called a timeout to try and set up one last play to try to win it in regulation.  Naturally, Holt was the main focus and the primary target to try and win the game and on the ensuing possession, she juked and weaved in a desperate attempt to find a bit of a crack in the Auggie defense and, with two defenders on her, she launched a one-handed jumper just before the buzzer sounded that missed its mark so off to overtime we went tied at 82.

Augsburg seemed to have a carry-over effect from the frantic final minutes of regulation that saw them come back from the brink to tie the game as they scored the first four points in the extra five minute session. Two Steinhaus free throws with 4:43 left and then McLemore was able to pick Holt's pocket on the ensuing Wildcat possession and she dashed the other way for a lay-up with 4:32 left that suddenly had the Auggies up 86-82.  The 'Cats were arguably reeling at this point and could have capitulated right then and there.  But perhaps it was at this point that the experience and veteran leadership of this team kicked in and they collectively rose to the challenge and even the younger ones stepped up there game as well.  Cambrice sank two free throws after getting fouled with 4:13 left and St. Kate's was able to get stops on the next two Auggie possessions.  With 3:13 left, Audra Clark found herself open from the right corner and she drained the three-point attempt that now had the Wildcats back up 87-86.  Augsburg was unable to cash in on its next two possessions and Audra Clark was fouled with 2:07 left and was able to get one free throw to go down for an 88-86 lead.  She repeated the act with 1:43 left after another foiled Auggie possession but, again, it still left the door open for Augsburg trailing 89-86.  Even though Wubben was now gone with fouls, the Auggies still had a ton of fight left in them and they managed to throw one last scare into the home team. McLemore was able to connect with a short shot off the glass with 1:26 left that cut St. Kate's lead down to a scant point at 89-88 and after the Wildcats blew two easy lay-ups that could have ended things right then and there, the Auggies had more than enough time to wrest the advantage away. With :36 left, Steinhaus was able to muscle inside for a score that now gave Augsburg a one-point lead and, once again, the 'Cats were forced to claw their way back.

On its ensuing possession, St. Kate's was able to work the ball around and Lee was able to cash in on a lay-up attempt with :15 left that gave the lead back to the Wildcats at 91-90.  Still more than enough time for Augsburg to respond and McLemore; driving harder than a speeding Mack truck, got fouled with :09.1 left.  But McLemore was only able to get the back-end attempt to go down that forged a 91-all deadlock.  Now it was Holt carefully bringing the ball downcourt with the sands of time slowly ticking away.  I kept expecting Holt to make one of her all too famous jukes that would have left the ordinary defender with broken ankles and an opening for her to can the game winner.  Instead, with precious seconds ticking off, Audra Clark slithered through the back door into the paint and Holt spied her with a second left and drilled a pass to her through traffic.  Audra Clark calmly and cooly put up the shot off the glass with just :00.3 left that gave St. Kate's a thrilling 93-91 overtime victory and left the dazed Auggies slowly walking back to their bench wondering what could have been.

Pinkerton and his assistants Tim Kjar and Tim Peper were all heaving huge sighs of relief afterward as the Wildcats improved their record to 6-3 on the season and 2-2 in the MIAC.  I managed to catch up with Lee and Audra Clark later and both said the last play was purely impromptu and the former Kenyon-Wanamingo product just happened to be in the right place at the right time for the buzzer-beater.  Again, I think it just goes to show how this St. Kate's team with the experience and seasoned veteran leadership was able to come through in a dire situation.  The big question going forward is can they do this on the road and steal a few games that they're not supposed to win on paper?  It's how truly tough this conference really is and each victory is precious.  There is nothing that is going to be given you in this league.  Augsburg; which falls to 7-3 overall and 1-3 in the MIAC, now has to regroup and put this one behind them and prepare for a tough non-conference match-up with UW-River Falls this next Saturday.  Despite Meg Clark's last-second heroics that saved the day for St. Kate's, it was actually Garcia who led the way for the Wildcats on this day with her 21 points while Holt was right behind with her 20 points and 14 rebounds.  Audra Clark had 19 points (with the two most important points coming at the end) while both Lee and Cambrice had 13 points.  Not surprisingly, McLemore led the way for Augsburg with her 26 points to lead all scorers while Steinhaus added 22 points and Wubben had 12 points.  Rebounds were nearly even with Augsburg holding a 48-47 edge and turnovers were identical with each team committing 17.  The Wildcats shot a bit better from FG range at 44% compared to the Auggies 39.7% although the two teams were nearly identical from three-point land.  It's the kind of stats you would expect in a tantalizingly close game such as this.