The first of the Class AA Quarterfinal games on this Wednesday afternoon featured two more teams that I'm not very familiar with - unseeded Holy Family going up against top seed Plainview-Elgin-Millville. But Fire Head Coach Ellen Thompson had a long stint as Macalester's Head Coach and it's no surprise at all that Holy Family found its way to the state tourney and garnered an 18-11 record on the way playing some very, very good teams during the season. From the advice of some of the wonks on press row, I was told that this could be a very good game so it was time to hunker down and take in the action.
The favored Bulldogs would get off to a decent start in this contest; building a 7-3 advantage by the 14:41 mark on a lay-up by senior guard Tessa Hubbard and although Holy Family would close the gap to 7-5 a bit later, Plainview-Elgin-Millville established a six-point cushion by the 11:25 mark at 11-5 and a score in the paint by junior post Emmaline Polson at the 10:14 mark maintained the six-point edge at 13-7. The Bulldogs would put Holy Family in a tough spot, though, just beyond the midway point of the first half with a stingy defense that limited opportunities down low and offensive strikes in transition on turnovers. An 8-1 run; fueled by scores in the paint by sophomore reserve post Hayley Dessner with 7:45 left and one by senior forward Chloe Holtz with 7:12 left made it a 21-8 ballgame and the Fire's Thompson had no choice but to take a match to a full timeout to discuss things with her team. Unfortunately for Holy Family, the stoppage in play did little to slow the drive of the Bulldogs in the first half. Another score in the paint by Dessner with 5:40 left and a lay-up in transition by Polson with 4:45 left stretched Plainview-Elgin-Millville's lead to 27-12 and a lay-up by senior forward Chloe Holtz that drew a foul and sent her to the line for the obligatory freebie extended the lead to 30-13. A Hubbard drive and finish with 3:32 helped the Bulldogs go into the locker room with a cozy 32-15 advantage at the half and things looked bleak for the Fire at this point.
A 7-2 Bulldog run in the opening three minutes of the first half effectively put Holy Family behind the 8-ball. A Polson lay-up at the 16:17 mark and a Polson offensive rebound and putback at the 15:37 mark got the lead to 36-17 and a three-point bomb from the top of the key by senior guard Sarah Hart at the 14:55 mark made it a 39-17 game. The Fire's hopes weren't completely doused yet as junior guard Brooke Bowlin drained one trey from the top of the key at the 11:42 mark and a pretty lay-up in transition by freshman reserve guard Leigh Steiner at the 10:09 mark kept the flame burning but Holy Family simply was unable to establish a sustained run that would have seriously threatened a bigger and stronger Bulldog team. I think the thing that impressed me most about Plainview-Elgin-Millville is their guard play and the parts they have coming off the bench to supplement the backcourt play. Sure, Polson is a very solid post player and her play down low played a key role in the Bulldog's victory this afternoon. But these guards like Holtz, Hubbard and junior Morgan Shindelar can attack inside and play defense as well. When all these components are working together in harmony, Plainview-Elgin-Millville can be a very tough team to beat and the only blemish on this year's schedule - so far anyway - was a 56-55 overtime loss to Rochester Mayo right before the first of the year. Bulldog Head Coach Jason Melbostad was able to send in his reserves late and Plainview-Elgin-Millville cruised into the semifinals with a 59-38 victory.
A disappointed but upbeat Thompson of Holy Family admitted afterward that some nerves and not being able to execute the way they needed to led to her squad's downfall in this one. I did ask Thompson if getting here will prove to be a big boost for her program going forward. "Absolutely it does" she quickly replied noting that her team has worked hard all year and the young core of players coming back will benefit from this experience. On the Plainview-Elgin-Millville side, I got to speak with two of the Bulldog players - Hubbard and Holtz - about how well the guards play together on this squad and the common theme from both players was how long they've been playing together (6th grade as a matter of fact) and the time spent together really helps in knowing each other's tendencies and likes/dislikes and how that all translates to success on the court. Both players admitted the pressure in the state tournament setting is there; particularly as a number one seed but as Holtz told me, "It's nothing we can't handle." Bulldog Head Coach Jason Melbostad could only concur with what Hubbard and Holtz told me. "They know how to attack the rim....They've got a good feel for each other and they're very good at helping defend." Certainly if the backcourt group from Plainview-Elgin-Millville plays like the way they did today, they'll be very, very tough to beat. Dessner led the way for the Bulldogs on this day with her 12 points while Holtz chipped in with 11 points and senior guard Sarah Hart added 10 points. On the Holy Family side, both Bowlin and senior forward Molly Smith contributed 11 points and Smith would also tally 12 rebounds as well.
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