The second Class AA Quarterfinal game on this Wednesday afternoon featured another intriguing match-up - fifth-seeded Pequot Lakes taking on fourt-seeded Roseau that promised to be full of fireworks. The Rams came into last year's state tournament and made quite a splash; making it to the semifinals so being somewhat familiar with this team helped a bit. I was anxious to catch the Pequot Lakes team coming into the state tournament with a solid 27-3 record and they survived a tough challenge from Esko in the Section 7AA Championship Game.
From the outset, it appeared as if this contest might be a battle of contrasting styles - the up-tempo run-and-gun style of the Rams vs the slower half-court style that the Patriots feel much more at home with. Roseau used this up-tempo style to their advantage early on; building a 9-2 advantage by the 14:00 mark and Pequot Lakes Head Coach Jon Dale called a thirty-second timeout to discuss things with his team. The Patriots came out of that timeout with a renewed sense of determination and promptly used a run of their own to build a small lead at 23-19 on the strength of a "3" from the right wing by senior guard Haley Wieboldt at the 13:22 mark and a Wieboldt lay-up in transition at the 9:06 mark. Another Wieboldt three-point bomb - this one coming from the left wing area with 7:08 left built the Patriot lead to five at 28-23 and it looked like the Rams could be in a bit of trouble but Roseau battled back down the stretch and reclaimed the lead. The really fun thing about watching this Roseau team is the trio of Borowicz sisters on the squad - junior Kiley, freshman Kacie and seventh-grader Katie. The Rams slowly chipped away at the deficit and one Katie Borowicz free throw with 3:06 left and a Kiley Borowicz lay-up in transition with 2:21 left put Roseau back out in front 37-36 and with 1:39 left Kiley Borowicz struck again with another lay-up in transition that gave the Rams a 39-36 lead going into the locker room at the half and some of the early confidence that Pequot Lakes had was now in a somewhat delicate state.
Roseau picked up where they left off at the beginning of the second half and their ability to get rebounds and get into transition had the Patriots seemingly on their heels. Holding a 47-43 lead; junior guard Ivy Braaten unleashed a "3" from the right corner at the 13:20 mark that upped the margin to seven at 50-43 and it looked as if the Rams were in a position to take firm control right then and there. Pequot Lakes had other ideas and was able to slyly chip away at the Ram lead and got back to within a single possession before the Borowicz sisters rained on their parade again. Kacie Borowicz knocked down a short jumper at the 10:31 mark and then Katie Borowicz drained a dagger "3" from the right wing off of an inbounds pass that helped forge a 61-53 advantage with 8:24 left and had the Bulldogs Dale taking a match to another timeout. A gamey Pequot Lakes team would respond and get dangerously close again; cutting the Ram lead down to a single possession at 63-60 when junior reserve forward Sam Littman knocked down one free throw after getting fouled with 6:05 left. Once again, though, it was the Borowicz sisters to the rescue for Roseau. One Kiley Borowicz lay-up in transition with 4:33 left and two Kiley Borowicz freebies with 3:28 left helped key a crucial 11-0 run that had the Rams up 74-63 with 3:10 left and Pequot Lakes' Dale was forced to use another timeout as the Patriots hopes started to dim. Kiley Borowicz knocked down two insurance freebies with 1:28 left and the Rams were able to run out the clock in the final minute to earn a hard-fought 78-65 victory to get into the semifinals for the second straight year in a row.
A happy Roseau Head Coach Kelsey Didrikson afterward felt good about how she and her staff were able to adjust the gameplan as the contest progressed and expressed that "I feel really confident when our team has the lead.....and we're really at taking care of the ball late in the game." I asked Didrikson about how the Borowicz trio seems to play so well despite their youth and she pointed out the amount of basketball they've played together since their early days and the amount of big games that they've already played in. I also asked Didrikson about the prospects going forward and if her squad is ready to take things a step further this time around. "Absolutely.....We're excited about the opportunity!" Additionally, I had a chance to speak with all three of the Borowicz sisters afterward as well. Kacie on how well she and her sister's play together: "We've been playing together for so long that I know where she (either sister) is going to be." Katie on possibly being nervous out there: "Well, right away there is but when I start playing there isn't." Kiley on being the guiding rod for her younger sisters: "If I didn't have them to play with it'd be hard because we all know what each other's going to do." So it's no wonder, I suppose, that it was Kylie who led Roseau on this day with her double-double of 33 points and 13 rebounds while junior guard Ivy Braaten chipped in with 14 points and Kacie added 11 points. For Pequot Lakes, Wieboldt led the way with her 22 points while sophomore forward Karli Skog added 16 points and junior post Corina Ruud chipped in with 13 points.
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