The third Class AA Quarterfinal game was an enticing match-up pitting unseeded Norwood-Young America going up against second-seeded Sauk Centre. The Mainstreeters made quite a splash at last year's state tournament; making it all the way to the state title game before falling late to Dover-Eyota so, presumably anyway,
Sauk Centre; which features an interesting blend of youth and experience, built a 12-5 lead by the 14:29 mark primarily on the strength of three-point bombs by senior guard Morgan Greenwaldt and, despite the imposing presence of lanky sophomore post Bren Fox, the Raiders looked out of sorts in the opening moments of the first half; blowing several easy scoring opportunities. Norwood-Young America was also experiencing defensive lapses as well and Greenwaldt made the Raiders pay again at the 12:28 mark with another three-point bomb; this one coming from the left wing that established a ten-point Mainstreeter cushion at 15-5. Still another Greenwaldt trey - this one coming from the left corner at the 11:05 mark established a 21-7 Sauk Centre lead and a harried Norwood-Young America Head Coach Gary Lembcke felt compelled to use a thirty-second timeout to try and get his squad calmed down. Still another Raider defensive lapse left Greenwaldt alone behind the arc from the left top area with 8:49 left and she made Norwood-Young America pay again for a 28-9 Mainstreeter lead. A "3" from the top of the key by sophomore guard Maesyn Theisen with 6:10 gave Sauk Centre a 36-12 lead and Norwood-Young America was effectively put in a vice grip but another Theisen three-point bomb from the left corner with 5:18 left had the Mainstreeters up 39-13 and the Raiders appeared buried in an avalanche of heavy Sauk Centre artillery. Fortunately for Norwood-Young America, Sauk Centre finally began to cool off from three-point land down the stretch and although late scores by the lanky Fox put a few dents in the Mainstreeter cushion, the Raiders were staring at a nearly insurmountable 45-25 deficit going into the locker room at the half.
Sauk Centre's cushion slowly grew as the second half got underway and two scores by Theisen - a short jumper at the 16:42 mark and a lay-up in transition at the 14:43 mark - stretched the lead out to 51-27. To its credit, the Raiders embarked on an 10-0 push over the next four minutes that cut into the Sauk Centre cushion at 51-37 by the 9:45 mark and another small push had Norwood-Young America down only thirteen at 53-40 with ample time left. But the Mainstreeters dug in their heels and put this one away for good down the stretch. Two free throws by sophomore guard Kelsey Peschel with 6:06 left and a steal and lay-up the other way by Greenwaldt with 5:53 left got the lead back up to seventeen points at 57-40 and two scores by junior reserve guard Jill Klaphake - a jumper from the free throw line with 4:51 left and a jumper from the right elbow area with 4:18 left - put Sauk Centre back up safely at 61-42. Mainstreeter Head Coach Scott Bergman sent in the reserves late and Sauk Centre recorded a 70-51 victory to move into the semifinals.
I asked Sauk Centre Head Coach Scott Bergman afterward if complacency may have played a role in allowing Norwood-Young America to chip away at the cushion that his team had built at the half. "It's hard not to (get complacent)" he said, adding that he tells the team to stay focused and concentrate on defense and rebounding. "You tell the girls to come out with a 'zero to zero' mentality but it's tough not to." Kelsey Peschel grudgingly admitted that there may have been some complacency with the big halftime lead but also pointed out that a lot of the shots that were falling in the first half weren't falling in the second half. Theisen on trying to capture a state title: "I would say that we gotta play like we've got nothing to lose....gotta leave it all out there." Greenwaldt on her 5-10 shooting from three-point land: "It was my night.....It felt good." Greenwaldt admitted that she and her teammates were possibly not as aggressive as they needed to be in the second half but in the end, they came through with the win. Greenwaldt's terrific performance on this night with her 21 points led the way for Sauk Centre while Theisen added 14 points and both Kelsey Peschel and Klaphake added ten points a piece. For Norwood-Young America, Fox led the way with her ten points and nine rebounds in the losing effort.
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