The fourth and final Class AAAA quarterfinal game pitted another Northwest Suburban Conference team, Anoka, going up against heavily favored Minnetonka. And although the Skippers would be a prohibitive favorite in this game, STMA found out the hard way that you'd better not take anyone for granted once you're on the Big Stage.
Surprisingly it would be the Tornadoes setting the tempo of this one early on. Two lay-ups by senior guard Naomi Torgerson - one at the 15:32 mark and another one at the 13:23 mark - helped Anoka forge an 8-6 advantage and a score in the paint by junior post Brittany Bongartz at the 11:52 mark upped the Tornado advantage to 10-6. The Skippers would come right back, however, as a "3" from the top of the key at the 11:15 mark by sophomore reserve guard Megan Walker and a lay-up by senior forward Courtney Fredrickson along with an offensive rebound and putback by lanky sophomore guard Chrissy Carr knotted the issue at 13-all with 8:44 left. The teams would trade small leads over the next four minutes and after Naomi Torgerson put Anoka up 19-17 with her steal and lay-up the other way with 5:07 left, Minnetonka made its first decisive move in the form of a 9-0 run; sparked by senior forward Lizzie Odegard as the Skippers found themselves up 26-19 with 3:07 left. Two free throws by Anoka junior forward Abby Slater with 2:58 left temporarily stopped the bleeding but then a 9-0 Skipper blitz put the Tornadoes in further doo-doo. One score in the paint by Odegard with 2:42 left and a "3" from the right top area by senior guard Hannah Hedstrom with 2:02 left gave Minnetonka a ten-point cushion at 31-21. A steal and lay-up the other way by the athletic Carr with 1:40 left and two free throws by Walker with 1:10 left capped this run and although Naomi Torgerson was able to sink a "3" from the right wing with :35 left, Anoka found themselves on the wrong end of a 38-27 score at the half.
A quick 6-0 run by the Skippers to start the second half helped put this one out of reach for Anoka as a Carr steal and lay-up the other way at the 16:53 mark and a lay-up in transition by senior guard Grace Allen at the 15:21 mark helped up the Minnetonka lead to 44-27 and a Carr lay-up at the 14:34 mark made it a 46-29 ballgame. Tornado Head Coach Scott Antl, realizing that this one was quickly getting away from his squad, called a timeout to try and turn the tide but there would be no comeback on this day. The Skippers stretched the lead to 53-30 by the 10:50 mark. Two scores by Walker - a "3" from the left top area and a lay-up in transition helped Minnetonka stretch the lead even further at 63-30 and the rout was on. Numerous Anoka turnovers and easy Skipper transition shots helped fuel this second half blitz. The proud Tornadoes certainly did not give up the fight as two free throws by Naomi Torgerson with 7:49 left and two more by Bongartz with 6:17 left helped make dents but Anoka never could sustain any meaningful run. Minnetonka Head Coach Leah Dasovich sent in her subs for mop-up duty late as the Skippers rolled into the semifinals with a convincing 71-40 victory.
I asked Minnetonka's Fredrickson; who was one of three Skippers to finish this game with ten points, if she felt that this team has something to prove now that they've finally reached their long-standing goal of getting to state. "Definitely.....I think we've been very underrated and underlooked" and added that she and her team are playing "with a chip on their shoulder". Skipper Head Coach Leah Dasovich concurred with Fredrickson's statement and added that her squad came out of a very challenging section (in defeating Shakopee) but when the sections were realigned after last season and the Skippers found themselves placed in a section that didn't include longtime rival Hopkins, it was "a new opportunity for life". Needless to say, Minnetonka has - so far anyway - made the most of this second chance. On the other side, Anoka Head Coach Scott Antl admitted that the Skippers "wore us down"; adding that their ability to be physical hurt his team in the long run. "And we're a little banged up" he added; noting that his post player suffered an ankle injury last week. I asked Torgerson, who had a terrific high school career for the Tornadoes, what was going on when Minnetonka went on that quick 6-0 run to begin the second half. "I was just trying to get them back together....Just get them calmed down and play together and play defense." Indeed, her 17 points on this day led the way for Anoka in the losing effort and her playmaking ability; not to mention her leadership, will be sorely missed by Antl and his staff.
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