The second Class AAA semifinal game pitted teams from two towns on rival railroads important mainlines - Becker; located just northwest of the Twin Cities on U.S. Highway 10 and the BNSF's Staples Sub mainline and Winona; down the River on U.S. Highway 61 and the Canadian Pacific Railway's River Sub mainline. Both teams had a healthy showing of students, fans and parents in attendance and although Winhawks would be a favorite in this game as the second-seeded team, you couldn't completely count out the Bulldogs who shocked third-seeded St. Paul Como Park a day ago over at Mariucci Arena.
This game started off as something as a cat and mouse contest with both teams feeling each other out and trying to match each minor blow delivered. A "3" from the top of the key by junior guard Eden Nibbelink at the 14:10 mark had Winona out 5-2 but that was answered by a 3" by Bulldog senior guard Amanda Lindsay from the right wing area at the 12:11 mark that gave Becker a slight edge at 7-5. Becker would get a 12-9 lead on a lay-up in transition by Lindsay at the 10:48 mark but the Winhawks would forge a 12-12 deadlock with 8:15 left on the strength of a lay-up by senior forward Hallee Hoeppner and one free throw by junior reserve guard Maria Appicelli. Winona would build a 17-12 lead on the strength of another Nibbelink trey; this one from the left wing area at the 6:13 mark but by this time, Becker Head Coach Paul Lindsay had already unleashed his secret weapon - 8th grade reserve guard Mackenzie Kramer who made quite a splash yesterday over at Mariucci Arena. One Kramer trey with 5:54 left and another one with 4:31 left helped the Bulldogs cut Winona's lead down to a scant two points at 20-18 and although the Winhawks were able to get the lead to 22-18 going into the locker room at the half, Winona Head Coach Tim Gleason had to know that his squad could be in a tough battle the rest of the way.
Maybe it was just a sense of urgency or perhaps the Winhawks got a good chewing out in the locker room at the half from Gleason. Whatever the reason, Winona came out with renewed energy at the beginning of the second half and a 5-0 surge; fueled by a "3" from the left top area by Hoeppner put the Winhawks up 27-18 at the 15:51 mark and Becker looked to be in a tough spot in the early stages of this second half but a resourceful Bulldog squad battled their way right back into the thick of things. One "3" from the right wing by senior guard Alexa Hanowski at the 13:39 mark and a "3" from the right wing in transition by Lindsay at the 12:21 mark cut Winona's lead down to 27-24 and the Becker student section was roaring. Two scores by the Winhawks Nibbelink had Winona back up 32-28 with 5:44 left but those pesky Bulldogs were not going anywhere just yet. A turnaround jumper by senior post Alex Johnson with 4:46 left and a three-point bomb from the left wing by fellow senior guard Alexa Hanowski with 3:28 left suddenly had Becker back out in front 33-32. Now it was time for the Winhawks to respond. An offensive rebound and putback by junior post Danneka Voegelli with 3:04 left and two Voegelli free throws with 1:58 left had Winona back up 36-33. Still plenty of time for the Bulldogs to respond but when they needed one big shot to either get to within one or a "3" to tie the game, they just couldn't get the ball to drop. Kramer missed a jumper with :57 left and the rebound went to Winona junior reserve guard Justine Schultz and she was promptly fouled and she was able to get the front end of the two-shot foul opportunity to go down for a 37-33 lead. Now down by more than one possession, Becker needed a "3" or two quick jumpers. Johnson missed one jumper with :28 left and a three-point attempt by Kramer with :18 left refused to go through the cylinder as well. Senior guard Abbigail Morrell let loose with a vain three-point attempt with :02 left that missed its target and Winona hung on to claim a tough 37-33 victory.
Becker Head Coach Paul Lindsay admitted afterward that Winona's 2-3 "match-up" zone not only made it tough on his players to get into the lane for possible scoring opportunities but also caused a lot of problems for his guards out on the perimeter because of their length. Indeed, Amanda Lindsay admitted that Winona's tough defense caused a multitude of problems for her and her teammates. "They were up in my shorts the whole game." I had to ask the eighth-grader, Kramer, how she handled this situation today playing at Williams Arena after the big win yesterday over at Mariucci Arena. "My teammates have done a really good job supporting me and.....they really help me." For Winona, I asked Gleason if the 2-3 zone that he employed in this contest was designed specifically for this game with Becker. "It's sort of what we've been doing for the last month of the season.....We've been trying to cover up shooters for the last month." Gleason also went on to say that, playing in the Big Nine Conference, they normally go up against a lot of very good post players in southern Minnesota and this definitely prepared them in this contest today. "We just tried to employ our principles and tried to stay true to who we are." I also asked Gleason about if a low-scoring game such as this; a defensive-minded battle, is good for this squad going into the championship game on Saturday. Gleason: (laughing) We like to play fast....we really like to get up and down and go!.......We'll play whatever style we need to." Nibbelink led the Winhawks on this day with her 11 points while Hoeppner added nine points to highlight the scoring. For Becker, both Hanowski and Johnson added eight points a piece while Lindsay and Kramer each had six points in the losing effort.
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