Martin Luther vs Carleton Scrimmage 11-9-16

Traveled down I-35 on this post-election evening to take in a scrimmage battle of Knights - Martin Luther out of the UMAC going up against host Carleton.  From having visited Carleton's practice back on 10-20, I was curious to see where they were at in terms of offensive efficiency and how some of their younger players had progressed in these few short weeks.

Martin Luther would draw first blood in the opening ten minute stanza on a short jumper off the glass by junior guard Jessica Friebe at the 9:13 mark but that would be about the only positive vibe for them as Martin Luther shot several blanks after that which opened the door for Carleton as they grabbed the lead for good at 3-2 on a lay-up by junior forward Sarah Waldfogel at the 7:22 mark.  A score in the paint by freshman post Samantha Cooke that drew a foul and allowed her to sink the obligatory freebie pushed the lead up to 6-2 at the 6:56 mark and a strong drive along the left baseline and finish by fellow freshman guard Katie Chavez with 4:34 left finished this 7-0 push for an 8-2 Carleton lead.  Martin Luther was able to stop some of the bleeding when junior guard Grace Schultz knocked down a free throw with 4:15 left but Carleton was able to get the lead up to 10-3 on a Chavez lay-up with 2:48 mark.  Martin Luther senior forward Faith Schroeder maneuvered down low to get a score in the paint with 2:29 left that cut the Carleton lead down to 10-5 but Carleton would get two more scores to end the first period - a short jumper by Cooke with 2:02 left and an offensive rebound and putback by Cooke with :05 left and I had Carleton taking the first period scrimmage by a count of 14-5.

Martin Luther hoped to change things around in the second period scrimmage and, although neither team deviated from their man-to-man defense that they showed in the opening stanza, the visitors from New Ulm made a determined effort to work the ball inside this time around.  A drive and finish by 6'0" junior forward Jade St. Germaine at the 8:19 mark gave Martin Luther a 2-0 lead and, with the score tied at 4-all, St. Germaine muscled into the paint for another score as the shot clock expired at the 6:38 mark for a 6-4 Martin Luther lead.  But Carleton was able to respond to this challenge as the freshman, Cooke, continued to shine.  She snared an offensive rebound for a putback at the 6:10 mark that knotted the issue at 6-all.  With Carleton clinging to an 8-7 lead, junior forward Katherine Miles drained a "3" from the right wing with 4:37 left and then it was Cooke again snaring another offensive rebound for a putback with 3:56 left for a 13-8 Carleton lead.  St. Germaine was able to help Martin Luther draw closer as two offensive rebounds for putbacks - one with 3:44 left and another with 2:31 left - got this one back to within a single possession at 15-12 and a St. Germaine lay-up with 1:57 left had Martin Luther in that three-point range again trailing 17-14.  But another Miles trey - this one from the left top area with just :03 left - was the dagger and I had Carleton taking this second period scrimmage by a count of 20-14.

Carleton seemed to gain a big dose of confidence going into the third period scrimmage as a lay-up by sophomore forward Cece Leone at the 9:08 mark and a pretty turnaround jumper by Cooke at the 8:34 mark gave Carleton a quick 4-0 lead.  Martin Luther tried to counter on a Friebe jumper from the right top area at the 8:17 mark but Carleton kept putting its opponent into a deeper and deeper hole.  A short jumper from the right side by Cooke at the 7:59 mark and a score in the paint by Leone at the 6:30 mark made it an 8-2 game.  Then Carleton was able to do more damage from behind the arc.  One three point bomb from the right top area by Chavez at the 5:37 mark and one from Miles from the left top area with 4:33 left made it a 14-4 ballgame and things were looking very good for Carleton at this point.  This time around though, Martin Luther was able to turn the tables on the home team.  A drive and finish by St. Germaine with 4:04 left and a Friebe foray into the paint and finish with 3:28 left plus a St. Germaine lay-up with 2:44 left gave Martin Luther a flicker of hope trailing 14-10 and a short jumper by Friebe with 1:57 left suddenly had Carleton's lead down to only 14-12 and a Martin Luther score a short time later with 1:44 left tied this third period scrimmage up at 14-all.  When Schroeder connected with a short shot with 1:08 left, Martin Luther had capped a highly unlikely 12-0 burst to grab a 16-14 advantage.  To its credit, Carleton tried to calmly respond.  A drive and lay-up by Chavez with :48.3 left tied the issue at 16-all and although a St. Germaine lay-up a short time later had Martin Luther up 18-16, Leone was able to give Carleton a brief lead once again with her "3" from the right corner with :36 left for a 19-18 game.  Martin Luther, however, had the last say in this third period affair as Schultz; the 5'8" Elkhorn, Wisconsin native wiggled into the paint with :14 left for the winning basket and I had Martin Luther taking this nip-and-tuck affair by a 20-19 count.

Perhaps feeling a bit miffed over letting such a large cushion slip away from them, Carleton came out with a renewed determination in the final fourth period scrimmage.  Waldfogel got the ball rolling with her steal and lay-up the other way at the 9:05 mark and a two three-point bombs by sophomore guard Caroline Hull - one from the right top area at the 7:08 mark and one from the right wing area at the 6:39 mark - made it 8-0 but Carleton was just getting started.  Miles was able to get into the paint for a score at the 6:14 mark and a sweet crossover dribble and lay-up by Chavez at the 5:38 mark made it 12-0 and a score in the paint by freshman forward Malika Adda-Berkane at the 5:04 mark completed this opening 14-0 blitzkrieg before Martin Luther could finally stop some of the bleeding with a score with 4:37 left.  But a Miles "3" from the right top area with 3:55 left made it a 17-2 game and Martin Luther simply could not recover although one score by freshman guard Faith Otte with 3:33 left and a steal and lay-up the other way by sophomore guard Sarah Dewey with 2:46 left made things a bit more respectable at 17-6 and a score in the paint by lanky freshman forward Ruth Buchholz got Martin Luther a bit closer trailing 17-8.  A "3" from the left wing area by sophomore guard Maddie Talamantes stretched Carleton's lead to 20-8 with 1:47 left but Martin Luther did manage to make inroads in the waning moments.  An Otte lay-up in transition with :46 left and an Otte drive and finish with :02 left cut Carleton's lead down to 21-12 and, after a Carleton turnover, freshman forward Zeck Jordan was able to connect with a short jumper off the glass just before the buzzer but it wasn't nearly enough as Carleton took this fourth and final scrimmage by a count I tallied at 21-14.

I was able to catch up afterward with Carleton Head Coach Cassie Kosiba and Assistant Coach Chris Dahled and both expressed pleasure with how things have progressed with the team in the nearly one-month period since practice began in mid-October.  Some kinks to work out, of course, but progress has definitely been made.  Dahled told me beforehand that he hoped that they would have at least twenty up-tempo opportunities on offense and, by his count anyway, they were able to achieve that.  I mentioned to Kosiba that I thought it was important for the team to function well without junior Anne Hamilton on the floor (who is still recovering from a knee injury and is expected to be back in a couple of weeks or so).  She quickly agreed with that as did Dahled who says that Hamilton has the ability to make everyone on the floor better when she's around.  Probably just as important, the team was able to gain some confidence that they can do well; particularly the younger players who had some good moments on this evening.  If they can continue to perform well - and stay healthy - Carleton will be a fun team to watch this season for sure.