Osseo vs Park Center Recap 12-13-16

Made the short hop over to Park Center High School on this frigid Tuesday evening to take in one of the more interesting rivalries in Northwest Suburban Conference Girl's Basketball between visiting Osseo and host Park Center.  This has been something of a down year for Orioles Head Coach Jen Moen and her staff as they adjust to life without Kiara Russell while the Pirates seemingly have found their groove after dumping the Tornadoes last week Thursday night up at Anoka.

Osseo actually got on the board first in this contest as junior forward Tehya Hampton connected with a lay-up at the 17:51 mark but the Pirates quickly responded.  Junior forward Charo Nickens slithered into the paint for a score at the 17:31 mark and senior sharp-shooting guard Ann Simonet connected with a lay-up after a steal in the backcourt at the 16:43 mark.  A lay-up in transition by junior guard Meghan DuBois at the 15:53 mark gave Park Center a 6-2 lead but the Orioles were able to get back to within a single possession when senior guard Mina Porte connected with a lay-up at the 15:00 mark.  Both teams traded three point baskets - senior guard Danielle Schaub's bomb from the left wing area at the 14:41 mark extended the Pirates lead to 9-4 but eighth grade reserve guard Anna Corona nailed a "3" of her own that helped Osseo climb back to within a single possession again at 9-7 at the 14:20 mark.

But this is exactly where the wheels came off for the Orioles as Park Center started hitting them often with pressure defense and traps that completely befuddled Osseo as the Pirates ripped off a game-changing 20-2 run.  The Orioles had come out in a 1-2-2 zone defense in hopes of clogging up the middle but that didn't seem to deter the green and black-clad Park Center team.  Charo Nickens started the run with a lay-up at the 13:29 mark and then a Simonet "3" from the left wing area at the 11:15 mark stretched the lead to 14-8.  One freebie by junior guard Sommer Blakemore at the 10:25 mark and two more by reserve senior post Mikayla Hayes at the 9:48 mark got the lead to 17-8. Junior reserve guard Azsha Michael snared an offensive rebound and putback of her own miss with 7:25 left and then it was Schaub with a steal and lay-up the other way for a 21-8 Park Center lead. Hayes scored in the paint with 6:34 left and then Simonet uncorked another "3" - this one from the right corner with 5:09 left.  Blakemore capped this game-changing run with a "3" from the right top area with 4:14 left that upped the lead to 29-9 and the Orioles' Moen was left with no choice but to call for a timeout with things getting away from her squad.  But Park Center would put its opponent further in the hole as Hayes connected with a short turnaround jumper with 2:52 left and Simonet let loose with another three-point bomb - this one from the left corner with 2:11 left for a 34-10 Pirate lead.  Osseo could only muster one FG in the last two minutes - a Porte lay-up with 1:46 left that drew a foul and sent her to the line for the obligatory free throw but a lay-up by junior reserve guard Naomi Fields with :31 left and a score in the paint by Hayes with just :01 left on the clock before the half capped a great first half for Park Center as they carried an insurmountable 39-15 lead into the locker room.

Things only got worse for the Orioles once the second half got underway as Park Center went on a 13-4 run in the first four minutes.  Hayes snared an offensive rebound of her own miss for a putback to start things and the future Florida Gator knocked down a short jumper in the lane at the 17:08 mark for a 43-17 lead.  Then it was Simonet again from three-point land; this one from the left corner at the 16:34 mark.  Hayes would snare another offensive rebound for a putback at the 16:11 mark and then two Blakemore scores - a lay-up in transition at the 14:46 mark and a drive and finish at the 14:07 mark made it 52-19 and this one was a runaway.  Osseo would try to counter on two Porte scores - a score in the paint at the 13:54 mark and a drive and finish at the 13:28 mark that drew a foul and allowed her to sink the ensuing freebie.  But the Pirates would gradually stretch their lead to the thirty-plus point mark as DuBois made good on a drive and finish at the 13:12 mark and Hayes snared another routine offensive rebound for a putback at the 12:44 mark that made it 56-24. Blakemore would find the range from behind the arc again; dropping one from the right top area at the 12:23 mark for a 59-26 lead.

With such a sizable lead and with things slowly but surely spiraling out of control, Park Center Head Coach Chris VanderHyde started getting his younger reserves into the game for some valuable playing time.  Fields swished a "3" from the left top area at the 11:27 mark and freshman reserve guard Kayla Cox made a drive into the lane for a pretty finish underneath at the 10:29 mark.  Michael scored in the paint at the 10:50 mark and Cox was able to snare a steal and dash the other way for a lay-up at the 10:39 mark for a 68-28 lead.  The Orioles' Moen called another timeout to no avail as Fields snared an offensive rebound for a putback at the 9:00 mark that made it 70-28.  The MSHSL's "Mercy Rule" with running time kicked in shortly thereafter to help speed this lopsided contest to its conclusion.  Pirate freshman reserve guard Aaliyah Ragulen drained a "3" from the right corner with 4:37 left while Porte was able to get two free throws and a lay-up in transition with under four minutes left for Osseo.  A Ragulen drive and finish with :43 left closed things out as Park Center waltzed to a 75-35 win.

The Pirates' VanderHyde was glad he could get a bunch of his young reserves in the game for clean-up duty in the easy win and, perhaps just as important, was able to get out of this one without any nicks or cuts as well.  Park Center will undoubtedly have a much tougher task when they make the run over to Maple Grove on Friday evening to renew another long-standing rivalry with the Crimson. "They're big and they're long" said VanderHyde; who likely remembers all too well how the Pirates faltered down the stretch against a similar opponent in East Ridge almost two weeks ago. Meanwhile, it's quite a comedown for a proud Osseo program that has had its success over the years as names such as Jennie Sunnarborg, Janay Morton, Mikayla Bailey, Kiara Russell, et al come to mind.  One of the best games I've ever seen was when the underdog Orioles; who lost twice to conference rival Centennial in 2008, knocked off the undefeated Cougars in the 5AAAA Championship Game to go to the State Tournament that year and, in fact, the Orioles made it all the way to the State Championship Game in 2012 where they lost to Hopkins.  There are no easy answers out there for Moen and her staff to try and build up the program again; much less as to how long it will take.