Park Center Holiday Basketball Showcase - Orono vs Champlin Park 12-28-16

Was over at Park Center High School on this Wednesday afternoon to check out the Park Center Holiday Basketball Showcase that featured Rogers, Minnetonka, Orono, Champlin Park, Elk River and, of course, host Park Center.  The 3:45 P.M. game featured two programs that have had a fair amount of success over the years - Orono out of the Wright County East Conference taking on Champlin Park out of the Northwest Suburban Conference.

The navy blue-clad Rebels wasted little time in grabbing a firm hand in this contest in the form of a game-opening 7-0 run.  6'1" senior forward Allison Gerads unleashed a "3" from the right wing area at the 17:24 mark to start things and a lay-up by spark plug junior guard Erica Hicks finished the run at the 16:42 mark on a lay-up that drew a foul and resulted in an obligatory freebie.  Orono would close the gap to 7-4 by the 16:09 mark but an 8-0 run fueled by a Hicks "3" from the left corner at the 15:10 mark and a sweet give-and-go lay-up by Hicks at the 13:18 mark made it a 15-4 game and new Spartan Head Coach Lavesa Glover knew full and well that a timeout was in order.

A Hicks "3" from the left corner at the 9:55 mark got the Champlin Park lead to twelve points at 20-8 before the Spartans were able to whittle some of the fat off of the deficit.  Senior guard Natalie Smaron muscled into the paint for a score at the 9:31 mark that drew a foul and resulted in the ensuing free throw that got Orono back into single-digit range trailing 20-11 and a "3" from the right wing with 8:45 left by fellow senior guard Tori Andrew got the Spartans a bit closer trailing 22-14. But Champlin Park; specifically Hicks, would step on the gas again.  A drive and finish with 8:29 left that drew a foul and sent her to the charity stripe for a free throw and a lay-up in transition with 7:17 left made it 27-14.  Orono looked like it had recovered as one Andrew free throw with 6:55 left and a score in the paint by junior guard Madeline Loder with 6:22 left in the first half got the deficit back down to ten at 27-17 and an Andrew lay-up with 5:56 left had the Spartans back to within single-digits again at 27-19.  Once again the Rebels would rise to the challenge and slam the door shut. Lanky junior forward Gabby Mocchi snared an offensive rebound for a putback with 5:10 left and two scores by junior reserve forward Grace Worwa - an offensive rebound and putback of her own miss with 4:43 left and an offensive rebound and putback with 4:27 left - pushed the lead back up fourteen at 33-19 and Orono's Glover called another timeout in hopes of stemming the tide.  The Rebels, however, maintained that fourteen point cushion down the stretch of the first half and a "3" from the right top area by junior reserve forward Megan Munneke with just :07 left before the half that gave Champlin Park a 42-26 lead going into the locker room.

The Spartans needed a spark to get them going in the second half and a short jumper by junior post Gabby Germanson at the 17:08 mark helped but Champlin Park had no interest in letting their opponent close the gap anytime soon.  A Hicks lay-up in transition at the 15:19 mark ignited a 10-4 Rebel run.  Lanky 6'2" sophomore post Makayla Johnson got a lay-up in transition as well at the 14:55 mark and a drive and finish by Hicks at the 13:58 mark made it a 48-30 ballgame.  Even though the youngster Johnson would get tagged with her fourth foul at the 12:33 mark, Champlin Park kept the beat going as another Hicks drive and finish at the 12:18 mark and a Mocchi lay-up at the 11:42 mark expanded the Rebel lead to twenty at 52-32.

Orono; which struggled all game long with its half-court offense which in part was stymied by an athletic and long Rebel team, slowly made inroads on the deficit in the stretch run of the second half. One Smaron freebie at the 10:37 mark and a lay-up in transition by junior guard Anna Hughes that drew a foul and resulted in a free throw trimmed Champlin Park's lead down to 52-36 at the 9:32 mark.  Loder was able to snare a steal and dash the other way for a lay-up with 7:06 left and one Andrew free throw with 5:36 left and a Loder lay-up with 4:00 left along with two Andrew charity stripe shots with 3:36 left had the Rebel lead down to 59-43.  Loder would connect with a lay-up with 3:18 left and would also sink two free throws with 2:53 left that cut Champlin Park's lead down to 61-47 and two more free throws by freshman reserve guard Amelia Singleton with 1:15 left made things a bit more interesting as the Rebels lead was down to 61-49 but Orono could never get any closer. Champlin Park would close things out - much to the delight of Head Coach Josh Steck - on a score in the paint by freshman reserve guard Izzy Quick with :41 left and two free throws junior reserve guard Sydney Fields with :17 left to claim a 65-49 non-conference victory.

Definitely a good outing for Champlin Park on this day and I'll be the first to admit that I probably underestimated the Rebels somewhat being so close to the Park Center program.  But this is a very athletic team that is long and can attack you in a variety of ways.  Hicks; who finished this game with 32 points, is clearly the go-to girl on the squad but with Allison Gerads back and healthy as well, this team could definitely be a threat in the very competitive Northwest Suburban Conference.