Vermilion vs Anoka-Ramsey Recap 12-17-16

After leaving Augsburg's Si Melby Hall, I made the trip up to Coon Rapids to take in the 3:00 P.M. game between visiting Vermilion and host Anoka-Ramsey.  I got settled into the gym at the half with Anoka-Ramsey up big 60-22.

Judging by the lopsided score, pretty much everything went the Golden Rams way in the first half and, after coming into this contest today with a bad taste in their mouth after last night's fiasco against Bismarck State, they probably wanted to make a statement and they were certainly doing just that.  And the 2-3 zone defense that current Vermilion and former Anoka-Ramsey Head Coach Keith Lindahl was using was not stopping the onslaught either.  Golden Ram freshman guard Alyssa Correll started the third period with a "3" from the left wing at the 9:21 mark for a 63-22 lead and although the Ironwomen got a score on an offensive rebound and putback by freshman post Danielle Boetcher at the 8:22 mark, Anoka-Ramsey was not yet ready to take its foot off the gas pedal just yet. Speedy sophomore guard Rashonna Thomas connected on a lay-up in transition that drew a foul and allowed the former Columbia Heights standout to sink the ensuing freebie at the 7:19 mark and then a Thomas "3" from the right wing area at the 6:53 mark made it a 69-24 game.  A lay-up in transition by freshman guard Lateah Turmon at the 6:35 mark made it 71-24 before Vermilion could get on the board again on another Boetcher score in the paint at the 6:20 mark.  Consecutive short shots off the glass by freshman post Jennifer Beyer - one at the 5:25 mark and another one at the 5:02 mark - could only scrape a little bit of fat off of the deficit.  The Golden Rams quickly put that added layer of fat back on the lead as sophomore reserve guard Laya Sath drained a "3" from the left wing area with 4:43 left and an offensive rebound and putback by freshman forward Dariel Lipscomb with 2:36 left made it 78-30 before the Ironwomen could save some face on a "3" from the top of the key by sophomore guard Marlee Muhvich with 1:20 left and an offensive rebound and putback of a missed free throw by sophomore post Rebekah Harrington with :47 left.  Harrington would snare another offensive rebound and putback with just :02 left in the period but this one was not going to get close as Anoka-Ramsey took a prohibitive 81-39 lead into the fourth and final period.

The rout continued in the early moments of the fourth period as Thomas connected with a lay-up after a steal in the backcourt at the 9:19 mark and a short jumper by Turmon at the 8:09 mark made it 85-39.  Another short jumper by Correll at the 6:28 mark completed this 6-0 burst that pushed the lead to 87-39 and Anoka-Ramsey Head Coach David DeWitt called off the dogs and had his offense use up as much time as possible before going for a shot.  A Muhvich "3" from the left corner at the 5:36 mark and a score in the paint by Beyer with 3:52 left helped slim up the deficit a bit for Vermilion but Golden Ram freshman guard Amanda Lindsey was able to drain a "3" from the left corner with 3:09 left and a steal and lay-up the other way by freshman reserve guard Denesha Dixon with 3:00 left put the lead back up to 97-44.  The Ironwomen got back-to-back scores by Harrington - a jumper from the right wing area with 1:52 left and an offensive rebound and putback with 1:13 left - but Anoka-Ramsey hit the century mark on a "3" from the left wing area with :54 left and a steal and lay-up the other way by Correll with :38 left was the icing on the cake for this mismatch as the Golden Rams took this one in a landslide by a count of 102-50.

Despite the lopsided loss, Vermilion's Lindahl was in a good enough mood to speak to me afterward and simply said his squad next year will be much improved with the recruiting he has been doing.  Judging from his earlier stints at both Anoka-Ramsey and then at MCTC, he'll likely get the Ironwomen women's basketball program up from the ashes in a short time.  DeWitt, while he'll take the win, likely still had the disappointment of the previous night on his mind and noted that his squad has a couple of tough contests coming up right after the first of the year; most notably with NDSCS on 1-7-17.