Elk River vs Anoka 1-6-17

I journeyed up U.S. Highway 169 on this cold Friday early January evening to take in this important Northwest Suburban Conference clash between visiting Elk River which made the short trip eastward on U.S. Highway 10 and the BNSF's Staples Sub mainline to take on host Anoka.  The Elks; sporting an unblemished 9-0 record coming into this contest, were looking to pick up where they left off in 2016 with a strong showing at the Park Center Holiday Basketball showcase where they knocked off both the Pirates and then Orono the following day.  The Tornadoes were also hoping to do big things this season as well with their big and experienced front line and this contest; along with the Centennial-Andover tilt, were arguably two of the biggest games on tap in the metro area.

The first few minutes of the first half proved to be a back-and-forth affair with each side trying to gain the upper hand.  Lanky 6'0" senior forward Abby Slater got Anoka on the board first with her score in the paint at the 16:55 mark but that was bettered by Elk senior star guard Gabi Haack as she calmly drained a "3" from the left wing area in transition at the 16:10 mark.  Junior guard Noelle Josephson put the home team up 4-3 with her score in the paint at the 15:45 mark but Elk River took a 6-4 lead on the ensuing possession as senior guard Danielle Lachmiller drilled a "3" from the top of the key at the 15:31 mark.  The Tornadoes would get the score tied up at 6-all by the 15:20 mark but it was here that Elk River was able to get in the first stages of building a cushion.  Back-to-back scores by Gabi Haack - one in the paint at the 15:05 mark and an offensive rebound and putback at the 14:40 mark - made it a 10-6 game and a jumper along the left baseline by willowy junior forward Matia Person at the 14:03 mark had the Elks up 12-9.  Two scores by wily senior point guard Ava Kramer - one in the paint at the 13:41 mark and a lay-up after a steal at the 12:52 mark - gave Elk River a 16-10 advantage and two charity stripe shots by strong senior forward Sidney Wentland at the 12:25 mark pushed the lead to 18-10.  The Tornadoes were able to cut into the cushion a bit on a score in the paint by strong senior post Brittany Bongartz at the 12:11 mark and one Noelle Josephson freebie at the 11:50 mark that cut the deficit to five at 18-13.  Anoka would manage to stay in that five-point range as Bongartz sank two free throws at the 11:23 mark as did freshman reserve forward Emily Josephson with 8:34 left so, down only 22-17, there was plenty of reason for hope on the Tornado side.

Elk River had vastly different ideas, however, and they made a push to give them some more breathing space.  A Gabi Haack lay-up with 7:59 left and two Gabi Haack free throws with 7:20 left got the lead to nine at 28-19 and an Ava Kramer "3" from the right top area with 6:42 left in the first half gave the Elks their first double-digit advantage at 31-19.  Bongartz single-handedly brought Anoka back from the brink with a "3" from the right wing area with 6:08 left and a lay-up with 4:57 left that cut the deficit to seven at 31-24 but Elk River was able to make another push.  Freshman reserve guard Lydia Haack knocked down a short jumper with 4:36 left and then Wentland connected with a jumper from the left wing area with 3:49 left that got things back up to double-digits again at 35-24.  In fact, it's plausible that the Elks could have been up by much more than that had Anoka not been in the bonus by the midway point of the first half.  Bongartz was able to snare an offensive rebound and putback with 3:29 left and two Slater free throws with 2:19 left had Anoka back in single-digit range again trailing 36-28.  The Elks would find another spark just before the end of the half as Person was able to knock down a jumper from the left elbow area with 1:23 left and another Gabi Haack three-point bomb - this one from the right wing with :49 left - gave Elk River its largest lead of the night thus far at 41-28.  Junior forward/post Lily Schoknecht's jumper from the left wing area with just :04 left before the half helped the Tornadoes avoid a complete disaster but, trailing 41-30 going into the locker room at the half, Anoka clearly had a hard row to hoe the rest of the way.

The Tornadoes appeared to be ready to make inroads into that Elk River cushion in the opening moments of the second half as a Slater drive and finish off the glass at the 17:22 mark and a score in the paint by Schoknecht at the 16:30 mark got the deficit down to eight at 42-34 and Anoka certainly seemed to be within striking distance.  But every time the Tornadoes seemed to make one move on this night, Elk River would answer with two or more moves.  One Person charity stripe shot at the 16:08 mark and a steal and lay-up the other way by Gabi Haack at the 15:17 mark got the lead to 45-34 and one Wentland free throw at the 14:32 mark and two Lachmiller free throws at the 13:50 mark had the lead up to twelve at 48-36.  Anoka tried desperately to hold off impending disaster as a Bongartz jumper in the lane at the 13:32 mark along with a score in the paint by Noelle Josephson at the 12:04 mark kept things reasonably close trailing 50-40 and a "3" from the left wing area by sophomore reserve guard Elizabeth Torgerson at the 11:30 mark provided yet another sliver of hope as the Tornadoes cut the deficit down to seven at 50-43.

It was here that Elk River shut the door for good on any pie in the sky dreams Anoka may have had on stealing a victory on this night.  Ava Kramer connected on a lay-up in transition at the 9:30 mark and then Gabi Haack snared a steal and dashed the other way for a lay-up and drew a foul in the process and the future Bradley Brave knocked down the obligatory free throw for a 55-43 Elk lead. An Ava Kramer lay-up in transition with 8:43 left got the lead to 57-43.  One Wentland freebie with 7:10 left and another Gabi Haack three-point bomb - this one from the top of the key with 6:48 left - made it 61-45.  Then it was Ava Kramer striking again like a thief in the night with her steal and lay-up the other way with 6:20 left and, for good measure, Gabi Haack drained an insurance "3" from the right corner with 5:29 left to complete this 16-4 blitz that left no doubt how this one was going to turn out.  Bongartz sank two freebies with 5:12 left and one more with 3:34 left to stop some of the bleeding for the Tornadoes but this one was too far gone to have that make any meaningful impact.  Pairs of free throws by Ava Kramer with 3:27 and 2:37 left and two more by Wentland with 1:46 left had Elk River up comfortably 72-50.  Torgerson would get one last bucket for Anoka with :28.8 on her drive and finish but the Elks would head back on U.S. Highway 10 and the BNSF's Staples Sub mainline with a 72-52 conference win in their back pocket.

I managed to catch up with Elk River Head Coach Jeremy Digiovanni afterward who was very happy with this win.  "We played a lot better in the second half" he said; when I brought up the fact that Anoka got into the bonus near the midway point of the first half.  This is my third time seeing the Elks in action and each time I come away more and more impressed.  They just seem like the real deal to me.  I'm not going to go out on a limb and say that Elk River will win the whole ball of wax this time around but one can certainly make a strong case for them.  What impresses me about them is that they not only have all the tools in place, but they can adapt easily to a variety of playing styles that don't get them out of their comfort zone.  I don't think there's enough superlatives out there when you talk about Gabi Haack who finished this night with 28 points.  She can just do everything and take over a game when necessary.  Ava Kramer is arguably one of the most underrated and under-appreciated point guards out there and she can wreak havoc on both ends of the floor.  And let's not forget Wentland or Lachmiller either.  Both are very long and athletic who can not only rebound but get you those short shots down low in traffic.  Person stepped in nicely again for injured senior guard Kelsie Cox who's still out with that injury although Digiovanni remains hopeful he'll have her back in a couple of weeks or so.  Really, the only questions I have regarding the Elks are (1) How good is their young depth and (2) How will they respond come section tournament time; specifically against their nemesis STMA which has knocked them out the last three years?  Digiovanni admits that "We've got to stay healthy and we've got to stay out of foul trouble."  But he was in agreement with me when I mentioned to him that his squad looks hungry and knows what it wants.  The Elks get a home date with Blaine this next Tuesday night before heading out to Centennial next week Thursday night for a huge showdown with the Cougars.