Centennial vs Elk River 2-17-17

Made my way out on U.S. Highway 10 and the BNSF's Staples Sub mainline on this spring-like February evening to take in a huge Northwest Suburban Conference tilt between visiting Centennial which has made its way back into elite status under the guidance and return of Jill Becken to the Head Coaching slot going up against second-ranked and undefeated Elk River.  This would be an emotional night at the Elk River gymnasium as it was Senior Night and the six seniors on the squad - Ava Kramer, Kelsie Cox, Sidney Wentland, Danielle Lachmiller, Gabi Haack, and Hayley Ackermann - were all recognized before warm-ups to a very receptive crowd on hand.

But the emotions surrounding the last regular season home game didn't seem to bother the Elks - at least in the opening moments of the first half.  Holding a 5-4 advantage, Elk River embarked on a 7-0 push.  Wentland first dropped two free throws at the 13:45 mark and the future Denver U commit then drained a "3" from the left top area at the 13:05 mark that had the Elks out in front 10-4.  Ava Kramer's lay-up in transition at the 12:41 mark expanded the lead to 12-4 and Centennial's Becken wasted no time in calling a thirty-second timeout to get her squad calmed down and reorganized.  Elk River maintained that eight-point edge at 14-6 when Ava Kramer connected with a short jumper at the 11:54 mark but the Cougars slowly whittled and chipped away at the deficit.  Lanky 6'2" senior post Sarah Grow got into the paint for a score at the 11:40 mark and junior guard Claire Orth connected with a lay-up in transition at the 11:02 mark that trimmed the deficit down to four points at 14-10.  Grow dropped two free throws at the 10:19 mark that kept Centennial right in that striking distance range of four points trailing 16-12 and the Cougars at least were able to prevent themselves from getting into a big hole early one which would have been disastrous.

But Elk River would step on the proverbial gas pedal again; going on a 7-0 push that got their cushion up to double digits.  Lachmiller drilled a "3" from the right wing area at the 9:12 mark and Gabi Haack finally got into the scoring column with her hard drive and finish with 8:46 left for a 21-12 Elk lead.  Then it was little sis freshman reserve guard Lydia Haack getting a lay-up after a Cougar turnover near mid-court that gave Elk River a 23-12 advantage with 8:32 left before Centennial could bail themselves out of trouble again.  Senior guard Nikki Clark knocked down a short shot with 7:25 left that also drew a foul and her "and one" got the deficit back down into single-digit range again trailing 23-15.  Clark would get sent to the charity stripe again after a thwarted Elk possession that now had the Cougars in the bonus and her two free throws with 7:04 left cut Elk River's lead down to six points at 23-17.  By this time, the Elks had switched to a 2-3 zone defense in hopes of plugging up the middle and preventing easy scores by the Cougar's "bigs".  But Grow was able to muscle into the paint for a score with 4:02 left and another score in the paint by 6'3" sophomore forward/post Sara Stapleton with 3:29 left that also drew a foul and resulted in an obligatory free throw kept Centennial within a single possession trailing 25-22 and Elk Head Coach Jeremy Digiovanni knew he had a problem on his hand and called a timeout in hopes of rectifying things with 2:26 left.  Still, Sara Stapleton was able to snare an offensive rebound of her own miss for a putback with 1:57 left that had the deficit down to a single tantalizing point at 25-24 before Elk River could catch its breath a bit.  Junior reserve forward Matia Person snared an offensive rebound for a putback with 1:19 left and a Lydia Haack lay-up in transition with :54.1 left extended the Elk lead to five points at 29-24 but Centennial cut the deficit back to three points just before the halftime intermission with a lay-up in transition by Grow with :45 left that made it a 29-26 game and the Cougars had to feel pretty good about themselves as they were able to withstand potential knockout blows by the second-ranked team in the state.

An early 4-0 push by the Elks in the second half looked to re-establish some more breathing space that the home team enjoyed at times in the first half.  Wentland connected with a lay-up at the 17:18 mark and two Ava Kramer freebies after she was fouled in a transition opportunity at the 16:54 mark got the lead to seven points at 33-26 but that pesky Centennial team refused to capitulate.  Orth drained a "3" from the left wing area at the 15:35 mark and a Sara Stapleton lay-up at the 13:52 mark again had the Cougars back within a single possession trailing 34-31.  Gabi Haack got Elk River's lead back up to six points at 37-31 when she uncorked a pretty three-point bomb from the right wing area at the 12:27 mark but right back came Centennial with a 6-0 venture.  Sara Stapleton connected with a short jumper in the lane and was fouled in the process and her free throw at the 12:03 mark had the Cougars right back in that single-possession range trailing 37-34.  Orth was able to knock down one free throw after being fouled at the 11:33 mark and a jumper from the right wing area by junior guard/forward Sydney Stapleton at the 10:58 mark suddenly tied the contest at 37 a piece.  Elk River; perhaps alarmed by this development, responded with a 10-0 run.  Lydia Haack banged home a "3" from the right wing area at the 10:39 mark and then big sis Gabi Haack did the same at the 9:39 mark for a 43-37 Elk lead.  Wentland was able to maneuver down low for a score at the 9:12 mark and an Ava Kramer lay-up in transition with 8:42 left suddenly had Elk River up 47-37 and the Cougars' Becken was clamoring for a halt to the action.

One Clark free throw with 8:30 left and a score in the paint by Sara Stapleton with 8:01 left got the deficit down to seven points for Centennial at 47-40 but when the Elks' Cox buried a "3" from the right corner with 7:45 left that re-established the ten-point advantage at 50-40, the Cougars did indeed appear to be beyond the point of no return in a hostile environment on the road.  But this never-say-die Centennial team dug deep when things looked bleak and slowly brought themselves back from the brink.  Two Grow charity stripe shots with 6:53 left and two more by Sydney Stapleton with 5:33 left got the deficit down to six points at 50-44 and then a Sara Stapleton jumper from the right elbow area with 3:39 left completed this unlikely 6-0 push that cut the Elk River lead down to 50-46.  Gabi Haack was able to stop some of the Elks bleeding with her score in the paint with 2:48 left but the Cougars managed to get back in that four-point range again when Sydney Stapleton knocked down a short jumper from the left side with 2:31 left that made it a 52-48 game.  The partisan Elk River crowd (along with your's truly) thought that the home team finally salted this one away for good when Lachmiller snared an offensive rebound for a putback with 1:44 left and Wentland put down one free throw with 1:24 left for a seven-point 55-48 Elk lead that seemingly was safe.

But what transpired in the last minute and ten seconds could not have possibly been scripted.  With the Cougars perhaps now in somewhat of a desperation mode down by more than two possessions, Sydney Stapleton uncorked an unlikely three-point bomb from the left top area with 1:09 left that cut the Elk River lead down to four points at 55-51.  The Elks made a point to get the ball to their trusted playmaker Gabi Haack on the ensuing inbounds pass and she was promptly fouled with 1:05 left.  Surprisingly, however, the future Bradley Brave could only get one of the two free throw attempts to go down for a 56-51 lead.  That little hiccup seemed to be cured when Elk River's Cox was fouled with :57.1 left and this time around Cox was able to knock down both free throw attempts for a 58-51 lead that again SHOULD have been good enough to close things out.  But Centennial's Sydney Stapleton was fouled on the ensuing Cougar possession and she was able to get both free throws to go down that made it a 58-53 game.  Centennial wasted little time fouling on the ensuing Elk possession that not only sent Wentland to the line but now had Elk River in the double-bonus as well.  Wentland knocked down both free throw attempts with :42.2 left for a 60-53 Elk lead and yes, once again, it looked as if the Fat Lady was getting ready to warm up her vocal chords.  But Centennial told the Fat Lady to take a seat because they weren't done yet.  Sydney Stapleton unleashed yet another "3" - this one coming from the right top area with :35 left that got the Cougars back in that four-point range trailing 60-56.  Centennial's Becken called an immediate timeout to set up strategy and after a thwarted Elk possession, the Cougars got another chance to draw closer.  Another three-point attempt with :24.1 left and Lachmiller was there for the defensive rebound for Elk River and was immediately fouled.  But Lachmiller was unable to get either of the free throw attempts to go down and Centennial got the rebound and made a mad dash downcourt.  Sydney Stapleton was able to sneak in for a lay-up with :16.5 left that now cut the Elk lead down to a scant two points at 60-58.  Now the Elks had the dubious task of trying to protect a two-point advantage and sought desperately to milk the clock any way they could.  And those last :16.5 seconds had to seem like an eternity for Elk River's Digiovanni. So when the Cougars were able to force a turnover with :06.5 left, the collective Elk River crowd held its breath.  As sure as the sun sets each night, the Cougars made an effort to go down low to one of their "bigs" and were able to feed Grow who was fouled with :02.8 left.  Grow knocked down both attempts that unbelievably knotted the issue at 60-all and the Elk's Digiovanni called an immediate timeout to set up one last play to try and win it in regulation.  Elk River got the ball to Cox on the ensuing inbounds pass and she launched a desperation shot with just :01 left that missed its mark so off to overtime we went.

All the momentum that the Elks had throughout most of the contest was now seemingly usurped by this young Centennial team and when Sara Stapleton connected with a short shot off the glass with 3:46 left in the extra period that finally had the Cougars out in front for the first time in this contest at 62-60, there had to have been some in the Elk River contingent that were thinking that maybe the joyride was finally over.  But one thing I learned about the Elks when I was out here the last time in another overtime contest against Champlin Park is that this experienced, senior-heavy group knows how to respond in times of crisis.  Elk River tied the score at 62 a piece on Cox's lay-up in transition with 2:29 left and although the Cougars would poke their nose out in front again on two Clark freebies with 2:07 left for a 64-62 Centennial lead, the Elks responded on their next possession.  Working the ball carefully around the perimeter, they were able to get Gabi Haack in position down low with 1:28 left for a score that also drew a foul and the "and one" now had Elk River back out in front 65-64.  You knew where the Cougars were going to go on their ensuing possession - down low - and Sara Stapleton was able to muscle into the paint for a score with :57 left that again had Centennial up 66-65.  The Elks' Digiovanni called another timeout but there was absolutely no panic in the huddle.  On the ensuing Elk River possession, they carefully worked the ball around; looking to get the ball to their best playmaker Gabi Haack and she was fouled with :43.4 left and she calmly drained both free throw attempts for a 67-66 Elk lead.  Now it was Centennial's turn to try and sway the tide.  They, too, carefully worked the ball around the perimeter; looking for some sort of crack in that Elk River 2-3 zone defense.  Finally, an entry pass to Sara Stapleton with :17 left in the extra session was knocked away and stolen by the Elks as it was too high for Sara Stapleton to handle.  Now Elk River again had the dubious distinction of trying to protect a tenuous one-point advantage and with :09.3 left, Digiovanni called a timeout to try to ensure that no mistakes or mishaps occurred. Ava Kramer was immediately fouled on the inbounds pass but she was only able to get the front-end attempt to go down so now the Cougars had one last chance.  They hustled down the court quickly in hopes of finding someone open behind the arc to try and steal this one.  Sydney Stapleton had the ball with precious seconds counting down and launched a desperation, off-balance three-point attempt while being hounded by the Elks.  The ball fell short of its mark and Elk River kept their record unblemished with a breath-taking 68-66 overtime victory.

A disappointed Becken had high praises for her squad after the heart-breaking defeat.  "I'm so proud of our girls and how they fought" she said.  She lamented running out of timeouts late in the contest but the way this crazy game went it was impossible to know when you might need them.  But if this game is any indication, Centennial will be an incredibly tough team to knock off in Section 5AAAA and whoever winds up winning this section will probably have to resort to nuclear war to do it.  Meanwhile, Elk River Digiovanni was heaving sighs of relief after this latest escape job at home.  "We couldn't match-up very well with them down low" he said when I noted that Sara Stapleton had a very good game down low for the Cougars on this night.  But, then again, championship-caliber teams simply find ways to win and the way Elk River did it on this night is another indication - at least for me anyway - that you have to consider the Elks as one of the favorites to win the whole ball of wax come March.  They're just that good and they've got a lot more weapons than just Gabi Haack as well.  The scoring attack reveals that as Elk River had very balanced scoring.  Gabi Haack did lead the way with 18 points and Wentland followed up with 12 points and Ava Kramer had 10 points while both Cox and Lydia Haack added nine points and Lachmiller chipped in with eight points.  A fabulous night for Sydney Stapleton in the losing effort for Centennial as she led all scorers with 22 points while Sara Stapleton had 18 points and Sarah Grow added 12 points.