Concordia vs St. Kate's 2-8-17

Found myself over at Butler Center on the campus of St. Kate's on this cold February night for the clash between visiting Concordia which had to make another trek down U.S. Highway 10 and the BNSF's Staples Sub mainline to the Cities to take on host St. Kate's.  This would be an incredibly important game for the Wildcats wrt playoff positioning and, at the very least, solidifying their claim on the fifth playoff spot in a worst-case scenario while the Cobbers could only play spoiler as their slim playoff hopes were dashed long ago.

Things would be tight in the opening minutes of the opening period as both sides found themselves mired in a 4-all deadlock in the first four minutes of play.  Concordia managed to open up a bit of breathing room shortly thereafter, however, as a three-point bomb by junior guard Cassidy Rahman who camped out in the right corner at the 5:57 mark had the Cobbers out in front 7-4.  St. Kate's would trim that lead down to a scant point as senior forward Kennedy Jennings was able to connect with a lay-up off of an inbounds pass at the 5:43 mark but a drive and finish by sophomore guard Grace Wolhowe at the 5:13 mark and a tough, long lay-up by senior guard Greta Walsh with 4:42 left pushed Concordia up by five at 11-6.  Again the 'Cats would get back to a single possession on a "3" from the right wing with 4:17 left by flashy senior reserve guard/forward LaShay Holt with 4:17 left but then the Cobbers would extend the lead back to five points on a "3" from the right corner with 3:37 left by sophomore reserve guard Jamie Mentzer from the right corner.  The speedy and acrobatic Walsh would be fouled in a transition opportunity with 2:16 left and the Litchfield native's two free throws maintained that five-point edge at 16-11 before St. Kate's would go on a 5-0 push.  Freshman reserve guard Danica Cambrice's short shot with 2:01 left got the Wildcats back in the single possession range trailing 16-13 and then Holt's jumper in the lane with :59.2 left also drew a foul and the "and one" by the former St. Paul Humboldt standout leveled the contest at 16 a piece.  Concordia, however, would end the period on a score in the paint by senior forward Jenna Januschka with just :10 left to take an 18-16 lead going into the second period.

A 4-0 Cobber push to begin the second period looked to have the visitors from Moorhead in pretty good shape.  Walsh was able to connect with a short jumper after a steal at the 9:02 mark and then a Wolhowe jumper from the right top area as the shot clock was expiring at the 7:26 mark increased Concordia's lead to 22-16.  The Wildcats; more specifically, junior guard Audra Clark, would respond with a 6-0 push to tie the contest.  A lay-up in transition at the 7:12 mark by the former Kenyon-Wannamingo standout at the 7:12 mark and a drive and finish at the 6:45 mark cut the deficit to two points at 22-20 and then Audra Clark finished up this personal run at the 5:07 mark with a lay-up that not only tied the game at 22-all but also seemed to take a lot of wind out of Concordia's sail as well. The Cobbers' hopes also dampened even more when Walsh was tagged with her second foul with 4:44 left and Head Coach Jessica Rahman had no intentions of taking any chances with her senior leader and was forced to sit her for the rest of the period.  A drive into the lane and finish by sophomore newcomer reserve guard Kanani Asuncion with 4:29 left pushed St. Kate's into the lead at 24-22.  Right back came the Cobbers as an offensive rebound and putback by sophomore reserve forward Lincoln Haiby with 3:57 left and a steal and lay-up the other way by freshman reserve guard Lexi Nelson with 3:33 left allowed Concordia to push its nose out in front again at 26-24.  And right back came St. Kate's - specifically again Audra Clark.  Her lay-up in transition with 2:33 left and her short jumper from the left side with 1:53 left now had the Wildcats up at 28-26.  Wolhowe would tie the game for Concordia with her lay-up with 1:31 left but two Holt free throws with 1:14 left allowed the 'Cats to take a somewhat tenuous 30-29 lead into the locker room at the half.  A check of the first half box score indicates that both teams shot decently from FG range - Concordia going 12-22 for 54.5% while St. Kate's shot 13-26 for exactly 50%.  The Cobbers did hold a 15-10 edge on the glass but also had more turnovers than the Wildcats did at 15-11.

St. Kate's looked to take charge once the third period got underway.  Senior guard Alexis Garcia's "3" from the left wing area at the 9:47 mark pushed the Wildcat lead to four points at 33-29 and Audra Clark's lay-up at the 8:35 mark maintained that four-point edge at 35-31.  Although twin sister junior guard Meg Clark would pick up her third foul of the evening at the 7:44 mark, two more Audra Clark scores - an offensive rebound for a putback at the 6:41 mark and a drive and finish at the 6:14 mark that also drew a foul and resulted in an obligatory free throw - extended the lead to seven at 40-33. The Cobbers trimmed the deficit down to five points at 40-35 on a jumper from the right wing at the 5:36 mark by Mentzer but one Holt freebie at the 5:26 mark and a pretty spin move in the lane and finish by Audra Clark with 4:01 left had St. Kate's up 43-37 and the Cobbers looked like they might be in dire straits.  But a resourceful Concordia team fought its way back into the thick of things.  One Januschka free throw with 3:20 left and two more by the St. Cloud native with 2:29 left got the Cobbers back to within a single possession trailing 43-40 and a seemingly impossible offensive rebound and putback by Walsh with :40 left in the third period as the shot clock was expiring cut the deficit down to a single point at 43-42.  Hol'ts score in the paint with :18 left gave the 'Cats a bit more breathing room with a 45-42 lead but two Wolhowe free throws with :04.5 left helped Concordia close to that single-point range trailing 45-44 and left a lot of uncertainty about things going into the fourth period.

The Cobbers continued their aggressiveness with their half-court offense as Januschka was sent to the charity stripe for a pair of free throws at the 8:55 mark that allowed Concordia to push its nose out in front again at 46-45.  Audra Clark would come right to the rescue of the 'Cats with her three-point bomb from the right top area at the 8:35 mark as the pendulum swung back in favor of St. Kate's at 48-46.  Two free throws by Jennings at the 7:21 mark and a Meg Clark "3" from the left wing area at the 6:46 mark gave the Wildcats a five-point edge at 53-48 and a lay-up by senior forward Mari Lee at the 6:28 mark completed a 10-2 run for a 55-48 St. Kate's lead and the Cobbers Jessica Rahman was left with no choice but to call a timeout to keep this one from slipping away.  Concordia was able to slim the deficit down to five points on two free throws by Nelson with 4:31 left but another Meg Clark "3" - this one from the right top area with 3:23 left - seemed to have the Wildcats in excellent shape with a 58-50 lead.  But you have to admire the tenacity and determination of this Cobber team that has seemingly nothing to play for except pride and they managed to scratch and claw their way back.  Back-to-back scores by Haiby - an offensive rebound and putback with 3:08 left and a score in the paint with 2:34 left - cut the deficit down to four points at 58-54.  Audra Clark gave St. Kate's some more breathing room with what appeared to be a dagger "3" from the right wing with 2:10 left that made it 61-54 but again Concordia refused to wave the white flag.  Two Walsh free throws with 1:37 left and one more by Cassidy Rahman with 1:09 left got the deficit down to four points again at 61-57 and with the Wildcats trying desperately to eat clock and protect the ball, Concordia was able to snare a steal near midcourt and Mentzer was able to finish things with a lay-up with :48 left that suddenly cut that nice cushy St. Kate's lead down to a tenuous two points and an exasperated Wildcat Head Coach Sean Pinkerton was clamoring for a timeout.  On the ensuing St. Kate's possession, Garcia was sent to the line with :33.2 left with a chance to make it a two possession game but Garcia was unable to connect with either free throw and now the Cobbers had their chance.  After Jessica Rahman called a timeout to set-up strategy, Mentzer was able to find a crack in the the Wildcat defensive set-up on the ensuing Concordia possession and slithered through the lane for a lay-up with :27.5 left that knotted this contest at 61 a piece and now the lofty playoff hopes that St. Kate's had coming into this contest were now hanging in the balance.  So the Wildcats came back down the floor and worked the ball around with the sands of regulation time slowly ticking away.  And who do you think would get the ball in the most crucial moment?  Why, Audra Clark of course.  With just scant seconds remaining, she made an improvised spin move around defenders in the lane and finished for a 63-61 St. Kate's lead that had the partisan Wildcat crowd on its feet.  Still one last chance for Concordia, however.  Jessica Rahman called an immediate timeout to try and set up one last play from near the half-court line.  And no doubt the Cobbers were going to do everything they could to get the ball to their primary playmaker, Greta Walsh.  Sure enough, Walsh got the rock on the inbounds pass and made her move toward the rack; hanging in the stratosphere for what seemed to be like forever and scooped a shot with just :01 left.  The ball rattled and rolled precariously on the rim but did not stay true to the shooter's desire and gravity finally had its say as the ball rolled harmlessly off the rim; giving St. Kate's a huge victory.

The Wildcats' Pinkerton; while obviously happy with the final result, knew his team had a lot of things go its way despite some lackluster play at times.  "We were just awful" he said as he shook his head in a mixture of disbelief, disappointment and relief.  But he had high praises for his twin sister duo of Audra Clark and Meg Clark who came up with some big shots and plays when St. Kate's needed them.  On the other side of the coin, a disappointed Jessica Rahman was proud of her squad's effort in what has been an incredibly trying season for her, her coaching staff and players as well.  "We're still coming to practice and working hard" she said and you've got to admire this group for their grit, determination and dedication to this program.  As I said earlier in this blog, for a program that's been accustomed to success over the years (particularly with Rahman at the helm), it's a tough blow when a new reality sets in and it hasn't been easy for some to accept that and I totally understand that.  There's nothing wrong with expecting to be successful and expecting to win and as an LA Ram and UCLA Bruin fan, I more than get that.  But in the end, let's remember that it's about the players and coaches who are out there fighting the battle and the disappointment we feel as fans shouldn't spill over into something negative.  Support your players and coaches and be thankful for what you have.  A check of the final box score reveals some rather interesting numbers.  One of the reasons that Pinkerton was aghast after the game was that the Cobbers simply owned the glass on this night by a 46-19 count (including a 20-3 edge just in offensive rebounds) and normally that stat alone is enough to get you the win.  But for Concordia, that lofty edge was somewhat offset by poor second-half shooting that included going 7-31 from FG range for 22.58% and going 0-9 from behind the arc in the second half was a killer as well.  Moreover, the Cobbers were guilty of 25 turnovers for the game compared to 18 for St. Kate's and that, more often than not, will come back to bite you. Walsh led the way for Concordia on this night with her 14 points while Januschka followed up with 12 points.  Cassidy Rahman notched just four points on this outing but did grab 10 rebounds and she'll likely be one of the focal points for the Cobbers next season.  For St. Kate's, simply a fantastic night for Audra Clark as she finished up with 26 points to lead all scorers while Holt had 11 points.