Section 5AAAA Semifinal Game - Centennial vs Champlin Park 3-4-17

The second game on tap on this Saturday afternoon at Anoka High School was the second Section 5AAAA Semifinal Game that pitted two longtime Northwest Suburban Conference rivals - third-seeded Centennial and second-seeded Champlin Park.  Both of these teams had the misfortune of being in the North Division of the Northwest Suburban Conference that Elk River set ablaze this season with its unbeaten record but the Rebels still managed to finish 9-3 in conference play while the Cougars were 8-4 in conference play and both finished the regular season with identical 20-6 records.  Both handily won their quarterfinal round games on Wednesday night to advance to this stage and the general consensus was that this one could be quite a battle.

Champlin Park got off to a decent start in this one; building a 5-2 advantage on two free throws by junior guard Erica Hicks at the 17:16 mark and a Hicks "3" from the right corner at the 15:30 mark and a "3" by junior forward Gabby Mocchi at the 14:55 mark had the Rebels up 8-4 and seemingly in good shape.  But a 10-0 burst by Centennial changed the complexion of this contest dramatically. Lanky senior post Sarah Grow knocked down a short jumper at the 14:29 mark to start the run and then it was the Stapleton Sister Act doing its thing.  Sophomore forward/post Sarah Stapleton got into the paint for a score at the 13:55 mark and junior guard/forward Sydney Stapleton uncorked a "3" from the top of the key at the 12:05 mark to push the Cougars out in front 11-8.  Another Sydney Stapleton three-point bomb - this one from the left wing area at the 11:35 mark - pushed the Centennial lead to 14-8 and Rebel Head Coach Josh Steck called a timeout to try and make some adjustments defensively.  A drive along the right baseline and finish by Hicks at the 9:54 mark brought Champlin Park closer trailing 14-10 but the early advantage that the Rebels seemed to have had long since flown out the window.

Centennial's size was probably another factor that only compounded the problems the Rebels were already having and a 10-0 Cougar run put Champlin Park in an even deeper hole.  Sara Stapleton knocked down a short jumper at the 9:30 mark and one free throw by senior guard Nikki Clark at the 9:11 mark made it a 17-10 game.  Senior reserve guard Laura Gallup then drained a "3" from the left corner with 8:02 left that suddenly got the lead up to double-digits at 20-10 and two scores by Sydney Stapleton - a short jumper with 7:43 left and a jumper from the free throw line with 7:05 left - now made it 24-10 and now the Rebels had to worry about just trying to get this thing back into single digits again.  Two free throws by junior guard Amanda Pollard with 6:14 left trimmed the deficit down to twelve points but then Centennial's Sydney Stapleton unleashed a "3" from the right wing area with 5:35 left to make it 27-12.  The Rebels tried to counter on Pollard's "3" from the left top area with 4:30 left but trying to catch Centennial on this day was a lot like the "I Love Lucy" episode where Lucy fights a losing battle in the candy factory wrapping chocolate-covered cherries and trying to keep pace with the conveyor belt.  The Cougars kept expanding the lead as junior guard Claire Orth sneaked into the paint for a score with 4:16 left and a Sydney Stapleton jumper in the lane with 3:03 left made it 31-15.  Two Sydney Stapleton freebies with 1:06 left made it a 33-16 game before Champlin Park finally stopped some of the bleeding on two free throws by senior guard Allison Gerads with :50.5 left.  But a Grow score in the paint with :41 left before halftime punctuated a great first half by the Cougars who went into the locker room with a sizable 35-18 advantage.

And Centennial didn't have to make any drastic changes to what it was doing once the second half got underway as an Orth lay-up at the 17:16 mark and a short jumper by Clark at the 14:27 mark maintained the seventeen point lead at 39-22.  The Rebels tried to cut into the deficit as a score in the paint by sophomore post Makayla Johnson at the 12:18 mark and a Pollard lay-up at the 11:42 mark cut Centennial's lead down to fourteen points at 40-26 but Champlin Park simply couldn't seem to find any consistency on offense and the Cougars pounced when given an opportunity.  One Sara Stapleton freebie at the 11:24 mark and a Sara Stapleton jumper along the left baseline got the lead back up to seventeen at 43-26 and a short shot by Sydney Stapleton at the 9:48 mark made it a 45-29 game and Champlin Park appeared all but buried.

The Rebels, who looked to be moribund offensively at times on this sunny Saturday afternoon, finally started showing some signs of life down the stretch of the second half.  Pollard unleashed a "3" from the right corner at the 9:27 mark and a Mocchi lay-up with 8:19 left got the deficit down to sixteen points at 47-31.  Two lay-ups by Allison Gerads - one with 7:41 left and another one in transition with 7:13 left - got the deficit down to fourteen at 49-35 and two Hicks free throws with 6:44 left cut further into the Centennial lead at 49-37 and Cougar Head Coach Jill Becken called a thirty-second timeout to get her squad calmed down a bit.  But just when it appeared that the Rebels might be on the verge of getting back to within single-digit range again, Centennial slowly but firmly shut the door on this comeback attempt.  Orth nailed a dagger "3" from the left corner with 6:11 left and although Champlin Park managed to close to twelve points again a bit later, Orth connected with a lay-up with 3:24 left and a jumper from the right wing by Sydney Stapleton with 2:52 left got the lead back to sixteen at 56-40.  A Sara Stapleton jumper from the free throw line with 2:08 left made it 58-40 and things were pretty much academic from there.  Champlin Park got two late three-point bombs in the final minute - one by Mocchi from the right wing area with :38 left and another by senior reserve guard Katie Cummings from the right wing area off the glass with :24 left - but it wasn't nearly enough to catch the Cougars as Centennial made its way to Thursday night's Section 5AAAA Championship Game with a 62-46 victory.

A relieved Becken could only say "Whew!" afterward as her program finds itself back in a familiar spot - one game away from making the State Tournament but getting there will prove to be a formidable task as the opponent will be yet another Northwest Suburban Conference rival - Park Center.  The Pirates beat Centennial handily when the two squads faced off at Park Center back in early January but I asked Becken if she thought her team is better now than the one at that time.  "I think we are.....I'd like to think we are" she said.  If Centennial's heart-breaking overtime loss to Elk River recently where they held a small lead in the extra session before falling is any indication, I'd be inclined to think that they are as well.  But Becken knows full and well that Park Center is better now as well.  "They're so deep" she said; referring to the youngsters coming off the bench giving quality minutes.  Needless to say, it'll be another game of contrasts when these two face off up at Anoka on Thursday evening at 7:00 P.M.