UM-Morris vs St. Kate's 12-30-17

Made my way over to Butler Center on the campus of St. Catherine's University on this sunny but frigid, sub-zero Saturday afternoon to take in another interesting UMAC-MIAC non-conference clash betweeen visiting UM-Morris and host St. Kate's.  The Cougars were coming into this contest with a subpar 2-8 record that included losses to three different MIAC teams - Concordia, CSB and SMU - so this would be a fourth crack for Head Coach Tim Grove's squad to try and down a MIAC team.  The Wildcats meanwhile were battling their own set of problems including injuries and were saddled with a so-so 4-6 record and were hoping to grab one more non-conference win to provide a bit of a launching pad of momentum into the meat of the MIAC season after the first of the year.

Things would be tight in the opening minutes with both teams employing a man-to-man defense.  After UM-Morris lanky sophomore forward/post Abby Van Kempen got her squad on the board first with her score in the paint at the 9:46 mark, the Wildcats would assume a 4-2 advantage as sophomore guard Jackie Radford connected with a lay-up at the 9:36 mark and freshman guard/forward Morgan Kurth got into the paint for another score at the 7:06 mark.  A Van Kempen offensive rebound and putback at the 6:50 mark allowed the Cougars to knot the score at 4 a piece but St. Kate's got a bit more breathing room as a lay-up by senior guard Meg Clark at the 6:32 mark and a Radford drive and finish at the 5:50 mark had the 'Cats up 8-4.  A Radford lay-up with 4:42 left maintained that four-point edge at 10-6 and a "3" from the left wing area by Meg Clark with 3:35 left now gave St. Kate's a six-point lead at 13-7.  The Cougars closed the gap, however, as sophomore reserve guard Emma Atkinson drilled a "3" from the right wing area with 3:01 left and junior guard and former Sauk Centre standout Mauren Thiesen's jumper in the lane with 1:44 left in the opening period made it a one-point game at 13-12.  The 'Cats would finish this first period on a 7-2 push as freshman reserve forward Kaitlyn Struemke knocked down a short turnaround jumper off the glass with 1:20 left and a "3" from the left corner by freshman guard Ashley Fosness with :17 left had St. Kate's up 18-14.  That earlier six-point edge was re-established just before the period-ending buzzer when Fosness was able to tip-in a missed shot by sophomore reserve guard Sam Skwarek giving the Wildcats a 20-14 lead going into the second period.

Two free throws by senior guard/forward Alexis Garcia at the 9:18 mark of the second period maintained the six-point lead for the Wildcats at 22-16 but it was here that UM-Morris was able to make inroads.  Thiesen connected with a short jumper from the left side at the 8:24 mark and an offensive rebound and putback by strong junior forward Kendra Raths at the 7:23 mark trimmed the deficit down to two points at 22-20.  A jumper from the right wing area by junior guard Bailey Miller at the 6:54 mark completed this somewhat unlikely 6-0 Cougar push to forge a 22-all deadlock.  A Miller drive along the right baseline and finish at the 6:03 mark kept the game deadlocked at 24 a piece and one free throw by Atkinson with 4:38 left and an Atkinson "3" from the right corner with 3:37 left finally propelled UM-Morris back into the lead since the opening moments of the first period at 28-26.  A Thiesen lay-up in transition maintained the Cougars two-point lead at 30-28 with 1:34 left and although Garcia got St. Kate's deficit down to a single point with one free throw with :50.3 left, things seemed very much up in the air as both teams headed to the locker room for the halftime break.  A check of the first half box score indicates how tight this contest was up to this point.  The Wildcats held a small 26-24 edge on the rebounding front and turnovers were nearly even with UM-Morris committing 12 and St. Kat'es 10.  Neither side shot the lights out in the first half either as the Cougars went 13-32 for 40.6% from FG range and 2-12 from behind the arc for 16.7% while the Wildcats were 12-40 for 30% from FG range and the same 2-12 for for 16.7% from behind the arc.

Both teams traded the lead in the opening moments of the third period as a Garcia lay-up at the 9:37 mark pushed St. Kate's back out in front by a 31-30 count but a short pull-up jumper by diminutive sophomore guard Becca Holland at the 8:01 mark and an offensive rebound and putback by Van Kempen at the 7:20 mark allowed the Cougars to take a three-point lead at 34-31.  But the 'Cats rose to this challenge as a "3" from the right wing area by Struemke at the 6:59 mark not only knotted the game at 34-all but ignited an 8-0 Wildcat push.  One Garcia freebie at the 6:06 mark pushed St. Kate's back out in front and two more by the former Hopkins standout helped the Wildcats get a 37-34 lead at the 5:08 mark.  Sophomore reserve forward Jaelyn Miltz's lay-up with 3:06 left capped this run for St. Kate's to make it a 39-34 ballgame but the Cougars would at least manage to cut the deficit to one point.  Miller knocked down a short jumper with 2:03 left and a score in the paint by Raths with 1:31 left had UM-Morris down only one at 39-38.  But the Wildcats would step on the gas pedal one more time before the close of the third period with a 6-0 push.  Struemke connected with a lay-up with 1:11 left and two Meg Clark free throws got St. Kate's lead up to five at 43-38.  Two Struemke charity stripe shots with :20.8 left got the Wildcats some more space up 45-38 going into the fourth period.

While a seven-point lead for St. Kate's wasn't necessarily insurmountable by any stretch, a Garcia "3" from the top of the key at the 9:41 mark of the fourth and final period pushed that lead to ten points and now the Cougars had to really work to try and get this one close again.  UM-Morris tried to respond quickly on a "3" from the right wing by Atkinson at the 9:10 mark but another 8-0 Wildcat push wouldn't allow that.  Meg Clark made a hard drive into traffic for a finish at the 8:46 mark and Garcia did likewise at the 8:21 mark that now had St. Kate's lead up to eleven at 52-41.  Two Garcia free throws at the 7:45 mark pushed the lead to thirteen at 54-41 and two more by Meg Clark at the 7:07 mark how had the Wildcats up 56-41.  UM-Morris tried to close the gap a bit as Holland unleashed a "3" from the left corner at the 6:26 mark and a Miller lay-up in transition at the 5:14 mark had the deficit back down to ten points at 56-46 and the Cougar's Grove called a thirty-second timeout to hopefully get his squad refreshed for a home stretch charge.  But UM-Morris' hopes for that comeback died a quick death as the Wildcats were doing a very good job defensively; getting into the passing lanes and disrupting the Cougars' half-court offensive sets.  An offensive rebound and putback by Garcia with 4:30 left and two Fosness free throws with 4:00 left provided enough of a safety net down the home stretch with St. Kate's now up 60-46.  Raths would get a "3" from the right wing to go down for the Cougars but they could never find that same offensive punch.  Holland was able to add a lay-up with 1:49 left and Van Kempen connected with another lay-up with :46.2 left but it was St. Kate's getting a 63-53 win to close out 2017.

I managed to catch up with the St. Kate's coaching contingent afterward and I mentioned to Associate Head Coach Tim Kjar that I thought that the Wildcats took a big step forward with their defense on this day.  Kjar agreed but maintained the position that a lot more work still needs to be done on that front.  Head Coach Don Mulhern was in agreement when I mentioned to him that a lot of his younger players such as Kurth, Fosness, Struemke along with freshman reserve guard Brooke Torvik, freshman reserve guard Bailee Sillman and the sophomore Miltz  are getting quality minutes and along with that, some valuable experience as well.  That could pay dividends down the road for St. Kate's with senior guard Audra Clark out for the season with a knee injury and sophomore guard Danica Cambrice recovering from her ankle injury.  They'll need to raise the level of their play as their first three opponents in 2018 include SMU, Bethel and CSB.  A solid day for Garcia as she led all scorers with 21 points while Meg Clark recorded a "double-double"; 14 points and 11 rebounds to help lead the way.  UM-Morris had three players with ten points a piece - Miller, Van Kempen and Atkinson.  Ultimately, Grove will likely point to the 21 total turnovers on this day along with getting outrebounded by St. Kate's by a 51-37 count as the culprits for his squad's demise in this contest. 

Park Center Holiday Showcase - Minnetonka vs Park Center 12-29-17

A busy day with a meeting on the south side of town kept me from attending the afternoon games at Park Center Gymnasium but I was determined to get over there for the nightcap on the second day which featured Minnetonka out of the Lake Conference going up against host Park Center from the Northwest Suburban Conference.  The Skippers looked strong in their big win over Simley on Thursday while the Pirates were hoping to rebound (both literally and figuratively) from the disappointing loss the previous night against Cretin-Derham Hall.  Though Minnetonka had been struggling some coming out of the gate this year, this is a big, long and athletic team that can rebound and play defense and the Pirates could ill-afford to take this team lightly.

Indeed, the Skippers got off to a decent start in this one as junior guard Blake Greer's "3" from the left corner at the 17:44 mark drew first blood and two free throws by graceful junior guard Megan Walker at the 16:24 mark had Minnetonka up 5-2.  The Skippers also initially came out in a 2-3 zone defense as well but one of the best ways to kill a zone defense is with three-point shooting.  Enter Pirate senior point guard Sommer Blakemore who can drop NBA-range bombs.  Her first bomb from the top of the key at the 16:00 mark knotted the contest a five a piece and a drive and finish by freshman guard/forward Adalia McKenzie had things tied up at 7-all which was the start of an 8-0 Park Center push.  Blakemore made a hard drive into traffic at the 15:01 mark for a finish that drew a foul and resulted in an "and one" and a "3" from the right wing area by slender senior guard Meghan DuBois at the 14:27 mark had the Pirates up 13-7.  Minnetonka would recover, however, as junior guard Natalie Erhard dropped two free throws at the 13:09 mark and senior reserve forward Liv O'Brien did the same a bit later at the 12:54 mark that cut the deficit down to two points at 13-11.  McKenzie would add to Park Center's lead with her jumper in the lane off the glass at the 11:54 mark but it was here that the Skippers went on a 13-0 romp.  Greer 's drive and finish at the 11:16 mark started the run and a jumper from the free throw line by Walker at the 10:42 mark tied the contest at 15-all.  A score in the paint by strong senior post Zoe Hardwick at the 9:58 mark pushed Minnetonka out in front 17-15 and then it was Greer banging home a "3" from the left wing area at the 9:22 mark to get the lead to 20-15.  Junior reserve forward Erin Shoemaker knocked down a jumper from the right corner just inside the arc with 7:49 left and when senior forward Kayla Mershon got into the paint for a score with 7:13 left to give the Skippers a nine-point 24-15 lead, Park Center Head Coach Barb Metcalf had no choice but to take a match to a timeout.

The Pirates were able to recover momentarily from this Minnetonka onslaught as DuBois uncorked a "3" from the left corner at the 6:32 mark and another "3" from the left top area by sophomore reserve guard Aaliyah Ragulen helped Park Center reduce the deficit down to five points at 26-21.  But some of the same boxing out/rebounding issues that have been plaguing this young Pirate team in the last two games flared up again and this allowed Minnetonka to gradually increase its lead again.  A Walker lay-up with 4:54 left and a score in the paint by Mershon with 4:20 left quickly had the Skippers lead back up to nine points again at 30-21.  Just as she had on Thursday, Erhard came on strong down the home stretch of the first half in this one as well for Minnetonka.  She first snared an offensive rebound for a putback of her own miss with 3:48 left and then connected with a turnaround jumper in the lane with 2:57 left to give the Skippers a double-digit advantage at 34-23.  A Hardwick lay-up with 2:15 left maintained the eleven-point lead for Minnetonka at 36-25 before the Pirates were able to shave some of the fat off the deficit before the halftime buzzer.  One free throw by sophomore guard Lauren Frost with 2:07 left and two more by fellow sophomore reserve guard Kayla Cox with :59.7 left allowed Park Center to get back into single-digit range again trailing 36-28 at intermission.

The Skippers wasted little time growing their lead back to double digits in the early moments of the second half thanks primarily to Walker as her jumper from the right wing area at the 17:24 mark along with a lay-up in transition at the 16:17 mark that drew a foul and resulted in an "and one" now had Minnetonka up 42-30.  A Hardwick offensive rebound for a putback at the 15:00 mark maintained the twelve-point for the Skippers edge at 44-32 and there appeared to be little hope amongst the home crowd that Park Center could possibly find its way back.  But, just like the previous night, the Pirates would explode on offense and get this one close again when you least expected it.  Blakemore's hard drive into the lane and finish that drew a foul and resulted in an "and one" at the 14:46 mark sparked an 11-0 Park Center run.  McKenzie connected on a lay-up in transition at the 14:27 mark and when Frost whizzed from coast-to-coast for a lay-up that cut the Skipper lead down to 44-39 at the 13:54 mark, Minnetonka Head Coach Leah Dasovich knew full and well that a stoppage in play was warranted and she called a thirty-second timeout to try and get her team calmed down.  Still, the Pirates would bring things back to one scintillating point - just as they had on Thursday night.  Frost snared an offensive rebound for a putback at the 13:17 mark and then DuBois connected on a lay-up at the 12:48 mark that cut the Skipper lead down to 44-43 and there was certainly no reason to think that the Pirates; with all this time ahead of them, couldn't regain the advantage. 

But again, just when the Pirates were on the cusp of taking this game over, this one managed to slip through their fingers as well as Minnetonka slowly but surely regained control.  A Mershon lay-up that drew a foul at the 12:23 mark along with the obligatory free throw was the start of a 7-0 Skipper push that not only provided more breathing space but also seemed to take a lot of the wind out of Park Center's sail.  Mershon would sink two more free throws after getting fouled at the 11:53 mark and a drive into the lane and a pretty one-handed finish by Erhard at the 9:25 mark got 'Tonka's lead back to eight at 51-43.  The Pirates were able to cut the deficit back down to five points on a "3" by Ragulen from the right corner with 8:40 left but they could never get any consistent run going while there was still plenty of time.  As such, Minnetonka was able to pad its cushion a bit more as Erhard connected with a lay-up with 7:53 left and an offensive rebound and putback by willowy freshman reserve forward Katie Leisen with 7:07 left had the Skippers back up by nine at 55-46.  Complicating Park Center's problem even more was that the Skippers got into the bonus with 6:51 left and one Greer freebie with 6:51 left still had Minnetonka up by eight at 56-48 and now it would be a real battle for the Pirates to try and get this one really close again.  As a result, the Skippers made every effort to try and make drives into the lane in hopes of drawing a foul.  Walker dropped two free throws after getting fouled with 6:06 left and an offensive rebound for a putback by Mershon with 5:17 left again had Minnetonka in decent shape up by nine at 60-51.  A Walker score in the paint with 4:11 left maintained that nine-point edge at 64-53 before the Pirates could attempt one more comeback bid.  Two Blakemore free throws after she was fouled in transition with 3:40 left and a Blakemore "3" from the left top area with 3:09 left cut the deficit down to six points at 64-58.  DuBois added to the late-game heroics with a lay-up with 2:06 left and a steal and lay-up the other way with 1:52 left that kept the flicker of hope going for Park Center down 68-62.  Then Blakemore drained yet another one of her NBA-range three-point bombs - this one coming from the right wing area with :34 left - that cut the Skippers lead down to four at 69-65 and the Pirates' Metcalf called for a thirty-second timeout in hopes of cooking up a miracle.  When McKenzie was able to snare a steal in the backcourt and get a lay-up out of it with :26 left, Park Center was now only down two at 69-67 and perhaps now panic might set in on the Skippers.  The Pirates were desperately looking for a stop but the big controversy of the game happened on the ensuing Minnetonka possession as O'Brien raced in for a lay-up attempt with :14.8 left and was fouled hard by Park Center's Cox as both players went to the floor after the collision.  After some debate by the officials, it was ruled that Cox's foul was intentional and although O'Brien was unable to connect on either free throw attempt, the Skippers got the ball back and Mershon was fouled with :07.4 left and she knocked down perhaps the biggest free throws of the game that upped Minnetonka's lead to 71-67.  The Pirates unleashed one last-gasp as Blakemore drained still another NBA-range three-point bomb from the right top area with :02 left but it was still not enough as the Skippers escaped with a wild 71-70 victory.

Unrest and disappointment seemed to reign on the Park Center side afterward as the controversial decision by the officials to call Cox's foul intentional and if Minnetonka's Walker might have actually drawn her fifth foul that was inadvertently overlooked that allowed her to stay in the game.  I personally did not see the collision between Cox and O'Brien as I was furiously writing in my notebook and didn't look up until the whistle blew and the crowd erupted.  I very much doubt that Cox intentionally fouled O'Brien and the cursory questions I asked afterward seemed to indicate that Cox was strictly going for the ball so I'm more than willing to give her the benefit of the doubt here.  Did Walker foul out?  Again, I don't know either as I wasn't keeping track of fouls (perhaps could have/should have done better here) and I had no reason not to trust the officials' actions.  In the end, the bottom line here is that the Pirates lost yet another close game that they could have and perhaps should have won.  And again, I point the finger to three main things:  Boxing out, rebounding and making free throws.  And while these latest setbacks aren't the end of the world for Park Center by any stretch, at some point they've got to get these issues figured out if they hope to make a serious bid not only for Northwest Suburban Conference honors but also in the Section 5AAAA playoffs as well.  On the other side, the Skippers are a much better team than their record indicates and Dasovich told me afterward that she likes to challenge her squad with a tough schedule early on in the season.  I asked her if she thought that her team may have begun to hit its stride.  "I hope so" Dasovich replied but even she knows that a lot of work lies ahead; particularly in the murderous Lake Conference that includes the likes of both Hopkins and Wayzata. 

Park Center Holiday Showcase - Cretin-Derham Hall vs Park Center 12-28-17

The nightcap at Park Center Gymnasium on this Thursday night at the Park Center Holiday Showcase featured fourth-ranked Cretin-Derham Hall out of the equally-competitive Suburban East Conference and host Park Center of the Northwest Suburban Conference.  This would be my first look at the Raiders in the 2017-18 season and I knew after seeing them last year that they were on the cusp of doing some big things so it wasn't surprising to see them ranked in the number four spot at all.  Now was a big test for them on the road in a potentially hostile environment against a quality opponent.  Meanwhile, Park Center had been doing reasonably well up to this point but was still in the process of trying to figure a few things out and tonight would prove to be a stern test and an opportunity to wipe the bad taste out of their mouths of the loss to Hopkins right before Christmas.

Cretin-Derham Hall would have a slight edge after the opening tip-off as senior guard Chan'el Anderson-Manning got into the paint for a score at the 17:48 mark and a jumper in the paint by fellow senior guard Haley Moore at the 16:49 mark had the Raiders up 4-2.  Junior forward Frannie Hottinger's lay-up at the 15:52 mark helped Cretin-Derham Hall maintain that two-point edge at 6-4 before the Pirates could usurp the momentum.  Lanky freshman guard T'Naye Griffin connected with a short jumper off the glass at the 14:37 mark to tie the game and a lay-up by fellow freshman guard/forward Adalia McKenzie at the 14:05 mark propelled Park Center into the lead at 8-6.  A lay-up by slender senior guard Meghan DuBois at the 13:28 mark increased the lead to four points at 10-6 and then the Pirates got a boost with back-to-back three-point bombs:  One by Griffin from the left top area at the 12:58 mark and another by sophomore guard Lauren Frost from the left corner at the 12:16 mark and suddenly the Pirates had a double-digit cushion at 16-6.  Cretin-Derham Hall would get the deficit back down to six points as senior forward Autam Mendez got into the paint for a score at the 12:06 mark as did Hottinger at the 10:31 mark but Park Center managed to pick up the tempo and increase its cushion.  Senior point guard Sommer Blakemore uncorked one of her patented NBA-range three-point bombs from the left wing area at the 10:10 mark and two free throws by DuBois at the 9:33 mark had the Pirates up 21-12.  When DuBois connected with a lay-up in transition with 8:42 left in the first half and drew a foul in the process that resulted in an ensuing "and one", things did indeed look rosy for Park Center as they held a 24-12 lead.

But this senior-laden Raider team was not about to let this game get away from them and their experience likely kept them from panicking and they were able to slowly right the ship.  Anderson-Manning drained a "3" from the left top area with 8:01 left that got Cretin-Derham Hall back into single-digit range trailing 24-15 and one Mendez free throw with 7:32 left and two more by senior forward Haley Moore with 6:42 left had the deficit down to eight at 26-18.  The Pirates would temporarily slow this drive when sophomore reserve guard Kayla Cox uncorked a "3" from the top of the key with 6:33 left but Cretin-Derham Hall managed to steady the course.  Mendez snared an offensive rebound for a putback with 6:20 left as did Hottinger a bit later with 5:55 left that cut the deficit down to seven points at 29-22.  Senior reserve guard Justyna Butler made a hard drive for a finish with 4:40 left and one free throw by junior reserve forward Paige Goaley with 4:02 left along with a jumper from the free throw line by Moore with 3:34 left suddenly had the deficit down to two points at 29-27.  A lay-up by Mendez with 2:07 left now had the deficit down to a scant single point at 30-29 and one freebie by Moore with 1:50 left brought this one back at 30-all.  The Raiders finally took the lead on a lay-up in transition by Mendez with 1:17 left at 32-30 and although Park Center managed to tie the contest on two free throws by sophomore reserve guard Aaliyah Ragulen with :58.2 left, Cretin-Derham Hall's Hottinger would give her team the lead back with another offensive rebound and putback with :41.2 left as the teams headed for the locker room at intermission with the Raiders holding a 34-32 advantage.  While certainly not an insurmountable deficit for Park Center, Head Coach Barb Metcalf and her staff had to be a bit unnerved as some of the problems from the previous game with Hopkins; i.e., boxing out and rebounding along with missed free throws were starting to rear their ugly heads again.  Worse yet, Cretin-Derham Hall did a good job of getting the tempo of the game back to their liking in a half-court style as opposed to the up-tempo style that the Pirates prefer.

The Raiders upped the ante in the early moments of the second half as senior forward Lizzie Edinger drained a "3" from the left wing area at the 17:36 mark and two Hottinger charity stripe shots at the 16:31 mark increased Cretin-Derham Hall's lead to seven at 39-32.  The Pirates' woes worsened at the 16:00 mark when Frost was slapped with her third foul and although DuBois' offensive rebound for a putback in transition at the 15:39 mark reduced the deficit to five points at 39-34, Park Center seemed to be wading in deeper and deeper doo-doo.  One Mendez free throw at the 15:09 mark and two more by Anderson-Manning at the 14:46 mark got Cretin-Derham Hall's lead up to eight points at 42-34 and then the Raiders were able to build a double-digit cushion.  Hottinger connected with a lay-up at the 14:11 mark and two Mendez free throws at the 13:40 mark had the Raiders up ten at 46-36.  Two Hottinger charity stripe shots at the 12:57 mark and an offensive rebound and putback by Hottinger at the 11:15 mark increased the lead to twelve at 50-38 and when Hottinger sank two more free throws with 8:57 left for a 52-40 Cretin-Derham Hall lead, the Pirates' fortunes indeed looked grim.

But if there's one thing we've learned about Park Center over the last few seasons is that they have one incredible knack for coming back under some of the most dire conditions and circumstances possible.  An unlikely 14-4 Pirate run over the course of four minutes changed things drastically and it started with a Griffin lay-up with 8:36 left in regulation that cut the deficit down to ten points at 52-42.  Two free throws by McKenzie with 8:19 left and one more by Griffin with 7:59 left had Park Center back in single-digit range trailing 54-45.  Then it was the three-point bomber; Blakemore, dropping one of her bombs from the left wing area with 6:39 left that now cut the deficit down to six points at 54-48 and the energy on the Pirate team was brimming.  McKenzie was sent to the charity stripe after she was fouled in a transition and although she was unable to connect on her free throw attempts, Frost was able to sneak in around her defender to grab the offensive rebound and get a putback out of it with 6:21 left that now cut the Cretin-Derham Hall lead down to four points at 54-50.  Hottinger came to the rescue to give her Raider teammates a bit more breathing room with two free throws with 4:58 left but Park Center was far from finished.  Blakemore dropped two free throws after getting fouled with 4:49 left and when McKenzie was able to snare a steal near mid-court and race the other way for a lay-up with 4:33 left, her ensuing "and one" now had the deficit down to a single scant point at 56-55 and there were few inside Park Center Gymnasium who doubted that the Pirates could bring this one back with this much time left.  Cretin-Derham Hall Head Coach Joe Lynch was probably one of those and he called a thirty-second timeout in an effort to try and get his squad calmed down.  That thirty-second pause in the action seemed to give the Raiders new life and a renewed determination to close this one out although Park Center definitely had their chances down the home stretch.  With Cretin-Derham Hall clinging to that one-point edge, Anderson-Manning managed to gracefully slither through traffic and get a one-handed finish with 3:33 left and one Mendez freebie with 3:07 left gave the Raiders a bit more breathing space up 59-55.  Still, there was plenty of time left for the Pirates but they never could quite get that one big shot to fall when they needed it.  Perhaps the real killer for Park Center's hopes came with 2:24 left when they failed to box out Hottinger when she zoomed into the lane to grab the back end of two missed free throws by Mendez for a putback and was fouled in the process.  Hottinger did her duty on the ensuing "and one" and now the Raiders lead was back up to seven points at 62-55 which effectively put Park Center back at Square One.  The Pirates did not abandon their comeback bid as a drive along the right baseline and finish by McKenzie with 1:52 left and two Blakemore free throws with 1:17 left at least had Park Center back in single-possession range trailing trailing 62-59.  But getting that one big stop to try and bring it all the way back proved to be a bridge too far for the Pirates on this night.  Moore dropped a big jumper for Cretin-Derham Hall  from the left wing area with 1:10 left that made it a two-possession game at 64-59 and although Blakemore would cut that lead down to three points again for the Pirates with :53.7 left, it was again a matter of not quite enough.  Edinger came through for the Raiders in the final minute; dropping one free through with :53.2 left and two more with :28.9 left that got Cretin-Derham Hall's lead to six at 67-61.  Frost would try and bring the Pirates closer with her drive and finish with :19 left but one more Edinger free throw with :16.6 left finally sealed the deal for Cretin-Derham Hall.  Frost would give the Pirates one more score on a lay-up with :07 left but it would be the Raiders walking away with a nail-biting 68-65 win. 

Park Center Holiday Showcase - Simley vs Minnetonka 12-28-17

Made the short hop over to Park Center High School on this cold, somewhat snowy Thursday afternoon to take in the first day of action at the Park Center Holiday Showcase.  The 3:45 P.M. game pitted Simley out of the Metro East Conference and Lake Conference powerhouse Minnetonka.  While the Trojans are in the process of trying to create an identity for themselves, the normally prolific Skippers have been meandering along in the early part of the season with a so-so 5-5 record and were desperately seeking some consistency.  On paper anyway, this appeared to be an easy victory for Minnetonka but you have to play the game.

The Skippers were able to build a 4-2 lead in the early stages of the first half thanks to one free throw by junior guard Blake Greer at the 17:00 mark and a Greer "3" from the left corner at the 15:41 mark.  Simley, however, would grab its first lead of the afternoon on one free throw by by sophomore guard Ravyn Miles at the 15:15 mark and a score in the paint by athletic sophomore forward Tiwaah Danso at the 14:36 mark that gave the Trojans a 5-4 advantage.  Minnetonka would manage to take the edge back as senior guard Megan Walker got into the paint for one score at the 14:04 mark and a jumper along the right baseline by fellow senior forward Kayla Mershon at the 13:04 mark had the Skippers up 8-5.  A Walker lay-up at the 12:18 mark helped Minnetonka maintain the three-point advantage at 10-7 but the Trojans showed that they were up to the challenge for the time being as two Tiwaah Danso free throws at the 11:09 mark cut the deficit down to one point and a lay-up in transition by eighth-grade reserve guard Sydney Runsewe at the 10:12 mark pushed Simley ahead 11-10.  The Skippers would answer on a score in the paint by Walker at the 9:41 mark but when the youngster Runsewe nailed a "3" from the right top area with 8:45 in the first half, Minnetonka looked like it might have a real battle on its hands trailing 14-12.

But whatever nerves the Skipper faithful in attendance on this day may have had initially were calmed by a game-changing 18-0 Minnetonka run.  Junior guard Natalie Erhard started this run with 7:49 left in the first half with a jumper in the lane to tie the contest at 14 a piece and a lay-up by Mershon with 6:41 left put the Skippers in front for good at 16-14.  Then it was Walker finishing a pretty lay-up in transition that drew a foul and the ensuing "and one" got Minnetonka's lead up to 19-14.  Next, it was junior reserve guard Hannah Fransen draining a "3" from the right corner with 4:23 left and then it was Erhard going back to work big-time.  First, she nailed a "3" from the left wing area with 3:24 left that gave the Skippers a double-digit advantage at 25-14 and then Erhard connected with a lay-up in transition with 2:57 left that also drew a foul and the obligatory free throw pushed the lead to 28-14.  Then it was Erhard putting the finishing touches on this run with an offensive rebound for a putback with 2:38 left that made it 30-14 and Simley Head Coach Mark Stensgard had seen enough to know it was time to take a match to a timeout.  Tiwaah Danso finally broke the Spartans drought with her score in the paint with 2:11 left but Simley's troubles included not only dealing with a long and athletic Skipper team but also the fact that Minnetonka Head Coach Leah Dasovich was doing a good job of mixing up her defensive looks; going from man defense on one series to going to a 2-3 "match-up" zone on some other series that kept the Trojans guessing.  And Erhard kept her heroics going for Minnetonka as well as she was able to knock down a short jumper off the glass with 1:47 left and a steal and lay-up the other way by Walker with 1:36 left stretched the Skippers lead to 34-16.  An Erhard jumper in the lane with just :02.7 left concluded a great first half by the youngster but more importantly gave Minnetonka a commanding 36-18 lead going into the locker room at the half. 

The Skippers left nothing to doubt in the early moments of the second half by going on a 14-3 burst.  Erhard; picking up right where she left off in the first half, snared an offensive rebound for a putback at the 17:35 mark and a drive and finish by strong senior post Zoe Hardwick at the 14:54 mark boosted Minnetonka's lead to 40-20.  Walker would also make a hard drive into traffic for a finish at the 13:44 mark and a pretty turnaround jumper by Mershon at the 12:14 mark lengthened the lead to 44-21.  Walker would drop one freebie after getting fouled at the 11:42 mark and Hardwick snared an offensive rebound for a putback at the 10:06 mark for a 47-21 Skipper lead.  Finally a "3" from the right wing area by Fransen at the 9:47 was the icing on the cake for this Minnetonka run and the Spartans' Mark Stensgard knew his team was buried at this point trailing 50-21 and frantically called a timeout to try and avoid the oncoming avalanche. 

To Simley's credit, they came out of that stoppage in play with a renewed determination to try and close the gap a bit.  Sophomore guard Sydney Stensgard drained a "3" from the right wing area at the 9:29 mark and Tiwaah Danso knocked down a jumper from near the free throw line with 7:41 left in hopes of reviving of what seemed to be a moribund Spartan offense.  Junior guard Bonita Franco made a drive into the lane for a finish with 7:10 left and drew a foul as well and she sank the obligatory free throw that trimmed the Skipper lead down to 54-29.  Then it was Sydney Stensgard striking gold from three-point land again with 6:33 left as got one to go down from the right corner that cut the deficit down to twenty-two at 54-32.  Tiwaah Danso was also able to get into the lane for a finish with 4:44 left but Simley was never able to seriously threaten down the stretch despite its best efforts.  The Skippers slowly righted the ship to cruise homeward as Walker gracefully knocked down a jumper from near the left elbow area with 3:31 left and Hardwick; not necessarily known for her three-point prowess, drained a bomb from the top of the key with 3:07 left that had Minnetonka's lead up to 61-34.  Senior reserve forward Liv O'Brien connected with a pretty reverse lay-up with 1:34 left and senior reserve guard Maddie Uglum connected with a lay-up as well with :55.8 left as the Skippers rolled to a 65-34 victory. 

Coe vs GAC 12-22-17

Headed down U.S. Highway 169 and the Union Pacific's Mankato Sub portion of the "Omaha Route" mainline down to St. Peter to take in this somewhat unusual pre-Christmas IIAC-MIAC clash between visiting Coe out of Cedar Rapids, Iowa and host GAC.  It was an easy trip down and I got settled in well ahead of time in Lund Arena and with the vast majority of students out on Christmas break with finals behind them, it was easy to stretch out.  The Kohawks were having a tough go of it so far as they came into this game with a 3-7 record although they were able to give highly-regarded UW-Whitewater out of the WIAC quite a tussle before falling by two points.  The Gusties were 7-1 coming into this game with the only blemish being the game with UST at home back on December 13th.  I was curious as to how hard it would be for the Gusties to get mentally fired up for this contest with Christmas break right around the corner and finals behind them along with the sting of the loss to UST still possibly on their minds a bit.

Coe would draw first blood in this contest as senior guard Jordan Holmes snared a steal and dashed the other way for a lay-up at the 9:29 mark but it didn't take long for the Gusties to get untracked.  Senior guard Mikayla Miller first banged home a "3" from the right wing area at the 9:09 mark and followed that up with a steal and lay-up the other way at the 8:46 mark for a 5-2 GAC lead.  Junior forward Kendall Thompson got into the paint for a score at the 7:41 mark to push the Gustie lead to 7-2 but the Kohawks managed to get within a single possession as senior guard Jenna Lehman got into the paint for a score at the 7:22 mark and two free throws by junior forward/post Karlee Grabau at the 5:50 mark had Coe close trailing 9-6.  Another Lehman score in the paint with 3:56 left kept the Kohawks in that three-point range trailing 11-8 but it was here that GAC was able to close out the first period with a 7-2 push to give them some more breathing room.  Surprising freshman guard Ava Gonsorowski uncorked a "3" from the left wing area with 3:18 left and a lay-up by freshman reserve forward Paige Richert with 2:18 left got the lead to 16-8 and former Coe standout and current Head Coach Kayla Waskow; perhaps a bit alarmed and not wanting her squad to get into a big hole early on, called a thirty-second timeout.  Still, senior forward Miranda Rice made a hard drive into the paint for a finish with :42.5 left that now had the Gusties up by ten at 18-8.  Kohawk senior guard/forward Aleena Hobbs helped get her squad back in single-digit range again with her score in the paint with :15 left but you could kind of tell right then and there that it was going to be an uphill battle for Coe all evening long.

It looked as if early on in the second period that the Kohawks would manage to stay reasonably close as freshman reserve guard Madeline Wilkins drained a "3" from the left corner at the 9:47 mark and although GAC's Miller drilled another one of her patented three-point bombs from the right wing area at the 8:16 mark, a score in the paint by Hobbs at the 8:04 mark had Coe down by only six at 21-15.  It was at this point, however, where the Gusties were able to establish separation in this one for good.  Two free throws by Rice at the 7:25 mark were the start of a 21-4 GAC run from which the Kohawks could never recover from.  Gonsorowski was able to connect with a lay-up in transition at the 7:15 mark that got the lead up to ten points at 25-15 and then it was Miller; the former Goodhue standout reigning terror from three-point land.  One bomb from the left corner at the 6:02 mark and another one from the right top area a minute later pushed the Gustie lead to 31-17.  Gonsorowski connected with a lay-up with 4:26 left that also drew a foul and the Esko native converted on the ensuing "and one" and one more Miller "3" from the right wing area with 3:25 left now had GAC up 37-19.  Junior reserve guard Taylor Anderson made a hard drive into the lane for a finish with 2:30 left and was fouled in the process and the ensuing free throw now made it a 40-19 game.  Two Gonsorowski free throws with 2:07 left completed this run but more than anything, it was propelled by some tough pressure defense that Gustie Head Coach Laurie Kelly was employing and Coe was simply unable to get much going on offense.  Lehman finally got a short jumper to go down for the Kohawks with 1:54 left but by now the damage was done and two more scores by GAC's Rice - a jumper along the left baseline with 1:24 left and a lay-up with :59 left - gave the Gusties a sizable 46-21 lead going into the locker room at the half.  Just a glance of the second period box score gives you an idea of what Coe had to endure in that dreadful period.  The Kohawks were guilty of nine turnovers and GAC shot 10-16 from FG range and 4-5 from three-point land thanks to Miller's heroics.

The Gusties somewhat surprisingly opened up the third period in a 1-2-2 zone defense but that didn't change their outlook on offense as a jumper in the lane by Rice at the 9:11 mark and a "3" from the left wing by junior guard Justine Lee at the 8:40 mark ballooned the lead to 51-21 and Coe's Waskow called another thirty-second timeout to try and her troops re-energized.  The Kohawks finally got back on the board when Grabau connected with a short shot off the glass at the 8:24 mark but it would take two more scores by GAC - a Thompson "3" from the right wing area at the 8:07 mark and an offensive rebound and putback by Lee at the 7:28 mark - before Coe began to show some signs of life.  Lehman knocked down a short jumper at the 7:06 mark and two Grabau free throws at the 6:26 mark had the deficit down to twenty-nine at 56-27.  Then it was freshman reserve guard Madeline Wilkins going to work for the Kohawks as she nailed one "3" from the left wing area at the 5:54 mark and dropped another "3" from the left corner that cut the deficit down to twenty-three points at 56-33 and GAC's Kelly; somewhat concerned about the lapses in her squad's defense, called a thirty-second timeout to discuss things with her team.  But the Gusties recovered quickly from this little setback and ended the third period with a 9-0 push that left little doubt as to how this one would end.  Two free throws by Thompson at the 5:04 mark and short jumper by Thompson with 4:12 left got the lead to 60-33.  Then it would be Thompson connecting with a lay-up in transition with 3:07 left and getting into the paint for a score with 2:15 left that got the lead to 64-33 and one free throw by Lee with 1:33 left had GAC comfortably ahead going into the fourth and final period. 

The Kohawks would try and make a last stand in the opening moments of the fourth period as Lehman let loose with a "3" from the left wing area at the 9:30 mark and Wilkins drained her third trey of the evening from the top of the key at the 7:11 mark but none of this would have a decided effect on the outcome.  GAC's Kelly was slowly starting to use some of her reserve players now that the Gusties had a big cushion and they were able to contribute.  Freshman reserve guard Gabby Bowlin connected with a lay-up in transition at the 6:22 mark and freshman reserve guard Marnie Wagner was able to snare an offensive rebound for a putback at the 5:12 mark.  Senior reserve forward Emee Udo dropped two free throws with 4:53 left and freshman reserve guard Tia Moscatelli dropped a three-point bomb from the left top area with 2:15 left that had the Gusties up 76-43.  Moscatelli would get one more free throw to go down with 1:43 left and Marnie Wagner would connect with a lay-up in transition with :54 left for good measure as GAC rolled to an easy 79-45 victory. 

I asked Kelly afterward about her squad coming out in a 1-2-2 zone defense as I have not seen the Gusties employ a zone defense before.  But Kelly wants to be able to have some flexibility on defense with the ability to change things up from time to time.  Also, I thought that the Gusties did a very good job today with their pressure defense and it definitely had Coe totally flustered at times.  The other surprise on this day was the insertion of Gonsorowski into the starting point guard spot.  Kelly felt that she's just had a better scoring punch as of late but that doesn't mean that junior Brooke Lemke won't figure prominently in the big picture for GAC.  For Kelly and her staff, it's probably a nice problem to have where you can have two players who can bring complimentary skills into the point guard position.  Now with the Christmas break finally here it's a chance for the Gusties to get relaxed, recharged and refocused for the big Wartburg Holiday Tournament down in Waverly on December 29th and 30th that GAC will participate in that will have an NCAA Tournament-feel to it with UW-Whitewater (the Gusties' opponent on 12-29), UW-Superior and IIAC powerhouse Wartburg.  It's a big opportunity for GAC and if the Gusties can come away with two wins from there, that could be a huge launching pad into the rest of the MIAC season.  Yet another fantastic outing for Miller on this day with her 19 points and going 5-9 from three-point land.  Rice had 14 points while Thompson had 13 points and Gonsorowski had ten points.  Wilkins off the bench for Coe led the way for the Kohawks with her 15 points while Lehman was the only other scorer for Coe in double-figures with her 12 points.  Undoubtedly, Coe's Waskow will look at her squad's 23 turnovers on this day as being the big downfall in this one as well as getting outrebounded by a 34-24 count.   

Hopkins vs Park Center 12-21-17

Made the short run over to Park Center on this Thursday evening to take in a big pre-Christmas non-conference clash featuring top-ranked Hopkins out of the Lake Conference and host Park Center of the Northwest Suburban Conference.  The Pirates were coming off a big road win against conference rival and highly-regarded Maple Grove on Tuesday evening and were hoping to ride a wave of momentum and confidence going into this clash.  Hopkins meanwhile was, well, Hopkins; as they came into this contest with an unblemished 8-0 record and it's certainly no surprise that the Royals are the overwhelming favorite to win a state title this season after being denied in the Class AAAA State Championship Game the last two seasons.  But a raucous Park Center student section showed up on this night as well as some familiar faces from the Pirates recent past as the Schaub triumvirate of Nicole (2012), Hannah (2015) and Danielle (2017) were all present as was Cayla McMorris (2014) and it was fun catching up with them.   

In order for Park Center to have a reasonable chance in this game, I felt one of the things they had to do was to get off to a good start and the Pirates were able to do that.  Lanky freshman forward T'Naye Griffin was able to snare an offensive rebound of a missed lay-up in transition at the 16:53 mark and a pull-up jumper from the left wing area by sophomore guard Lauren Frost at the 16:23 mark had Park Center up 4-3 and a "3" from the left corner by Griffin at the 15:55 mark increased that lead to 7-3.  None of this, however, fazed the Royals as they not only answered this early challenge but answered it with an exclamation mark as they proceeded to go on a 17-0 blitzkrieg.  Do-it-all sophomore guard Paige Bueckers started this run with a lay-up at the 15:34 mark and a lay-up in transition by senior guard Raena Suggs at the 14:22 mark knotted this one at 7-all.  A jumper from near the free throw line by sophomore guard Kayhla Adams pushed Hopkins out in front for good at the 13:52 mark and two Adams free throws at the 13:30 mark now had the Royals up 11-7.  But Hopkins was far from done with their show as Bueckers knocked down a pretty, one-handed jumper in the lane at the 12:54 mark and two free throws by senior forward Angie Hammond at the 11:43 mark and one more by Suggs at the 11:03 mark had the Royals up 16-7.  Eighth-grade reserve guard Amaya Battle connected with a lay-up in transition at the 10:38 mark as did Suggs at the 10:09 mark and Park Center Head Coach Barb Metcalf saw a potential disaster looming for her squad and quickly called a timeout to try and prevent it.

A short jumper from the left side by Pirate sophomore reserve guard Aaliyah Ragulen with 8:47 left momentarily stopped some of the bleeding but Park Center's fortunes took a further hit less than ten seconds later when senior guard Sommer Blakemore's early-game frustrations spilled over a bit and she was slapped with a technical foul with 8:39 left after arguing a foul call a bit too vociferously with the game officials.  As a result, Suggs was able to get one of her two free throw attempts to go down and when Bueckers came in for her, she was able to knock down the two technical foul attempts that now had the Royals up 23-9 that started a 7-0 Hopkins push.  Bueckers would get sent to the charity stripe again with 8:26 left where she promptly dropped two more freebies and a steal and lay-up the other way by senior reserve forward Kira Mosley with 8:14 left pushed the Royals lead up to 27-9.  Park Center could have arguably folded up the tent right then and there and called it an evening but they found the fight in them and managed to battle back.  Griffin connected with a lay-up in transition with 7:55 left and a "3" from the top of the key by sophomore reserve guard Kayla Cox with 7:02 left got the deficit down to thirteen at 27-14.  Frost connected with a lay-up in transition with 6:07 left and slender senior guard Meghan DuBois snared a steal and whizzed the other way for a lay-up with 4:33 left that helped reduce the deficit down to thirteen at 31-18.  Freshman guard/forward Adalia McKenzie got a lay-up in transition to go down with 3:58 as did DuBois with 3:02 left that now had the deficit down to eleven points at 33-22.  The Royals steadied the ship a bit as Hammond knocked down a jumper from near the free throw line with 2:48 left and two Bueckers free throws with 2:07 left got Hopkins lead back up to fifteen at 37-22.  The Pirates would respond with two big three point bombs - one from the right corner by Cox with 1:55 left and another one from Frost from that same right corner with 1:17 left - that suddenly had Park Center back in single-digit range trailing 37-28.  The Pirates foray into single-digit range was short-lived, however, as Hopkins made one last push before the halftime buzzer.  Suggs connected with a lay-up in transition with :43.2 left and sophomore reserve guard Jaide Pressley got one free throw to go down when she was sent to the charity stripe with just :00.3 left before the halftime buzzer that gave the Royals a little more space up 40-28.  But while Park Center was able to battle back and make things a bit tighter at the halftime break, they arguably left a few points off the board as well with missed free throws and "bunnies".  Worse yet, they were not doing a good job of boxing out which led to several second and third chances for Hopkins on the offensive end.

The Royals would get their lead stretched out to fifteen points in the early moments of the second half as one Hammond free throw at the 17:52 mark and a short jumper in the lane by Hammond at the 17:06 mark now had Hopkins up 43-28.  The Pirates would take another crack at trying to get back into the thick of things again as Blakemore; presumably calm again after that first half technical, drilled a "3" from the right wing area at the 16:56 mark and DuBois uncorked a "3" of her own from the left corner at the 14:55 mark that provided some hope as Park Center was now down by twelve at 46-34.  But those hopes of getting close again with mighty Hopkins were soon dashed for good as the Royals got on another run to put this out of reach for good and left nothing to chance.  Bueckers connected with one of her patented slithering lay-ups in transition at the 14:24 mark as did Suggs at the 13:36 mark that quickly had the lead back up to sixteen points at 50-34.  Then it was Suggs connecting with another lay-up in transition after a steal at the 13:18 mark for a 52-34 advantage and a "3" from the left corner by Adams at the 12:24 mark pushed the lead to 55-36.  An offensive rebound and putback by strong junior guard Dlayla Chakolis at the 11:52 mark had Hopkins up by twenty at 57-37 that effectively had the Pirates behind the eight-ball.

Park Center senior reserve forward Charo Nickens tried to reverse the trend with her lay-up at the 11:21 mark but the Royals were leaving nothing to chance and sought to put this one away for good.  Hammond got into the paint for one score at the 10:31 mark and Bueckers used her long, athletic frame to slither inside for a finish at the 9:27 mark to make it a 61-39 ballgame.  A Mosley jumper from near the free throw line at the 9:09 mark maintained the twenty-two point edge at 63-41 but the Hopkins machine was just getting started at putting the finishing touches on this one.  Bueckers casually drained a "3" from the left corner with 7:12 left and Chakolis got into the paint for another score with 6:54 left that made it 68-43.  Mosley's drive into the lane and left-handed finish with 6:05 left and a short shot by Adams with 5:25 left ballooned the lead to twenty-seven at 72-45 and the rout was officially on.  Two Bueckers freebies with 4:49 left and a Bueckers score in the paint with 4:21 left provided more insurance and Bueckers would bask in the spotlight one last time on this night with her drive into the lane for a finish with 3:49 left that also drew a foul and the resulting "and one" had the Royals safely up 79-52.  Park Center would make a few incremental dents coming down the home stretch as Blakemore would drain a "3" from the top of the key with 2:55 left and DuBois would get a "3" of her own to go down from the right corner  with 2:21 left but it would be way too little way too late as the Royals would waltz away with an 87-60 victory.

In looking back on this contest, there was probably very little that Park Center could do to prevent Hopkins from running away with this thing in the end.  Let's be clear about one thing:  This is simply a great Hopkins team that will very likely make amends for the disappointments suffered in the last two state championship games that they participated in.  At this juncture, I just don't see anyone out there that can match their speed and overall athleticism.  What's even more scary is that Bueckers may be the best player that Hopkins Head Coach Brian Cosgriff has ever coached and she's only a sophomore with her best days still way ahead of her.  That said, there's still some lessons for this young Pirate team to take from this loss going forward.  I look at three things specifically that really cost Park Center on this night.  First, boxing out.  Time and time again, the Royals had second, third and fourth chances on their offensive half-court sets to score and they took full advantage of those opportunities.  Which leads to (2), rebounding.  You not only have to box out but you have to get those defensive rebounds as well.  You simply cannot give any team (much less Hopkins) multiple chances to score.  Thirdly, I would also point a finger to free throw shooting which had to be something of a sore spot for Metcalf and her staff on this night.  You've simply got to knock down those freebies when you're at the charity stripe.  Had the Pirates been able to do that - especially during the first half - it would have at least changed the complexion of the contest in the early moments of the second half.  The good news is that these things can be easily corrected in practice and I think that Park Center will learn from this and be fine going forward.   

Park Center vs Maple Grove 12-19-17

Headed out to Maple Grove High School last night to take in this very important early-season Northwest Suburban Conference Girl's Basketball showdown between visiting Park Center and host Maple Grove.  Both teams have a very proud history which adds to this rivalry and the Crimson were coming into this game ranked seventh in Class AAAA with a 4-0 record and with an incredibly long and athletic line-up.  The Pirates were coming off the big home win against Anoka last Friday night and had a lot of momentum as well so it was not unreasonable to expect a very close, hard fought game on this night and I certainly don't think anybody would have been disappointed on this front.

Maple Grove came out red-hot from the opening tip-off as willowy 5'11 senior guard Autumn Mlinar was able to snare it and race in for an easy lay-up at the 17:57 mark and a Mlinar "3" from the top of the key at the 16:34 mark gave the Crimson a 5-0 lead.  Park Center would manage to cut the deficit to one point as senior guard Sommer Blakemore knocked down two free throws at the 15:56 mark as did freshman guard/forward Adalia McKenzie at the 15:47 mark when she was fouled in a transition opportunity.  But the Pirates were having a very difficult time trying to find cracks in the Maple Grove defense and the Crimson did a very good job of getting into the passing lanes that disrupted Park Center's half-court offensive sets.  Two free throws by Maple Grove freshman guard Jordyn Lamker at the 15:34 mark and one more by strong senior forward Katrina Theis at the 15:17 mark not only gave the Crimson some more breathing room with an 8-4 lead but Park Center's McKenzie was now saddled with her third foul as well and Head Coach Barb Metcalf had no choice but to yank her to the bench to sit her for the rest of the first half.  The Pirates did manage to cut things down to one point again on a three-point bomb by sophomore guard Lauren Frost at the 15:05 mark but Mlinar put her Maple Grove team on her shoulders over the next two and a half minutes.  She first connected with a lay-up at the 14:48 mark and then slithered into the paint for another score at the 13:36 mark to get the Crimson's lead out to 12-7.  Then Mlinar found her touch from behind the arc again at the 12:09 mark by unleashing a bomb from the right top area at the 12:09 mark that pushed Maple Grove's lead to 15-7.  Senior reserve forward Becca Tyler added a "3" of her own from the right corner at the 11:30 mark and now the Crimson enjoyed a double-digit advantage of 18-7 and Park Center at this point appeared to be in a heap of trouble.

But give this young and unpredictable Pirate squad a lot of credit for being resilient and battling back in the form of an 8-0 that seemed to take a lot of wind out of Maple Grove's sail when they appeared to be in position of blowing this one wide-open.  Freshman reserve forward T'Naye Griffin got into the paint for one score at the 10:55 mark and pairs of free throws by slender senior forward Meghan DuBois - at the 10:25 and 9:05 marks - now had the deficit down to five points at 18-13.  Then it was Frost connecting on a lay-up in transition after a steal with 8:21 left that suddenly had Park Center back in single-possession range at 18-15 and an alarmed Crimson Head Coach Mark Cook called a timeout to get his squad calmed down and regrouped.  Maple Grove had a solid response to this challenge as Tyler knocked down a jumper in the lane off the glass off of an inbounds pass with 7:13 left and a lay-up by Lamker with 5:39 left got the lead back up to seven points at 22-15.  The Pirates, however, would respond with a 6-0 push to reduce the deficit to a scant point.  Senior forward Charo Nickens connected with a lay-up after a backcourt steal with 4:44 left and an offensive rebound and putback by Charo Nickens with 4:16 left had Park Center back in single-possession range again trailing 22-19.  A DuBois lay-up with 3:51 left completed this push before Maple Grove could establish some more breathing room again.  Junior reserve guard Sam Carroll connected with a lay-up with 3:11 left and senior forward Paige Hinze connected with a lay-up as well with 2:18 mark to up the Crimson lead to 26-21.  Two Hinze free throws with :40.4 left in the first half maintained the five-point edge for the Crimson at 28-23 but Park Center's Blakemore would connect on a lay-up after a steal with :15 left as both teams headed for the locker room with Maple Grove up 28-25.

The Pirates came right out of the gate once the second half started and stole not only the lead but all the momentum that Maple Grove seemed to have with a 7-0 run.  Charo Nickens got into the paint for a score at the 17:54 mark and McKenzie; riding those three fouls that forced her out for most of hte first half, connected with a lay-up in transition at the 17:37 mark that gave Park Center its first lead at 29-28.  McKenzie would get one free throw to go down after getting fouled at the 16:27 mark and would drop two more at the 15:49 mark that now had the Pirates up by four at 32-28 to cap this run.  Maple Grove tried to answer this as Theis muscled into the paint for a score at the 15:28 mark but Park Center had a 6-1 push left in them.  DuBois connected with a lay-up at the 13:01 mark to get the lead back to four at 34-30 and one Griffin freebie at the 12:31 mark and a Griffin "3" from the left wing area at the 12:07 mark now had the Crimson reeling a bit down 38-31.  Maple Grove managed to reduce the deficit down to two points as Mlinar unleashed another three-point bomb - this one from the left wing area at the 11:26 mark and Theis connected with a lay-up at the 11:00 mark.  McKenzie's drive and finish at the 10:42 mark would give Park Center a bit more breathing room up 40-36 and with the Pirates' up-tempo offense finally clicking after a bit of a slow start in this one, it appeared that they finally had things going their way. 

The Crimson, however, were not so willing to let this home contest get away from them and they mounted a comeback.  Lamker uncorked a "3" from the right wing area at the 9:27 mark that cut the deficit to one point and a Lamker drive and finish with 8:12 left kept Maple Grove in that one-point range trailing 42-41.  A lay-up by Theis with 7:40 left finally propelled the Crimson back out in front for the first time since the beginning of the second half at 43-42 and a score in the paint by Theis with 6:25 left maintained Maple Grove's one-point edge at 45-44.  With things incredibly tight and with time starting to be a bit of a factor, the Pirates rose to the greatest challenge yet in this contest and retook the lead just when a bigger opponent appeared to have things finally figured out.  Two DuBois free throws with 5:34 left and a jumper by McKenzie from the right elbow area with 3:48 left re-established Park Center's lead at 48-45.  The Crimson had a big opportunity to cut the gap to one point with 3:34 left but Mlinar wasn't able to convert on two free throw attempts.  That gave the Pirates a chance to increase their cushion and a Blakemore drive into the lane and finish with 2:46 left now had Park Center up by five at 50-45.  Maple Grove was able to get things back to one point as Hinze connected with a lay-up with 2:38 left as did Theis with 1:54 left that made it a a 50-49 ballgame but the Crimson never could find that one opportunity that may have allowed them to get their nose back out in front again.  Blakemore would knock down two free throws after getting fouled with 1:40 left that gave the Pirates a 52-49 advantage.  Park Center's Metcalf called a timeout shortly thereafter to make sure her squad's ducks were all in a row going down the home stretch.  Frost and McKenzie not only helped the Pirates get some more breathing room but also added a bit of flair in the process as Frost connected on a pretty reverse lay-up with 1:16 left and McKenzie did the same with 1:00 left and now Maple Grove was staring at a seven-point deficit at 56-49 and the Crimson simply could not recover.  A Lamker offensive rebound for a putback with :47 left helped cut the deficit down to five for Maple Grove at 56-51 and two Mlinar free throws with :37.1 left gave the Crimson a wisp of hope down 56-53.  The problem now was that Park Center was now in the double-bonus and the Crimson never could get another opportunity to make things even again.  DuBois knocked down free throws with :35.5 and :29.3 left and was able to knock down a pair with :17.7 left as the Pirates claimed a huge 60-53 win on the road. 

Park Center did indeed have some good fortune with the ability to get McKenzie back into the game in the second half with those three fouls as she led the Pirates with 17 points while DuBois was the only other player for Park Center in double figures with 14 points.  Mlinar also talled 17 points for Maple Grove on this night while Theis had 12 points and Lamker tallied 11 points.  This was indeed an important victory for the Pirates not only their future standing in the Northwest Suburban Conference but also perhaps a big shot of confidence in the arm for them as Park Center has two big games coming up against ranked opponents:  at home against top-ranked Hopkins on Thursday evening (12-21) and then against fifth-ranked Cretin-Derham Hall also at home during the Park Center Holiday Tournament.  Meanwhile, while it's a disappointing loss for Maple Grove, I think this team will be fine in the long run.  They're incredibly long and athletic and the only downfall I can see for this squad right now is how they handle up-tempo teams such as Park Center.  This is a squad that definitely prefers the half-court game and they've got the size to excel there.  Now it's a matter of tweaking a few things here and there and Head Coach Mark Cook knows how to get this squad back on a roll again.   

UW-River Falls vs St. Kate's Synopsis 12-16-17

After the Augsburg - Northwestern game, I headed south on Snelling Avenue to the south side of St. Paul and over to the campus of St. Catherine's University for the 3:00 P.M. non-conference game between visiting UW-River Falls out of the WIAC and host St. Kate's of the MIAC.  Got settled into Butler Center at the half with UW-River Falls up fairly comfortably at 41-20.

St. Kate's started the third period on a 4-0 push thanks to two free throws by sophomore guard Danica Cambrice at the 9:57 mark and a score in the paint by senior guard Meg Clark but the Falcons still looked like they could do no wrong as they regained control.  Junior forward Taylor Paulsrud unleashed a "3" from the right corner at the 7:18 mark and a short jumper off the glass by junior post Taylor Karge at the 6:06 mark had UW-River Falls up by twenty-two at 46-24.  A lay-up by fellow senior guard Brynn Liljander at the 5:26 mark maintained the cushion for the Falcons at 48-26 and it indeed looked to be too much to overcome for the home team.  But an unexpected 16-2 St. Kate's run over the remaining portion of this third period had the Falcons reeling just a bit.  One free throw by sophomore guard Jackie Radford with 4:08 left and two more by Meg Clark with 3:24 left helped spark this comeback bid as did some well-timed full- and half-court trapping defense as well.  Radford would connect with a lay-up with 2:46 left that also drew a foul and although the former Cretin-Derham Hall standout couldn't convert on the "and one" opportunity, it did send UW-River Fall's biggest weapon down low - Karge - to the bench with four fouls and the 'Cats were now in the bonus to boot.  Freshman guard Ashley Fossness dropped two free throws after getting fouled with 2:29 left and then the Britton, South Dakota native snared a steal and dashed the other way for a lay-up with 2:11 left that suddenly whittled the deficit down to thirteen points at 48-35.  The Falcons tried to right the ship on a jumper in the lane by sophomore reserve guard Taylor Pearson with 1:44 left but St. Kate's was not finished yet.  Cambrice drained a "3" from the top of the key with 1:33 left and a jumper from near the free throw line by freshman reserve forward Mackenzie Dettman with :34 left now had the Wildcats down by ten at 50-40.  Two free throws by freshman reserve guard Bailee Sillman with just :04.3 left in this third period now had St. Kate's back in single-digit range trailing 50-42.

The big question going into the fourth period was if the Wildcats had enough energy left to keep this comeback bid alive but an experienced UW-River Falls team soon put those hopes to bed for good.  Liljander uncorked a "3" from the right wing area at the 9:40 mark and another three-point bomb by junior forward Jaycie Gerding at the 8:37 mark now had the Falcons lead back in double-digit range at 56-44.  Meg Clark would try to answer for St. Kate's with a "3" of her own from the right corner at the 8:21 mark but the 'Cats could never quite find that magic spark that they were able to find in the third period.  UW-River Falls would stay steady as Liljander was able to connect with a lay-up in transition at the 7:52 mark and also drew a foul in process and the obligatory free throw by the former Cambridge-Isanti standout had the Falcons up by twelve at 59-47.  Pearson would connect with a lay-up at the 7:20 mark and Gerding muscled into the paint for another score at the 6:58 mark and Liljander got another lay-up to go down at the 6:21 mark to complete this 9-2 run that now made it a 65-49 game.  Liljander would blast through for yet another lay-up at the 5:43 mark and Pearson would make a hard drive into the lane for a finish off the glass at the 5:21 mark that now had the lead at nineteen points at 69-50.  The lead would get extended to twenty points when Pearson snared an offensive rebound for a putback and was fouled in the process and her "and one" made it a 72-52 game.  St. Kate's could only make some incremental dents down the stretch but could never seriously threaten.  Senior guard/forward Alexis Garcia got into the paint for a score with 4:01 left and one Radford freebie with 2:29 left and a Garcia lay-up in transition with 1:35 left had the deficit down to seventeen at 74-57.  Radford would get one more free throw to go down with :54.6 left and Fossness would connect on a lay-up in transition with :30 left and Fossness would get one more feather in her cap for this day with a drive and finish that drew a foul with the "and one"  but the Falcons would ultimately head back home across the St. Croix River with a 75-63 victory in their bag.

I managed to catch up with UW-River Falls Head Coach Cindy Holbrook afterward to ask her about her squad and if she felt that her squad is where they should be at this time.  She expressed some mixed feelings about the subject; feeling that they dropped one game that could have gone either way but, for the most part, seemed to be happy about where they're at right now.  A year-end trip out to the Motherland awaits the Falcons as they play in a tournament at Whittier, California against Dicksinson out of the Centennial Conference and Emmanuel out of the Great Northeast Athletic Conference - games that the Falcons should be able to take care of business without too much trouble - before diving head-first into WIAC play right after the first of the year and we all know what a war that conference can be.  Still, Holbrook believes that her squad can be in the thick of things in the WIAC and in play for the Big Dance come March.  Meanwhile, it appears that it's slowly but surely becoming an increasingly tougher row to hoe for the Wildcats who have struggled with injuries and some bad luck as well.  They get one more non-conference game at home on Saturday (12-30) before getting back into MIAC play and the first three opponents on the menu after the first of the year are SMU and Bethel at home and then a roadie up to CSB.  You can never count out a team coached by Don Mulhern, of course, but the odds would appear to be stacked against them.  Liljander had an outstanding day for the Falcons on this Saturday with her 22 points to lead all scorers while Karge had 12 points and Pearson had 11 points.  Cambrice had a big day for St. Kate's with her 19 points while Radford was the only other player for the Wildcats in double-figures with her 11 points.  Somewhat surprisingly, rebounds were even on this day at 31 a piece and the Falcons also suffered 22 turnovers on this day as well; something that undoubtedly made Holbrook wince a bit afterward.  But the Wildcats had a horrid day from behind the arc shooting 2-14 for 14.3% while the Falcons had a much more proficient day; going 29-53 for 54.7% from FG range and 9-21 for 42.9% from behind the arc.  Another important stat on this day:  UW-River Falls had a 22-15 edge on points off of turnovers. 

Augsburg vs Northwestern 12-16-17

Made an easy drive over to suburban Roseville on this midday Saturday to take in an interesting 1:00 P.M. non-conference clash between visiting Augsburg of the MIAC which made the short hop from Minneapolis and host Northwestern out of the UMAC.  The Auggies rebounded nicely after last week's disappointing loss at home to Concordia by outlasting a good Carleton in the friendly confines of Si Melby Hall.  The Eagles meanwhile have been on something of a roll as of late after knocking off nationally-ranked Bethel.  They dropped a tough one on the road at UW-Eau Claire but since then have been unblemished in UMAC play.  In my mind anyway, this game to me would be more about Augsburg than Northwestern as I wasn't entirely sure what Auggie team would show up. 

Augsburg would strike first in this contest as sophomore guard K'Aezha Wubben unleashed a "3" from the top of the key at the 9:44 mark which would be a sign of things to come but for the time being anyway, the Eagles responded nicely.  Senior forward Alex Peterson knocked down a short shot off the glass at the 9:09 mark with the shot clock expiring and a short jumper along the left baseline by junior guard Amy Berglund; who was presented with the 1,000th-point ball prior to the contest, knotted the game at 4 a piece.  A Berglund lay-up at the 7:34 mark pushed Northwestern ahead for the first time at 6-4 and a jumper in transition from the right elbow area by fellow junior guard Taryn Tumbleson at the 6:58 mark made it an 8-4 ballgame.  Eagle Head Coach Aaron Kahl had his squad in his normal 2-3 "match-up" zone defense in hopes of clogging up the middle but that didn't seem to bother Augsburg too much.  Sophomore reserve three-point specialist guard Aiza Wilson uncorked the first of her four three-point bombs of the day - this one coming from the left wing area at the 5:45 mark that cut the deficit down to one point at 8-7 and a lay-up by fellow sophomore guard Camryn Speese at the 5:13 mark had the Auggies back out in front by a 9-8.  Sophomore guard Arianna Jones would uncork a "3" of her own from the left top area with 3:51 left that had Augsburg up 12-10 but the Eagles would respond with a lay-up in transition with 3:11 left that had things even-steven at 12 a piece.  Now it was Northwestern's turn to get on a bit of a push and Berglund did all she could to put her squad on her shoulders.  The Springfield, Virginia native knocked down two jumpers from the left elbow area - one with 2:12 left and then again with 1:29 left - that gave the Eagles a 16-12 advantage.  Augsburg would come right back and reclaim the lead as Wilson first darted into the lane for a finish with 1:06 left and then drained her second trey of the afternoon - this one coming from the right top area with :27 left - that had the Auggies up 17-16.  Still, Northwestern would have the last laugh of this entertaining first period as Berglund knocked down a jumper from the top of the key just inside the arc that gave the Eagles an 18-17 lead going into the second period.  Given how this first period played out, it looked as if this had the makings of a very close, tight game.

It's unlikely, however, that Kahl and his staff could have ever envisioned the avalanche that they were about to face once the second period got underway.  Augsburg sophomore reserve forward Abby Jordan found her touch behind the arc with a bomb from the top of the key as the shot clock was expiring at the 9:15 mark and although the Eagles would manage to tie the game at 20 a piece on a jumper from the left elbow area by senior reserve post Abby Peterson at the 8:46 mark, things would quickly and curiously go south from there as the Auggies would embark on a game-changing 16-4 run.  Wilson would be on fire as she unloaded back-to-back three-point bombs - one from the left wing at the 8:30 mark and another from the left corner at the 7:33 mark - that propelled Augsburg back into the lead for good at 26-20.  Speese connected with a jumper in the lane off the glass at the 6:10 mark and a Wilson jumper from the free throw line at the 5:36 mark had the Auggies up 30-22.  Speese use her athleticism and jumping ability to snare an offensive rebound for a putback with 3:38 left and also connected with a lay-up with 2:40 left that now made it a 34-24 game and Kahl, sensing that the ceiling was caving in on his Northwestern squad, called a thirty-second timeout to try and rectify the situation.  Still, strong sophomore guard Tamira McLemore would cap this Augsburg run with her steal and lay-up the other way with 2:22 left before the half that had the Auggies up 36-24.  The Eagles would finally stop some of the bleeding when Berglund banged home a "3" from the left top area with 1:26 left but Northwestern would not be able to muster any more offensive heroics before the halftime buzzer and went into the locker room a bit dazed perhaps and on the wrong end of a 36-27 score.  A glance of the first half box score doesn't reveal anything too telling.  Augsburg certainly did shoot well in the first half (53.8% from FG range and 50% from behind the arc) but rebounds were even at 11 a piece although the Eagles did suffer nine first half turnovers and shot only 1-4 from behind the arc for 25%.  The bigger question was if Northwestern had enough firepower to come out in the third period and reclaim some momentum that they totally lost in the second period.

Augsburg quickly put to rest any notion that they might somehow fold and opened the third period with a 12-3 run that opened up even more distance.  McLemore drained a "3" from the left top area at the 9:40 mark and a drive into the lane into the heart of the Eagle defense and a finish at the 8:01 mark now had the Auggies up 41-27.  Wubben knocked down a jumper as well from the left top area just inside the arc at the 7:20 mark and a score in the paint by senior forward Bridget Bednar at the 6:37 mark gave Augsburg a 45-29 lead.  Jones put the icing on this latest run with a three-point bomb from the left wing area with 4:56 left and although the Eagles' Alex Peterson knocked down one free throw with 4:49 left, Kahl knew full and well that this one was quickly getting away from his team and called a full timeout to try and prevent the inevitable.  But the Auggies' Wubben would connect with a lay-up with 4:36 left to give Augsburg its first twenty-point lead at 50-30 and things deteriorated even more for Northwestern when Alex Peterson picked up her third foul of the contest at the 4:13 mark and had to sit for a spell.  Wubben would get into the paint for a score with 3:44 left and a lay-up by freshman reserve forward Jazmyn Solseth with 1:59 left maintained the twenty-point cushion at 54-34.  McLemore would add one more point from the charity stripe with :55.8 left in the third period and a lay-up by Jordan with :10 left had Augsburg in full control of things up 57-35 going into the fourth period. 

Things simply didn't change much in the fourth period and more of Riverso's reserves started getting into the act as well.  After Wilson was able to knock down a short jumper at the 7:43 mark, freshman reserve guard Nicole Zielsdorf drained a "3" from the right corner at the 6:42 mark that had the Auggies up 62-36.  Zielsdorf would bang home another three-point bomb at the 5:48 mark from the same right corner that ballooned the lead to twenty-nine at 65-36 before Berglund could come to the rescue for Northwestern with a score in the paint at the 5:26 mark and two free throws with 4:48 left but none of this would ever allow the Eagles to get reasonably close again.  Berglund would knock down a jumper from the left wing area with 3:28 left and senior point guard Andrea Zimpel finally got into the scoring book with a "3" point bomb from the left corner with 2:47 left but it was simply a matter of too little way too late.  Augsburg freshman reserve guard Jennifer Hicks drained a "3" from the left corner with 2:16 left and Zielsdorf would drill her third trey of the fourth period alone with 1:12 left from the left corner as the Auggies ran away with this one in grand fashion by a shocking 75-45 count. 

I was able to catch up with Augsburg's Riverso afterward and asked him about this game and how they turned things around so fast after the disappointment last Saturday against Concordia.  "We played like we did when we were out in California" he replied; referring to big wins against both Caltech and Occidental during their stay out in the Motherland over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend.  The big question now, of course, is can the Auggies maintain some semblance of consistency where they're not so incredibly up-and-down from game to game or even week to week.  That remains the challenge as Riverso was quick to agree but I get the sense that his young squad is leaning in the right direction as the young core is now a year older and a year more experienced.  If they can play at a level close to where they were at on this day, they're going to be incredibly tough to beat and that includes UST, GAC, CSB and Bethel.  Meanwhile, a bad day at Stalingrad as I mentioned to Northwestern Assitant Coach and former Eagle standout player Katie DeWitt-Severson as the Eagles looked totally out of sync after things looked good after the first period.  She pointed to a number of factors but seemed to underline that Northwestern really hasn't really played all that great since the games against both Bethel and UW-Eau Claire even with wins against UMAC opponents Bethany Lutheran, North Central and Crown; all reasonably close games.  From my view, Berglund simply didn't get much help on this day and DeWitt-Severson knows full and well what it's like when you have to carry a team on your shoulders at times.  Throw in the fact that the squad has finals staring at them early this next week just makes for a bad combination and bloody rotten timing as well.  Fortunately, Northwestern gets a break with the holidays coming up and it's an opportunity for them to heal up and get recharged both mentally and physically when they dive head first back into UMAC play after the first of the year.  Simply a hot day for the Auggies as they shot 50.8% from FG range and 52% from behind the arc.  Wilson led the way for Augsburg with 18 points while Wubben added 11 points.  Berglund was the only scorer in double-figures for Northwestern as she led all scorers with 23 points.  Likely another sore spot for Kahl and his staff on this day:  The Auggies outrebounded Northwestern by a 31-22 count and they held a 22-11 edge in points off turnovers and a 13-4 edge in "second-chance" points.  Even more striking is that Augsburg had a whopping 45-8 edge in points off the bench.

Anoka vs Park Center 12-15-17

Made the short run over to Park Center High School on this somewhat snowy December evening to take in this big early season match-up of two proud Northwest Suburban Conference rivals between visiting Anoka and host Park Center.  This would be my first look at the Tornadoes who have bolted out to a 6-0 start this season thus far and were trying to make amends for a somewhat disappointing 2016-17 season while the Pirates have entered a new era of sorts with a new head coach in Barb Metcalf and a lot of new faces to replace recently departed stars.  I had watched Park Center play at the Breakdown Tip-Off Classic where they beat Prior Lake but wasn't really sure how good they could be so early in the season.  On this night, the Pirates would definitely give me a better idea.

Both teams would trade blows in the opening moments of the first half as Park Center freshman guard/forward Adalia McKenzie connected with a lay-up in transition at the 17:32 mark but the Tornadoes would counter on a three-point bomb from the right wing area by sophomore guard Jersi McAlpine at the 17:14 mark.  Anoka would grab another one-point lead at 5-4 when senior post Lily Schoknecht got into the paint for a score at the 16:19 mark before the Pirates could put together a bit of a run to retake the lead.  McKenzie snared an offensive rebound for a putback of her own miss at the 16:01 mark and senior three-point bomb specialist guard Sommer Blakemore uncorked one of her trademark "3's" from the right wing area at the 15:39 mark for a 9-5 Park Center lead.  McKenzie would snare a steal and dash the other way for a lay-up at the 14:10 mark and an 11-5 Pirate lead before Anoka could shake off a few cobwebs and battle back.  Freshman reserve guard Olivia Anderson knocked down two free throws after being fouled in a transition opportunity at the 13:24 mark and Anderson would strike again at the 13:06 mark with a pretty drive and finish that got the Tornadoes back in single-possession range trailing 11-9.  Park Center would try to create a little more breathing room with a 4-0 push as Blakemore made a hard drive in transition for a finish at the 12:08 mark and slender senior guard Meghan DuBois connected with a lay-up in another transition opportunity for a 15-9 Pirate lead.  Anoka would cut the deficit down to four points on a "3" from the left wing area by junior reserve guard Lexi Huelsnitz at the 10:59 mark that made it 15-12 game.  Although it was becoming more obvious that Park Center's up-tempo style and pressure defense was definitely having an effect on the Tornadoes preferred half-court game, Anoka was staying close for the time being and weathering the storm reasonably well.

The Pirates would get their lead back to six again as speedy sophomore reserve guard Aaliyah Ragulen slithered into the lane for a finish and was fouled in the process and the ensuing "and one" gave Park Center an 18-12 advantage at the 10:04 mark.  A score in the paint by surprising freshman forward T'Naye Griffin at the 9:08 mark maintained the six-point lead at 20-14.  Two free throws by Tornado sophomore guard Emily Josephson with 8:17 left had Anoka down by only four at 20-16 but it was here that the Pirates made their first decisive move of the game.  Ragulen ventured into the land of giants for a drive and finish with 8:04 left and a steal and lay-up the other way by sophomore reserve guard Kayla Cox with 7:43 left now had Park Center up 24-16.  A short, turnaround jumper by McKenzie with 7:02 left and a short jumper from the left side by Ragulen with 6:35 left now had the Pirates up double-digits at 28-16 and Anoka Head Coach Zack Vogelsberg had seen enough to know that a thirty-second timeout was warranted to get his squad calmed down.  To their credit, the Tornadoes went on a 6-0 push to cut the deficit in half.  Two free throws by Schoknecht with 5:39 left and a pretty give-and-go lay-up by senior reserve guard Justine Watson with 4:59 left had Anoka back in single-digit range trailing 28-20 and a strong offensive rebound and putback by Schoknecht with 4:23 left had things much more manageable for the Tornadoes trailing 28-22.  Watson would strike again for Anoka with 2:35 left with a three-point bomb from the left top area that had things down to five points at 30-25 although the Pirates would flirt with another spurt.  Blakemore would drain another one of her patented three-point bombs from the right top area with 2:18 left for a 33-25 Park Center lead and a Cox lay-up with :50 left before halftime maintained the eight-point edge at 35-27.  Anderson would come to the rescue of the Tornadoes with a jumper along the right baseline with :33 left to keep things reasonably close at the halftime buzzer by a count of 35-29.  Anoka, however, was incredibly fortunate to be as close as they were as the Pirates missed several easy "bunny" shots that would have had Park Center up by considerably more had they been able to cash in.

The fact that the Pirates had allowed Anoka to hang around looked like it might come back to bite Park Center in the early moments of the second half.  A Schoknecht score in the paint at the 17:26 mark kept the deficit at six points at 37-31 and a lay-up by senior guard Noelle Josephson at the 16:22 mark and two Noelle Josephson free throws at the 15:22 mark now left things somewhat uncertain as the Tornadoes trailed by only four at 39-35.  It was here, however, that the roof gradually caved in on Anoka as the Pirates embarked on a game-changing 15-2 run fueled primarily by its pressure defense.  Griffin got into the paint for a score at the 15:10 mark and a three-point bomb by Blakemore from the left wing area at the 12:10 mark suddenly pushed the lead to nine points at 44-35.  McKenzie connected with a lay-up at the 11:27 mark and would also connect with a lay-up in transition at the 9:41 mark to push things back up to double-digit range at 48-37.  Ever-improving sophomore guard Lauren Frost got a lay-up in transition to go down as well at the 9:21 mark and the wily Ragulen drove into the lane for a finish with 8:47 left that now had Park Center up 52-37 and the Tornadoes' Vogelsberg had seen enough to know that he had to take a match to a timeout as this one was rapidly getting away from his squad. 

McKenzie would connect with a lay-up in transition after a steal to complete this run with 7:55 left that made it 54-37 before Anoka could finally stop the bleeding on a pretty drive and finish by Noelle Josephson with 7:08 left.  By now though, the damage had been done and any hopes for a Tornado comeback had long since gone out the window into the cold, snowy night.  An 8-0 Park Center push sealed Anoka's fate for good.  McKenzie connected on a pretty reverse lay-up with 6:55 left and then Blakemore let loose with a "3" from the left corner with 6:18 left that now had the Pirate lead up to twenty at 59-39.  DuBois would do the same from the opposite corner with 5:54 left that made it 62-39 and the Tornadoes could only make incremental dents in the large cushion down the stretch.  Griffin would get into the paint for a score with 5:01 left and although Anoka's Vogelsberg would call another timeout with 4:44 left, there was simply no stopping the Pirate onslaught.  Griffin would connect with a lay-up with 4:12 left and then Blakemore would unleash an NBA-range three-point bomb from the left top area with 3:25 left for a 69-43 Park Center lead.  Both Metcalf and Vogelsberg unloaded their benches in the final two minutes as the Pirates rolled to a 71-47 victory.

After bolting out to a 6-0 start, it was obviously a harsh defeat as the Tornadoes came crashing back to earth the hard way on this night.  I caught up with Vogelsberg afterward and asked him what was the culprit in tonight's loss.  "We just didn't move on offense" he replied.  "We stood around."  While Anoka has to go back to the drawing board and re-tool and tweak some things, I think they have enough weapons and mojo to recover from this setback but tonight was obviously a harsh lesson.  Meanwhile for Park Center, the more I see of this squad, the more I like them.  There's a lot of new faces that fans will need to get used to but they haven't deviated too much from what's made them successful in the past and with that kind of speed and athleticism that they possess, why would you?  I still think it's too early to project how well they can actually do come February or March but it's obvious that when they use that pressure defense to create turnovers and get into easy transition opportunities, they're going to be an incredibly tough team to beat. 

UST vs GAC 12-13-17

Was a bit of a snowy drive late yesterday afternoon down U.S. Highway 169 and the Union Pacific's Mankato Sub portion of the famed "Omaha Route" mainline but got down to St. Peter okay to take in this huge early-season clash between visiting and 11th-ranked UST and host #12 GAC in what could be termed the MIAC Women's Hoops Game of the Century Part II.  While this one may not have had quite they hype and pomp and circumstance of the original back on February 1 of last season, this still had all the makings of a big game and one that could certainly loom large in MIAC playoff seedings as well as NCAA Tournament implications as well.  I got settled in early to catch some of the JV game that was won by the Gusties before the main event.

Things were on a very even basis in the opening minutes of the first period with both teams in man-to-man defense.  GAC senior forward Miranda Rice and UST lanky junior post Hannah Spaulding traded early scores and a lay-up by Gustie junior guard Taylor Anderson at the 8:31 mark gave the home team a 4-2 lead.  The Tommies would manage to knot the game up at 4-all on a short shot off the glass by senior guard/forward Lauren Fischer at the 7:16 mark but the GAC answer would be a strong offensive rebound and putback by junior forward Kendall Thompson a bit later at the 6:30 mark.  UST would again manage to tie the game a 6-all when Spaulding slithered inside for a score at the 6:14 mark before the Tommies could put together a 4-0 push.  A drive and finish by sophomore reserve guard Sarah Krynski with 4:45 left and two Spaulding free throws with 3:53 left had UST up 10-6 but the Gusties would answer this challenge 10-0 run to end the opening period.  Surprising freshman reserve point guard Ava Gonsorowski out of Esko connected with a lay-up with 3:39 left and dropped two free throws with 2:35 left to knot the game at 10 a piece.  A jumper from the right wing by Rice with 2:11 left pushed GAC back out in front and a pretty drive and finish by Thompson with 1:32 left now had the Gusties up 14-10.  Senior point guard Mikayla Miller polished off this late first period run with a jumper from the left elbow area with :40 left that gave GAC a 16-10 lead going into the second period.

A Rice lay-up at the 9:29 mark of the second period gave the Gusties more breathing room with an 18-10 advantage and when Taylor Anderson drained a "3" from the right wing area at the 8:26 mark, GAC had its biggest lead at 21-12.  Curiously however, the Gustie drive began stalling out right when they seemingly had the Tommies on the ropes and UST slowly but surely got out of a bad spot.  Two free throws by junior guard Kaylie Brazil at the 8:12 mark and an offensive rebound and putback by Spaulding at the 7:49 mark sliced the deficit down to five points at 21-16 and a drive and finish by junior guard Lucia Renikoff at the 7:18 mark kept the Tommies in that five-point range at 23-18.  Then it was Spaulding knocking down two freebies at the 6:43 mark to make further inroads and when Renikoff; the former Washburn standout, drilled a "3" from the left corner at the 6:15 mark, the game was suddenly tied at 23-all before a shocked crowd in Lund Arena.  UST was far from finished as two Spaulding free throws at the 5:18 mark got the Tommies out in front and then it was Renikoff again unleashing terror from three-point land as she banged home another bomb - this one from the left wing area with 3:56 left - that now had UST up by five at 28-23.  A shell-shocked Gustie squad tried to respond as Miller was able to connect with a lay-up in transition with 3:07 left that momentarily had GAC back to within a single possession trailing 28-25 but the Tommies decided to stretch things out further.  Lanky sophomore reserve post Elsa Anderson connected with a lay-up with 2:55 left and a lay-up in transition by senior guard Maddie Wolkow with 2:33 left before the half was all that Gustie Head Coach Laurie Kelly needed to see to know that a timeout was warranted with GAC now trailing by seven at 32-25.  But even that stoppage in play did not deter the Tommies from further extending their lead.  Krynski was sent to the charity stripe with 1:51 left where she promptly dropped two free throws and a "3" from the top of the key by rising freshman reserve guard/forward Kaia Porter with 1:22 left now had UST up by tean at 37-27 and Renikoff added one last stab before the half with a dagger jumper in the lane with just one tick left on the clock as the Tommies went whooping and hollering into the locker room with a 39-27 lead while GAC's Kelly and her staff were still trying to figure out how they gave up a 27-6 UST onslaught to end the second period.  Just a quick glance of the second period box score alone must have raised Kelly's blood pressure as she would have seen that her squad was outrebounded by UST by a 12-2 count and although the Tommies committed five turnovers to the Gusties one, UST was able to offset that by shooting 9-11 from FG range and 3-4 from behind the arc while GAC shot a paltry 4-14 from FG range and that one "3" from Taylor Anderson was all that the Gusties could produce from behind the arc.

GAC managed to cut into this double-digit deficit in the early moments of the third period as two Rice free throws at the 9:37 mark and a lay-up by junior guard Brooke Lemke at the 8:54 mark trimmed the deficit back to ten points at 41-31 and a Lemke lay-up in transition a bit later at the 8:33 mark provided some light at the end of the tunnel as the Gusties were now back in single-digit range trailing 41-33.  But UST would be able to keep its host in check for the time being as Wolkow unleashed a "3" from the right top area at the 8:09 mark and then Fischer's three-point bomb at the 7:21 mark helped re-establish the double-digit advantage at 47-36.  It wasn't until nearly a minute later that the Gusties seemed to fully recover from that second period disaster and make a move to get themselves on an even basis with its arch-rival; thanks largely in part to Miller, the former Goodhue standout.  The strong 5'8" guard banged home a "3" from the right top area at the 6:26 mark and then muscled into the paint for a score at the 5:42 mark that suddenly reduced the UST lead down to six at 47-41 and caused enough concern from Tommie Head Coach Ruth Sinn to prompt a thirty-second timeout being called.  But that short stoppage in play did not cool off GAC one bit as Miller would uncork another three-point bomb - this one from the top of the key off of an inbounds pass at the 5:16 mark - that got the Gusties back in single-possession range trailing 47-44.  A lay-up by freshman reserve forward Paige Richert with 4:21 left reduced the deficit down to a single point at 47-46 and a hard drive and tough scoop lay-up by Miller with 3:31 left capped this unlikely 12-0 run that allowed GAC to push its nose back out in front by a 48-47 count.  Somewhat alarmed by this latest development, the Tommies responded with a 6-0 push.  Porter knocked down a jumper in the lane with 2:59 left and Wolkow connected with a lay-up with 2:11 left that had UST back out in front by a 51-48 count.  That lead would increase to five as Brazil connected with a lay-up with 1:33 left.  The Gusties would get things back to a single possession as Rice snared an offensive rebound for a putback with 1:16 left but UST would get the lead to six by the end of the third period as Elsa Anderson snared an offensive rebound for a putback with :46 left and Brazil would drain a three-point dagger from the right wing with just one tick left on the clock that had the Tommies up by six at 58-52 so it was something of a good news/bad news proposition for GAC:  Yes, they did get on a nice run to take the lead and even though they were down by only six, the deficit was much more manageable this time around.  Yet, it was disappointing, too because once again, they let the Tommies off the hook when they really could have put them in a bad spot going into the fourth and final period.

The Gusties seemed to have some momentum going into the fourth period but whatever hopes the home crowd had were quickly dashed as UST went right to work.  Wolkow uncorked a "3" from the left wing area at the 9:22 mark that got the lead up to nine points at 61-52 and GAC would have to work very hard now to try and bring this back.  Rice would connect with a lay-up at the 9:04 mark and a short jumper from the left side in a transition opportunity by junior reserve guard Justine Lee at the 6:53 mark got the deficit back down to five points at 61-56 but the Gusties were unable for the time being to draw closer.  Renikoff would drop one free throw at the 5:12 mark as would Brazil with 4:32 left that upped UST's lead to 63-56 and the Gusties' Kelly would call a thirty-second timeout to try and draw up a plan for one last push.  But GAC would be foiled on its subsequent possession and would be unable to stop Spaulding's offensive rebound for a putback with 4:02 left that got the Tommie lead up to nine at 65-56.  The Gusties would take another crack at trying to claw their way back as Miller; in her senior season, tried to put her team on her back.  She dropped two free throws with 3:43 left and after Thompson did the same with 3:31 left that cut the deficit back down to five points at 65-60, Miller would make another trip to the charity stripe with 2:54 left where she got one freebie to go down and with 2:33 left, Miller would be sent to the line again where she would drop two more free throws that get GAC tantalizingly close trailing 67-63 with still plenty of time left.  UST would get the lead back up to six at 69-63 when Brazil got loose for a lay-up with 2:20 left but the Gusties' Miller still had some more heroics left when she connected with a tough lay-up with 1:57 left that again made it a four-point game at 69-65.  Kelly would call another thirty-second timeout as there was still some hope left but those dreams would vanish into the dark, cold night shortly thereafter.  Thompson was unable to get a lay-up attempt to cooperate and go down and Renikoff would be fouled on the defensive rebound with :40 left and she calmly dropped two free throws to up the Tommie lead to six at 71-65.  GAC still had a chance but Miller would be unable to get a three-point shot attempt to go down when the Gusties needed it most with :27 left.  The Tommies' Porter would be fouled with :19.2 left and the former Roseville standout got one of the attempts to go down for a 72-65 UST lead.  The Gusties would get one last ghost of a chance when Lemke was sent to the line for two free throws with :12.8 left but the former Delano standout was unable to get either attempt to go down that finally sealed GAC's fate.  Brazil dropped two insurance free throws for the Tommies with :08.3 left as UST was able to escape Lund Arena with a hard-fought 74-66 victory.

I was able to eventually catch up with GAC's Kelly afterward and, although upbeat about the big picture, she couldn't help but express disappointment at this latest setback to arch-rival UST.  The main culprits for this loss in her mind were some untimely defensive lapses that allowed some dagger three-pointers to be dropped on her team or drives into the lane that caused headaches.  Indeed, that critical second period where the Tommies took control of things seemed to bother her the most and that's where the Gusties were on the wrong end of a 12-6 count on points in the paint.  Though the Gusties would make amends for that in both the third and fourth periods, the damage had been done and that brief one-point lead that GAC took in the third period was very short-lived.  Moreover, Kelly pointed out that her team just needs more exposure; more opportunities in these big games against elite opponents before they finally figure out how to handle the situation better.  When I look at this rivalry between UST and GAC, I can't help but think about the time some years ago when my LA Rams were mired in a long-losing streak to arch-rival San Francisco and famed ESPN analyst Chris Berman would say somewhat half-jokingly (I think!) "Same old Forty-Niners.  Same old Rams."  It does seem sometimes that you could substitute Tommies for Forty-Niners and Gusties for Rams  doesn't it?  Especially when you consider the fact that the last time GAC beat UST was back in 2010 which seems like ages ago now.  But Kelly is determined to get her squad to the next level and the only way to do that is to get more opportunities against these elite teams.  They'll have their chance to do just that not far down the road.  Up next, the Gusties have one home game right before the Christmas break; against Coe out of the IIAC where, presumably anyway, they should be able to take care of business.  But right before the end of the year, they head down to Waverly, Iowa to take part in the Wartburg Holiday Tournament that will also feature UW-Whitewater, UW-Superior and IIAC powerhouse and fourth-ranked host Wartburg.  They'll take on WIAC powerhouse UW-Whitewater on 12-29 and the winner of that game will get the winner of the UW-Superior - Wartburg tilt the next day (12-30).  This get-together definitely has an NCAA Tournament-feel to it and is a great opportunity for GAC to establish itself as a regional power.  In any event, on this contest, UST had an incredibly balanced scoring attack with four players in double figures scoring-wise.  Renikoff led the way with 15 points and Spaulding was right behind with her 14 points.  Brazil would collect 12 points on this night and Wolkow was not far behind with 10 points.  GAC meanwhile relied on a fabulous scoring night by Miller who led all scorers with 24 points.  Rice added 14 points while Thompson had 11 points.