Breakdown Tip-Off Classic - Forest Lake vs Minnetonka 12-2-17

Another big game on tap on this Saturday at Lindbergh Center on the campus of Hopkins High School was a 12:45 P.M. match-up that had something of a possible state tournament flavor to it:  Forest Lake out of the Suburban East Conference taking on perennial powerhouse Minnetonka out of the Lake Conference.  Both teams are projected to win their respective sections this season (Forest Lake in Section 7AAAA and Minnetonka in Section 2AAAA) so it would be a shock to see these two in the State Tournament come next March.

Minnetonka would grab a 2-0 lead on a lay-up by senior forward Kayla Mershon at the 17:33 mark but the Skippers would soon be in a world of trouble as their boat would drift out to sea with no one on it and the Rangers were only too happy to take advantage.  Junior sparkplug guard Lexie Hultman drained a "3" from the left wing area at the 17:01 mark and right away Minnetonka Head Coach Leah Dasovich saw some things she didn't like about her squad's defense and called a thirty-second timeout to try and rectify the situation.  Still, Forest Lake seemed to push all the right buttons in the early going as Hultman unleashed another three-point bomb - this one coming from the left corner at the 15:58 mark - that pushed the Ranger lead to 6-2 and another three -point dagger by junior guard Abby Leach from the right wing area got the lead to 9-3.  Then it was Leach striking again a bit later at the 15:06 mark with a drive into the lane and finish after a steal that made it 11-3.  Minnetonka tried to restore order as junior guard Blake Greer knocked down a jumper from the left wing at the 14:54 mark but the Skippers had to endure yet another round of Forest Lake three-point bombs.  One came from Hultman from the left top area at the 13:40 mark and another one came from Leach from the right wing area at the 13:10 mark that had the Rangers up 17-5 and Minnetonka looked completely befuddled as Dasovich was forced to take a match to a full timeout.  The Skippers came out of that stoppage in play a bit more refocused as a 7-2 push tightened up things a bit.  Junior guard Megan Walker made good on a drive into the lane for a finish at the 11:02 mark and one Mershon free throw at the 10:39 mark along with a score in the paint by senior post Zoe Hardwick with 9:13 left had Minnetonka back in single-digit range trailing 19-12.

The Rangers appeared to step on the gas again as a drive and pretty scoop shot by junior reserve guard Maddy Rice with 8:25 left and a Rice "3" from the top of the key with 8:03 left got Forest Lake's lead back to double-digits at 24-14 and a "3" from the top of the key by senior guard Grace VanBergen with 6:30 left maintained that ten-point edge at 27-17.  Another VanBergen trey - this one from the left corner with 5:14 left - now had the Rangers up 30-17 and Minnetonka indeed appeared to be in serious trouble.  A Walker "3" from the right wing area with 3:28 left got the deficit back down to ten points at 32-22 but the Rangers would keep the pressure on down the stretch.  Two free throws by senior guard Katherine Taylor with 1:35 left and a short jumper by junior guard Abigail Groeneweg with :52 left had Forest Lake up 38-27 as both squads headed to the locker room for the half and the Skippers no doubt had their work cut out for them.

Whatever Dasovich told her Minnetonka team during the halftime break certainly had the intended effect as the Skippers came right out of the gate in the second half and seized control; embarking on a 12-2 run over a course of six minutes.  Walker knocked down a jumper from the free throw line at the 17:30 mark and an offensive rebound and putback by Hardwick at the 16:40 mark whittled the deficit down to seven points at 38-31.  Then it was a "3" from the right top area by senior guard Katey Bratland at the 15:44 mark followed by a score in the paint by Mershon at the 15:07 mark and one Mershon free throw at the 14:34 mark and suddenly Minnetonka was back within a single possession trailing 40-37 and Ranger Head Coach Jen Wagner called for a thirty-second timeout to get her squad regrouped.  Two Walker free throws at the 14:01 mark capped this game-changing run and cut Forest Lake's lead down to a scant point at 40-39 although the Rangers did try desperately to regain the edge.  Rice connected with a lay-up at the 13:12 mark to give Forest Lake a bit more breathing room with a 42-39 lead and a score in the paint by Hultman at the 12:14 mark maintained the three-point margin at 44-41. 

But it was becoming clear by the midway point of the second half that the Skippers size and length was starting to become a factor in this game and it eventually wore down Forest Lake.  Bratland got into the paint for a score at the 11:40 mark and when Hardwick did the same a bit later at the 10:48 mark, Minnetonka had finally regained the lead since the opening moments of the ballgame at 45-44.  Junior reserve guard Hannah Fransen's "3" from the right corner at the 10:15 mark pushed the Skippers' lead to four at 48-44 and although Forest Lake would momentarily reduce the deficit down to two points on a lay-up by Leach at the 10:00 mark, two Mershon charity stripe shots with 9:38 left got Minnetonka's lead back up to four points at 50-46 and the Rangers' Wagner could see this one possibly slipping away from her team and called a timeout to try and prevent the seemingly inevitable.  Forest Lake would manage to get things back to a single possession range thanks to Hultman's ability to knock down three-point bombs.  She uncorked one from the left top area with 8:08 left that cut 'Tonka's lead down to 52-49 and another one from the left wing area with 6:26 left that had the Rangers trailing only 55-52.  One Groeneweg free throw had Forest Lake tantalizingly close trailing 55-53 with a lot of time left with 6:01 left on the clock and a Rice "3" from the left top area with 5:08 left now had the Rangers down by just a scant point at 57-56.  But Minnetonka would never let its opponent take this game away from them.  A short jumper by Walker with 4:47 left and a short jumper by junior reserve forward Erin Shoemaker with 4:16 left got the Skippers lead back up to five points at 61-56 and a score in the paint by Hardwick with 3:07 left maintained that five-point edge at 63-58.  The Rangers would manage to throw one last scare into Minnetonka down the stretch as two free throws by Groeneweg with 2:21 left and one more by junior guard Lindsey Johnson with 2:08 left had Forest Lake right back in single possession range trailing 63-61 and the Rangers narrowly missed an opportunity to tie the contest with 1:03 left when Johnson was unable to get a lay-up to go down.  Surviving the close call, Minnetonka sought to increase its breathing room as Hardwick got into the paint for a huge score with :41 left and Mershon was able to get one free throw to go down with :21.4 left to make it 66-61.  Forest Lake got one more wisp of hope when Hultman banged home a "3" from the left wing area with just :03 left that cut the Skippers' lead down to 66-64 but Minnetonka was able to inbounds the ball on the ensuing inbounds pass and one Bratland free throw helped save the Skippers on this day with a narrow 67-64 victory.