The Roseville Situation - An Update

Wanted to provide the link from WCCO (in case you haven't seen it already) of the response by members of the Roseville Girl's Basketball team in response to the allegations of racism that have recently been brought forth.  I think that, at the very least, you have to give these girls credit for coming forth with their response to this situation in what I'm sure is a trying and stressful time for them.  And I'm willing to give them the benefit of the doubt here although I still think we need to see the results of the ongoing investigation currently being done by the Roseville Area High School administration. 

http://minnesota.cbslocal.com/video/category/spoken-word-wccotv/3837313-roseville-players-fire-back-over-accusations-of-racism/

Roseville Area - An Incredibly Disturbing Situation

Just when I thought I had things wrapped up for the 2017-18 season with my recap on things last night, I came across a post on Facebook (of all places) this morning by LaToya Turk; a mother of a Roseville player, who laid out a disturbing account of mistreatment and possible racism on the part of the Roseville coaching staff, players and administration.  I had to read this post several times to let this all sink in for a bit and I didn't want to do a snap judgement evaluation either.  I think the best thing to do is to lay this all out here so you can think for yourself (see bottom) and I'll offer up some thoughts.

First off, know and understand that I'm not even remotely close to the Roseville program.  I don't normally follow the team during the regular season nor do I know any of the players on the team or the parents and I'm not that well acquainted with the coaching staff at Roseville either.  But this account provided by LaToya Turk about what happened at the season-ending banquet earlier this week really stopped me in my tracks.  It's really incredibly hard for me to believe that things like this were happening despite the fact that Turk herself met with the coaching staff and administration about this to try and address the situation.  The fact that her daughter had to be embarrassed and humiliated at the banquet by a senior and a captain player in front of fellow players, coaches, parents and presumably administrators is simply infuriating and unacceptable. 

So, what do we do here?  How do we address this problem?  If I had any say, here's how I'd go about it:

1.  First off, a complete and thorough investigation should be performed by the Roseville Area administration into the alleged misdeeds.  All the facts must be gathered and examined before any judgement or punishment is handed out.

2.  If coaches were indeed aware of cyber-bullying and other covert racist/aggressive misdeeds and did nothing to resolve the problem and instead let it fester, then these coaches need to be fired. 

3.  The Roseville Area administration needs to send out a clear and unmistakable message to coaches, parents and student-athletes alike that such behavior will not be tolerated.

4.  Oh, and where oh where is the almighty MSHSL in all this?  They're the ones who supposedly lay out the damn rules for member schools to follow when it comes to discrimination and bullying in the first place.  I guess they've got more important things on their mind such as making sure that bloggers such as myself don't get in to cover the state tournaments.  Well MSHSL, you've got a helluva lot more to worry about with this potential black eye to high school sports in Minnesota than you do with us bloggers.  If MSHSL refuses to deal with this, then some serious house cleaning needs to take place at MSHSL. 


So I would read this and absorb it as much as you can.  Think for yourself.  All I can tell you is that I was truly disgusted that such behavior was allowed to take place. 

Fire away with thoughts....

Monday at the Roseville Girls Basketball Banquet, my daughter experienced one of the most racist and shamming encounters at the hands of her coaches and two team mates that I’ve ever witnessed.

A senior and a captain player gave out “gag” awards. They gave things like a microphone to a player that sings a lot, butterfly wings for a player who fell on the floor a lot, friendship necklaces to players who were inseparable. But guess what these racists gave my child! A piece of hair weave! The white parents, coaches and players were laughing hysterically (as were some of her sleep minority players too). My daughter was embarrassed and we got up and left.

Several parents contacted me later to say how wrong and racist the gift was. I agree.
But not surprised. As of date, no coach or athletic director has contacted me. I’ve met with the coaches and athletic director of the Roseville girls basketball team back in January about my concerns of micro aggression on the team and nothings changed!

My child has had to deal with these girls hiding her gym bag, giving her wrong practice location and team activity location so her attendance can be omitted. She’s penalized unfairly compared to other white players. She and other black players are forced to sit on the end of the bench and are always the very last to get into a game and are clearly better players. The list goes on. You would be appalled at the behaviors I’ve seen exhibited by coaches and players this year. Coaches have been notified about cyber bullying that’s occurring and done nothing! As a coach myself, I’m beyond disgusted! It stops NOW!

Iron sharpens iron (we support each other) and if your on my page your either family or a friend (not used loosely). This starts at the head, please contact the Principal at Roseville, Christina Hester, and let her know this behavior will not be tolerated and discipline needs to show that there’s no place for this type of behavior at her school . Contact the Athletic Director,Jeff Whisler, and remind him of the anti bullying and discrimination rules of the MSHL! This behavior is not permitted among players or coaches and demand he eliminate it from any Roseville athletic program. Contact the Coach Jeff Crosby and ask why he’s condoning the racist and bullying behaviors of his players in the program? 651-635-1600 is the number to the High School.

I’ve heard of families leaving Roseville due to behaviors like this, well they picked the wrong one this time. Please FB family and friends take 5 minutes out of your day and do something to voice your disgust and demand swift penalty for this behavior. Our children need to see us challenge racism fiercely and show power and support in numbers. It doesn’t stop here for me. Thank you!

Thoughts On Another Season Gone Down

Coming off of hip replacement surgery just a little more than a week ago, the recovery process has since begun.  I came home on Wednesday afternoon (3-21) which is pretty good and have been faithful with all the rehab work and exercises I've been given.  My energy levels are definitely a lot better now and although I know I still have quite a long road to travel in the recovery process, I feel good about the direction I'm headed in.  As such, I thought tonight might finally be a good night to sit down at the keyboard and reflect on this season that has just gone down on both the college and high school fronts.  I'll try and cover as many topics as I can and I've got a few things on my mind - both positive and negative.


)1  First, there's a lot of positives to get to; particularly on the MIAC women's hoops front.  What an incredible year for UST, GAC and CSB as all three teams made the NCAA Tournament and deservedly so.  While the Blazers journey in the post-season was short-lived, the fact that they finished second in the MIAC regular season and finished the year with a solid 22-5 record shows you that CSB has once again re-established itself as one of the elite teams in the conference.  The big question going forward, however, is can they stay in the elite group considering that they graduate three great seniors - Niki Fokken, Chelsey Guetter and Kate Banovetz.  That's quite a trio and they will definitely be missed.  Meanwhile, it was something of a magic carpet ride for the Gusties as they finally showed to the world that they can indeed win big games.  They knocked off a very good Rose-Hulman team in the first round and then proceeded to shock the world by dough-popping WIAC Champ and host UW-Whitewater in the second round 74-60.  The Sweet Sixteen matchup against powerhouse Thomas More proved to be a bridge too far in the end but that game definitely had some weird twists and turns in it going down the stretch and the fact that the Gusties wound up losing by a tough 75-67 score says a lot about how close that game really was.  Like CSB, GAC will lose three great seniors to graduation - Mikayla Miller, Miranda Rice and Emee Udo - so it will be interesting to see how the program fares going forward although I think it's definitely safe to say that GAC is in great hands with Head Coach Laurie Kelly.  UST's trip to the Sweet Sixteen wasn't all that unexpected and although they had to fight off a tough challenge from Chicago in the second round, most figured the Tommies would handle an upstart East Texas Baptist team to force the Elite Eight matchup with host Wartburg - including your's truly.  So imagine my utter shock and dismay when I turned my attention to that game (after GAC's game with Thomas More).  I don't ever recall seeing a UST team look so vulnerable before - I mean EVER.  The Tigers simply looked quicker in the back court and East Texas Baptist's 2-3 zone defense seemed to cause a bevy of problems for a normally fluid Tommie team.  To their credit, the Tommies battled back in the end of regulation to force overtime; indeed nearly had a chance to win at the end of regulation when junior post Hannah Spaulding blocked an inbounds pass and junior guard Kaylie Brazil got her hands on it and put up a desperation shot that rolled around the rim before falling off.  As it was, UST faltered in the extra session to finish the season at 27-3.  While the Tommies don't get hurt quite as badly as CSB and GAC will, losing both Maddie Wolkow and Lauren Fischer are still two big dents that UST will have to find a way to fill. 

)2  Because it was so close to my surgery date of 3-19, I did not get a chance to go down to Rochester to see the DIII Final Four games on Friday and Saturday of the previous weekend as I would have liked.  It was incredibly unfortunate that I didn't get to and from the people I talked with who did attend, it was definitely DIII women's hoops at its finest.  Was hoping that Wartburg would have had a better showing than it did in its semifinal game but they ran into an absolute buzzsaw when they played Bowdoin that night and watching the game online probably didn't do justice to how incredibly well the Polar Bears played that night.  Amherst (which would beat NESCAC rival Bowdoin in the Championship Game on Saturday night) has a very neat style of play with how they milk the shot clock for all its worth.  Glad that the Final Four came to Minnesota and I hope there's an opportunity down the road where it can come again. 

)3  On a related front, I had an interesting conversation with a coaching friend of mine earlier today and we both couldn't help but marvel at how incredibly good the NESCAC teams of Amherst, Bowdoin and Tufts (which lost to Bowdoin in a regional final) truly are.  In some ways, I guess that begs the question, what are they doing differently than teams in the MIAC, WIAC and IIAC are?  It's one thing for a conference to get three teams into the Big Dance as the MIAC did this year with UST, GAC and CSB but quite another when you get a conference that can get two of its powerhouse teams into the Final Four and have another one lose to a conference rival in the Elite Eight.  It's staggering when you sit back and think about it.  Closer to home, I think you can't help but ask yourself as to what a student-athlete is paying on average to attend a school such as Amherst, Bowdoin, Tufts or even UST for that matter as they would be attending some other school such as Carleton, St. Olaf, Macalester, Augsburg, et al?  It's something I've never really considered at length before and I almost feel a bit guilty for not broaching this subject some time ago.  I suppose I can understand a school such as Amherst, Bowdoin or UST being reluctant to release such information but it's something I've never really thought at length about and if someone has some thoughts or info on this, please feel free to share.

)4  Over on the UMAC side, it was a bit of a down year for Northwestern as they finished out the season 14-13 which included the season-ending loss to eventual UMAC Champ and NCAA participant UW-Superior.  And though the Eagles don't lose a whole ton to graduation, it will be interesting to see how long it will take for Northwestern to get themselves into position to really contend for a conference title. 

)5  For the most part, a down year for Concordia St. Paul as they finished up with a 13-18 overall record but the Golden Bears did have a nice push down the stretch; winning their last three regular season games and then knocking off both St. Cloud State and Wayne State before falling to arch-rival Winona State in the NSIC Tournament.  Concordia St. Paul should definitely be better next season but they do lose a big piece to graduation in Haydn Becker. 

)6  And it was most definitely a down year for Anoka-Ramsey this year as the Golden Rams finished up the year with an 11-16 overall record which is a far cry for a program that is accustomed to making the National Tournament every season.  It will be a rebuilding process but I would expect that Head Coach David DeWitt will have this program rolling again before long. 

)7.  Now turning attention to the high school scene, it was yet another solid year for Northwest Suburban Conference girl's basketball and while we didn't see a team like Elk River going undefeated this time around, at least one conference team got to the Big Stage; Maple Grove.  The Crimson, however, suffered incredible heartbreak in their Quarterfinal game against Lakeville North when a Maple Grove player was tagged for an incredibly questionable call with :00.3 left in overtime that allowed the Panthers to get the winning free throws and a 68-66 victory.  Just hate to see a game end on an official's call instead of letting the players decide.  For Park Center, it was the best of times and the worst of times in one season as the Pirates fell just short of their goal to get back to the state tournament for the fifth time in a row.  Congratulations to champs Lyle/Pacelli (Class A), Sauk Centre (Class AA), Robbinsdale Cooper (Class AAA) and Eastview (Class AAAA)! 

)8  I wish I had been able to cover Champlin Park more this last season and watch Erica Hicks get the scoring record there.  Erica, in the off-chance you're reading this, I seriously hope you'll reconsider your decision not to pursue college basketball.  The game will miss you a lot. 

)9.  And, of course, I can't completely leave out the negative either and fortunately there's only one place where I have to go with this and it's probably where you'd expect it to go - to the brain-dead wizards of the MSHSL.  It's a shame that this clueless group - and only them - is entrusted to help promote girl's high school during the state tournament and fortunately their efforts to slowly destroy a once fun and proud week of girl's high school basketball was thwarted with some great teams and some great play.  As anyone who attended the tournament could tell you, it probably wasn't too hard to notice that the press table at courtside was unusually empty as bloggers such as myself were excluded from covering the event.  The question I would pose to MSHSL Communications Coordinator Tim Leighton and his partner, Media Specialist John Millea, is this:  What exactly is gained by MSHSL by excluding bloggers from covering such an important event?  What exactly are you afraid of?  They still have not answered this question satisfactorily and as long as these two clowns are kept in their positions of power, I doubt if anything will change anytime soon.  What I didn't expect is that they would make things tough on fans either.  Not only have they cheapened the actual tournament program format into a little booklet, they actually also managed to RUN OUT of programs on Championship Saturday as well.  Hey guys, here's a hint:  Championship Saturday is generally when you'll have most fans coming in to watch championship games.  Plan accordingly. 


Well, there you have it.  Time to put a bow tie on the 2017-18 season and look forward.  I hope to be able to attend some AAU events this spring when I'm more out and about and I definitely plan to be covering the Midtown YWCA Women's College Summer League again come June.  Fire away with thoughts.         

Heartbreak For Both GAC & UST In The Sweet 16 - And Going Forward

Guess it had to come to an end sometime but both GAC and UST suffered heartbreaking losses tonight in the Sweet 16 Regional Round of the NCAA Tournament tonight.  GAC fought hard against a very good Thomas More team but the Saints simply came through with big shots and big plays when they had to and got a hard-earned 75-67 victory in Holland, Michigan.  UST on the other hand lost a heartbreaker in overtime down in Waverly, Iowa to what was probably an underrated East Texas Baptist team 61-58.  I got to catch most of the second half of that game after the GAC - Thomas More game so I don't know what all went down in the first half but the Tommies certainly had their chances in this one. 

The Gusties got off to a very good start in this game; something I felt that they needed to do and they held a 21-17 lead after the first period.  Thomas Moore got their game going in the second period and took a 32-29 lead into the locker room at the half yet I felt that this is exactly where the Gusties needed to be; within a possession at least and playing well.  Trine built their lead to five points once the third period got going but the Gusties responded nicely with a 5-0 push to tie the game.  The Saints, however, responded with an 9-1 run for a 44-35 lead and would get the lead to ten points at 51-41 late in the third period and managed to get the lead to thirteen points at 57-44 going into the fourth period so GAC's prospects looked dim at best.  Trine, in fact, stretched the lead to fifteen points at 59-44 early in the fourth period but the Gusties responded with an amazing 15-4 run to close within a single possession down 61-59 with 5:00 left which was a mountain of time.  Trine would increase the lead to 63-59 shortly thereafter and GAC senior guard Mikayla Miller was sent to the free throw line on the Gusties ensuing possession.  She got the first one to go down but the second one missed.  What was strange was that Miranda Rice was called for a very questionable foul and THEN the officials took nearly five minutes to ensure they had the game score correct.  That odd stoppage in play seemed to suck away the momentum that GAC had built up and the Saints were able to close things out down the stretch for the victory.  Miller finished her last game with 20 point and Rice tallied 12 points in her last game as well. 

As soon as I was able to, I switched over to view the UST - East Texas Baptist game and the Tommies were embroiled in a war with the Tigers with the latter up 34-30.  East Texas Baptist got their lead to 39-34 with just under 3:30 left in the third period but a big "3" by Tommie freshman Macy Hatlestad closed the gap to two points.  The Tigers, however responded with a "3" of their own to take a 42-37 lead going into the fourth period.  UST's fortunes appeared dim when East Texas Baptist took a 44-38 lead in the early moments of the fourth period and the Tigers stretched that lead to ten points at 50-40 with 4:45 left in regulation.  But you knew the Tommies were not going to go quietly into the night and they mounted a 10-0 run capped by a Kaylie Brazil "3" with 2:17 left in regulation to tie the game at 50-all.  UST would grab a 53-52 lead on a Spaulding lay-up and an "and one" with 1:28 left but the Tigers would get one free throw to tie the game and a last-second desperation "3" by Lauren Fischer missed its mark as the game went to overtime.  The Tommies had several opportunities in overtime to take the lead but inexplicably squandered each of those chances.  East Texas Baptist would get a 58-54 lead with just under two minutes left but UST managed to tie things up on a big "3" by Brazil with just :34 left.  The Tigers would take a 59-58 lead on a free throw but the Tommies still had one more chance left.  However, with :05 left, Renikoff inadvertently stepped out of bounds when she was close to the line.  East Texas Baptist got insurance free throws and got the 61-58 victory.  Junior forward Hannah Spaulding still had a spectacular outing on this night; finishing with 28 points while Brazil finished with 10 points.

So, a disappointing finish to a great season for all the MIAC teams this year.  I was definitely glad and fortunate to have been able to be a part of it and I want to thank everyone involved in it from coaches, players, officials and fans.  As for this next week and the Girl's State Tournament, I will once again be relegated to strictly fan status so I can watch the brain wizards at MSHSL run a once-great event slowly into the ground.  Fortunately, I do expect that there will be some very good basketball games involved to hopefully offset the dumpster fire that MSHSL has created.  As some of you already know, I will be undergoing hip replacement surgery the following Monday (3-19) and will be out of action for a while but once I am well enough to start hitting the keyboards again, I will offer up some final thoughts on what has been a great year.         

A Quick Look At Friday's Sweet 16 Games For GAC And UST

There's an old saying that goes something along the lines of "Two out of three ain't bad" and I think that definitely applies to the two MIAC teams left in the NCAA Tournament - GAC and UST.  While CSB was unceremoniously dumped by George Fox down in Waverly, Iowa last Friday night, both GAC and UST were able to win their first- and second-round games and both move to their respective regional pods in the Sweet 16 - GAC at the Hope Regional in Holland, Michigan to take on Thomas More and UST at the Wartburg Regional in Waverly, Iowa to take on East Texas Baptist.  Let's take a glance at both of these games:


GAC vs Thomas More (at Holland, MI) - It was one thing for the Gusties to finally, FINALLY win a big game when the knocked off a very good Rose-Hulman team in the first round at the UW-Whitewater pod but quite another when they turned around the next evening and knocked off the host Warhawks in the second round - thumping them in the end by a 74-60 count.  After that one, as happy as I was, I couldn't help but ponder the thought of if the Gusties have now unleashed a monster that is now on a roll.  I haven't totally discounted that proposition but you can bet that GAC will have its hands absolutely full and then some when they take on a great Thomas More team out of the PAC that currently stands at 28-1 overall; with the only blemish on the year coming on the opening weekend of the season at a tournament at Rochester where they lost a tough, three-point game to host Rochester on 11-18-17.  The Saints are a scoring machine as they average 87.1 ppg and defensively give up only 50.2 ppg.  Yikes.  Thomas More has three players who average in double-figures and they're led by junior 6'0 guard Madison Temple at 17.6 ppg while senior guard Abby Owings averages 14.8 ppg and fellow senior forward Nikki Kiernan averages 11.8 ppg - not too shabby.  This team is a monster on the boards as well as they average snaring 43.6 rebounds a game.  This is a team that knows how to protect the rock (11.9 turnovers a game) and that can hit the big bomb as well as they normally shoot 41.6% from behind the arc.  This is a team that definitely has a nice blend of size and speed in the backcourt and with only two seniors on the team (Owings and Kiernan), their best days may be ahead of them.  Some of the more notable victories they've had this season was a romp over NCAA participant Christopher Newport out in Hawaii right before Christmas with an 86-53 win.  They routinely cruised on conference opponents such as Geneva and Bethany; beating them by 60+ points and they rolled to easy wins in their first- and second-round NCAA Tournament games over both Oglethorpe and Juniata.  That said, I'm not going to be too surprised or shocked if GAC's somewhat Cinderella season comes to a halt on this night.  Then again, it's not totally out of the realm of possibility to pull off another shocker as well.  But to do that, they're likely going to have to play the game of their life to do that.  Both Mikayla Miller and Miranda Rice will have to play like all-Americans and they'll have to get help from Kendall Thompson, Justine Lee, Ava Gonsorowski along with Taylor Anderson and Emee Udo off the bench.  It all has to click tonight for GAC and they've got to contest EVERY shot and EVERY loose ball.  It's that simple.


UST vs East Texas Baptist (at Waverly, IA) - On paper anyway, this looks to be a "W" for the Tommies but, as well all know too well, NCAA Tournament games aren't played on paper and UST has to be ready to go and clicking on all cylinders on this night if they hope to get to the Region Championship Game.  The Tigers; out of the ASC, currently stand at 24-6 overall and advanced to the Sweet 16 by virtue of wins over Whitman in the first round and then upset conference rival Texas-Dallas in the second round.  East Texas Baptist certainly isn't the scoring machine that Thomas More is as they average 67.8 ppg and normally give up 58.7 ppg which isn't that impressive.  One stat that jumped out at me is that East Texas Baptist really struggles at the charity stripe; shooting only 68.5% from the line and that's normally a death sentence once you get into the NCAA Tournament.  They have been permissive as well with turnovers; normally guilty of 18.9 turnovers a game which is another red flag.  They're not terrible on the rebounding front as they normally grab 38.8 rebounds a game but opponents are not far behind either as they would normally get 34.8 rebounds a game.  So again, there's a lot to be cautious about when it comes to the Saints.  East Texas Baptist has only one players who averages double-figures in scoring - sophomore Kim Childress at 14.1 ppg.  This is an incredibly young team as well with only one senior - Katy Boren while the rest of the roster is peppered with sophomores and freshmen along with three juniors.  They were swept by Texas-Dallas during the regular season but got revenge on them in the ASC Tournament and then knocked them off again in the second round of the NCAA Tournament so you have to give the Saints their due for that but not much else is out there that impresses me too much.  You would have to think that the Tommies can handle business here without too much trouble but they can ill afford to take the Saints lightly and I can only imagine that Ruth Sinn has her squad ready to go tonight.


So there you have it.  We'll have to see how things pan out here tonight.  The GAC - Thomas More game will begin at approximately 4:30 P.M. (Central time) while the East Texas Baptist - UST game will start at approximately 5:30 P.M. (Central time).  I haven't seen the links provided yet but you should be able to view these games on D3Hoops.com.  Go Gusties and Go Tommies!!!! 

Section 5AAAA Championship Game - Park Center vs Roseville 3-8-18

Made my annual early March Thursday night pilgrimage up to Anoka and Anoka High School to take in the Section 5AAAA Championship Game that featured teams of two well-known girl's basketball powerhouse conferences - Park Center of the Northwest Suburban Conference and Roseville of the Suburban East Conference.  The Pirates advanced to this championship game by virtue of its huge upset of top-seeded and #3 Centennial last Saturday and the Raiders likewise as they unexpectedly toppled highly-regarded and second-seeded Champlin Park in the second game on Saturday.  The Pirates were looking for their fifth-straight state tournament appearance while the Raiders; who haven't been to the big stage since 2007, were hungry for an opportunity to return.

Indeed, Roseville sure looked hungry in the opening moments of the game despite the fact that both squads suffered turnovers on their initial possessions.  Sophomore forward Jayda Johnston's free throw at the 16:59 mark and a Johnston score in the paint at the 16:41 mark had the Raiders up 3-0 and a lay-up in transition by freshman post Tamia Ugass boosted that lead to 5-0.  Park Center senior guard Meghan DuBois finally broke the Pirates early drought with a lay-up in transition at the 15:54 mark but Roseville got the lead to 7-2 on two Johnston freebies at the 14:05 mark.  Park Center was able to get back into single-possession range on a "3" from the right corner in transition by flashy sophomore guard Lauren Frost at the 13:00 mark and one free throw by freshman sensation guard/forward Adalia McKenzie at the 11:56 mark kept the Pirates in that three-point range down 9-6.  Roseville was able to establish a bit more breathing space as a lay-up in transition by Ugass at the 11:21 mark to the lead to 11-6 and a jumper from the left wing area by junior guard Jada Hood at the 10:38 mark maintained the five-point edge at 13-8.

Park Center was looking for that same spark that got them going against Centennial last weekend and a "3" from the right corner by freshman reserve guard T'Naye Griffin at the 9:53 mark again allowed the Pirates to close to within a single possession down 13-11.  A jumper from the top of the key just inside the arc with 8:53 left in the first half by Frost kept Park Center in that two-point range down 15-13 but an 8-0 Raider run stretched things out again.  A score in the paint by Ugass at the 8:34 mark got the lead to 17-13 and a "3" from the left wing by junior guard Kaylee Nelson with 8:08 left suddenly had the lead up to seven at 20-13.  Then it was Hood draining a "3" from the left wing area with 5:58 left that gave Roseville their first double-digit advantage at 23-13.  The Pirates could have been in some serious doo-doo right then and there but they instead hunkered down and found enough magic to go on a 10-0 run of their own to get things knotted up by the halftime break.  Frost nailed her second three-point bomb of this game - this one coming from the left top area with 2:04 left to cut the deficit down to seven points and then McKenzie connected with a lay-up in transition with 1:38 left that also drew a foul and her ensuing "and one" with 1:38 left slimmed the deficit down to four points at 23-19.  McKenzie then also got a huge steal on Roseville's ensuing possession and she dashed the other way for a lay-up that suddenly had the gap down to two points at 23-21.  With time running down in the first half, DuBois made a daring drive into traffic and drew a foul with just :02.2 left and the future Concordia St. Paul Golden Bear knocked down both free throw attempts to forge a 23-23 tie as both teams shuffled off to their respective locker rooms for the intermission.  For the most part, it seemed as if Roseville was doing its part to try and keep this a half-court game if possible plus the fact that they were getting rebounds on the offensive end to get second- and third-looks.  Park Center though managed to finally get its patented transition game going down the last few minutes of the first half to get this one tied up and it looked as if momentum definitely rested on the Pirates side.

Both teams traded blows in the opening minutes of the second half in an effort to try and gain the upper hand.  An Ugass lay-up at the 17:27 mark pushed Roseville ahead 25-23 but that was bettered by Park Center's DuBois as she unleashed a "3" from the right corner at the 17:14 mark to push the Pirates out in front for the first time on this night at 26-25.  Ugass would strike again for the Raiders at the 16:59 mark with her lay-up that tilted the edge back in favor of Roseville at 27-26 but a lay-up by Park Center's McKenzie at the 16:36 mark shoved the Pirates back out in front by a 28-27 count.  An odd occurrence took place on the Raiders ensuing possession when the ball was knocked out of bounds as a technical foul was called on a Park Center play as she allegedly shoved a Roseville player after the whistle blew.  I was busy writing notes in my notebook when the incident supposedly took place and I was totally taken aback when the Raiders' Johnston was at the charity stripe all by herself.  Johnston would get one of the two free throw attempts to go down to tie the game at 28 a piece and when Roseville got the ball back, Johnston would promptly get fouled again at the 16:02 mark but this time around she was unable to cash in on either opportunity so this left the door open for the Pirates.  On Park Center's ensuing possession, senior forward Charo Nickens drilled a "3" from the left corner at the 14:56 mark that put the Pirates out in front 31-28.  Roseville would come right back, however, as Johnston would get sent to the line again at the 14:09 mark where she got both free throws to go down to slim the deficit down to one point at 31-30 and after a foiled Pirate possession, Roseville sophomore reserve guard Tianna Iserman drained a "3" from the left wing area at the 13:22 mark to push the Raiders back out in front 33-31.  Not to be outdone, Park Center's DuBois came right back on the Pirates' ensuing possession and she banged home a "3" from the right wing area at the 13:00 mark that again shoved Park Center out in front 34-33 and it looked like maybe the Pirates were just waiting for the moment when they would catch a big spark like they did last Saturday and put their opponent in their rear-view mirror.

But to the shock of the large Park Center contingent on hand inside Anoka Gymnasium on this night, that spark never materialized and the Pirates went stone cold for five minutes and this gave Roseville the opening they were looking for.  A Johnston lay-up at the 10:55 mark sparked an 11-0 Raider run that changed the course of this one for good.  A Nelson lay-up at the 10:25 mark got Roseville's lead to 37-34 and an Ugass score in the paint at the 9:55 mark got the lead to five points at 39-34.  Then Nelson found the range from downtown as she unleashed a "3" from the left wing area with 8:31 left to stretch the lead to eight at 42-34 and then a Johnston lay-up in transition with 7:59 left got the lead to double-digits at 44-34 and Park Center Head Coach Barb Metcalf had finally seen enough to know that a stoppage in play was warranted to get her squad calmed down and refocused.  The Pirates finally got a bit of a reprieve when senior guard Sommer Blakemore snared a steal of an inbounds pass and connected with a lay-up with 7:25 left but they were going to need to string together a series of scores to change the complexion of this one and when they needed a big shot that might have given them a spark or a burst of energy, it simply wasn't there on this night.  And the Raiders were in no mood either to let their opponent back into this one.  Hood banged home a "3" from the top of the key with 7:02 left and after a foiled Park Center possession, Hood made a hard drive for a finish with 6:35 left to get the lead to thirteen at 49-36.  Scores in the paint by sophomore reserve forward Josie Haug with 5:53 left and by Ugass with 4:44 left pushed the lead to sixteen at 53-37 and two Ugass free throws with 2:58 left made it an eighteen-point game at 55-37.  The Pirates would cut into this cushion on pairs of free throws by Blakemore with 2:40 left and by Griffin with 2:10 left but they simply were unable to put together a serious drive that could have threatened.  As it was, with time now their enemy, the Pirates had to resort to fouling to preserve what little clock remained.  Roseville's Nelson knocked down two free throws with 1:36 left for a 57-41 lead and two more by Hood with :55.8 left maintained the Raider safety net at sixteen points at 59-43.  Park Center's Blakemore would connect on an obligatory lay-up with :49 left but Hood would add two more insurance free throws for the Raiders with :43.2 left and Roseville was able to melt the rest of the clock away and claim the Section 5AAAA crown with a 61-45 victory.

While the Roseville contingent and student section were obviously jubilant afterward, my heart couldn't help but break for Park Center seniors DuBois, Blakemore, Nickens and Jaelyn Two Hearts as well.  The trio of DuBois, Blakemore and Nickens was the last connection to the great runs that the Pirates had between 2014-2017 when they went to four straight state tournaments and won two Class AAA titles in 2014 and 2015.  And the pain and heartbreak was clearly evident on the players faces during the awards ceremony and afterward.  I managed to catch up with Park Center's Metcalf afterward who reflected on this game with bittersweetness.  She was quick in agreement that when Roseville went on that key 11-0 run that that definitely turned this one around and she also agreed with me when I mentioned that I thought that the Pirates gave up too many offensive rebounds to Roseville on this night that gave them second and third chances.  Metcalf pointed to some other factors that took the wind out of her squad's sail on this night as well.  She felt that the team may have been affected mentally on the questionable technical foul in the early moments of the second half and the fact that Roseville was simply able to be more physical on this night got to them as well.  "We've got to get better on that front during the off season" she said.  Additionally, she put a bit of the blame on Mother Nature as well as the Pirates missed a day of practice when school was called off on Monday thanks to Winter Storm Quinn that had the Twin Cities metro area scrambling beforehand.  It forced the team to condense a couple of practices together and naturally Metcalf wishes that they would have had more time to prepare.  Park Center had only two players in double-figures scoring-wise on this night with McKenzie leading the way with 11 points while DuBois had 10 points.  Roseville on the other hand had four players in double-figures that helped pave the way to their victory.  Johnston simply had another fantastic outing and she led all scorers with her 16 points while Ugass tallied 14 points and both Hood and Nelson finished with 13 points.  Congratulations to Roseville on your Section 5AAAA title!

NCAA Tournament 2nd Round Game - Chicago vs UST 3-3-18

After a busy day covering two high school sectional up at Anoka, I made the long trek down to St. Paul and UST's Anderson Athletic Center and Schoenecker Arena for the second round NCAA Tournament game between Chicago of the UAA and MIAC Champion and host UST.  The Maroons advanced to this Saturday evening game by virtue of their win over Wisconsin Lutheran and UST likewise with their win over Chapman.  These two teams had met in the second round of the NCAA Tournament last year on this very same floor and the Tommies had to survive a big scare to hang on for a 73-69 victory and there was every reason to think that this game could be just as competitive as last year's tilt. 

Chicago looked to be clicking on all cylinders early on as they built an early 4-0 lead thanks to sophomore forward Taylor Lake's two scores.  The Mars, Pennsylvania native made two hard drives for finishes - once at the 9:43 mark and again at the 9:02 mark of the opening period - for the early advantage.  Fellow sophomore guard Miranda Burt helped maintain the four-point edge with her lay-up at the 8:29 mark to make it 6-2 before the Tommies could get things going with their offense.  Junior guard Kaylie Brazil drained a "3" from the right top area at the 7:44 mark and two free throws by fellow junior guard Lucia Renikoff at the 5:31 mark put UST out in front by a 7-6 count.  The Maroons would counter on a Lake lay-up at the 5:13 mark but then the visitors from Chicago would have to withstand back-to-back three-point bombs by the Tommies - one by senior point guard Maddie Wolkow with 4:14 left and another one by Brazil with 3:42 left that had UST up 13-8.  The Maroons managed to cut the deficit down to one point as sophomore point guard Mia Farrell snared a steal and dashed the other way for a lay-up with 2:22 left and junior sensation forward Olariche Obi connected with a one-handed jumper in the lane with 1:16 left that had Chicago right back in the thick of things down 13-12.  The Tommies would get the lead to three points on a tough, one-handed scoop shot by freshman guard/forward Kaia Porter with :27 left but everything so far indicated that this one would be a knock 'em down, drag it out fight.

Both teams traded three-point blows in the early moments of the second period - one by UST's Porter from the top of the key at the 9:15 mark and the other one by Chicago senior reserve guard Elizabeth Nye from the right wing area at the 9:0 mark - that kept the Tommies in front by three at 18-15.  Maroon freshman reserve guard Marissa Igunbor helped draw her team closer with a lay-up in transition at the 8:35 mark before UST could start stretching things out a bit.  Junior post Hannah Spaulding snared an offensive rebound for a putback and drew a foul in the process and her ensuing "and one" at the 7:29 mark got the Tommie lead to four at 21-17.  A Spaulding score in the paint at the 6:06 mark got the lead to five at 23-18 and two free throws by Renikoff with 4:43 left pushed the lead to seven points at 25-18.  Then Spaulding was able to collect an offensive rebound of her own miss for a putback with 3:50 left to complete this 9-1 run and a 27-18 UST lead.  Chicago temporarily stopped this Tommie drive as Obi connected with a short jumper with 3:17 left but then UST would close out this second period with a 9-2 run.  Spaulding dropped two free throws after getting fouled with 2:32 left and then exciting new freshman reserve guard Madi Radtke; who made a big splash the night before against Chapman, got into the act again with a drive and finish that also drew a foul and the ensuing "and one" by the former Lester Prairie standout with 1:51 left suddenly had the Tommies up double-digits at 32-20.  Renikoff would get one free throw to go down with :16.6 left and after the Maroons were unable to cash in on their ensuing possession, Brazil put an exclamation point on this great second period by UST with a running three-pointer from the top of the key in transition with just :00.1 left as the Tommies took a cozy 36-22 lead into the locker room at the half.  A check of the first half box score shows that Chicago's FG percentage dropped precipitously in the 2nd period as they were only 4-15 for 26.7% from going 6-15 in the first period for 40%.  UST had a decided edge in rebounds at 19-14 and the Maroons were not getting the job done on Spaulding either as she had already collected 10 points thus far.

Chicago could ill-afford to try and play "catch-up" with the Tommies; knowing what a dead-end road that can be as so many other teams found out the hard way this season.  A "3" from the right wing by Farrell at the 9:14 mark of the third period trimmed the deficit down to eleven at 36-25 and a Burt lay-up in transition that also drew a foul and resulted in an "and one" at the 8:05 mark got the deficit down to ten points at 38-28.  The Tommies however decided to make things tough on its opponent and a "3" from the right wing by Brazil at the 6:20 mark got the lead back up to thirteen at 41-28.  The Maroons would counter on a "3" by Igunbor from the right wing area at the 6:03 mark to get the deficit back to ten points at 41-31 but when UST's Spaulding got into the paint for a score at the 5:17 mark to get the lead to twelve at 43-31, it looked as if Chicago's chances to get back into this one were slim at best.  But the Maroons were not about to go quietly into the night having come this far; specifically Farrell as she single-handedly got Chicago back into the thick of things with a 10-4 run.  The Bolingbrook, Illinois native first unleashed a "3" from the left top area at the 5:06 mark and followed that up with another three-point bomb from the right top area with 4:27 left that had the Maroons back in single-digit range again down eight at 45-37.  Farrell would drop two free throws with 3:21 left and a Farrell drive and finish with 1:02 left now had Chicago down by only six at 47-41.  The Tommies' Renikoff would answer the call for her team before the end of this third period with her "3" from the left wing area with :40 left and a lay-up with :03 left that at least got UST's safety net back up to ten points at 52-42 but the Tommies knew that their opponent was not going away anytime soon.

Further evidence of Chicago's tenacity was shown in the first five minutes of the fourth period as the Maroons embarked on an 18-5 run that propelled them into the lead.  One Lake free throw with 9:46 left got Chicago back to within single digits down by nine at 52-43 and then Lake unleashed a "3" from the top of the key at the 9:08 mark that cut the deficit down to six points at 52-46.  UST's Porter tried to stymie this comeback attempt with her "3" from the right wing area at the 8:07 mark but the Maroons kept coming.  Burt connected with a short jumper at the 7:50 mark and a score in the paint by Lake at the 6:51 mark cut the deficit down to five points at 55-50.  Porter again tried to bail the Tommies out with her lay-up at the 6:36 mark but two scores by Chicago's Obi - a lay-up at the 6:06 mark and a score in the paint at the 5:12 mark - finally had the Maroons in single-possession range again down 57-54 and UST Head Coach Ruth Sinn knew things were precarious by this point and she called a thirty-second timeout to try and make some quick adjustments.  Chicago still continued with its push and although Farrell missed an easy lay-up in transition with 4:52 left, she made up for that a little more than ten seconds later when she snared a steal and dashed the other way for a lay-up with 4:38 left that now had the Maroons down by only one at 57-56 and two Obi free throws with 3:48 left not only pushed Chicago back out in front for the first time since the midway point of the first period at 58-57 but now the Tommies' Spaulding had been tagged with her fourth foul of the night as well.  But just when it looked as if UST could have been had, they resisted the temptation to break out the panic button and instead calmly and assuredly got this one turned around.  On the ensuing Tommie possession, Renikoff made a hard drive into traffic for a finish with 3:35 left that got UST back out in front at 59-58.  The Maroons subsequently turned the ball over on their next possession and Nye was tagged with her fourth foul of the night with 3:17 left.  With 2:45 left, the Tommies' Porter was able to muscle inside off of an inbounds pass for a score to increase the lead to three points at 61-58.  Chicago's Farrell would get sent to the charity stripe after she was fouled in a transition opportunity with 1:39 left and her two free throws again had the Maroons down by just one at 61-60.  Chicago was able to force a turnover and had a chance to retake the lead but Lake was unable to connect with a lay-up attempt with just under a minute left so now the Tommies had to nurse a one-point lead and milk some clock as well in the process.  Working the ball carefully around the perimeter to avoid a steal by the Maroons, Wolkow got a free look from the left wing area with :19.6 left and she banged home a dagger "3" that now gave UST a two-possession lead at 64-60.  Farrell would get sent to the line on Chicago's ensuing possession and her two free throws with :14.4 left cut the deficit down to two points at 64-62 but the Maroons had to figure out a way to not only get a stop but preserve some clock in the process.  As it wasy, the Tommies' Spaulding would get fouled with :13.2 left and she got both of her free throw attempts to go down that again made it a two-possession game at 66-62.  UST harrassed the Maroons on their subsequent possession and when Farrell was unable to connect with a lay-up with :03.6 left, Chicago's dream died right there.  UST's Sinn called a timeout to ensure that her Tommie team had a plan on the ensuing inbounds pass and with :02.3, Wolkow would get fouled and she sank two free throws for insurance and a 68-62 UST lead.  Chicago Head Coach Carissa Sain-Knoche would call a timeout in hopes of pulling off a miracle but it was not to be and the Tommies advanced on to the Sweet 16 with a hard-fought victory.

Sain-Knoche had to struggle a bit in the beginning to find the words she wanted to use but was very proud of the way her team fought after being down double-digits at the half.  "Yeah, it was a good game....I thought in the second half we really played with conviction which we needed.....But it was a battle."  One question I posed to Sain-Knoche was the fact that they were getting outrebounded in the first half by a 19-14 count and that they really picked up the intensity in the fourth period with the comeback attempt and, in the process, forced 21 turnovers in all on this night on a UST team that is known for how well they normally take care of the ball.  "We definitely did emphasize those things (during the halftime break) and reminded them of who we are and how we play and make sure that we're doing what we're supposed to be doing in different spots and in the second half they did a great job on defense."  The Maroons two seniors; Nye and reserve guard Madison Dunbar joined Sain-Knoche in the press room afterward and both expressed how much they loved being in the program for four years and how each of the players on the team genuinely care and love each other and that they wouldn't trade the experience for anything and that they'll loyally follow the program going forward even if their playing days are done.  UST's Sinn afterward; who brought in both Spaulding and Wolkow with her into the press room, had nothing but praise for Chicago after the Tommies' hard-fought victory.  "First of all, Chicago is a phenomenal team....And we've had the opportunity to play them in the second round twice now and when the pairings were announced, I was excited....They have a fantastic team and their style of defense and how they attack offensively with the personnel they have, they do a fantastic job......We knew it was going to be a war....We knew it was going to be about two different styles of defense and who could control and we were fortunate enough to be able to control the first half and in the second half we lost that momentum but I was proud of the girls and how they finished out the game when things weren't going our way so they did a nice job of that."  I asked Sinn specifically about how her squad managed to keep their cool when Chicago made its big fourth period run to briefly take a lead and how they managed to turn it around.  "One of the things we've done all year long and even this last summer when we had an opportunity to travel abroad, we talked to the team about when you come off of a Final Four experience like we did last year, you want to get back there and you can't play like that....You have to play in the 'here and the now' and invest in the process so all year long we've done that.  We did that back in August when we went to Greece and we did that when we started the preseason....So when we get into the position like we were against Augsburg or tonight, we just keep focusing on 'What do we have to do' and I think they did a good job of it...And even when we lost the momentum, we weren't thinking about the past or the future, we're just thinking about what can we control right now."  I also asked Wolkow about the big "3" she hit with :19.6 left that got the Tommies a two-possession lead at 64-60 when things were still hanging in the balance and if she felt additional pressure to hit that shot when she took it.  "No...I mean, we do plays like that every single day in practice.....I didn't feel any extra pressure." 

Chicago definitely did a much better job in the rebounding department in the second half as they narrowed the Tommies' margin on the board by two at 34-32 and the fact that they forced an almost unheard of 21 UST turnovers on this night definitely helped get them into position to steal this one.  Would that one missed easy lay-up in transition with 4:52 left in the game changed things?  We'll never know now, of course, but in close, tight games it usually comes down to the little things and UST does a very good job in executing the little things.  It doesn't seem like much but UST did a great job on the charity stripe on this night going 15-16 for the game while Chicago was 12-15 and sometimes it's just little things like that that can make a difference.  The Maroons had a nice balanced attack on this night with Farrell leading all scorers with her 23 points while Lake added 13 points and Obi tallied 11 points.  The same was also true of UST on this night as well with Spaulding leading the way with 19 points while both Renikoff and Brazil added 12 points a piece.  Wolkow had only eight points on this night but three of those came when the Tommies needed them while nursing that one point lead with just under twenty seconds left. 

Section 5AAAA Semifinal Game - Roseville vs Champlin Park 3-3-18

The second semifinal on this Saturday afternoon pitted Roseville out of the always-tough Suburban East Conference against Champlin Park out of the Northwest Suburban Conference.  The Raiders hat put together a fine year as they were 21-7 and finished just behind Cretin-Derham Hall for Suburban East Conference honors.  The Rebels had also seemingly taken the next step as well as they had finished the regular season at 22-4 and finished just a game behind Centennial for Northwest Suburban Conference North Division honors.  Champlin Park in fact was ranked eighth in the state and there were some who thought that the Rebels might be able to make their first visit to the State Tournament since 2007 when Natalie Gigler helped lead Champlin Park to the big stage.  This would be my first look at both teams this season and considering that things would seem rather anti-climactic after Park Center's upset of top-seeded Centennial in the first game, I wasn't quite sure what to expect. 

It would be Roseville getting off to a very good start in this one as a score in the paint by lanky 6'1" sophomore post Jayda Johnston at the 17:45 mark got the Raiders going.  Freshman post Tamia Ugass connected with a lay-up at the 17:07 mark and one Johnston free throw at the 15:42 mark pushed Roseville's lead to 5-0 and Rebel Head Coach Josh Steck; concerned that his squad was firing blanks up to this point, called a timeout to talk things over with his team.  The Raiders, however, pushed their early lead to 8-0 on a "3" from the left wing area by junior guard Jada Hood at the 15:02 mark before Champlin Park could finally get untracked.  Two free throws by senior guard Erica Hicks at the 14:15 mark and a steal and lay-up the other way by sophomore reserve guard Miyah Dubose at the 11:51 mark had the deficit down to five points at 9-4 and a "3" from the right wing area by senior reserve forward Megan Munneke at the 10:05 mark kept the Rebels in that four-point range down 11-7. 

Roseville attempted to stretch out its lead again when sophomore reserve forward Josie Haug got into the paint for a score at the 9:23 mark but it was here where the Rebels finally started to find their groove and they went on a 19-2 bonanza that had them in excellent shape.  Strong senior forward Gabby Mocchi dropped two free throws after getting fouled with 8:59 left and one more by sophomore guard Izzy Quick with 7:36 left got Champlin Park back to within a single possession down 13-10.  Dubose was able to get a lay-up after a steal in the backcourt with 7:31 left and a Quick lay-up in transition with 7:18 left finally propelled the Rebels to their first lead of the afternoon at 14-13.  But Champlin Park was just getting started.  Speedy senior guard Amanda Pollard unleashed a "3" from the left corner with 7:03 left and less than thirty seconds after that Pollard would connect with a lay-up to get the Rebel lead to 19-13.  With 5:31 left, Pollard would again strike from three-point land; draining a bomb from the right top area to push the lead to 22-15 and now Roseville Head Coach Jeff Crosby was clamoring for a timeout to try and slow this Rebel drive.  Still, Pollard would drop two free throws with 5:08 left and two more with 5:03 left that had Champlin Park in excellent shape up 26-15.  But basketball can be a funny game with runs; particularly this time of the year and the Raiders closed out the first half on a 14-3 rush.  Hood uncorked her second trey of the game - this one coming from the right wing area - with 4:34 left and a score in the paint by Johnston with 4:12 left suddenly had the deficit down to a much more manageable six points at 26-20.  Johnston would strike again with 2:07 left and drew a foul in the process and her ensuing "and one" drew Roseville closer down five at 28-23.  Then senior guard Sarah Hvidhyld banged home a "3" from the left top area with 1:39 left and with 1:00 left Hvidhyld struck again from behind the arc; dropping a bomb from the left corner that had this game tied up at 29 a piece.  The Rebels came up empty in the last minute of play as both teams shuffled off to their respective locker rooms and a vast amount of uncertainty now hanged over Anoka Gymnasium as to how this one was going to go. 

The beginning of the second half seemed to mirror the beginning of the first as the Raiders used an 8-0 run to build a lead of their own again.  Hood connected with a one-handed jumper off the glass at the 17:52 mark to push Roseville out in front again and back-to-back three-point bombs - one by junior guard Kaylee Nelson from the right wing area at the 16:30 mark and one from Hvidhyld from the right corner at the 15:35 mark - suddenly had the Raiders up 37-29 and although Champlin Park's Hicks was able to bang home a "3" of her own from the left wing area at the 15:00 mark, Steck did not like the early developments thus far and called a timeout to re-evaluate things.  To their credit, the Rebels once again were able to close the gap.  A short turnaround jumper off the glass by junior post Makayla Johnson at the 13:52 mark got Champlin Park back to within a single possession again down 37-34 and a drive and finish by Quick at the 13:20 mark trimmed the deficit down to just one point at 37-36.  Pollard kept the Rebels in that one-point range with her short jumper at the 12:21 mark and a "3" from the right corner by Munneke at the 11:53 mark capped this 12-2 Champlin Park run that allowed them to poke their nose out in front by a 41-39 count.  The Raiders tied the game on a Johnston score in the paint at the 11:16 mark but when the Rebels' Hicks drained a "3" from the left top area at the 10:54 mark to give Champlin Park a 44-41 lead, things seemed to be pointing the Rebels way. 

Suddenly, inexplicably, Champlin Park's fortunes took a turn for the worse and the Raiders unleashed a 12-2 that changed the complexion of this one for good.  Nelson drained a "3" from the right corner at the 10:12 mark to tie the game at 44 and another "3" by Hood from the left top area at the 9:28 mark pushed Roseville out in front for good at 47-44.  A Johnston lay-up with 7:33 left pushed the lead to 49-44 and a score in the paint by Haug with 4:40 left got the lead to seven at 51-44.  Champlin Park's Hicks finally ended her squad's extended drought with a lay-up with 4:14 left but a lay-up by the Raiders' Johnston with 3:38 left maintained the seven-point edge at 53-46 and now the Rebels had their work cut out for them if they wanted to keep their season alive.  Pollard drilled a "3" from the left wing area with 3:15 left and a Mocchi lay-up in transition after a steal with 1:59 left at least had Champlin Park back within a single possession down 53-51 with seemingly a mountain of time left.  Curiously, however, the Rebels never could quite seem to get that one big shot or one big stop that might have allowed them to get even or get ahead again.  Roseville increased its safety net to four points on a score in the paint by Haug with 1:48 left at 55-51 and two Johnston free throws with 1:29 left upped the lead to five points at 57-52.  Hood would add one free throw with :43.5 left to get the lead to six at 58-52 before the Rebels could cut into a bit on a Dubose lay-up with :36.3 left.  Champlin Park's Steck called a thirty-second timeout in hopes of forcing a steal or a stop that would quickly get his squad back to within a single-possession again.  Sadly for the Rebel contingent on hand this day, that never happened.  Roseville's Nelson was fouled with :36.3 left and she got one free throw to go down and after a foiled Champlin Park possession, the Raiders' Hood would be fouled with :31.8 left where she dropped one freebie.  Hood would get one more free throw for insurance with :21.9 left for a 61-54 Roseville lead before the Rebels could try and make one more last stand.  Mocchi would connect with a lay-up with :14.2 left and Munneke would connect with a short jumper from the left side with just :01 left but it would be the Raiders moving on with a 62-58 victory. 

Considering the youthful Roseville roster that features only one senior (Hvidhyld), this game in some ways was perhaps an even bigger upset than Park Center's win over Centennial given the experience that Champlin Park had with five seniors who depart on a down note with state tournament hopes crushed.  Hicks had eclipsed Gigler as Champlin Park's all-time scoring leader this season and Hicks had indicated earlier that this will be the end of her competitive basketball career as she intends to focus on academics when she attends St. Cloud State next fall which I think is a bloody shame.  And you also can't help but feel badly for Pollard, Mocchi and reserve Sydney Fields who had it all come to an end today.  Roseville had only two players in double-figures scoring-wise on this day but both finished with 17 points a piece - Johnston and Hood who both had marvelous afternoons.  Champlin Park was led by Pollard with her 17 points while Hicks added 12 points in her final game. 

Section 5AAAA Semifinal Game - Park Center vs Centennial 3-3-18

Made my seemingly annual trek up to Anoka High School on this sunny and pleasant early March day to take in the two Section 5AAAA semifinal Games - the first one featuring Park Center vs Centennial.  The Pirates won the West Division of the Northwest Suburban Conference but were largely inconsistent all year long as their 17-9 overall record suggested.  The Cougars meanwhile were 23-3 overall, ranked third in the state and won the North Division of the Northwest Suburban Conference.  When these two teams met up during the regular season, Centennial easily handled Park Center on their home floor in Circle Pines and there was every reason to think that this section semifinal game today would likely be the end of the line on this season for the Pirates.

Early on, in fact, it looked like we would indeed have a repeat of what happened in the regular season as the Cougars bolted out to to an early 9-0 lead.  6'3" junior post Sara Stapleton snared an offensive rebound for a putback at the 17:44 mark to get things going and senior guard and big sis Sydney Stapleton followed that up with a "3" from the right wing area at the 17:06 mark to get Centennial's lead out to 5-0.  Junior guard Taylor McAulay connected with a lay-up at the 16:15 mark and two free throws by senior guard Claire Orth after she was fouled in a transition opportunity at the 15:58 mark capped this early run that had things looking very good for the Cougars.  And it probably would have been easy for Park Center to fold right then and there with things looking so bleak so early.  Instead, this young Pirate team hunkered down and dug deep and with steely resolve fought their way back into this contest.  Freshman guard/forward Adalia McKenzie connected with a lay-up at the 15:24 mark and a "3" from the right wing area by senior guard Sommer Blakemore at the 14:42 mark had the deficit down to four points at 9-5.  Promising sophomore guard Lauren Frost then promptly drained a "3" of her own from the right top area at the 14:10 mark to cut the deficit down to a scant point at 9-8.  An alarmed Centennial team tried to stretch its safety net as two lay-ups in transition by freshman reserve guard Jodi Anderson - one at the 11:20 mark and another one at the 10:31 mark - had the Cougars lead back up to three points at 13-10.  A score in the paint by Sara Stapleton at the 9:06 mark maintained Centennial's three-point advantage at 15-12 but that big start and momentum they had early on had seemingly flown out the window by now.

The Pirates finally tied the game at 15 a piece when freshman reserve forward T'Naye Griffin nailed her first "3" of the afternoon from the left wing area with 8:53 left in the first half and after Centennial junior reserve forward Sarah Lavell dropped one free throw after getting fouled with 8:40 left, Park Center was then able to grab its first lead of the afternoon at 17-16 on a jumper from the right elbow area with 7:58 left.  The Cougars would retake the lead on a lay-up after a steal by Orth with 6:54 left but the Pirates would take it right back on one Griffin freebie with 6:45 left and two more by sophomore reserve guard Kayla Cox with 6:28 left to make it 20-18.  Centennial was unable to cash in when Sydney Stapleton and Orth were sent to the charity stripe over the next couple of minutes but McAulay tried to make up for those missed free throws when she uncorked a "3" from the left corner with 4:15 left to pushed the Cougars back out in front by a 21-20 count.  Now it was Park Center's turn to retake the lead thanks to Blakemore as she snared a steal and dashed the other way for a lay-up with 3:37 left and two Blakemore free throws with 3:12 left had the Pirates up 24-21.  Right back came Centennial as a McAulay drive and finish with 2:59 left and two McAulay free throws with 2:41 left now had the Cougars enjoying the lead at 25-24.  Park Center's Griffin drained her second trey of the afternoon from the left top area with 2:30 left to push the Pirates back out in front 27-25 but a 4-0 Centennial push turned the tables once more.  Sara Stapleton snared an offensive rebound for a putback with 1:48 left and a McAulay lay-up with :52 gave the Cougars the edge with a 29-27 advantage.  Fittingly, Park Center's Frost would get this game tied at 29 with her offensive rebound and pretty reverse lay-up with :34 left as the teams headed to the locker room.  So while Centennial certainly set the pace early on, this young and sometimes unpredictable Park Center team refused to cave and they were able to get many things going their way with their up-and-down the floor transition game instead of being forced to play a slower, half-court game that the Cougars preferred with their "bigs". 

Centennial hoped to replicate some of its early-game magic in the opening moments of the second half and a quick 4-0 Cougar push suggested that they just might thanks to the Stapleton Sister Show.  Sara grabbed yet another offensive rebound for a putback at the 17:36 mark and a pull-up jumper in transition by Sydney at the 17:12 mark had things rolling Centennial's way with a 33-29 advantage.  What the Cougar contingent likely couldn't have counted on, however, was Park Center's equally-swift answer to all this.  Blakemore unleashed one of her patented NBA-range treys from the left wing area at the 16:45 mark and then Blakemore connected with a pull-up jumper at the 16:13 mark to allow the Pirates to poke their nose out in front again by a 34-33 count.  Both sides would trade one-point leads over the next minute and with Centennial clinging to a 37-36 advantage, Park Center's Blakemore struck again with another three-point bomb - this one coming from the right wing area at the 14:55 mark to push the Pirates out in front by a 39-37 score.  The Cougars would answer right back as McAulay connected with a lay-up at the 14:48 mark but then Park Center unleashed a 5-0 push.  Frost drained a "3" from near the top of the key at the 14:36 mark and a jumper from the right elbow area by McKenzie at the 14:10 mark suddenly had the Pirates up by four at 43-39.  A McKenzie offensive rebound for a putback in transition at the 12:08 mark maintained the four-point edge at 45-41 as did a Blakemore lay-up at the 11:49 mark that made it 47-43.  Sydney Stapleton tried to bring her Centennial team closer with a score in the paint at the 11:35 mark but a Blakmore drive and finish on the ensuing Pirate possession kept Park Center up two possessions at 49-45 and now this Cougar team; with its lofty state tournament hopes on the line, now had an uphill battle ahead of them if they wanted to keep the dream alive. 

Centennial, even with plenty of time left, still needed to some things to happen for them to at least grab the momentum back in their favor and a "3" from the right corner by the lefty, McAulay, at the 10:33 mark went a long way towards doing just that as the Cougars cut the deficit down to one point a 49-48.  A Sara Stapleton score in the paint at the 10:00 mark kept Centennial in that one-point range down 51-50 and a Sydney Stapleton "3" from the right wing area at the 9:33 mark tied the score at 53 a piece and perhaps now the Cougars were ready to grab this one by the throat finally.  Once again, Park Center had vastly different ideas and they embarked on an 8-2 run.  Griffin unleashed her third trey of the day from the right corner with 8:24 left to get the Pirates out to a 56-53 lead and then McKenzie; who had been battling all afternoon long with the Cougar "bigs", snared an offensive rebound of her own miss for a putback and drew a foul in the process and her ensuing "and one" with 7:03 left not only had Park Center up by six at 59-53 but now Centennial's Sara Stapleton had collected her fourth foul of the day.  Cougar Head Coach Jill Becken decided to roll the dice a little and kept Sara Stapleton out on the floor and she responded on the ensuing Centennial possession with an offensive rebound for a putback with 6:35 left but Pirate senior guard Meghan DuBois connected with a lay-up in transition with 5:57 left to re-establish Park Center's six-point edge at 61-55 and now Centennial's Becken had no choice but to call for a timeout.  The Pirates managed to push their lead to eight points when McKenzie knocked down two free throws with 5:19 left for a 63-55 advantage but the Cougars, perhaps now with their backs to the wall and their lifelines running out, dug in and unleashed an unlikely 10-0 run to retake the lead.  Senior post/forward Lexi Matthews uncorked a "3" from the right top area with 5:05 left and one McAulay freebie with 4:24 left had the deficit down to four points at 63-59.  After a foiled Park Center possession, Centennial's Orth connect with a jumper along the right baseline with 3:36 left that now had the Cougars back within a single possession down 63-61.  A stunned Park Center team promptly turned the ball over on its next possession when Centennial applied pressure defense and Sara Stapleton got an easy lay-up out of it with 3:30 left that suddenly had this one tied up at 63 a piece.  With 3:03 left, two Sydney Stapleton free throws pushed the Cougars back out in front again at 65-63 and many inside of Anoka Gymnasium likely figured that Park Center would finally collapse under the pressure.  Instead, the Pirates stuck together like glue.  With 1:15 left, Cox calmly drained a "3" from the left top area to push Park Center back out in front 66-65.  Not to be outdone in all this craziness, Centennial's McAulay drained a "3" from the right corner with :53 left that sent the Cougar contingent into a frenzy as they now led 68-66.  The Pirates appeared to be foiled on their ensuing possession but somehow got a steal and DuBois connected with a short jumper off the glass with :35 left that had this one tied at 68 a piece.  New Park Center Head Coach Barb Metcalf called an immediate timeout to set up strategy and the Pirates were able to foil Centennial's ensuing possession and Blakemore would be fouled with :07 left.  Blakemore would drop both free throw attempts for a 70-68 Park Center lead but the Cougars had one more chance.  They quickly brought the ball upcourt and with just one tick on the clock, Orth was able to slither through a maze of Pirate defenders for a lay-up to knot things up at 70 a piece so off to overtime we went. 

It would have been natural to assume that this experienced and senior-laden Centennial team; now that they had been able to stave off likely defeat in overtime, probably had the edge and would wear down this younger and less-experienced Park Center team.  But one thing we've learned about the Pirates this season is their ability to surprise even in the most dire of circumstances.  Park Center would take a one-point lead on a Griffin free throw with 3:45 left in the extra session and when the Pirates got a stop on the other end, DuBois was able to connect with a lay-up in transition with 3:31 left to get Park Center's lead to 73-70.  The Cougars were able to slim things down to one point when Sara Stapleton got into the paint for a score with 3:10 left but Centennial's fortunes started crumbling for good when, on the ensuing Park Center possession, Griffin unleashed her fourth - and perhaps most important - trey of the game; this one coming from the left wing area with 2:40 left that now pushed the Pirate lead to four points at 76-72.  The Cougars managed to climb back to within a single possession when Matthews connected with a lay-up with 2:11 left but Park Center now zeroed in for the kill.  McKenzie connected with a lay-up with 1:55 left to get the lead back to four points at 78-74 and after Centennial came up empty on their ensuing possession, Blakemore would be fouled with 1:29 left and she got one free throw to go down to up the Pirate lead to 79-74.  Park Center's Metcalf called another timeout to set up defensive strategy but that still didn't stop the Cougars' Sydney Stapleton from getting to the charity stripe with 1:00 left where she brought her team back to within a single possession with two free throws down 79-76.  But Centennial also needed a stop of some sort as well and they could never quite get that.  Park Center's Cox was able to drop one free throw after getting fouled with :53.6 left to make it an 80-76 game.  Now the Cougars had no room for error on their ensuing possession and with :14 left, Centennial's last hope went down the drain for good when Sydney Stapleton, hoping to create some contact with a drive, got called for a charging foul instead.  The Pirates' Griffin would get sent to the line with :03.7 left and she got one insurance free throw down as Park Center took down top-seeded Centennial in a massive upset by an 81-76 count.

For a team that has been up-and-down with some head-scratching losses on its resume, the Pirates sure have a knack for turning up the heat in big situations and today was one of those situations.  Considering that many, including your's truly, had pretty much expected that things would come to an end on this day, it was indeed a shock to see how things turned out.  Park Center's Metcalf, jubilant after her team's win, thinks that her young core of players really matured in the last few weeks and I think we saw players like McKenzie, Griffin, Frost and Cox take their games to a new level on this afternoon that helped lessen the burden on seniors Blakemore, DuBois and Charo Nickens.  To be sure, they still have more wood to chop in the Section 5AAAA Championship Game on Thursday night if they want to return to the Promised Land but given what they did on this day, you can't blame them if they have Target Center in their sights.  Meanwhile for Centennial, it's an absolutely devastating loss and a cruel end to a fantastic season where many had them pegged to make some noise in the state tournament with their size and experience.  I thought last season when they lost to Park Center in the Section Championship Game that they were on the verge and that 2017-18 would be their year to re-establish themselves as the kingpin in Section 5AAAA.  And to be sure, this isn't the first time that the Cougars have experienced major heartbreak on this stage and there was a part of me that couldn't help but flash back to ten years ago when a great Centennial team led by Megan Nipe easily marched into the Section 5AAAA Championship Game with an unblemished record only to have things come to a shocking and crashing halt when Osseo derailed the Cougar joyride train.  So I can't help but feel badly for players like Orth, Emily Mulberry, Sydney Allen, Natalie Danzl, Matthews and Sydney Stapleton to have it all come to an end for them on this day.  It was simply a fantastic day for Park Center's McKenzie who led all scorers with 25 points and was a force on the boards against a bigger Centennial team all day.  Blakemore finished with 19 points and Griffin was right behind with 18 points.  Centennial was paced by McAulay's 22 points while Sara Stapleton added 18 points and Sydney Stapleton had 14 points and Orth tallied 10 points. 

NCAA Tournament 1st Round Game - Chapman vs UST 3-2-18

The nightcap on this Friday night at UST's Schoenecker Arena featured another intriguing match-up that pitted SCIAC champ Chapman with a 23-4 record and fresh off its double-OT win over conference arch-rival Claremon-Mudd-Scripps in the SCIAC Championship Game against the home team UST with its 25-2 record and another unblemished MIAC record and a MIAC Championship Game trophy on top of it all.  While the Tommies would be heavy favorites in this one (and deservedly so), I was really interested in this Panther team from watching their SCIAC Championship Game win online last Saturday night and I knew that they had the potential to make this one interesting at least.

UST would strike first in this contest on a rather routine lay-up by junior post Hannah Spaulding at the 9:40 mark and although Chapman senior guard Irma Munoz would tie the score with her lay-up at the 8:36 mark, the Tommies would go on a 7-0 push to get some space.  Another Spaulding lay-up at the 7:48 mark and a lay-up by senior guard/forward Lauren Fischer at the 7:05 mark got UST's lead to 6-2.  Fischer would strike again at the 6:21 mark with her drive and finish that also drew a foul and allowed the Oshkosh, Wisconsin native to sink the obligatory free throw for 9-2 Tommie lead.  The Panthers were able to cut into the cushion a bit when senior guard Jaime Hum-Nishikado drained a "3" from the left wing area at the 5:11 mark and one free throw by sophomore post Lucy Criswell with 4:19 left in the opening quarter had Chapman back in single-possession range down 9-6.  But a 6-0 UST push again widened the gap.  Sophomore reserve post Elsa Anderson connected with a lay-up with 3:55 left and a jumper along the left baseline by Fischer with 3:10 left got the Tommie lead back to seven points at 13-6.  Two free throws by freshman reserve guard Madi Radtke with 2:31 left gave UST its biggest lead thus far at 15-6.  The Panthers momentarily stopped the bleeding on a lay-up with 2:08 left by sophomore reserve guard Paige Endo but UST closed out the opening period with a 6-2 push.  Radtke, the incredibly gifted and athletic former Lester Prairie standout, connected with a lay-up with 1:46 left that also drew a foul and the ensuing "and one" got the Tommie lead to double-digits at 18-8.  Opportunistic junior guard Kaylie Brazil snared a steal and whizzed the other way for a lay-up with 1:15 left to make it 20-8 and Chapman Head Coach Carol Jue; not liking at all what she was seeing, called a thirty-second timeout to try and rectify the situation.  A jumper from the left corner just inside the arc by Hum-Nishikado with :55 left got Chapman back in the ten-point range again down 20-10 but UST's Spaulding ended this first period with a short jumper in the lane with just :06 left that had the Tommies in excellent shape up 22-10 going into the second period.

A 4-0 UST push to start the second period had the Panthers in an even deeper hole.  Brazil uncorked a "3" from the right top area at the 9:08 mark and a score in the paint by the understudy Anderson at the 8:09 mark now had the Tommie lead at seventeen at 27-10.  Chapman was able to make some inroads thanks to Criswell; the Portland, Oregon native.  She first connected with a jumper from the right top area, just inside the arc at the 7:58 mark and then drained a "3" from the top of the key at the 7:29 mark to give the Panthers a bit of hope down by twelve at 27-15.  Criswell would also knock down a short jumper at the 7:02 mark to keep Chapman in that twelve-point range down 29-17 but the Panthers could ill-afford to be satisfied by just trading baskets with their host.  UST set to stretch their lead again junior guard Lucia Renikoff drilled a "3" from the left top area at the 6:38 mark and a score in the paint by Spaulding at the 5:51 mark had the Tommies up 34-19.  Fischer would make a hard drive for a finish at the 5:11 mark then senior point guard Maddie Wolkow unleashed a killer "3" from the left wing area with 4:39 left to make it a 39-21 ballgame.  Chapman would again try to cut into this cushion as a score in the paint by sophomore reserve guard Marissa Dunn with 4:18 left and a Dunn "3" from the right corner with 1:49 left got the deficit down to fifteen points at 41-26.  One free throw by junior guard Jaryn Fajardo with 1:31 left and a pretty reverse lay-up by Criswell with :48 left capped a late 8-2 run down the stretch but Chapman was still on the wrong end of a 41-29 score as both teams headed off to the locker room for the halftime break.  A check of the first half box score reveals just how well was shooting thus far as they were 16-30 from FG range for 53.3% and 3-9 from behind the arc for 33.3%.  Chapman didn't shoot badly either going 12-29 from FG range for 41.4% and they were 3-4 from downtown for 75%.  UST had a slight advantage on the boards at 17-14 and both teams already had scorers in double-figures:  Criswell of the Panthers with 10 points and the Tommies' Spaulding with 10 points. 

The Tommies were all about stretching their lead again in the early moments of the third period as Wolkow unleashed another one of her patented three-point bombs - this one from the left wing area at the 9:40 mark and a Brazil lay-up at the 8:19 mark got the lead to fifteen points at 46-31.  Then it was Wolkow draining yet another "3" - this one from the right wing area at the 7:33 mark - that now had UST up by eighteen points at 49-31.  The Panthers, however, managed to whittle things down as freshman guard/forward Brittany McPherson banged home a "3" from the right wing area at the 7:12 mark and a jumper from the left wing area by Hum-Nishikado at the 6:28 mark had things down to thirteen points at 49-36 and it seemed as if Chapman, if they could just could get things down to the ten-point range again (or even closer) that they may have had a reasonable chance.  As it was, the Tommies weren't interested in giving their opponent any reason to believe that they could hang around.  A "3" from the right top area by junior reserve guard and former Park Center standout McKenna DuBois at the 6:15 mark started a 9-0 UST run that, for all intents and purposes, put this one out of reach.  Freshman reserve guard/forward Kaia Porter made a drive for a finish at the 5:44 mark and a Wolkow jumper in the lane off of the glass at the 5:02 mark had the Tommie lead up to twenty at 56-36.  A Porter drive and finish with 3:45 left got the lead to 58-36 before Chapman could make a few dents into the cushion.  Fajardo knocked down two free throws with 3:19 left and Criswell would add two more with 2:09 left to get the deficit down to twenty again at 60-40 but UST's Renikoff would put an exclamation point on this third period with her "3" from the top of the key with 1:31 left as the Tommies carried a sizable 63-40 advantage going into the fourth period.

Chapman certainly wasn't willing to give up the fight as they continued with their pressure defense in hopes of forcing some Tommie turnovers and two McPherson freebies at the 9:23 mark and a Hum-Nishikado lay-up at the 8:44 mark of the fourth period had the deficit down to nineteen points at 63-44 but it was a matter of trying to string together a series of scores plus get some stops as well and that just wasn't happening on this night.  UST's Renikoff connected with one lay-up in transition at the 8:18 mark and another one at the 6:54 mark to get the Tommies' safety net at twenty-two points at 67-45.  Porter would drop two free throws at the 6:13 mark and Fischer connected on a pretty back-door lay-up that also drew a foul and her "and one" with 4:46 left got UST's lead to 72-48.  Porter would muscle into the paint for a score with 3:49 left and then the enthusiastic Radtke got into the paint for another score with 3:18 left that also drew a foul and her obligatory free throw got the lead to twenty-nine points at 77-48.  The Panthers were still unwilling to wave the white flag as one free throw by Hum-Nishikado with 3:04 left and a jumper along the left baseline by Criswell with 2:23 left helped cut into the large deficit a bit.  But UST's Radtke put the cherry on top of the cake with her score in the paint with 2:04 left as the Tommies waltzed to an 81-51 victory to advance to Saturday's second-round game against Chicago. 

Chapman's Jue; who brought in seniors Hum-Nishikado and Munoz into the press room afterward didn't waste any time explaining what went down.  "We ran into a very good team.....I think 42 (Spaulding) set the tone for them."  I asked Jue specifically about what I thought was a critical moment of the game; when Hum-Nishikado scored at the 6:28 mark of the third period to get the deficit down to thirteen points at 49-36 and if the Panthers could have perhaps been able to trim the deficit even more, it may have at least changed the complexion of the game.  "I totally agree with you" Jue said.  "I thought if we could get just one more shot but they are very good."  I also asked Jue about the double-overtime win over Claremont-Mudd-Scripps the previous weekend in the SCIAC Championship Game and if that emotionally-exhausting effort may have drained her young squad a bit - both physically and emotionally as well.  "Perhaps" she said but she also noted that this was her squad's first visit to the NCAA Tournament and they had to find out what it was like to go on the road and play one of the best teams in the nation in UST.  "Now they know" she said.  Additionally, I also mentioned to Jue that I admired how her squad was continuing to use pressure defense right up until the very end in hopes of creating turnovers and never giving up.  "That's a testament to this team" she said.  "We are never going to give up.  Even if we're down by 80 we're still going to keep coming after you."  And I think you have to admire that.  UST's Sinn, who brought in both Renikoff and Wolkow into the press room for their session, couldn't help but talk about how much she liked this game.  "It was a really fun game to play....Chapman is so different than the teams we normally play because of pressure, pressure, pressure......We knew coming in that we we're going to have our hands full with the pressure.....The one thing that I was impressed with about us was our 18 assists....It really shows we were doing a good job of when we should attack and when do we not and we really had a good flow of our offense and we had six players in double-figures (scoring-wise) so it was a really good team effort."  I mentioned to Sinn about how incredibly balanced her team was from a scoring standpoint and that it has to be good to see her get contributions from so many different players.  "That's one of the things that we pride ourselves on is our team and our depth and how everybody can step up."  I also asked Sinn the same question I posed to Chapman's Jue about that moment in the third period when the Panthers had whittled the deficit down to thirteen points and how UST embarked on a key run thereafter to put this one out of reach for good.  "Well, that's the beauty about being at this point in the season is that we've gone through these battles.....We've learned how to handle some of those highs and lows and how to stay focused on the task ahead."  Wolkow talked about how she felt that she and her teammates did a very good job of handling Chapman's pressure and Renikoff felt that she and her teammates had excellent preparation coming into this game and handling the pressure defense that Chapman showed. 

Indeed, it is striking when you look at the box score and see how incredibly balanced the Tommie attack was and all the contributions they got on this night from so many different players.  Fischer led the way with 12 points and Wolkow was right behind with her 11 points and then you had four players with 10 points each - Spaulding, Renikoff, Radtke and Porter and Brazil was right behind with nine points.  To me, that's just something when you see such balance like that.  Chapman had two players in double-figures on this night with Criswell's 14 points leading all scorers and Hum-Nishikado tallied 13 points.  As Sinn pointed out in the post-game interview, she was incredibly proud of how well her squad handled that pressure defense as the Tommies were guilty of only eight turnovers on this night.  Strangely enough, rebounds were nearly even on this night with the Panthers holding a 36-35 edge but what did Chapman in on this night was the fact that they shot 18-59 from FG range for 30.5% and 4-13 from behind the arc for 30.8% and that simply won't get the job done against a team that goes 31-60 from FG range for 51.7% and 7-19 from downtown for 36.8%.  Throw in the fact that UST had the edge in points off of turnovers at 15-8 and a whopping 46-14 edge in points in the paint and it's easy to see where the needle is going to point. 

NCAA Tournament 1st Round Game - Wisconsin Lutheran vs Chicago 3-2-18

Made my way over to the St. Paul side of town on this Friday afternoon to get settled into the media area of Schoenecker Arena early for the first of two games in the first round of the NCAA Tournament - this one pitting Wisconsin Lutheran out of the NACC and Chicago out of the UAA.  The green-clad Warriors were coming into this contest with a solid 24-3 overall record while the Maroons; who have made several visits to the NCAA Tournament, were coming in with a sparkling 23-2 record and went unblemished in UAA play.  While I had been able to get a look at the Maroons from last year's opening round NCAA games, this would be my first look at Wisconsin Lutheran and I was naturally curious as to how they play.

It's only natural, I suppose, that when two teams face each other for the first time - on a neutral floor - especially in the NCAA Tournament - that nerves and jitters can figure into play and both the Warriors and Maroons spent the first couple of minutes of the first period making untimely turnovers and other assorted mistakes that kept the lid on both baskets early as they had to feel each other out.  But Chicago would finally break out of its shell in a big way while Wisconsin Lutheran still struggled trying to find some rhythm.  Junior forward Obi Olariche got the Maroons on the board first with her lay-up off of an inbounds pass at the 7:16 mark and a steal and lay-up the other way by sophomore guard Miranda Burt at the 6:52 mark got Chicago's lead to 4-0.  Then sophomore forward Taylor Lake drained a "3" from the left corner at the 5:22 mark to give the Maroons a touchdown lead of 7-0 before Wisconsin Lutheran could finally get on the board with 4:47 left on a drive and finish off the glass with the shot clock expiring by junior guard Lexi Reinke.  But the Warriors found themselves further under the gun thanks to a 5-0 Chicago push.  Lake knocked down a short jumper at the 4:36 mark and a "3" from the right corner by sophomore point guard Mia Farrell with 3:41 left now gave the Maroons a 12-2 advantage.  Wisconsin Lutheran could have been in a heap of trouble right then and there but they managed to embark on a 6-0 push to tighten things up a bit thanks to strong junior reserve forward Maddy Elrod.  The Conifer, Colorado native snared an offensive rebound of her own miss for a putback with 3:14 left and followed that up a little more than a minute later with another offensive rebound for a putback with 2:00 left that cut the deficit to six points at 12-6.  With 1:25 left, Elrod connected with a lay-up off of an inbounds pass that now had the Warriors back within striking distance down 12-8.  Chicago would try and stretch things out again as Lake made a drive for a finish with 1:11 left and a steal and lay-up the other way by the wily Obi with :56 left got the Maroons lead back to eight points at 16-8.  Still, Wisconsin Lutheran slimmed that gap down to six points on a jumper from the right elbow by senior guard Coreana Carson with :37 left so, despite the sluggish start, the Warriors still appeared to be in the thick of things down by only six at 16-10 as the game morphed into the second period.

Indeed, it appeared that Wisconsin Lutheran would stay reasonably close as the second period got underway.  Junior forward Jen Dowden connected with a lay-up at the 9:33 mark to get the deficit down to four points at 16-12 and although the Maroons would manage to get the lead back out to eight points at 20-12 over the course of the next three minutes, the Warriors still appeared to be in decent shape when sophomore guard/forward Kelly Tramburg muscled into the paint for a score at the 5:55 mark to reduce the deficit to six at 20-14.  A Dowden score in the paint at the 5:18 mark kept Wisconsin Lutheran in that six-point range at 22-16 and two Carson free throws did likewise with 4:45 left to keep the Warriors close down 24-18.  It was here, however, where things really started to go south for Wisconsin Lutheran and their Head Coach Klay Knueppel as the Maroons launched an 10-3 run down the stretch before the halftime break.  Two Obi free throws with 4:20 left got Chicago's lead back to eight points at 26-18 and then Burt got into a transition opportunity and although she couldn't connect on her initial lay-up attempt, she somehow was able to get a loose ball on the rebound attempt and got a putback out of it to stretch the Maroons lead to ten points at 28-18.  To make matters worse for Wisconsin Lutheran, junior guard Maddie Cruz went down with an apparent ankle or knee injury during the fracas and now the Warriors were without one of their key players as Chicago continued its run.  Obi would get sent to the charity stripe with 3:21 left where she sank two free throws and a short jumper from the left side by Obi with 1:23 left had the Maroons up thirteen at 32-19.  With :22 left, Obi made a hard drive into traffic for a finish to get the lead out to 34-19 and although Wisconsin Lutheran got two free throws by Dowden right before the halftime buzzer, facing a 34-21 deficit was not what the Warriors' Knueppel had in mind and having things go so awry down the stretch only complicated things.  While Chicago had a slight edge on the boards at 15-12, what really hurt the Warriors was the hot-shooting by the Maroons as they shot 53.8% from FG range in the first period and 54.5% from the same distance in the second period.  Wisconsin Lutheran, on the other hand, was only 38.5% from FG range in the first period and 30% in the second period.     

A quick 6-0 Chicago burst in the early moments of the third period left little doubt as to how this one was going to turn out.  A Burt drive and finish at the 9:52 mark pushed the lead to fifteen at 36-21 and an offensive rebound for a putback by Lake at the 9:17 mark got it to seventeen points at 38-21.  Then it was Obi connecting with a lay-up at the 8:41 mark to make it a 40-21 ballgame and the Warriors Klay Knueppel had seen enough to know that at least a thirty-second timeout was warranted.  Wisconsin Lutheran managed to trim some of the fat off of the deficit with a 7-3 push.  Dowden snared an offensive rebound for a putback at the 8:19 mark and a Carson lay-up at the 7:29 mark along with a "3" from the right top area by Dowden at the 6:51 mark had the deficit down to fifteen points at 43-28.  But trying to make further inroads simply proved to be a bridge too far for the Warriors on this night as Chicago struck back with a 13-2 blitz down the stretch of the third period to put this one out of reach for good.  Two scores by Burt - a "3" from the top of the key at the 6:20 mark and a pretty reverse lay-up in transition with 4:52 left got the lead to twenty at 48-28.  Then senior reserve guard Elizabeth Nye drained a "3" from the right wing area with 2:41 left to push the lead to 51-28.  Junior guard Jamie Kockenmeister got a "3" of her own from the left corner with 2:08 left and two free throws by freshman reserve forward Meaghan O'Hara with 1:42 left gave the Maroons a seemingly insurmountable 56-28 advantage.  Wisconsin Lutheran finally broke their costly drought on a lay-up off of an inbounds pass by Elrod with 1:31 left but any hopes of mounting a meaningful comeback were now out the window.

A Burt "3" from the left wing area that also drew a foul that allowed the Knoxville, Tennessee native to sink the obligatory "and one" at the 8:19 mark of the fourth period stretched Chicago's lead to 60-30 and was indicative of how things were going for the Warriors in this second half.  Still, Wisconsin Lutheran refused to wave the white flag as a nifty reverse lay-up by Dowden at the 8:07 mark and two Dowden free throws at the 7:22 mark allowed the Warriors to make some dents into the sizable cushion they were facing.  Reinke was also able to grab an offensive rebound of her own miss for a putback at the 7:01 mark and a "3" from the right wing area at the 6:31 mark by Carson at least had things looking a bit more respectable down 61-39.  The Maroons, however, would not leave anything to chance and looked to close things out for good down the stretch.  One free throw by freshman reserve guard Marissa Igunbor at the 6:03 mark and a pretty reverse lay-up by Lake at the 5:29 mark kept the safety net in good shape with a 64-40 lead and although Dowden of Wisconsin Lutheran would chip away at the deficit with free throws, they could never mount a serious threat.  Maroon freshman reserve forward Elisabeth McCray sank pairs of insurance freebies - with 1:18 left and with :52.3 left for a 68-46 Chicago lead and O'Hara connected with a lay-up for good measure with :22 left as the Maroons advanced to the second round with a convincing 70-46 victory.

Wisconsin Lutheran's Klay Knueppel was in decent spirits afterward despite the season-ending loss and expressed some disappointment that his squad was unable to get the kind of tempo he was hoping for; a slower, half-court game.  "We didn't want to be pushing the tempo...we wanted to keep it slower", noting that Chicago's pressure defense and their ability to push the ball up the floor was hard to keep up with.  "I thought our defense was okay" he said and added that his squad relied on defense all year long.  Klay Knueppel also pointed out that it was deflating when Cruz went out in the second period  with the injury.  He also pointed out that not having his daughter, senior guard/forward Caitlin Knueppel who was out with an injury and was wearing a protective cast on her right leg and foot in the press room and on the bench that night, hurt as well.  I asked Klay Knueppel specifically about the slow start his team had from the get-go and how hard it was for his squad to find rhythm in their half-court offense.  "We needed to get into that 'cutting offense' with our wing players" he said; presumably to get open looks out on the perimeter but those early shots the Warriors had often went awry.  Chicago Head Coach Carissa Sain-Knoche was very pleased with how her squad executed the gameplan for this game.  I pointed out to Sain-Knoche that I was impressed with the balanced scoring effort her team had plus the fact that they were able to force 24 Wisconsin Lutheran turnovers and get 16 steals on this night in the process.  "Yeah, that was great....It's a little bit who we are in terms of scoring and being balanced....With us it doesn't matter who gets the shot.....We have a lot of faith in each other and we rely on each other....They (Wisconsin Lutheran) wanted to 'tempo' us and I thought we did a good job in maintaining our intensity."  I also asked Sain-Knoche about her squad being seemingly more experienced in an NCAA Tournament setting; particularly coming back to the UST venue again.  "Yeah, certainly.....There were lots of emotions when we got to come back here....I spent far fewer minutes on meals and itineraries so we were much more comfortable this time around" she added with a laugh.  Sain-Knoche also pointed out that, for whatever reason, her squad always seems to come out of the halftime break "super well" and that they do a much better job of taking care of the ball.  And she added that her squad is hungry "and we're not ready to be done yet."

It was indeed a balanced scoring attack that helped pace the Maroons onto the second round as Burt led the way with 18 points and Obi was not far behind with her 14 points while Lake tallied 11 points.  Such was not the case with Wisconsin Lutheran as they relied heavily on Dowden and Carson as Dowden led all scorers with her 21 points and was just shy of a "double-double" with nine rebounds while Carson added 10 points.  Again, Chicago did a reasonably good job of protecting the ball; committing only 15 turnovers on this night.  Rebounds were surprising even on this night with the Maroons holding a 35-34 edge but those 24 turnovers that the Warriors were guilty of on this night proved fatal in the final analysis.  Plus the fact that Chicago had a 22-7 in points off of all those turnovers to boot.