St. Kate's vs Augsburg 12-12-18

I found myself back over at Si Melby Hall on the campus of Augsburg University on this Wednesday night to take in this important early season clash between visiting St. Kate's and host Augsburg.  The Wildcats were coming into this contest on something of a hot streak with wins over both CSB and St. Olaf while the Auggies were riding a four-game win streak and, more importantly, were looking to improve on their current 8-1 record.  Given that the Wildcats had won an important late regular season game in this same venue just a season ago, this one had all the makings of a good one and no one who attended this game on this night would come away disappointed. 

Augsburg certainly got out to the start they had hoped for with their transition game clicking in the first few minutes of the opening period.  Junior forward Camryn Speese got into the paint for the first Auggie score at the 9:46 mark and two Speese free throws at the 9:18 mark made it 4-0.  Speese would strike again at the 8:51 mark with a lay-up to make it a 6-0 game and St. Kate's Head Coach Don Mulhern; not at all liking how this one was going down thus far, called for a thirty-second timeout to get his troops reassembled.  Freshman forward Sam Orth finally got the cobwebs of the 'Cats basket with her lay-up at the 8:36 mark and a lay-up by junior Jackie Radford at the 6:32 mark kept the Wildcats in that four-point range down 8-4.  Augsburg, however, manged to widen the gap with two more Speese scores - a jumper in the lane off the glass at the 5:42 mark and another lay-up with 4:41 left - that now had the Auggies up 12-4.  A lay-up in transition after a steal by fellow junior Tamira McLemore with 3:46 left maintained the eight-point edge at 14-6 before St. Kate's could cut into it again as flashy junior guard Danica Cambrice drained a "3" from the right wing area with 3:25 left and a score in the paint by freshman reserve post Katie Benjamin with 1:31 left kept the Wildcats in the five-point range down 16-11.  Benjamin would strike again with an offensive rebound and putback of her own miss with :59 left to keep St. Kate's in that five-point range down 18-13 and when senior guard Audra Clark drained a "3" from the top of the key with :34 left in the first period, the Wildcats were suddenly within a single possession down 18-16 but Augsburg's McLemore got her team some more breathing room when she uncorked a "3" from the left wing area with :09 left to make it a 22-16 ballgame.

The Auggies tried to give themselves some more breathing room in the opening minutes of the second period as a lay-up by junior guard Kaezha Wubben at the 8:59 mark had Augsburg up 24-17 but the Wildcats' Cambrice single-handedly brought her team back.  The former St. Croix Lutheran standout dropped two free throws after getting fouled at the 8:37 mark and followed that up with a lay-up off of an inbounds pass at the 7:32 mark that had St. Kate's down by only a single possession at 24-21.  That deficit was reduced to a single scant point when Cambrice connected with a lay-up at the 6:47 mark.  The Auggies' McLemore tried to stymie this onslaught with her lay-up at the 6:37 mark but two more scores by Cambrice - a short jumper at the 6:13 mark and a score in the paint at the 5:45 mark - finally propelled St. Kate's into their first lead of the evening at 27-26.  Both teams would then trade one-point leads over the next minute and a half before the Wildcats could grab a bigger lead.  Trailing 30-29, Radford got sent to the charity stripe after getting fouled with 4:00 left where the former Cretin-Derham Hall standout got two free throws to go down and then Clark would add one free throw of her own with 2:41 left and two more with 1:53 left as St. Kate's now found itself with a 34-30 lead.  Augsburg junior sharpshooting junior reserve guard Aiza Wilson unleashed one of her trademark three-point bombs - this one coming from the right corner with 1:38 left - that quickly closed the gap to one point but the Wildcats would grow the lead to three when Cambrice made a hard drive for a finish with 1:20 left.  Auggie junior guard Ari Jones would proceed to knot the game at 36 a piece when she uncorked a "3" from the left top area with 1:03 left and Augsbrug would retake the lead with :23 left before the halftime buzzer when McLemore banged home a "3" from the left wing area to make it a 39-38 ballgame but St. Kate's Cambrice; having a fabulous first half, got the last points of this wild second period with her lay-up with just :04 left to let the 'Cats take a 40-39 lead into the locker room at the half.  A check of the first half box score reveals that both teams shot well from FG range - St. Kate's going 15-29 for 51.7% and Augsburg 16-35 for 45.7%.  Rebounding was nearly identical with the Wildcats holding a 19-17 edge and turnovers were the same at five each.  In my mind, the biggest factor was Cambrice's ability to take over when her team needed her to do just that and the 17 first half points she had indicates that.

Orth would get things going for St. Kate's at the 9:21 mark of the third period with her lay-up but the Auggies got things tied up at 42-all when senior guard Camille McCoy made a hard drive for a finish at the 8:38 mark and Wubben dropped one free throw after getting fouled at the 8:07 mark.  It was here, however, where the Wildcats went on their first decisive move of the evening.  A Cambrice score in the paint at the 7:50 mark pushed the 'Cats back out in front and a jumper in the lane by Clark at the 6:41 mark gave St. Kate's a 46-42 lead.  Radford would connect with a short shot off the glass at the 6:06 mark and then Radford finished a transition opportunity in the lane at the 5:50 mark to cap an 8-0 push that gave the Wildcats a 50-42 lead and Augsburg Head Coach Ted Riverso; not at all liking this latest development, called for a halt to the action.  That stoppage in play not only let the Auggies catch their collective breaths but seemed to give them a new sense of urgency as well.  Wilson grabbed an offensive rebound and got a pretty reverse lay-up out of it at the 5:22 mark and a jumper by Jones from the left elbow area with 4:49 left had the deficit down to four points at 50-46.  Then Wilson drained another one of her trademark three-point bombs - this one coming from the right wing area with 4:17 left - to reduce the deficit down to one point at 50-49.  St. Kate's would grow the lead to three on an Orth lay-up with 1:50 left but then Wilson would come through for the Auggies again as she drained another "3" - this one from the right top area with :46 left - that tied the game at 52-all.  The Wildcats would manage to take a four-point lead before the third period ended as two scores by Clark - one in the paint with :37 left and a coast-to-coast lay-up with :14 left - made it 56-52 but Augsburg likely had to feel infinitely better about themselves knowing that they had it within them to come back when the chips were down.

Still, the 'Cats were determined to try and hang onto this slim lead they had.  A short shot by Radford at the 7:24 mark of the fourth period maintained the four-point edge at 58-54 as did two free throws by sophomore reserve guard Ashley Fosness at the 5:43 mark that made it a 60-56 game.  Augsburg though managed to get things tied at 60 a piece when Speese dropped two freebies at the 5:30 mark and McLemore muscled into the paint for a score with 4:21 left.  Riverso would subsequently call a timeout with 3:44 left to set up strategy for the Auggies for the stretch run and one Speese free throw with 3:10 left not only propelled Augsburg back into the lead but now the Wildcats' situation was complicated even more by the fact that their main threat - Cambrice - had just collected her fourth foul of the evening.  Augsburg's Speese would also get tagged with her fourth foul of the night a short time later with 2:35 left and when Radford got two free throws to go down after getting fouled with 1:57 left, the 'Cats found themselves back out in front by a 62-61 count.  That lead, however, didn't last long as the Auggies' McLemore drilled a "3" from the right wing with 1:35 left and after a foiled Wildcat possession, Wubben got one free throw to go down after getting fouled with 1:16 left to give Augsburg a 65-62 lead.  Now it was St. Kate's turn for dramatics as Clark drained a "3" from the left corner off of an inbounds pass that knotted this one at 65-all with 1:03 left.  But the Wildcats' hopes dimmed when Augsburg's Jones connected with a lay-up with :34 left along with an untimely turnover ten seconds later.  One Jones freebie with :22 left expanded the Auggie lead to three at 68-65 with :22 left and St. Kate's Mulhern called a timeout in hopes of setting up something for his squad from three-point land.  Probably only fitting, of course, that the Wildcats would lean on Cambrice and she came through when she drained a cold-blooded "3" from the left wing area with :12.5 left that had this one deadlocked at 68 a piece that sent the St. Kate's contingent into a frenzy.  Still one last chance for the Auggies in regulation, however, and after Riverso called a timeout, they quickly worked the ball around on the perimeter and with :03 left, Wilson got just enough of an opening to fire a three-point attempt from the left wing area but that shot missed its mark.  Augsburg's McLemore was able to snare a tough offensive rebound put her putback wit just :00.2 wouldn't cooperate either so off to overtime we went tied at 68. 

The Wildcats' Fosness had an opportunity to propel her team into the lead at the 4:06 mark of the extra session when she was sent to the charity stripe but the Britton, SD native was unable to get either free throw attempt to go down and this gave Augsburg the opening they were hoping to get.  Wubben would get sent to the charity stripe at the 2:58 mark where she got one free throw attempt to go down that not only pushed the Auggies back out in front at 69-68 but now the main threat for St. Kate's - Cambrice - had now fouled out and with her on the bench the Wildcat hopes sank.  Augsburg sophomore reserve forward Jazmyn Solseth would add two more free throws with 2:09 left to push the lead to three points at 71-68.  The 'Cats got a glimmer of hope when Clark slithered inside for a drive and finish with 1:55 left to narrow the deficit to one point at 71-70 but St. Kate's could never get themselves over the top from then on.  The Auggies' Riverso would call a timeout with 1:10 left to set up strategy for the last minute.  Wubben would get a key score for Augsburg with her drive into the lane and finish with :52 left to get the lead to 73-70.  The Wildcats still had a chance but on their subsequent possession, Clark was unable to get a lay-up attempt to go down with :38 left.  The Auggies' McLemore would get fouled with :29.6 left and she dropped two important free throws that now had Augsburg up two possessions by a 75-70 count.  St. Kate's Mulhern would call a timeout shortly thereafter and with :22 left, freshman guard Taylor Johnson got to the line where the former Park standout got two freebies to go down to get things down to a three-point margin at 75-72 but now the Wildcats needed a stop or, better yet, a turnover - which they never got.  Augsburg's Jones would be fouled with :20.9 left and she also sank two important charity stripe shots to make it a 77-72 game and after another St. Kate's timeout, a missed lay-up attempt by freshman reserve guard Lauren Isaacson all but sealed the Wildcats' fate.  The Auggies' Jones would get fouled with :12.8 left and her two insurance free throws allowed Augsburg to get a relieving 79-72 victory. 

A disappointed Mulhern could only mutter about the missed chances his squad had coming down the stretch in regulation and early on in the overtime period.  Still, the fact that his team was able to hang with one of the upper echelon teams in the conference on the road I think is encouraging for his squad going forward.  Augsburg Assistant Coach and former Minnesota standout Jackie Voigt thought this win was important for the team on two different fronts:  One, knowing that they have the ability to fight through adversity in a tough game and second, going into the New Year undefeated in MIAC play.  You have to think that things are really looking up for this Augsburg team now and that they'll go into 2019 with a big head of steam.  When you look at the final box score for this one, it may be a little surprising to see that rebounds were basically even with the Auggies holding a 40-39 edge.  What probably added to Mulhern's disappointment on this night was that his squad was guilty of 24 turnovers and the fact that Augsburg got 24 points off of those turnovers.  St. Kate's certainly shot well on this night; going 27-54 from FG range for a straight 50% although three-point shooting could have been a bit better as they were 4-13 from downtown for 30.8%.  Free throw shooting needs to come up more as well as the 'Cats were 14-20 from the charity stripe for 70%.  And St. Kate's had a big edge in points in the paint by a 44-32 margin.  It's no surprise that Cambrice's 22 point led the way for the Wildcats on this night while Clark had a solid night as well with her 19 points and Radford added 14 points.  On the Augsburg side, McLemore led all scorers on this night with her 26 points and had a "double-double" with her 11 rebounds as well.  Speese finished with 15 points and Jones had 12 points.     

Andover vs Park Center Synopsis 12-11-18

This Tuesday night night found me back over at Park Center High School for one of the early-season Northwest Suburban Conference clashes; this one between visiting Andover and host Park Center.  From a Park Center perspective, while I expected the Pirates to get the "W" on this night, I was also hoping to see some improvements in areas that needed to be bolstered, on defense and on boxing out.  The Huskies meanwhile were a year removed from their run to the state tournament and hoping to improve on last year's disappointing 9-17 overall record.

Surprisingly, however, it would be Andover having the upper hand after both teams came out of the gate a bit on the sluggish side.  Senior guard Alexa Garcia connected with a jumper in the lane at the 16:48 mark to get the game tied at 2-all and a Garcia lay-up at the 16:11 mark that also drew a foul and resulted in an "and one" had the Huskies up 5-2.  Park Center would come back to take the lead on two free throws by flashy sophomore guard/forward Adalia McKenzie at the 14:37 mark and a pull-up jumper from the left elbow area by McKenzie at the 13:59 mark had the Pirates up 6-5.  Andover would grab the lead once more when senior forward Mackenzie Mackey snared a steal in the backcourt and got a lay-up out of it at the 13:15 mark and one free throw by junior guard Sydney White at the 12:59 mark had the Huskies ahead 8-6.  It was here, however, where Park Center took command of this game for good as they exploded with a 20-1 run.  Diminutive junior guard Aaliyah Ragulen connected with a lay-up at the 12:36 mark to get this assault going and a drive along the left baseline and pretty finish by fellow junior guard Lauren Frost at the 11:59 mark had the Pirates up 10-8.  Then Ragulen; despite her small stature, grabbed an offensive rebound in transition and got a putback at the 11:37 mark to get the lead to 12-8.  Two McKenzie freebies at the 10:53 mark made it 14-8 and then lanky sophomore forward T'Naye Griffin nailed a "3" from the right corner at the 9:34 mark to push the lead to 17-8.  McKenzie's defensive prowess also made its presence felt as she snared a steal and whizzed the other way for a lay-up with 7:18 left and drew a foul in the process and her ensuing "and one" now had the Pirates up 20-9.  Another routine McKenzie steal and lay-up the other way followed less than a minute later with 6:21 left and a short shot from the right side by eighth-grade reserve guard Aniyah Reuben with 5:48 left made it 24-9.  Sophomore reserve guard Chloe Cink got into the act as well with her jumper from the left top area just inside the arc with 5:01 left to cap this run for a 26-9 lead before Andover could stop the massive bleeding when Sydney White snared a steal and dashed the other way for a lay-up with 4:30 left in the first half.  Still, two more scores by McKenzie - a lay-up with 4:13 left and a score in the paint with 3:29 left - solidified Park Center's cushion with a 30-11 advantage and a "3" from the left corner by unheralded junior guard Kayla Cox with 2:21 left gave the Pirates a 33-13 lead.  One free throw by Griffin with 1:39 left and one more by McKenzie with just :01.4 left had Park Center up comfortably at 35-15 as both teams headed to the locker room for the halftime break.

The Huskies were hoping for some offensive sparks on their end once the second half got underway but for the Andover faithful they were too few and far between.  Junior guard Emily Diemer; held scoreless in the first half, finally got into the books with a lay-up at the 16:26 mark and Sydney White did as well at the 13:31 mark that also drew a foul and she cashed in on the obligatory free throw as well.  Sydney White would drop two more free throws at the 13:21 mark but the problem was that the Huskies simply weren't able to get much closer than the twenty point cushion they were already facing at the halftime break.  And Park Center certainly wasn't going to open any doors for them either.  A Cox "3" from the left corner at the 12:58 mark was the start of an 11-0 run that erased any doubts about how this one was going to turn out.  McKenzie followed up with a short jumper in transition at the 12:34 mark and a lay-up by Reuben in transition at the 11:24 mark had the Pirates up 48-22.  Two more scores by McKenzie - a lay-up in transition at the 10:53 mark and a drive and finish at the 9:33 mark - pushed the lead to 52-22 and now the MSHSL's "Mercy Rule" of Running Time became a real probability.  Andover tried desperately to keep that from happening as Sydney White connected with a lay-up with 8:52 left and one Sydney White free throw with 7:31 left had the deficit down to twenty-seven points at 52-25.  But the Pirates unleashed another run that sealed the deal for good on this one.  Ragulen uncorked a "3" from the right corner with 6:42 left and two lay-ups in transition by Frost - one with 6:20 left and another with 5:44 left - now had Park Center up 59-25.  With running time now in effect, the Pirates were able to put the daisy on this one as Cox buried a "3" from the top of the key with 5:06 left and McKenzie connected with a jumper from the right elbow area with 3:44 left.  The Huskies managed to get one late score when junior reserve forward Anna Gerth connected with a lay-up with 2:45 left but the Pirates snagged an easy 64-27 victory. 

North Central vs Northwestern Synopsis 12-8-18

After leaving Augsburg's Si Melby Hall, I made my way over to Snelling Avenue to head up to Ericksen Center on the campus of the University of Northwestern to take in the UMAC clash between visiting North Central and host Northwestern.  I got settled into Ericksen Center at the 5:35 mark of the second period with the Eagles leading 22-17. 

One nice thing about most MIAC game starting in the 1:00 P.M. slot is that it does give me a chance to catch one of the late afternoon games from either the UMAC or the NSIC and today it was going over to watch Northwestern again as they were taking on in-town UMAC opponent North Central.  The Eagles would manage to control things down the stretch for the most part anyway.  Two free throws by freshman point guard Kelsea Lund who was fouled in a transition opportunity with 3:12 left upped the lead to 24-17 before North Central could trim it back to five when senior guard Haleigh Filer connected with a lay-up with 2:23 left.  Northwestern, however, would close out this first half on a 7-0 push.  Sophomore forward Miranda Crenshaw snared an offensive rebound for a putback with 2:09 left and a little more than a minute later senior guard Amy Berglund connected with a lay-up in transition with 1:01 left to get the lead to nine points at 28-19.  With :03 left before the halftime buzzer, Lund would bang home a "3" from the left top area to open up some breathing room for the Eagles as they took a 31-19 lead into the locker room at the half.  Although Northwestern certainly wasn't setting the world on fire with their first half shooting; going 12-31 from FG range for 38.7% and 3-15 from behind the arc for 20%, it was a much more dismal situation for the Rams as they were only 7-30 from FG range for 23.3% and 3-19 for 15.8% from three-point land and that was something that was going to have to improve if North Central Head Coach Paul Brunner and his team wanted to snare a big road win. 

And whatever message that Brunner had for his squad in the locker room during the halftime break sure seemed to rub off on junior guard Betty Rand in the opening moments of the third period as her back-to-back three-point bombs - one from the left corner at the 9:31 mark and again from the right wing area at the 8:47 mark - pulled the Rams back within striking distance down 31-25.  Perhaps somewhat alarmed by this latest development, Northwestern set out to widen the gap again.  Berglund connected with a jumper along the left baseline at the 8:27 mark and a lay-up junior forward Rio Landers at the 7:17 mark upped the Eagle lead to ten points at 35-25 and two Berglund free throws at the 6:05 mark helped maintain that ten-point edge at 37-27.  Then freshman reserve forward Megan Roberts got a jumper to go down from the free throw line off the glass with 4:27 left and fellow freshman reserve guard Brooklyn DeKam knocked down a jumper from the left wing off of an inbounds pass with 3:43 left and suddenly Northwestern was in very good shape up 41-27.  Right back came North Central, however, as sophomore guard Allison Bulthuis exploded with a scoring outburst.  The former Central Minnesota Christian High School standout got a lay-up out of a steal in the backcourt with 3:18 left and a Bulthuis "3" from the left top area with 2:52 left had the Rams back in single-digit range again down 41-32.  Bulthuis would also knock down a jumper along the right baseline with 1:34 left to cut the deficit down to seven points at 41-34 before finally relinquishing the scoring to one of her teammates.  Willowy sophomore forward Emily DiGiorgio snared an offensive rebound for a putback with :58 left and was fouled in the process and although she couldn't cash in on the obligatory free throw, North Central was right back in business down 41-36 as the game morphed into the fourth period. 

The Rams managed to crawl closer in the opening minutes of the fourth period as well.  Freshman forward Naomi Hagstrom got two free throws to go down after getting fouled at the 7:38 mark and a short shot by Rand at the 6:53 mark now had North Central in great position down only 43-40 with a mountain of time left.  Strangely, however, the Rams never could quite find the same magic again after this as Northwestern woke up from their brief slumber and started pulling away.  Crenshaw muscled into the paint for one score at the 6:34 mark sparked a key 11-2 Eagle run that changed the outcome of this one for good.  Berglund followed up with a drive and finish at the 5:59 mark and a drive into the lane and finish off the glass by Crenshaw at the 5:25 mark now had Northwestern up 49-42.  Then Berglund drained a big "3" from the left top area with 4:21 left to get the lead to ten at 52-42 and a Crenshaw lay-up with 3:46 left had the Eagles up 54-42.  North Central sophomore guard Alice Cato tried to stop her team's bleeding with a lay-up with 1:16 left and Brunner would subsequently call a timeout shortly thereafter but the damage had been done and there would be no recovery.  Northwestern's Lund would drop one insurance free throw after getting fouled with :51.4 left as would Berglund with :19.4 left as the Eagles finally snapped their losing streak with an important 56-44 conference victory. 

I managed to catch up with Northwestern Head Coach Aaron Kahl afterward who was in a good mood after finally getting back into the victory column again.  I asked him about his squad's recent struggles during their extended losing streak.  I think some of it can be chalked up to inexperience but Kahl wasn't willing to go that route.  "We just haven't been 'clicking' as well as I thought we would."  Certainly a conference win has to be something of a boost of confidence for this team and I think they got it on this day.  Not surprisingly, it was Berglund and Crenshaw who carried the Eagles on this day with 18 and 16 points, respectively.  And 10 rebounds by Landers were big as well on this afternoon.  North Central got a big day from both Bulthuis and Rand who finished with 16 and 14 points, respectively.  Rebounds were even on this day as both teams finished with 34 and turnovers pretty much evened out with North Central committing 21 and Northwestern guilty of 20.  Perhaps one of the bigger differences in this game was that Northwestern had the edge in those critical points in the paint by a 24-18 count but what was probably more disappointing to North Central's Brunner more than anything else on this day was how his squad faded down the stretch after drawing to within a single possession early in the fourth period.   

Concordia vs Augsburg 12-8-18

Was over at Si Melby Hall on the campus of Augsburg University on this early December Saturday to take in the first Saturday of the new MIAC season that pitted visiting Concordia which made its way down U.S. Highway 10 and the BNSF's Staples Sub mainline to the Twin Cities to take on host Augsburg.  I was anxious to catch the Cobbers in action on this day to get a look at them and this is an incredibly young roster that Head Coach Jessica Rahman has that is dominated by freshmen and sophomores with only two seniors.  Augsburg was coming in with a solid 7-1 record and a 2-0 record in conference play while the Cobbers were sporting a so-so 3-3 overall record and 1-1 in conference play.

Concordia would actually draw first blood in this contest when senior post Kirstin Simmons connected with a lay-up at the 7:53 mark of the opening period but the Auggies would soon embark on a 14-2 run to grab control of things.  Senior guard and former Park Center standout Camille McCoy got the run going at the 7:44 mark with her lay-up in transition and an opportunistic steal and lay-up the other way by junior guard Kaezha Wubben at the 7:26 mark had Augsburg up 4-2.  Then fellow junior guard Tamira McLemore made a hard drive into the lane and finished off the glass at the 6:38 mark to make it an 6-2 game.  Wubben repeated her earlier feat at the 6:14 mark and with 3:29 left, junior forward Camryn Speese got into the paint for a score and drew a foul in the process and her ensuing "and one" now had the Auggies up 11-4.  When junior reserve guard Aiza Wilson drained a "3" from the left top area with 2:52 left, Augsburg was now up 14-4 and the Cobbers' Rahman now had no choice but to call for a thirty-second timeout to try and make some quick adjustments.  Concordia managed to briefly climb back into single-digit range when freshman reserve forward Mary Sem got into the paint for a score with 2:09 left but Augsburg was clicking on all cylinders in the early going and ended the first period on a 6-2 burst thanks to Wilson and her three-point prowess.  She first found the range again from behind the arc - this time from the left wing area off of an inbounds pass - with 1:07 left and with :16 left she got another look from the left top area and casually drained her third trey of the afternoon for a 22-6 Auggie lead.  The Cobbers got a bit of a respite when sophomore guard Amber Lingen got to the charity stripe with :02.1 left where she got both attempts to go down but already Concordia was in a big hole down 22-8.

Despite their undeniable youth, I've never seen a Jessica Rahman-coached team ever pack up their tent and go belly-up and to their credit, the Cobbers made some inroads on this deficit in the opening minutes of the second period.  Junior forward Mira Ellefson's lay-up at the 8:58 mark sparked a 7-0 Concordia burst.  Ellefson would follow that up with a jumper along the left baseline off of an inbounds pass at the 8:27 mark and a "3" from the left corner by freshman reserve guard Autumn Thompson at the 7:54 mark suddenly had the deficit cut down to seven points at 22-15.  Perhaps somewhat alarmed by this latest development, the Auggies responded with an 8-0 run of their own to build up that safety net again.  Wubben connected with a lay-up in transition after a steal at the 7:21 mark and Speese did the same at the 7:04 mark to get the lead back up to double digits at 26-15.  Wubben would get one free throw to go down at the 6:39 mark after getting fouled and then McLemore would unleash a three-point bomb from the right corner off of an inbounds pass at the 6:27 mark that had Augsburg up 30-18.  Cobber sophomore guard Rachel Hoernemann single-handedly got her team back in single-digit range again - albeit briefly - as she connected with a lay-up in transition at the 5:41 mark and followed that up with a lay-up that drew a foul that also resulted in the obligatory free throw and now Concordia was down by only eight at 31-23 right at the 5:00 mark.  The thing of it was, however, that the Cobbers could never sustain a long-term push that would have had them right back in the thick of things and Augsburg always seemed to have more answers.  Auggie senior reserve forward Carlee Kobow's score in the paint with 4:24 left sparked another Augsburg burst.  Speedy junior guard Ari Jones got into the act as well with back-to-back three-point bombs - one from the left wing area with 3:58 left and another from the left top area with 3:13 left - to give the Auggies a 39-23 lead.  McCoy would also have back-to-back scores down the stretch as well.  She first knocked down a short jumper off the glass with 2:42 left and followed that up with an offensive rebound for a putback with 1:20 left that bulged the lead to eighteen at 43-25.  Wilson would bang home her fourth trey of this game with a bomb from the right corner with :50 left and one McLemore freebie with :07.4 left gave Augsburg a seemingly commanding twenty-point 47-27 advantage as both teams retreated to the locker room for the halftime intermission.  A check of the first half box score reveals it was pretty much all Augsburg for the first 20 minutes as the Auggies shot 18-35 from FG range for 51.4% and were 7-16 from behind the arc for 43.8%.  Concordia's Rahman and her staff likely could only wince when they looked that the numbers they produced thus far - 11-31 from FG range for 35.5% and 2-9 from three-point land for a paltry 22.2%.  Throw in 13 first half turnovers as well and things were looking pretty dismal for the vistors from Moorhead.

The Cobbers tried desperately to get back into the thick of things once the third period got underway.  Senior guard Grace Wolhowe's lay-up at the 9:19 mark and one Hoernemann free throw at the 8:47 mark cut the deficit down to nineteen points at 49-30.  Wolhowe would strike again at the 8:28 mark with another lay-up and one free throw by Ellefson at the 8:04 mark now had the deficit down to sixteen points at 49-33 and offered up a bit of hope for Concordia.  But the Auggies had no intention of letting their opponent hang around on this day and a Speese score in the paint at the 7:47 mark sparked a 10-0 Augsburg run.  Wubben unleashed a "3" from the right corner at the 7:14 mark to make it a 54-33 game and then McLemore made a hard drive and finish at the 7:01 mark that also drew a foul and her ensuing "and one" pushed Augsburg's lead to 57-33.  Wubben's steal and lay-up the other way at the 6:19 mark capped this run beofre the Cobbers could begin the arduous task of trying to play catch-up again.  Ellefson banged home a "3" from the right top area at the 5:56 mark and a short, turnaround jumper by sophomore reserve forward Elizabeth Birkemeyer at the 5:25 mark had the deficit down to twenty-one at 59-38.  One free throw by freshman reserve guard Autumn Thompson with 4:47 left and a jumper from the left wing area with 3:51 left by freshman reserve forward Bailee Larson had the deficit down to eighteen points at 59-41 but again it was a matter of putting together a sustained run that would seriously cut into this cushion and Concordia simply wasn't able to do that on this day.  Two scores by the Auggies' Wubben - a lay-up with 3:30 left and a lay-up in transition after a steal with 3:14 left - had Augsburg up 63-41 and a "3" from the left wing area by the sharp-shooting Wilson with 2:04 left pushed that lead to 66-43.  Two free throws by sophomore reserve forward Jazmyn Solseth with :54.3 left in the third period and a jumper from the left wing area by freshman reserve guard Selena Lor with just :02 left had Augsburg in great shape up 70-49 heading into the fourth and final period. 

.Ellefson tried to help her Cobber team get off on solid footing in the early moments of the fourth period with her lay-up at the 9:29 mark but it was just too much quickness, speed and athleticism from Augsburg on this day.  One Wilson free throw at the 8:59 mark maintained the twenty-point cushion at 71-51 and two scores by Speese - a lay-up in transition at the 8:30 mark and a lay-up at the 7:40 mark - pushed the Auggie lead to 75-51.  Lor would add to Augsburg's lead with a lay-up at the 6:45 mark with a lay-up before Concordia could try and cut into this sizable cushion again.  Simmons got into the paint for a score at the 6:25 mark and a "3" from the left wing area by Thompson at the 5:39 mark coupled with a Sem lay-up with 4:33 left along with a steal in the backcourt and subsequent lay-up by freshman reserve forward Anna Rinke with 4:18 left had the deficit down to nineteen at 79-60 but any hopes of catching the Auggies had long flown out the window by now.  And the good thing for Augsburg by now was that Head Coach Ted Riverso was getting more of his bench players involved as well.  Junior reserve forward Abby Jordan knocked down two free throws after getting fouled with 3:20 left and got one more to go down with 2:48 left after getting sent to the charity stripe again.  Jordan also showed her three-point prowess when she drained a bomb from the left wing area with 2:08 left to get the Auggie lead to 85-61.  Sophomore reserve forward Pashia Scott got into the paint for a score with 1:44 left and two more Jordan free throws with 1:27 left had Augsburg up 89-61.  The Cobbers would get two more late scores - a "3" from the right top area by freshman reserve forward Taviahna Tanin with 1:16 left and one free throw by Sem with :33.8 left but the Auggies' Jordan would cap this day (and a solid fourth period for her) with two more insurance free throws with :20.3 left as Augsburg waltzed to a 91-65 triumph. 

I managed to catch up with Concorida Assistant Coach and former Cobber great Olivia "Dibs" Johnson afterward and although disappointed with the outcome on this day, she's enthusiastically trying to help build up this young core of Cobber players in hopes of getting Concordia back to the glory days of when they were regularly competing for MIAC titles and NCAA Tournament appearances and I think Rahman made a wise choice of getting her on the staff to help.  There's a lot of good young talent on this team and although it's realistically going to take 1-2 years before this young group can really start to make an impact, I think the Cobbers are on the right track but the Cobber faithful have to be patient with this young team.  Perhaps the one big positive that Rahman and her staff can take from this setback on this day is that they did have the edge on the boards in this game by a 38-36 count.  But no doubt the Cobbers will have to clean things up in the turnover department going forward from this one as they were guilty of 24 boo-boos on this day.  Simply a fabulous day for the Auggies as they had FIVE players in double figures scoring-wise.  Wubben's 18 points led all scorers on this day and Wilson was right behind with 16 points and was 5-8 from downtown.  Speese added 12 points and McLemore had a "double-double" of 11 points and 10 rebounds.  Jordan's solid fourth period netted 10 points as well for the Auggies.  Ellefson was the only Cobber play in double figures for scoring with her 10 points.  Two other interesting stats to throw out from this game:  Both teams did well scoring in the paint as Concordia had 34 points and Augsburg had 36 points close in.  Also, both benches were heavily involved in the scoring as Concordia's bench produced 32 points and Augsburg's bench produced 38 points.       

UST vs Bethel 12-5-18

Was over at Robertson Center on the campus of Bethel University on this Wednesday night to take in this important, early-season MIAC clash between visiting UST and host Bethel.  The Tommies were coming into this contest undefeated at 5-0 and ranked third in the country while the Royals were coming in with a 4-2 record; with the two losses coming to both Augsburg and UW-Eau Claire on the road.  More importantly, however, was that the Royals were hoping to avoid an 0-2 start in MIAC play and they would have to find a way to knock off one of the best teams in the country in order to do it.

Not surprisingly, UST got off to a solid start in this game; getting out to a 4-0 lead as senior guard Kaylie Brazil connected with one lay-up at the 9:50 mark and backcourt mate and fellow senior guard Lucia Renikoff connected with another at the 8:57 mark.  The Royals, however, managed to tie the game at 4-all as willowy senior post Hannah Johnson connected with a lay-up off of an inbounds pass at the 8:11 mark and followed that up with an offensive rebound for a putback at the 7:49 mark.  A free throw by sophomore guard Bella Williams allowed Bethel to poke its nose out in front 5-4 at the 6:56 mark.  Tommie All-American senior post Hannah Spaulding put her team back out in front with an offensive rebound for a putback that also drew a foul and her ensuing "and one" had UST ahead 7-5.  For the most part, the Royals had been doing a good job of containing Spaulding in the first few minutes of the opening period as Head Coach Jon Herbrechtsmeyer opted to have Spaulding double-teamed whenever she got the ball down low.  The only problem was that Tommie Head Coach Ruth Sinn knew right away that her other players had to get involved offensively to counter that and they responded.  Senior point guard Sarah Krynski connected with one lay-up with 4:46 left as did sophomore guard/forward Kaia Porter with 4:11 left for an 11-5 UST lead.  Sophomore reserve guard and former Elk River standout Kelsie Cox then drained a "3" from the right wing area with 3:53 left to expand the lead to 14-5 and the Royals' Herbrechtsmeyer had no choice but to call for a halt to the action to get his troops reassembled.  And complicating Bethel's situation was that junior guard Haylee Barker had already been forced to the pine after picking up her second personal foul of the evening.  The Tommies' Porter got the lead to double-digit range with her hard drive and short, one-handed jumper with 2:54 left in the opening period to make it a 16-5 ballgame and a coast-to-coast lay-up by Porter with 1:37 left maintained the eleven-point edge at 18-7.  The Royals briefly got things down to single digit range when junior forward Taite Anderson muscled into the paint for a score with 1:21 left but UST's Porter struck again with :59 left with her score in the paint to make it a 20-9 game.  Bethel's Johnson; not necessarily known for her three-point prowess, got open for a good look from the left top area and gracefully nailed a bomb to get the Royals back within that ten-point range down 20-12 with :36 left but the Tommies would respond on their next possession when sophomore reserve guard Madi Radtke was sent to the charity stripe with :17.8 left and her two free throws had UST up 22-12 heading into the second period.

The Tommies continued to maintain the upper hand for a good chunk of the second period as they worked on expanding their lead.  The always-reliable Renikoff made a hard drive into the lane for a finish at the 9:41 mark and a Spaulding score in the paint off of an inbounds pass at the 8:47 mark upped the lead to fourteen at 26-12.  Less than a minute later, Renikoff would nail a "3" from the right wing area at the 8:01 mark to give UST a 29-13 lead before the Royals could finally start making some inroads on the deficit.  Sophomore reserve forward Elizabeth Schwarz got into the paint for a score at the 7:35 mark and followed that up with a lay-up at the 5:23 mark to get the gap down to twelve points at 29-17.  Junior forward Taite Anderson finally got into the books with one free throw with 4:54 left and a "3" from the top of the key by sophomore forward Makenna Pearson with 4:23 left had the deficit down to ten points at 31-21.  The Tommies' Porter would up that lead to thirteen points with her "3" from the left top area with 3:10 left but complicating UST's situation by this time was that Spaulding was relegated to the bench for the rest of the half after picking up her third foul a minute before.  Trailing 34-21, Bethel closed out the second period on a 9-2 burst.  Taite Anderson connected with a lay-up with 2:57 left and a lay-up by Johnson with 2:27 left had the deficit down to nine points at 34-25.  Sophomore reserve guard Michaela Craigan connected with a lay-up as well with 1:41 left and with 1:07 left Taite Anderson connected with a lay-up in transition that also drew a foul and her ensuing "and one" suddenly cut the Tommie lead to 34-30.  UST got a bit of redemption before the halftime buzzer sounded when Porter got into the paint for a score with :47 left but down 36-30, the Royals had to feel infinitely better about themselves than they did just a few short minutes ago.  One thing that had to have Herbrechtsmeyer and his staff feeling good was that Bethel had a sizable edge in rebounding per the first half box score by a 17-9 count and recorded five steals as well.  UST shot very well from FG range in the first half; going 15-25 for 60% compared to Bethel's 11-26 for 42.3% but one item that had to be irking Tommie Head Coach Ruth Sinn during the break was that her squad shot only 3-8 from the charity stripe for 37.5%; not to mention the 11 first half turnovers they suffered.

The Royals put UST on their heels for a good chunk of the third period as they not only closed the gap but also managed to take the lead for the first time in this contest as well.  Johnson's offensive rebound and putback of her own miss at the 9:46 mark helped spark an 8-2 Bethel run.  Taite Anderson maneuvered into the paint for one score at the 9:33 mark that cut the deficit down to two points at 36-34 and a Taite Anderson drive into the lane and finish at the 7:59 mark kept the Royals in that two-point range down 38-36.  At the 7:34 mark, Taite Anderson struck again with a lay-up to tie the game at 38-all and the Tommies' Sinn wasted little time in calling for a halt to the action to try and make some adjustments on defense.  Still, the Royals were making things uncomfortable with their pressure defense and that gave them the opportunity to poke their nose out in front.  After a Johnson lay-up at the 6:20 mark tied the game again at 40-all, Barker; who had collected those two early fouls in the first period, connected with a lay-up at the 5:23 mark to push Bethel out in front 42-40.  UST answered this challenge as Renikoff unloaded a three-point bomb on the ensuing Tommie possession from the left top area with 4:50 left to give them a 43-42 lead but the Royals answered that as Pearson connected with a lay-up with 4:34 left to give the home team the lead back at 44-43.  The Tommies answered this with a three-point bomb by Brazil from the right corner with 4:02 left to give UST the lead back at 46-44.  Johnson would respond for Bethel with her jumper from the free throw line with 3:43 left to tie the game again but Porter would respond for the Tommies on their next possession with 3:30 left on a jumper in the lane for a 48-46 UST lead.  Right back came the Royals' Johnson who used her slender 6'1" frame to slither into the paint for a score with 3:18 left to get things tied up again at 48.  UST would assume the lead again with 2:56 left when Renikoff made a hard drive into the lane for a finish but Bethel's Pearson would unload a three-point bomb on the Royals' ensuing possession with 2:42 left from the left wing area as they grabbed a one-point lead at 51-50.  Somewhat fittingly, UST's Cox was sent to the charity stripe with :26.6 left where she got one free throw to go down to make it 51-51 and a lot of uncertainty swirled around Robertson Center as this game morphed into the fourth period. 

Bethel certainly seemed to have the upper hand - at least from an emotional standpoint anyway as the fourth period got underway but this experienced and seasoned Tommie team had vastly different ideas in mind when it came to letting an opponent think that they had the inside track to a win.  One "3" by Renikoff from the top of the key at the 9:40 mark and another one by Cox from the right corner at the 8:30 mark suddenly had UST up 57-51 and the Royals' Herbrechtsmeyer; sensing that this one was suddenly slipping away after such a promising third period, quickly took a match to a timeout to try and get his squad settled down.  But those back-to-back treys by the Tommies had a deflating effect on this Bethel team and their situation grew even more ominous a bit later when Barker collected her fourth foul of the evening at the 8:15 mark.  UST was quick to capitalize as Radtke made a drive into the lane for a finish at the 8:00 mark to get the lead to 59-51 and now the Royals would be hard-pressed to try and bring this one back again.  Still, Bethel was able to crawl back into the thick of things to at least give themselves a chance anyway.  Two Johnson free throws at the 7:15 mark cut the deficit down to six points at 59-53 and when UST's Spaulding was tabbed with her fourth foul of the night at the 6:00 mark, it gave the Royals even more of a chance to get the ship steadied again.  Taite Anderson grabbed an offensive rebound for a putback at the 5:55 mark to cut the deficit down to five points at 60-55 and Bethel's trademark pressure defense gave them another opportunity as Williams was able to snare a steal near the mid-court area and she promptly dashed to the home basket for a lay-up at the 5:10 mark to get the Royals back to a single-possession down 60-57.  But just when the Tommies looked vulnerable, they tightened up things on defense and got key scores when they needed them to finally end the threat.  Spaulding; riding those four fouls, got into the paint for a score with 3:29 left and after a foiled Bethel possession, the All-American repeated the act with 2:42 left to push UST's lead to seven at 64-57.  A Porter drive and finish with 2:05 left maintained the seven-point edge at 66-59 and when the Royals' Taite Anderson fouled out with 1:40 left, that really seemed to be the proverbial nail in the coffin for Bethel's last hope.  Spaulding would sink one insurance freebie with 1:20 left to pushe the lead to 67-59 and although the Royals' Johnson would connect with a "3" from the left top area off of the glass with 1:07 left, there was simply too much deficit to overcome this time around.  UST's Porter sank two insurance free throws of her own with :53.4 left as would Cox with :22.3 left for a 71-64 Tommie lead.  Although Brazil would be unable to connect with two charity stripe shots with :18 left, she redeemed herself when she got sent to the line again with :05.3 left where she casually put down two more points for the Tommies and UST got out of Robertson Center with a hard-earned 73-64 victory. 

I caught up with Bethel's Herbrechtsmeyer afterward and although disappointed with the final outcome, he seemed pleased with the effort his team gave tonight.  He knew his squad would have to play a full 40 minutes (and perhaps then some) to take down mighty UST and although they showed signs of being able to do that, they were unable to stave off that early fourth period push by the Tommies.  UST's Sinn; although happy and relieved with the win, couldn't help but point out the 21 turnovers her squad was guilty of on this night; an unusually high number for this experienced team but this Bethel team with its pressure defense can force even the best of teams into an unusually high number of turnovers.  Bethel also won the battle on the boards on this night by a 34-24 count.  Surprisingly, neither team shot that well from the charity stripe - UST going 14-21 for 66.7% while Bethel went 8-13 for 61.5%.  Like UST, Bethel was guilty of 21 turnovers as well and one of the more telling stats was that UST had 26 points off of those turnovers.  It was certainly a fine night for Porter as she led the Tommie attack with her 21 points while Renikoff added 15 points and Spaulding had 13 points while battling foul trouble.  Johnson had a splendid night for Bethel with a "double-double" of 27 points and 11 rebounds to lead all scorers while Taite Anderson was the only other Royals player in double-figures with her 17 points.           

STMA vs Park Center 12-4-18

Was over at Park Center High School on this Tuesday evening to take in this intriguing non-conference clash between highly-regarded STMA out of the Mississippi 8 Conference taking on host Park Center.  The Knights garnered a top-four pick among Class AAAA teams in the state by Breakdown Media and with a relatively young roster made up primarily of juniors and sophomores, they could be a real force the next couple of years.  The Pirates meanwhile were coming off Saturday night's thriller over at Lindbergh Center against Prior Lake and you couldn't help but wonder how draining that game must have been from an emotional standpoint.  Still, all the elements were there for another exciting contest.

STMA would get off to a very good start in this one as well as they bolted out to an early 8-1 lead.  Sophomore guard Kendal Cox got the Knights' show going at the 17:35 mark of the first half with a lay-up and a lay-up in transition after a steal by senior guard Jadyn Hanson at the 17:07 mark quickly made it 4-0.  Kendal Cox' lay-up off of an inbounds pass at the 16:29 mark made it 6-0 and two free throws by lanky 6'0" junior post Vanessa Alexander at the 16:10 mark.  Park Center shook off a few of the early cobwebs when speedy junior guard/forward Adalia McKenzie snared a steal and whizzed the other way for a lay-up at the 15:54 mark but when STMA's Hanson connected with a lay-up at the 15:32 mark and junior guard Mackenzie Kramer drilled a "3" from the right top area in transition at the 15:12 mark that made it a 13-3 ballgame, Pirate Head Coach Barb Metcalf knew right then and there a timeout was warranted.  That stoppage in play seemed to give Park Center some new life as they managed to whittle away at the early deficit.  Lanky sophomore guard/forward T'Naye Griffin launched a "3" from the right wing area at the 14:33 mark and an offensive rebound and putback by McKenzie at the 13:42 mark had the deficit cut in half at 13-8.  Junior guard Lauren Frost drained a "3" from the top of the key at the 12:59 mark and a lay-up in transition by McKenzie at the 12:44 mark now had the Pirates back within a single possession down 15-13.  The Knights tried to stretch things out a bit as Kendal Cox connected with a lay-up at the 11:30 mark and a "3" from the left wing area by Hanson at the 10:51 mark gave STMA  bit more breathing room up 20-15 but that lead didn't last long.  Park Center's McKenzie's drive and finish at the 10:38 mark once again had the Pirates down only by a single possession down 20-17 and another Frost three-point bomb from the top of the key with 7:13 left suddenly had this one tied up at 20.

Despite having the early lead go up in smoke, the Knights carefully righted the ship and were able to hold the upper hand down the stretch of this first half.  Senior reserve guard Kae Christian banged home a "3" from the left wing area with 6:38 left to make it a 23-20 game and a lay-up by Alexander with 6:06 left maintained the three -point edge at 25-22.  A Hanson lay-up with 5:36 left did the same for a 27-24 lead and a lay-up by 5'11" guard Lily Tennyson with 5:18 left got the lead to five at 29-24.  Park Center would manage to crawl right back into things, however, as a "3" from the left corner by junior guard Kayla Cox with 4:51 left had the deficit down to two points at 29-27 and one McKenzie free throw with 3:56 left had the Pirates down only by three at 31-28.  STMA would widen its lead again as eighth-grade reserve guard Tessa Johnson drilled a "3" from the right wing area with 2:48 left to make it a 34-28 game.  Right back came the Pirates, however.  Specifically, Frost, that is as she uncorked two three-point bombs that would tie this contest again.  One from the top of the key with 2:32 left and another one from the left corner with 2:12 left again had this contest knotted at 34 a piece and it looked as if Park Center might have a big head of steam going into the halftime break.  Surprisingly, however, it would be the Knights who again grabbed the edge right before the halftime buzzer.  The youngster; Johnson, banged home a "3" of her own from the right wing area with 1:53 left to give STMA the lead back at 37-34 and a "3" from the top by Kramer with :12 left gave the Knights a 40-34 lead going into the locker room at the half. 

STMA managed to put the Pirates in an even bigger hole in the opening moments of the second half as Tennyson made a hard drive into the lane with a finish off the glass at the 17:38 mark to stretch the lead to eight points at 42-34 before Park Center could start digging themselves out of another mess.  Diminutive junior guard Aaliyah Ragulen dropped two free throws after getting fouled at the 16:35 mark and another offensive rebound for a putback by McKenzie at the 15:44 mark had the deficit down to four points and then Frost would get to the charity stripe after getting fouled in transition and was able to get one free throw to go down at the 15:18 mark to draw the Pirates back to within a single possession down 42-39.  The Knights would then take their cue and build their lead back up again.  Senior reserve post Haylee Coulson connected with a lay-up in transition at the 14:00 mark and although Park Center's McKenzie would counter with a score in the paint at the 13:46 mark, STMA's Coulson would strike again at the 12:46 mark with a "3" from the left wing area to get the Knight lead out to six points and the Pirates' Metcalf; not liking how her defense was responding at this point, took a match to another timeout.  Still, STMA's Tennyson was able to get a lay-up out of a Pirate turnover at the 12:22 mark to push the lead to eight points at 49-41 before Park Center could nibble away at the deficit again.  McKenzie knocked down a jumper from the top of the key just inside the arc at the 12:05 mark and Frost would connect with a lay-up in transition at the 10:05 mark to get the deficit down to four points at 49-45 but considering how the Knights were still able to hold the upper hand had to be unsettling for Park Center's Metcalf and her staff.

It took just a bit but the Pirates were finally able to close the gap.  One McKenzie free throw with 8:48 left and a Ragulen lay-up with 8:40 left pulled Park Center back to within a single possession down 51-48.  Then it was McKenzie snaring a steal and streaking the other way for a lay-up with 7:29 mark that had the deficit cut to a scant point at 51-50.  Finally, a Frost lay-up in transition with 7:05 left allowed the Pirates to poke their nose out in front for the first time on this night by a 52-51 count.  STMA quickly took the lead back, however, as Johnson unleashed a "3" from the left corner off of an inbounds pass with 6:37 left to give the Knights a 54-52 lead.  That was answered by Park Center as Griffin drained a "3" of her own from the top of the key with 6:13 left as the Pirates reclaimed the lead at 55-54.  The Knights would take it back on a Hanson lay-up with 5:52 left but the Pirates' McKenzie would snare an offensive rebound for a putback with 5:11 left to grab the lead back again and a McKenzie lay-up with 4:26 left had Park Center up 59-56.  The Knights would cut the deficit to one point when Kramer got two free throws to go down with 4:08 left but when the Pirates' Kayla Cox drilled a "3" from the right corner with 3:52 left to give Park Center a 62-58 lead, it definitely appeared that the Knights had run out of magic. 

But just when you THOUGHT that the Pirates were on the verge of taking control of this game, they faltered down the stretch and STMA was ready to grab the momentum from them.  Kendal Cox missed a free throw for the Knights with 3:27 left but Johnson more than made up for that when she drained a huge "3" from the left top area with 2:45 left that cut the deficit down to one point at 62-61.  Park Center's McKenzie had an opportunity to stretch that lead out when she was sent to the charity stripe with 2:00 left but she was unable to knock down either free throw attempt.  Now the Knights had the opening they needed and with 1:16 left, Hanson would get fouled and she knocked down both charity stripe shots as STMA reclaimed the lead - this time for good - at 63-62.  The Pirates still had plenty of time left to try and reclaim the lead but their subsequent possessions came up empty at the worst possible time.  STMA's Kendal Cox would get fouled with :17.8 left but she was unable to knock down the obligatory free throw and so Park Center had one last chance left.  The Pirates carefully worked the ball around; hoping for an opening of some sort that never happened.  A tie-up occurred with :04.7 left but Park Center retained possession.  Finally, with :01 left, the Pirates' McKenzie got the ball and attempted a tough, turnaround jumper that missed its mark and the Knights escaped Park Center Gymnasium with a thrilling 63-62 victory. 

It's not surprising when you look at the final box score of this contest to see that two players carried the load for each side tonight.  For STMA, it was Hanson with her 17 points while Johnson; the eighth-grader, had 12 points.  On the Park Center side, it was McKenzie's 25 points that led all scorers on this night while Frost had 17 points.  On reflection, just too many defensive lapses and missed free throws on the Park Center side not to mention the fact that they played from behind for the most part on this night.  For STMA, it was a tough, gritty win and with Head Coach Kent Hamre leading they way, the Knights are in for some big things this season.   

Breakdown Tip-Off Classic - Prior Lake vs Park Center 12-1-18

After battling some harrowing roads with the afternoon snowfall that hit the Twin Cities on this Saturday afternoon, I managed to fight my way back from UST's Schoenecker Arena back over to Lindbergh Center on the campus of Hopkins High School to take in the late afternoon/early contests of the 2018 Breakdown Tip-Off Classic that featured several of the top teams not only in the metro area but outstate as well.  And one of these evening contests going on was one that I simply could not pass up pitted Prior Lake out of the South Suburban Conference going up against Park Center of the Northwest Suburban Conference.  After an up-and-down season for most of last year, the Lakers shocked everybody to take the Section 2AAAA title that earned them a trip to the state tournament and now this squad was setting out to show the world that last year's trip to the Big Stage was by no means any fluke.  The Pirates meanwhile were looking to re-establish themselves as a powerhouse team that enjoyed a four-year run to the state tournament and two Class AAA titles to go along with that run.  And given the fact that Park Center had stumbled out of the gate against Eden Prairie, this game loomed even larger for them.  And while I expected a very good game to ensue, I'm sure there were few in attendance that night that counted on an absolute display of fireworks and scoring that would take place in this game.

Both teams would trade one-point leads in the first two minutes of the first half.  After Pirate junior guard Kayla Cox put her team ahead with one free throw at the 17:34 mark, Prior Lake would respond when senior sparkplug guard McKenna Hofschild connected with a lay-up at the 17:23 mark.  Park Center standout sophomore guard/forward Adalia McKenzie snared a steal and streaked the other way for a lay-up at the 16:47 mark that had the Pirates up 3-2.  Right back came the Lakers as Hofschild would connect with another lay-up at the 16:30 mark.  It wasn't until the 16:11 mark that Park Center could establish a bit of separation with an 11-3 push.  Two scores by lanky sophomore forward T'Naye Griffin - an offensive rebound for a putback at the 16:11 mark and a drive along the left baseline for a finish at the 15:35 mark - gave the Pirates a 7-4 lead and a lay-up by diminutive junior guard Aaliyah Ragulen at the 14:58 mark got the lead to four points at 9-5.  Hofschild would strike for the Lakers at the 14:22 mark with a lay-up in transition but Park Center would widen the gap as Griffin would also connect with a lay-up in transition at the the 14:16 mark that also drew a foul and the ensuing "and one" got the Pirate lead to 12-7.  McKenzie followed that up with a short shot at the 14:03 mark to get the lead to 14-7.  Lanky 6'1" sophomore post Emily Kulstad attempted to get Prior Lake closer with her score in the paint at the 13:44 mark but the Pirates would embark on a 7-2 push that would give them their first double-digit lead of the evening.  McKenzie connect with a lay-up in transition at the 12:38 mark and a McKenzie jumper from the right corner just inside the arc at the 12:34 mark after an untimely Laker turnover got the lead to nine points at 18-9.  Then Griffin would unleash a "3" from the right wing area at the 11:05 mark to give Park Center a 21-11 advantage before the Lakers could cut into that gap again.  Another Hofschild lay-up at the 10:48 mark and a jumper from the left elbow by junior guard Haidyn Pitsch at the 10:13 mark reduced the deficit to six points at 21-15.  The Pirates would increase the lead to eight when junior guard Lauren Frost connected with a lay-up in transition at the 9:13 mark to make it 23-15 so at least by this point anyway, Park Center had to feel pretty good about itself that it not only had the lead but also had its up-tempo game going and, so far anyway, was absorbing repeated blows by Prior Lake's Hofschild without too much damage.

The Lakers tried to close the gap when Pitsch banged home a "3" from the left corner off of an inbounds pass with 8:55 left but Park Center responded quickly and set to open up some more space.  Eighth-grade reserve guard/forward Aniyah Rueben drained a "3" of her own from the left corner with 8:33 left and two Rueben free throws with 7:26 left had the Pirates up by nine at 28-19.  Prior Lake managed a 9-3 run that got them back in single-possession range.  Hofschild connected with a lay-up with 7:04 left as would senior reserve forward Lexi Hanson with 6:37 left that reduced the deficit to five points at 28-23.  Two Hofschild freebies with 6:17 left now had things down to three points at 28-25.  The Pirates' Griffin would nail a "3" from the right top area with 5:14 left that upped the Park Center lead to six at 31-25 but Prior Lake sophomore guard Kate Trachsel matched that with a "3" of her own from the right wing area with 4:38 left that drew the Lakers back into single-possession range again down 31-28.  This three-point bonanza kept on coming as the Pirates' Griffin unleashed another bomb from the top of the key with 4:24 left which was matched by the Lakers' Hofschild's bomb from the right top area with 4:08 left.  Then Park Center's McKenzie let loose with a "3" from the right wing area with 4:01 left that now had the Pirates up 37-31.  So after five consecutive three-point bombs, things settled down a little bit when Park Center's Griffin got fouled with 3:45 left and one free throw nudged the Pirate lead to 38-31.  A McKenzie offensive rebound for a putback with 3:18 left threatened to put Prior Lake in a big hole again with the Pirates now up 40-31 but the Lakers managed to scratch and claw their way back into the thick of things again.  One Hofschild free throw with 3:01 left and a "3" from the top of the key by senior reserve guard Lexi Wiskow with 2:34 left had the deficit down to five points at 40-35.  A Pitsch lay-up with 1:58 left and one Wiskow free throw with 1:12 left had the deficit down to four points at 42-38 and one Hofschild free throw again had Prior Lake in single-possession range again down 42-39.  The Pirates' Ragulen would get one free throw to go down with just :02.8 to make it a 43-39 game but Park Center could scarcely feel safe as both sides retreated to their locker rooms for the short halftime break.

The Pirates came out cooking in the opening minutes of the second half as a Griffin lay-up in transition at the 17:24 mark got the lead up to five points at 45-39 and one free throw by junior guard Kayla Cox at the 16:32 mark maintained the five-point edge at 46-41.  Then Frost would drain a "3" from the right corner at the 16:04 mark and would follow that up a bit later with a lay-up at the 15:34 mark to get the lead to eight points at 51-43.  Prior Lake tried to counter with a Pitsch "3" from the top of the key at the 15:07 mark but consecutive scores by Park Center's McKenzie - a jumper from the right wing at the 14:47 mark and a lay-up in transition at the 14:29 mark - now had the lead back up to nine points again at 55-46 and Laker Head Coach Mike Gidley; not liking how the Pirates were starting to get their transition game going, took a match to a timeout to discuss things with his squad.  Park Center managed to get its lead into double digit range when Griffin snared a steal and whizzed the other way for a lay-up at the 14:01 mark before Prior Lake could make a dent into the cushion it faced thanks to Hofschild.  She snared a steal of her own and sprinted the other way for a lay-up at the 13:30 mark that also drew a foul and her ensuing "and one" had the Lakers back in single-digit range again down 57-49 and a short jumper from the left side by Hofschild at the 13:07 mark now had the deficit down to six points at 57-51 and Park Center Head Coach Barb Metcalf; now fearing a letdown by her team, decided it was time to call for halt in the action on her side.  That timely stoppage in play seemed to give the Pirates a renewed sense of urgency as they again stepped up their game and their lead as well.  Two Griffin free throws at the 12:22 mark and a "3" from the right wing area by Rueben at the 11:13 mark now had the lead back up to ten points at 62-52.  One Griffin free throw at the 10:19 mark and a lay-up in transition off of a steal by Frost at the 10:02 mark gave Park Center a seemingly comfy thirteen-point cushion at 65-52.  The Lakers would again try to slim down the deficit as Hofschild connected with a lay-up at the 9:49 mark and a Pitsch lay-up off of a steal at the 9:23 mark had Prior Lake back in single-digit range again down 65-56 but when a technical foul was called on the Laker bench at the 9:14 mark after a foul call, that gave Park Center a chance to push its lead back up again.  Griffin would drop two free throws as would Ragulen and with the Pirates up 69-56, Prior Lake's fortunes looked quite dim at best.

But the Lakers' Hofschild was certainly not going to let her team go quietly in the night and what she did coming down the stretch of this contest was simply unforgettable for the fans assembled for this game at Lindbergh Center.  Pairs of Hofschild free throws - with 8:56 and 8:42 left - had Prior Lake back in single-digit range again down 69-60 and a Hofschild "3" from the top of the key with 8:12 left had the deficit reduced to eight points at 71-63.  Hofschild would connect with a lay-up with 7:50 left and drew a foul in the process and although the obligatory free throw was wiped out due to a lane violation by the Lakers, Park Center's Cox had collected her fifth and final foul of the night and headed for the bench.  Prior Lake sophomore reserve guard Tatum Brostrum got one free throw to go down after she was fouled in transition with 7:17 left and a Kulstad lay-up with 7:01 left suddenly had the deficit down to five points at 73-68.  This quickly got the Pirates' attention and they responded with an 8-0 push to build up that safety net again.  A short jumper by McKenzie with 6:52 left and an offensive rebound for a putback by 7th-grade reserve guard Alivia McGill with 6:17 left got the lead up to nine points at 77-68.  Two Frost free throws with 5:47 left along with a Rueben lay-up with 5:28 left now made it a thirteen-point game at 81-68 and by this point it just seemed like way too much for Prior Lake to overcome with the sands of time running out on them.

The only problem was that somebody at Park Center forgot to tell the Lakers' Hofschild about that as the future Seton Hall Pirate single-handedly brought her team back in an amazing display of talent, skill and determination.  Two Hofschild free throws with 5:19 left and one more with 4:50 left had the deficit down to ten points at 81-71 and a Hofschild lay-up after a steal with 4:42 left suddenly had Prior Lake back in single-digit range down 81-73.  The Pirates momentarily got the lead back to ten points on two McKenzie freebies with 4:17 left but Prior Lake's Hofschild refused to be silenced.  She uncorked a "3" from the right top area with 4:11 left and an anxious Park Center crowd and team watched in utter disbelief as Hofschild drained another "3" from the left corner with 3:24 left that cut the Pirate lead down to five points at 84-79.  With 3:04 left, Hofschild struck again for the Lakers with a hard drive and finish and two Hofschild free throws with 2:46 left now had that deficit down to a scant point at 84-83.  Things could have gone totally kablooey for Park Center right then and there but when they needed to dig in; needed to find a way to get a crucial basket, they found a way to get the job done.  Frost unloaded a huge "3" from the right corner area with 2:30 left and a short jumper by sophomore reserve guard Chloe Cink kept Park Center's lead at four points at 89-85.  The Pirates were certainly not out of the woods yet by any means and still had to withstand some last minute heroics by Prior Lake's Hofschild.  Two Hofschild free throws with 1:45 left got the deficit down to two points at 89-87 and although Park Center would make it a two-possession game when McKenzie made a hard drive for a finish that drew a foul and got the obligatory "and one" to go down with 1:42 left, the Lakers were not done yet.  Hofschild added one free throw with 1:38 left and Kulstad would add one more after getting fouled after a steal with 1:22 left that had Prior Lake hanging in there down by three at 92-89 but the Pirates found a way to stretch the lead out again.  Griffin dropped two critical free throws after getting fouled with 1:05 left and Frost would add one freebie of her own with :49 left to get the lead back to six points at 95-89.  Just when Park Center thought that things were finally safe, the Lakers' Hofschild found another way to throw fear into the opponent as she was fouled behind the arc with :45 left and she got all three free throw attempts to go down to again draw Prior Lake to get back into single-possession range down 95-92.  But after an exhausting comeback attempt, the Laker comeback bid finally stalled out.  Park Center's McKenzie would drop two free throws after getting fouled with :38 left and the Pirates thwarted the subsequent Prior Lake possession and Frost would connect with a lay-up in transition with :24 left that virtually iced the contest with a 99-92 lead.  The Lakers' Hofschild, however, would throw one more feather into this outstanding outing for her when she drilled a "3" from the right wing with :09 left but Park Center would escape Lindbergh Center with an absolutely thrilling 99-95 victory.     

There probably aren't enough superlatives out there that you could use to describe this game.  The final score itself was amazing in its own right.  You can say that there wasn't much defense played on this night but I would counter and say that you had players on both sides stepping up big time when their team needed them to step up and make plays.  But I think the big item that was the talk around Lindbergh Center after the final buzzer sounded on this tilt was the magnificent performance and show that Prior Lake's Hofschild put on this Saturday evening in prime time.  Her 63 points on this night shattered the state record and it's easy to see why that now she's certainly one of the top players in the state.  She put the team on her shoulders in a gallant comeback effort and you know she'll gladly do it again and again.  The only other player in double figures for Prior Lake was Kulstad with her 10 points.  And Park Center certainly had their share of heroines on this night as well with McKenzie's 32 points leading the way with Griffin right behind with 28 points.  Frost finished with 18 points and Rueben had 10 points.  All in all, definitely a night to remember! 
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     

St. Kate's vs UST 12-1-18

After catching some of the morning action at the Breakdown Tip-Off Classic over at Hopkins High School, the real first order of this Saturday was to head over to the St. Paul side of town to Schoenecker Arena on the campus of UST for a renewal of the Friendly Neighborhood rivalry with St. Kate's located down the street.  The Tommies; looking incredibly strong (again) were coming into this game unblemished at 4-0 while the Wildcats were coming into this contest with a 2-3 record although in their previous game they had defeated Northland at home so St. Kate's Head Coach Don Mulhern naturally hoped some momentum might carry over into their opening MIAC tilt against mighty UST.

The 'Cats have been able to give UST problems at Schoenecker before and in the first few minutes of the opening period it looked as if St. Kate's might be able to stay reasonably close.  Tommie sophomore guard/forward Kaia Porter started this game with two big three-point bombs - one from the right top area at the 8:39 mark and another one from the left wing area at the 8:05 mark - to give UST a 6-2 lead.  Wildcat freshman forward Sam Orth; already on the board with a lay-up at the 8:23 mark, caught the Tommie defense sleeping with a lay-up off of an inbounds pass at the 7:51 mark to cut the deficit to two points at 6-4.  UST senior guard Lucia Renikoff nailed a "3" from the left corner at the 7:41 mark to expand the Tommies lead to 9-4 but St. Kate's Orth managed a drive across the lane for a finish at the 7:10 mark to get the 'Cats back to within a single possession down 9-6.  Right back came UST's Renikoff with another heart-splitting "3" - this one from the left wing area at the 6:40 mark to give the Tommies a 12-6 lead but a jumper from the left elbow area by Wildcat junior guard Jackie Radford at the 6:32 mark cut the deficit down to four points at 12-8 and gave the St. Kate's faithful some hope that they might have a shot in this game.  However, those hopes quickly went up in flames as the Tommies reeled off a 16-6 burst to finish out this first period.  A Porter lay-up at the 6:02 mark got UST's lead up to six at 14-8 and then senior All-American post Hannah Spaulding got her game going.  One score in the paint at the 5:13 mark and another one with 4:31 left in the opening period had the Tommie lead up to eight at 18-10 and although St. Kate's senior guard Audra Clark answered with a lay-up with 4:11 left, consecutive Spaulding scores got UST's lead up to double digits.  A Spaulding drive and finish with 3:22 left and a Spaulding "3" from the left top area with 3:02 left now gave the Tommies a 23-12 lead.  Then sophomore reserve guard and former Elk River standout Kelsie Cox made her presence felt as the southpaw casually drained a back-breaking "3" from the right corner with 2:12 left to make it a 26-12 ballgame.  Another UST southpaw made her presence felt as well in the waning moments of this first period - sophomore reserve guard Madi Radtke - as her drive into the lane and finish with 1:18 left and a lay-up in transition after a steal with :20 left had the Tommies up 30-12.  St. Kate's got on the board again before the first period buzzer sounded as flashy junior reserve guard Danica Cambrice was able to snare an offensive rebound of her own miss for a putback with with just :02 left on the clock but down 30-14, the Wildcats were already looking at a sizable gap.

And UST was able to widen the gap even more in the first few minutes of the second period with a 7-2 push.  Junior guard Sarah Krynski connected with a short running jumper at the 9:37 mark and Porter's third trey of the afternoon - this one coming from the right wing area at the 8:09 mark - had the Tommies up 35-16.  Krynski would add a jumper from the left corner just inside the arc at the 7:35 mark to make it 37-16 before St. Kate's could again cut into the cushion.  One Clark free throw at the 7:15 mark was the start of an 11-3 push.  Clark would follow that up with a pretty running jumper along the left baseline with 4:00 left and thirty seconds later the former Kenyon-Wanamingo standout shined brightly again as she connected with a lay-up and drew a foul in the process and her ensuing "and one" had the deficit down to sixteen points at 38-22.  Then Cambrice was able to snare a steal and dash the other way for a lay-up with 3:13 left and with 2:30 left before the half, Cambrice would drain a "3" from the top of the key that now had the deficit down to thirteen points at 40-27.  This definitely got the Tommies' attention and they closed out the second period strong to widen the gap again.  Spaulding connected with a tough scoop shot down low with 2:01 left and two Renikoff free throws with 1:11 left had the lead up to fifteen at 44-29.  With :40.7 left, Spaulding connected with a lay-up in transition and drew a foul in the process and the obligatory free throw now had UST up 47-29.  Fittingly, the Tommies ended their late second period push with :08 left when Renikoff banged home yet another back-breaking three-point bomb - this one from the left top area - that had UST up comfortably 50-29 as the teams retreated to the locker room for the halftime break. 

St. Kate's obviously needed to get out on the right foot once the third period got underway and a pretty reverse lay-up by Orth at the 9:47 mark followed by two Orth free throws at the 8:23 mark had the deficit down to seventeen points at 50-33.  But getting a sustained run that would make a meaningful dent was proving tough to come by as the Tommies quickly picked up the pace.  Two lay-ups - one by Spaulding at the 7:58 mark and another by Renikoff at the 7:26 mark - got the safety net increased with a 54-33 advantage.  A routine Spaulding score in the paint at the 6:55 mark increased the lead to 56-33 before the 'Cats could take a bite out of it with a three-point bomb from the right top area by freshman guard Taylor Johnson at the 6:36 mark.  Two more UST scores - a drive into the lane and a pretty one-handed jumper by senior guard Kaylie Brazil at the 6:20 mark and a lay-up in transition by backcourt mate Krynski at the 6:03 mark - made it a 60-36 game.  The Wildcats would again attempt to cut into this large cushion as a drive and finish by Cambrice at the 5:14 mark and a jumper along the left baseline by Orth with 4:13 left had the deficit down to twenty at 60-40 but it would quickly grow again.  UST's Porter knocked down a jumper in the lane with 3:35 left and a lay-up by Spaulding off of an inbounds pass with 3:06 left made it 64-40.  Then Cox would get a look behind the arc from the right top area and she gracefully buried a "3" from there to bulge the lead to 67-40.  And then Renikoff would make a drive into the lane for a finish with :47 left as the Tommies had practically an insurmountable 69-40 lead going into the fourth period. 

Facing such a large deficit with practically no hope of making this a reasonably close game again, it would have been easy for the Wildcats to simply fold up their tent and go home.  And when UST's Radtke made a drive into the lane for a finish at the 9:19 mark of the fourth period which was followed up by a Renikoff "3" from the left wing area at the 8:35 mark to make it a 74-42 ballgame, the outcome of this one seemed to be a foregone conclusion.  But before the Fat Lady could get her vocal chords warmed up, this resilient St. Kate's team geared up for one last push even though the chances of actually getting close again had long gone out the window.  Cambrice would start this unlikely 16-2 blitz with a lay-up at the 8:18 mark that drew a foul and resulted in an "and one".  Then the versatile Orth drilled a "3" from the right top area at the 7:55 mark and when Clark connected with a lay-up at the 7:27 mark that also drew a foul in the process, her ensuing "and one" had the Tommie lead reduced to 76-51.  Clark would strike again at the 6:29 mark when she unleashed a "3" from the right top off the glass and Cambrice would connect with a lay-up in transition at the 6:04 mark that now had the deficit down to twenty points at 76-56.  Orth would cap with run at the 5:15 mark with her short shot off the glass and just like that the 'Cats had whittled that huge mountain of a deficit down to eighteen points at 76-58.  That got the attention of UST Head Coach Ruth Sinn; who had earlier yanked most of her chain gang to give her reserves some quality minutes and was now forced to insert her starters once again to stifle this Wildcat attack.  And the Tommies indeed just that as one Spaulding free throw with 4:21 left and a Porter lay-up with 3:28 left slowly but surely got the ship righted again and also started to increase the lead to 79-58.  Krynski would add one free throw with 3:04 left and Spaulding would add two more with 2:26 left to give UST an 82-60 lead.  The Wildcats would get two more three-point bombs to fall before the final buzzer went off - one by sophomore guard Ashley Fosness from the right wing area with 2:16 left and another one by freshman reserve guard Grace Amacher with 1:32 left but it would not be nearly enough as UST bagged an 82-66 victory to move to 5-0 on the season. 

As happy as she was with the win, UST's Sinn acknowledged afterwards that there's still a lot of work that remains; primarily on two fronts at the moment:  (1) Getting the reserves up to par - even though I think they're well on their way to being where they need to be and (2) getting the defense strengthened as well.  The good news for UST is that it's only early December and even Sinn agreed when I said that this squad isn't anywhere close to hitting its stride yet.  I also got to speak briefly with UST's Porter after the game as well and it's amazing to see her starting to blossom as she's not only a threat down low but now defenders have to worry about her hitting the "3".  Meanwhile, on the St. Kate's side, Mulhern, although disappointed with the final outcome of this contest, couldn't help but feel some pride when he spoke about the gallant comeback attempt that his squad made in the fourth quarter when everything seemed hopeless.  The one thing about this St. Kate's team; especially under Mulhern, is that they will never quit.  They will keep finding ways to come at you no matter what the score is.  Another fabulous outing for UST's Spaulding on this afternoon as she led all scorers with 28 points while Renikoff added 18 points and Porter finished with 15 points.  It was also a very good afternoon for the newcomer on the St. Kate's side - Orth - as she led the way for her team with 21 points and Cambrice was not far behind with her 18 points while Clark finished with 14 points.   

Eden Prairie vs Park Center 11-28-18

Made the short run over to Park Center High School on this Wednesday night to take in the home opener for the Park Center Pirates as they prepared for a big non-conference clash with Lake Conference opponent Eden Prairie.  Both teams were looking for redemption in some form as the Pirates were seeking to overcome the loss to Roseville last season in the Section 5AAAA final while the Eagle were simply looking to improve from last year's so-so 16-12 record in a very competitive conference and section.  The one thing I was looking for in the Pirates in this game was some consistency on defense and rebounding; two items that likely cost them down the stretch last season.

Both teams would trade three-point bombs off the bat in this contest as Eden Prairie's willowy 6'1" senior forward Abby Johnson banged one home from the left wing area at the 17:50 mark and Park Center junior guard Lauren Frost drained one of her own from the left wing area as well at the 17:27 mark.  But the Eagles were able to expand over the next three and a half minutes.  Junior forward Nneka Obiazor went coast-to-coast for a lay-up at the 16:04 mark and two free throws by junior guard Brooke Lewis at the 15:11 mark got Eden Prairie a 7-3 advantage.  Obiazor got one free throw to go down after getting fouled at the 13:53 mark to make it an 8-3 game before the Pirates could finally shake off the early doldrums.  Junior guard Kayla Cox drained a "3" from the left corner at the 13:45 mark to cut the deficit down to two points and a Frost lay-up in transition at the 13:13 mark had this one tied up at eight a piece.  The Eagles would manage another run to take the upper hand again as two free throws by freshman reserve guard Myra Moorjani at the 12:19 mark and a jumper from the free throw line by sophomore reserve guard Allison Miranda at the 10:59 mark gave Eden Prairie a 12-9 lead.  The Pirates' Frost would help her squad cut the lead to one point on a steal and lay-up the other way right at the 10:00 mark but Eden Prairie's Obiazor would connect with a lay-up at the 9:41 mark and draw a foul in the process and the ensuing "and one" had the Eagles up 15-11 and in good shape for the time being.

The Pirates would come back with a very strong response in the form of a big 13-3 run to snare the upper hand away - at least for a while anyway.  Lanky 6'0" guard/forward T'Naye Griffin finally got her game going at the 9:04 mark to start this run with a "3" from the right corner as did fellow sophomore guard/forward Adalia McKenzie as her lay-up in transition with 8:38 left in the first half allowed Park Center to poke its nose out in front 16-15.  The Eagles would momentarily re-take the lead as Moorjani drained a "3" from the left corner with 8:09 left to give Eden Prairie a short-lived 18-16 advantage but the Pirates were just starting to get cooking.  Another McKenzie lay-up in transition with 8:00 left tied the game at 18 and Griffin's second trey of the evening - this one coming from the left wing area with 7:30 left - pushed Park Center ahead 21-18.  Then McKenzie was able to snare a steal and streak downcourt for a lay-up where she was fouled in the process and her "and one" with 7:15 left capped this run for a 24-18 Pirate lead.  Eden Prairie would respond with an 8-2 run, however, that got this contest even-steven again.  A jumper from the left elbow area with 5:35 left by Miranda and two free throws by sophomore reserve guard Grace Ellis with 4:24 left narrowed the deficit down to four points at 26-22.  Then Johnson was able to snare a steal and dash the other way for a lay-up and drew a foul in the process with 3:47 left that cut the deficit down to two points at 26-24.  Although Johnson was unable to cash in on the obligatory free throw, the Pirates forgot to box out Eden Prairie's Obiazor as she snared the offensive rebound for a putback with 3:41 left that had this one tied up at 26 a piece.  Perhaps this latest development startled the Pirates as they managed to close out this first half with a 10-3 run.  Frost connected with a lay-up with 3:31 left to get Park Center back in front again and two Frost freebies with 2:30 left got the Pirate lead to four points at 30-26.  McKenzie would get two free throws of her own after a strong move in traffic with 2:10 left and a McKenzie lay-up with 1:42 left gave Park Center their biggest lead of the night thus far at 34-26.  The Eagles were able to cut into that cushion when Miranda was left alone in the right corner behind the arc and she promptly drained a "3" but the Pirates managed to take a 36-29 lead into the locker room at the half when diminutive junior guard Aaliyah Ragulen dropped two free throws after getting fouled with :11.5 left.  So by the halftime break, it seemed evident that the Pirates speed and athleticism would probably be too much for Eden Prairie to overcome on the road.

That notion seemed even stronger in the opening minutes of the second half as a McKenzie offensive rebound for a putback at the 17:23 mark gave Park Center its biggest lead of the night at 38-29.  The Eagles managed to cut into that lead again, however, with a 9-1 run.  A short jumper by Johnson at the 17:00 mark got this push going and a lay-up by 6'2" junior post Natalie Mazurek at the 16:16 mark reduced the deficit down to five points at 38-33.  Then it was Johnson striking from behind the arc at the left top area at the 13:28 mark that drew Eden Prairie back to within a single possession at 39-36.  A jumper by Miranda along the right baseline at the 13:04 mark cut the deficit to a single solitary point at 39-38 before the Pirates could regain some footing on a jumper along the left baseline by Ragulen at the 12:30 mark.  Still, the Eagles stayed in that one-point range as Mazurek connected with one jumper along the left baseline at the 11:22 mark and also knocked down a jumper from the left wing area at the 10:34 mark that had Park Center not only clinging to a precarious one-point advantage at 43-42 but also the prospect of losing the all the momentum it had at the beginning of the second half as well. 

And for Pirate Head Coach Barb Metcalf, her likely worst fears became reality when Eden Prairie took the lead for good at the 10:07 mark on a short shot by senior reserve forward Kemara Watson to make it a 44-43 ballgame.  That lead expanded to three points at 46-43 when Johnson knocked down a jumper from the left corner just inside the arc at the 9:15 mark and two Moorjani free throws with 7:07 left maintained that three-point edge at 48-45.  Moorjani would get to the charity stripe again with 6:45 left and although she couldn't cash in on the free throw attempt, the Pirates once again failed to box out Eden Prairie's Obiazor who snared the offensive rebound and got a lay-up with 6:38 lead to grow the Eagle lead to five at 50-45.  Park Center's hopes brightened a bit when Obiazor would foul a bit later with 6:26 left and one Ragulen free throw cut the deficit to four points at 50-46.  The Eagles, however, were not going to be denied on this night when they had already snared the momentum away from the home team.  Two Mazurek free throws with 6:15 left got Eden Prairie's lead to six points at 52-46 and then Moorjani would unleash a dagger "3" from the left wing area with 5:52 left that suddenly expanded the Eagles lead to nine points at 55-46 and now Park Center desperately needed some sort of spark to reverse this trend.  A Griffin "3" from the left top area with 5:32 left seemed to be that spark as the deficit was reduced to six points at 55-49 and a Ragulen "3" from the left wing area with 4:22 left now had the deficit down to five points at 57-52 and the Pirates' Metcalf called a timeout to try and set up some strategy in hopes of drawing closer.  Miranda got the Eagles' lead back up to seven points at 59-52 with a short jumper with 3:49 left but Park Center was able to counter on a Ragulen lay-up with 3:30 left and one McKenzie free throw with 3:11 left now had the deficit down to four points at 59-55 with a mountain of time left.  But when the Pirates needed a pair of free throws or perhaps one big play that might have resulted in some quick points, it simply wasn't there for them on this night.  Eden Prairie's Moorjani sank two free throws after getting fouled and although Park Center's Griffin had a chance to narrow the deficit down to four again when she got to the charity stripe with 1:55 left, she was unable to cash in on either attempt.  That effectively doomed the Pirates as Eden Prairie went to work closing out this game.  Moorjani would drop two more free throws for the Eagles with :58.2 left and junior guard Abby Jirele would add one of her own with :43.2 left that upped Eden Prairie's lead to eight at 64-56.  Moorjani would add two more free throws with :37.5 left and one more insurance freebie with :22.8 left as the Eagles booked a somewhat stunning 67-57 victory. 

While I have to give a ton of credit to Eden Prairie Head Coach Ellen Wiese and her squad for earning a hard-fought road game, my real focus when I got home on this night was all the mistakes and missed free throws that cost the Pirates dearly on this night.  Some of the things I saw last season - not boxing out, not rebounding, questionable shot selection and missed free throws - continue to remain glaring issues for this young squad.  God knows I'm no coach but even as a tennis player I know the game of basketball well enough to know that, at some point, you've got to get the fundamentals; the small things right to get the percentages in your favor.  The good news is that it's still only November and very early in the season so this team is by no means anywhere close to hitting their stride yet.  At the same time, I feel that they have to take a step back and revert to some of the basic fundamentals that will help them be a more complete basketball team.  Speaking about being complete, I think you've got a good definition of that when you look at how the scoring load was distributed by Eden Prairie on this night as they had FIVE players in double figures for scoring.  Moorjani led the way with her 17 points while Obiazor had 14 points and Johnson had 12 points.  Miranda tallied 11 points on this night and Mazurek added 10 points.  For Park Center, they had four players in double figures for scoring as McKenzie's 17 points and Griffin had 14 points.  Frost would finish with 11 points and Ragulen had 10 points.