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.