Maple Grove vs Park Center Synopsis 12-18-18

Made the short trip over to Park Center High School on this Tuesday; the week for before Christmas to take in one of the better rivalries of the Northwest Suburban Conference that featured visiting Maple Grove against host Park Center.  The Crimson were coming off an appearance in the Girl's State Tournament from last year but also lost some big pieces from that team in Autumn Mlinar and Katrina Theis but there's some new faces on this team that Head Coach Mark Cook feels confident that can return this Maple Grove team to the glory days again.  Park Center meanwhile was coming off a resounding victory against Andover a week ago and was trying to solidify its position as a contender in the Northwest Suburban Conference West Division. 

The Pirates would get off to a great start in this one as they built an early 13-2 lead using their speed and athleticism to fuel their up-tempo transition game.  Sophomore T'Naye Griffin started this early run with a "3" from the top of the key at the 17:28 mark and two free throws by flashy fellow sophomore guard/forward Adalia McKenzie at the 16:56 mark made it a 5-0 game.  Maple Grove would try to counter on two free throws by sophomore guard Jordyn Lamker at the 16:41 mark but Park Center continued with its assault.  McKenzie connected with a jumper from the left elbow at the 14:49 mark and a three-point bomb by junior guard Lauren Frost from the right corner at the 13:46 mark made it 10-2.  Then a McKenzie "3" from the right wing area at the 13:15 mark got the lead to 13-2 and the Crimson's Cook had seen enough to know a stoppage in play was warranted.  Park Center would still get the lead to 15-2 on a Frost lay-up in transition after a steal at the 12:42 mark before Maple Grove could cut into the deficit.  Lamker would connect with a lay-up at the 11:14 mark and a drive into the lane and finish off the glass by sophomore reserve guard Kelley Kloncz at the 10:41 mark had the Crimson back in single digit range down 15-6.  Junior guard Abby Schulte would connect with a lay-up at the 10:05 mark that also drew a foul in the process and her ensuing "and one" now had the deficit down to six points at 15-9.  The Pirates would momentarily up the lead to eight on an offensive rebound and lay-up by Griffin at the 9:33 mark but Maple Grove would answer the call and put themselves right back in the thick of things again.  An offensive rebound and putback by freshman reserve guard Ari Gordon at the 9:11 mark sparked a 10-2 Crimson push.  Schulte would snare an offensive rebound for a putback with 7:54 left and a score in the paint by Lamker with 7:20 left had the deficit down to four points at 19-15.  Lamker would then snare an offensive rebound for a putback in transition with 7:00 left and then a Schulte lay-up with 6:32 left suddenly had this game tied at 19 and Park Center Head Coach Barb Metcalf; not at all liking the swing of events, got her squad together for a thirty-second timeout.  That short stoppage in play seemed to get the Pirates refocused if not calmed down and they responded.  A Griffin drive and finish with 6:04 left got Park Center out in front agaiin 21-19 and a "3" from the right corner by Frost with 5:15 left made it a 24-21 game.  One free throw by diminutive junior guard Aaliyah Ragulen with 4:54 left and a Ragulen "3" from the left corner with 3:18 left made it 28-23.  Maple Grove would get close again as a Lamker lay-up with 3:02 left and a Schulte "3" from the left wing area with 2:25 left pulled the Crimson back to two points down 30-28 but the Pirates would end this first half on a 6-0 push thanks to Ragulen.  She would drop one more freebie with 2:12 left and followed that up with a jumper from the left corner with 1:32 left to make it 33-28.  Then with just :03 before the halftime buzzer, Ragulen would unleash a "3" from the left wing area to push Park Center's lead to 36-28 as the teams headed to their locker rooms for the halftime break.

After a pretty reverse lay-up by the Pirates' Frost at the 17:41 mark of the second half to make it a 38-28 ballgame, Maple Grove would make another bid to try and tighten things up.  A score in the paint by the always-reliable Lamker at the 17:19 mark and a Schulte drive and lay-up at the 16:56 mark had the deficit down to six points at 38-32.  Sophomore guard Izzy Brant capped this 6-0 Crimson push with her lay-up at the 16:38 mark to get the deficit down to four points at 38-34.  Park Center, however, had no intentions of letting its arch-rival stay close and they responded with a flurry of scores.  A score in the paint by Griffin at the 16:13 mark got the lead back up to six points at 40-34 and then McKenzie snared an offensive rebound for a putback and was fouled in the process and her ensuing "and one" at the 15:05 mark pushed the lead back up to nine at 43-34.  Maple Grove tried to cut into this gap again as senior guard Sam Carroll drained a "3" from the left top area at the 13:48 mark and Brant would drop two free throws after getting fouled at the 12:50 mark to reduce the deficit to seven points at 46-39.  A Schulte "3" from the right corner at the 10:51 mark and a Lamker lay-up in transition at the 10:00 mark had the deficit down to six points at 50-44.  A Lamker score in the paint at the 9:23 mark and one Schulte free throw with 8:33 left had the Crimson within a single possession down 50-47 and when Schulte was fouled in a transition opportunity with 8:05 left and got one free throw to go down to trim the deficit down to two points at 50-48, things looked good for Maple Grove and momentum definitely appeared to be on their side.  Considering the fact that the Crimson would be in the bonus less than a minute later also bolstered their hopes as well.  Schulte got one more free throw to go down after being fouled in transition with 6:21 left and a short turnaround jumper by Schulte with 5:22 left still had Maple Grove within a single possession down 54-51.  Curiously, however, the Crimson surge suddenly fizzled as Park Center quickly took control of this contest for good.  McKenzie came up big for the Pirates with 4:43 left with an offensive rebound for a putback and was also fouled in the process and her "and one" got the safety net up to six points at 57-51.  With 4:22 left, McKenzie would strike again with a lay-up in transition after a steal that pushed the lead to eight points at 59-51 and another McKenzie steal and lay-up the other way with 3:48 left suddenly had the lead to ten points at 61-51 which effectively ended the Maple Grove threat.  Ragulen would sink two free throws after getting fouled with 2:25 left which also had the Pirates in the bonus as well and although the Crimson's Lamker would drain a "3" from the right top area with 1:15 left, Maple Grove could never really seriously threaten again.  The Pirates' Griffin got a lay-up after beating the Crimson's press defense with :56 left and two free throws by junior guard Kayla Cox with :35.9 left had Park Center's lead at 67-58.  Frost would get a lay-up in transition for insurance with :16 left and although Maple Grove's Lamker would get one last score on a lay-up with :03.5 left, the Pirates snagged an important 69-60 victory. 

Park Center had not one, not two, not three but FOUR players in double figures scoring-wise on this night led by McKenzie's 21 points to lead the Pirate attack.  Griffin followed with her 18 points and surprisingly Ragulen was right behind with 17 points while Frost had 11 points.  On the Maple Grove side, it's no secret that Lamker carries this team and the fact that she led all scorers with her 27 points should be of no surprise.  Schulte had a big game as well; particularly in the second half and she finished with 20 points.