Section 5AAAA Championship Game - Centennial vs Park Center 3-5-20

Made what seems like the annual journey (save for last year's site at Blaine) up to Anoka High School for the Section 5AAAA Championship Game pitting second-seeded Centennial against top-seeded Park Center.  These two old Northwest Suburban Conference rivals know each other very well and in the only meeting during the regular season this year, the Cougars pinned a loss on the heavily-favored Pirates at Park Center.  But Park Center; despite the regular season finale loss at home to Spring Lake Park, had rebounded from that disappointment as they summarily dismissed Irondale and Champlin Park enroute to this section championship game while Centennial had done likewise on their side.

First-year Cougars Head Coach Jamie Sobolik was employing a 2-3 "match-up" zone defense from the outset in hopes of clogging up the middle and perhaps force Park Center to take some ill-advised three-point shots.  Centennial appeared to have the upper-hand early on as a lay-up by junior guard/forward Jodi Anderson at the 17:18 mark of the first half and a "3" from the right wing area by slender sophomore guard Hannah Herzig had the Cougars up 5-4 at the 15:48 mark.  Lanky junior post Jenna Guyer added one free throw as well after getting fouled at the 15:25 mark and Centennial looked to be in business with a 6-4 advantage.  But this high-octane Pirate team wasn't going to stay down for long and they started to pick things up on the offensive end.  Senior sharp-shooting guard Lauren Frost would drain a "3" from the right corner at the 14:27 mark to push Park Center back out in front and a three-point bomb by junior standout guard Adalia McKenzie from the right wing area at the 14:08 mark increased the lead to four at 10-6.  A Frost score in the paint at the 13:29 mark maintained the four-point edge at 12-8 and although the Cougars' Anderson would drop one free throw after getting fouled at the 13:20 mark to pull her team back to within a single possession, Centennial would have to absorb back-to-back- three-point bombs by this Park Center team - one by diminutive senior point guard Aaliyah Ragulen at the 13:07 mark from the left wing area and another by Frost from the right corner at the 12:34 mark - that expanded the Pirates lead to 18-9.  Centennial's Anderson would again try to take matters into her own hands with her lay-up in transtion at the 11:07 mark but then Park Center's McKenzie would personally widen the gap even more with one free throw at the 9:58 mark and a three-point play the old-fashioned way - a lay-up in transition that drew a foul with the ensuing "and one" at the 9:13 mark - and now the Cougars were suddenly staring at a double-digit deficit down 22-11. 

Centennial would try desperately to keep within striking distance as Guyer would connect with a short turnaround jumper with 8:14 left and a short jumper in the lane by Anderson with 5:45 left still gave the Cougars reasonably withing range down 27-15.  Sophomore guard Camille Cummings would drain a "3" from the top of the key with 5:01 left to keep Centennial in the eleven-point range but the Pirates simply could not be slowed down on this night.  Two free throws by Ragulen after she was fouled with 4:15 left and a steal and lay-up the other way by McKenzie stretched the Park Center lead to fifteen at 33-18 and an offensive rebound and putback by sophomore reserve forward/post Shadizhalynn Chatman with 1:56 left maintained the fifteen-point lead at 35-20.  Perhaps the only fly in the ointment by this juncture was that the Pirates' McKenzie would collect her second foul of the evening with 1:28 left but even that worrisome aspect was eased when Frost unleashed a back-breaking "3" from the right top area with :43 left that allowed Park Center to carry a 38-24 lead into the locker room at the halftime break. 

It's entirely possible that this Pirate team remembered all too well what happened to them last year in the Section 5AAAA semifinals and they started out the second half to snuff out any comeback hopes that Centennial may have had during the halftime break.  Back-to-back three-point bombs by Frost from the right wing area - one at the 17:52 mark and another at the 16:56 mark - established a twenty-point cushion at 44-24.  McKenzie would be the recipient of a pretty behind-the-back pass by Frost in transition for an easy lay-up at the 16:28 mark and when Frost connected with a lay-up in transition by herself at the 16:01 mark, Park Center now had a sizable 48-24 advantage with this key 10-0 burst and the Cougars' Sobolik knew full and well that his squad was squarely behind the 8-ball and called a timeout in hopes of rectifying things.  To their credit, Centennial finally started showing some signs of life offensively as Guyer would connect with a short, left-handed shot at the 15:44 mark and Hannah Herzig would drop pairs of free throws at the 14:58 and 14:42 marks.  The problem was that the Cougars could ill-afford to simply trade scores now with their opponent; they needed a run of their own and they just weren't able to mount any such type.  Park Center's McKenzie would connect with an easy lay-up off of an inbounds pass at the 14:26 mark to make it 54-30 and another Frost "3" - this one from the right corner at the 13:11 mark - ballooned the lead to twenty-five at 57-32.  Centennial would again try to pick away at this cushion as Anderson would connect with a lay-up at the 12:42 mark and Guyer would add a score in the paint at the 11:53 mark.  Anderson would also drain a "3" from the left corner at the 11:11 mark but the Cougars were still on the wrong end of a 57-39 score. 

By this point, even with a cushion at her disposal, Park Center Head Coach Barb Metcalfe still had a foul problem she had to manage as Frost had collected her fourth foul a bit earlier and at the 10:31 mark, McKenzie was tagged with her fourth foul as well.  But the Pirates were able to manage this effectively without too much trouble.  Senior guard Kayla Cox; often the forgotten factor in the McKenzie/Frost scoring machine, was able to snare an offensive rebound for a putback with 8:38 left and a short jumper in the lane off the glass by Ragulen with 6:35 left maintained the twenty-point edge at 61-41.  The Cougars would flirt with one last-gasp comeback attempt as Guyer would drop two free throws with 6:23 left and with 6:08 left, Guyer would get to the foul line again where she dropped one more freebie.  With 5:40 left, an Anderson lay-up reduced the deficit to seventeen at 63-46 but there would be no panic by this Park Center team on this night as they calmly righted the ship and set out to put the finishing touches on this one.  Cox would bang home a "3" from the left corner with 5:25 left to re-establish and the Pirates defense was doing the job on the other end of the floor as well.  Chatman would connect with a lay-up with 2:43 left and although Centennial would get one last hurrah on a "3" by Cummings from the right wing area, it would be Park Center getting the redemption they had been seeking since last year as they advanced to the State Tournament with a resounding 68-52 victory. 

When I was finally able to catch up with Park Center's Metcalfe afterwards, I had to mention that this win must have been incredibly satisfying for her and this team.  "It is" she quickly answered and added that she was a little worried after the win over Champlin Park in the semifinals last Saturday as she felt that perhaps this team may have been a bit tired.  But I think you have to give a lot of credit to this team for coming together at precisely the right time and burying any and all demons they might have had over the losses to Spring Lake Park a year ago in the section semifinals and in the regular season finale on Senior Night.  And, in a funny kind of way, it may have been that loss on Senior Night that prompted this Park Center team to regroup and refocus on what certainly had to be their goal from Day 1 on this season - to get back to the State Tournament for the first time since 2017.  They showed what they're capable of when Frost and McKenzie are clicking offensively and I thought that they did a very good job on defense on this night as well, particularly in neutralizing Centennial's Guyer down low.  Meanwhile, certainly a disappointing end for this Cougar team but when you look at this roster, you see that it is dominated by sophomores and juniors and while they couldn't complete the deal on this night, you know that this squad is on solid footing and will certainly be a factor not only in the Northwest Suburban Conference but also in Section 5AAAA as well.  Indeed, it was the one-two punch of McKenzie and Frost that helped pave the way for Park Center on their return to the State Tournament as the pair combined for 28 and 22 points, respectively, on this night to lead the way.  Centennial relied heavily on Anderson for scoring and she responded with 24 points while Guyer finished with 12 points.