Having been focused primarily on the MIACC Women's Basketball scene this season, I figured it was probably high time I get my rear end in action and start getting some Minnesota Girl's High School Basketball for a change now that Section play is in full swing. During last year's State Tournament that I watched on TV, I said that one team that I wanted to watch play more than any was that Rosemount team that made it to the State Championship Game last season so I figured that this Saturday night matchup down at Rosemount High School against would be a good time to finally do just that. The Jaguars, to be sure, are far removed from their glory years of the late 90s and early 2000s but they were good enough to garner the fourth seed in Section 3AAAA and took down a highly-regarded Eastview team on Wednesday night 52-41 in their opening section game. The top-seeded Irish, meanwhile, had cruised past 8th-seeded Apple Valley on that same Wednesday night 61-20 and conventional wisdom anyway has suggested that the Irish should have little opposition in its way in its quest for another trip to the Big Stage at the State Tournament. But, as we all know all too well, THAT's why you play the game.
Rosemount Head Coach Chris Orr had his team in a 1-2-2 zone defense to star the game with but that didn't seem to faze the visiting Jaguars - at least early on anyway. After the Irish had taken a 2-0 lead on a short jumper in the lane by junior guard Nicole O'Neil at the 16:59 mark of this first half, Bloomington Jefferson surprised everyone inside Rosemount Gymnasium as junior post Angelina Chapple muscled into the paint for a score to tie the game at the 16:46 mark and then a "3" from the right top area by slender senior guard Emily Roach at the 16:08 mark to push the Jaguars ahead 5-2. Another score in the paint by Chapple at the 14:16 mark extended that lead to 7-2 as Rosemount was struggling early on on the offensive end. The Irish would get things tightened up when sophomore guard Ava Thompson drained a "3" from the right corner at the 12:42 mark but Bloomington Jefferson would respond with a three-point bomb of their own by junior forward Abigail Nelson at the 12:15 mark to make it a 10-5 game. The Irish would again get back to within a single possession when O'Neil buried a "3" from the right corner off of an inbounds pass at the 11:47 mark but the Jaguars were still coming up with answers as Chapple was able to get into the paint off of an inbounds pass for another score at the 11:27 mark that gave Bloomington Jefferson a bit more breathing room at 12-8. Rosemount again was able to cut the deficit down to a single possession as Thompson knocked down a pair of free throws after getting fouled at the 11:01 mark but the worries persisted for the Irish faithful on this night as the Jaguars responded with two three-point bombs - one by junior reserve guard Courtney Anderson from the right wing area at the 10:28 mark and another one by senior reserve guard Simone Clay from the top of the key at the 9:36 mark as Bloomington Jefferson assumed a surprising 18-10 advantage.
So while the Irish had sputtered and struggled offensively in the first ten minutes or so of this first half and left the Irish faithful in a bit of an apprehensive fit, it didn't take long for this incredibly talented and athletic Rosemount team to break out of this early funk and unleash a game-changing 13-0 run that changed the complexion of this contest for good. Strong senior forward Tayah Leenderts; thus far quiet in this contest, finally broke her scoring drought with 8:56 left on one free throw after getting fouled and another O'Neil "3" - this one from the right corner with 8:24 left - narrowed the deficit to four at 18-14. Then with 7:44 left, Leenderts would strike again down low with an offensive rebound for a putback that now had the Irish back to within a single possession down 18-16 and Bloomington Jefferson Head Coach Paul Roach; perhaps sensing danger at this juncture, called a timeout to get his squad calmed down. But this Rosemount offensive would continue. Leenderts would connect on a lay-up with 7:03 left to get the game evened up at 18 a piece and the Irish would finally assume the lead again with 6:19 left when Leenderts muscled her way into the paint for a score to make it 20-18. O'Neil would cap this run with a three-point bomb from the left cormer that pushed the Rosemount lead to 23-18 before the Jaguars finally ended their extended scoring drought on a "3" by junior forward Caroline Hemann with 5:26 left. Unfortunately for Bloomington Jefferson, however, staying within striking distance was going to prove to be a much more difficult row to hoe as the Irish unleashed another offensive. Leenderts would get into the paint for another score with 5:03 left and a Leenderts "3" from the left wing area with 4:40 left pushed Rosemount's lead to seven at 28-21. The Jaguars would tighten things up a bit when Chapple was able to maneuver into the paint for a score with 4:17 left but then the Irish would then get two three-point bombs to find their mark - one by senior guard Anna Tauer from the left corner with 3:19 left and another one from the very-reliable O'Neil from the left corner with 2:22 left - that now widened Rosemount's lead to eight at 34-26. Bloomington Jefferson would get a bit of a reprieve when Hemann was sent to the charity stripe with 1:57 left where she would get two free throws to go down but with just :09.1 before the halftime break, Irish senior guard Alexa Ratzlaff; who had been quiet up to this point from a scoring standpoint, stole the spotlight when she snared a steal near midcourt and sped the other way for an easy lay-up that also drew a foul and her ensuing "and one" enabled Rosemount to take a 37-28 lead into the locker room at the halftime break.
Down by nine to begin this second half, the Jaguars could ill-afford to let the deficit widen any further yet that's exactly what happened as Rosemount's sharp-shooting O'Neil buried yet another three-point bomb - this one coming from the left corner off of an inbounds pass at the 17:41 mark and a Thompson drive into the lane and finish at the 16:13 mark now had the Irish up 42-29. Bloomington Jefferson's Emily Roach tried to ease some of the pain as she drilled a "3" from the left top area at the 15:54 mark but then Rosemount opened up things even more as O'Neil would unleash another dagger "3" - this one from the right top area at the 15:37 mark - and a Thompson three-point bomb from that same right top area at the 15:02 mark stretched the Irish lead to 48-32 and the Jaguars' Paul Roach had no recourse but to take a match to a timeout to get his squad calmed down and refocused again. To their credit, the stoppage in play had a temporary positive effect for Bloomington Jefferson as Anderson would make a drive into the lane for a finish at the 14:39 mark and a short jumper off the glass by Chapple at the 14:05 mark had the deficit down to twelve at 48-36. But making further inroads on this cushion quickly went out the window as Rosemount unleashed a 12-0 blitz that changed the course of this game for good. Thompson would pick up right where she left off to start this run by connecting on a lay-up at the 13:48 mark and then Ratzlaff; who shined right before the half, would connect on two lay-ups - one at the 13:16 mark and then again with a burst of speed on a pretty give-and-go lay-up at the 11:49 mark - that now had the Irish up 54-36. Then O'Neil would add more pain with yet another three-point bomb - this one from the left top area at the 11:12 mark and when Leenderts muscled into the paint for a score at the 9:41 mark to make it a 59-36 game, Bloomington Jefferson's Paul Roach was again clamoring for a timeout. But this latest halt to the action would not stop Rosemount on this night. Leenderts would cap this run with 8:33 left after getting fouled by knocking one free throw down to make it 60-36.
At this juncture, there was little that the Jaguars could do except make little dents here and there as the Irish kept running away with things. Ratzlaff would connect on another lay-up with 8:03 left and then Leenderts would knock down a pair of free throws after getting fouled with 7:46 left to make it 64-37. Ratzlaff would again connect on a lay-up with 7:08 left and when O'Neil did the same with 6:19 left to make it 68-38, it was now time for the MSHSL's "Mercy Rule" to kick in with running time. The problem was that the Irish didn't seem to show a lot of way in terms of "mercy" as back-to-back three point bombs by Thompson - one from the right top area with 5:52 left and another from the left wing area with 5:23 left - ballooned Rosemount's lead to 74-38. To their credit, the Jaguars decided to get in on the three-point shooting bonanza junior guard Emma Felt unleashed a bomb from the left wing area with 4:58 left junior reserve forward Hannah Bock would bang one home from the right wing area with 4:06 left. But these would have little effect on the final outcome save for the final tally. Both coaches would empty their benches with the contest all but decided. Rosemount junior reserve forward Pearla Teko-Folly would get two free throws to go down after getting fouled with 3:27 left and eighth-grade reserve guard Riley Ang would make a drive into the lane for a finish with 2:29 left. Freshman reserve guard Cora Grismer would also make a drive for a finish with :28 left as the Irish rolled into the Section 3AAAA Championship Game with a resounding 83-45 victory.
It was indeed a very balanced scoring attack leading the way for Rosemount on this Saturday night as O'Neil, doing the bulk of her damage from downtown, easily led all scorers with 28 points. Leenderts would tally 17 points on this night as well while Thompson wasn't far behind with her 15 points and Ratzlaff (who doesn't get the recognition she deserves, IMHO), finished with 11 points. Bloomington Jefferson relied heavily on both Chapple who led with way with her 12 points and Emily Roach who finished with 10 points.
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