Made the trek on this somewhat snowy Friday evening up US Highway 10 and the BNSF's Staples Sub mainline up to Becker to take in this highly-anticipated intersectional matchup between 2AAAA powerhouse Eden Prairie and host 5AAA Becker. Both teams were coming into this contest with unblemished records and both wanted to make statement on this snowy, cold Friday night so it was something of an understatement that Becker High School was where you wanted to be on this Friday evening.
It took a little bit for Eden Prairie to shake off the initial cobwebs but the Eagles would eventually have the upper hand in this contest; building a 7-2 advantage thanks largely in part to senior guard Annika Anderson as her pretty drive and finish off the glass at the 15:39 mark of the first half and her three-point bomb from the top of the key at the 14:36 mark had them in good shape. But the host Bulldogs were unfazed by all of this as the ripped off an 11-0 spurt over a little more than a two minute period; highlighted by a "3" by senior guard Marin Westin at the 14:16 mark and two scores by fellow senior guard Ayla Brown and a short jumper from the right side by junior guard Alexis Rose. Becker would maintain a six-point edge as a lay-up in transition by Westin at the 11:12 mark to make it a 15-9 ballgame and although the Eagles would get back to within a single possession thanks to a three-point bomb by sophomore reserve guard Remington Ehrman from the left wing area at the 10:56 mark, Becker was not finished with its offensive as a lay-up in transition by senior reserve post Evelyn Kreft at the 10:23 mark and a short jumper in transition by Brown at the 10:04 to make it 19-12 Bulldogs mark prompted Eden Prairie Head Coach Ellen Wiese to call a timeout to assess the situation.
Becker, however, still seemed to have a firm grip on the situation as a three-point bomb by senior guard Dani Nuest from the top of the key with 8:36 left and a lay-up by Westin with 7:35 left had the Bulldogs in good shape up 24-16. But this Eden Prairie team was not going to be held down for long and the Eagles' Ehrman made sure of that as back-to-back three-point bombs - one from the right wing area with 7:10 left and another from the left wing area with 6:49 left - suddenly had Eden Prairie back to within a single possession down just 24-22. The Bulldogs would make another bid to create some more breathing room for themselves as Brown would muscle into the paint for a score with 6:33 left that drew a foul in the process and her ensuing "and one" had Becker up by five at 27-22. But the Eagles were just getting started with their counter-offensive and it would be Anderson doing major damage from behind the arc that helped turned things around for Eden Prairie coming down the stretch of this first half as she would unleash FOUR three-point bombs in the span of about four minutes that propelled a 16-5 Bulldog push - back-to-back treys with 6:16 and 5:07 left, one from the left top area with 2:58 left and another from the left corner with 2:07 left - that allowed the Eagles to take a surprising 38-32 advantage into the locker room at the half that had the Becker contingent wondering if their team could come back from that late onslaught.
Eden Prairie would put the Bulldogs in an even bigger hole at the outset of the second period when senior point guard Molly Lenz; relatively quiet from a scoring standpoint in the first half, drained a "3" from the right top area at the 17:36 mark to make it a 41-32 game but now it was Becker's turn to ratchet things up on offense after going into a slumber late in the first half. A tough drive and finish by Brown at the 16:57 mark followed by a score in the paint by senior forward Elizabeth Mackendanz at the 16:39 mark had the deficit cut to four at 41-37 and a couple of minutes later, a lay-up in transition by Nuest now had the Bulldogs back to within a single possession down 41-39 and Eden Prairie's Wiese; perhaps sensing a danger spot for her squad, called for a timeout to try and stop the bleeding. But Becker kept demonstrating that this latest comeback on their part was no fluke. Nuest would unleash a "3" from the left wing area at the 14:00 mark that pushed the Bulldogs back out in front 42-41 and then Brown would do the same from that left wing area as well at the 13:20 mark to give Becker a 45-43 advantage. The Eagles' Anderson would soon get this game knotted at 45 with her short jumper in the lane at the 12:49 mark. Both teams would trade small leads over the next minute and a half and after Eden Prairie got the game tied up again at 49 a piece after two free throws by Ehrman at the 11:02 mark, Becker got an unexpected lift when Rose would bang home a "3" from the left top area at the 10:46 mark that drew a foul and her ensuing "and one" suddenly gave the home team a 53-49 lead. But a four-point deficit was not going to faze this Eagle team as a strong drive into traffic and finish off the glass by senior guard Ashley Fritz at the 10:31 mark and a strong offensive rebound and putback by sophomore reserve guard Ella Hardwick at the 9:41 had this game leveled again at 53 a piece and needless to say, the tension and uncertainty inside the Becker Gymnasium was present.
And given some of the offensive fireworks displays that both teams had exhibited up to this point, with a tie game at 53, it was now time for defense to take center stage in this contest and both teams showed they could play at as the cobwebs would gather on both baskets for the next five minutes with both teams missing out on easy opportunities in the process. Finally, after much adieu, two free throws by Westin with 5:18 left in regulation broke this scoreless duel to push the Bulldogs back out in front by a 55-53 count. But before Becker to do any early celebrating, the Eagles came right back thanks to the slender sophomore reserve, Ehrman, as she would knock down a pair of freebies after getting fouled with 4:30 left and follow that up shortly thereafter with a pretty drive into traffic for a finish with 4:02 left that now pushed Eden Prairie back out in front by a 57-55 count. Then it was time for the Bulldogs to make a move and a three-point bomb by Nuest from the left top area with 3:45 left pushed Becker back out in front 58-57 and a pretty drive and finish by Westin a bit later with 2:59 left consolidated on that as the Bulldogs increased their lead to 60-57. But against a team like Eden Prairie, three points is nothing and the Eagles quickly reduced that deficit to one when Lenz connected with a jumper from the free throw line area with 2:46 left. Becker's Brown would up the lead to three again by knocking down a pair of charity stripe shots after she was fouled with 2:32 left but here Eden Prairie relied on Anderson and she calmly drained a cold-blooded "3" from the right wing area with 2:09 left that knotted this contest again at 62 a piece. Becker's Brown would come through on the Bulldogs' subsequent possession with a pretty drive and finish to give the home team a 64-62 lead but the Eagles' Anderson would strike again with 1:25 left with a pretty drive and finish of her own that had this contest leveled at 64 a piece. Becker Head Coach Dan Baird would call a timeout to set up strategy for this last 1:25 in regulation and it was here that the Bulldogs really showed their mettle on both ends of the floor with the game hanging in the balance. With 1:13 left, Nuest would connect on a lay-up to push Becker back out in front and a bit later it would be Rose making perhaps the play of the night with her steal and lay-up the other way with :51 left that made it a two-possession game at 68-64. Still, Eden Prairie had one last gasp in them. Lenz would be fouled from behind the arc with :15.2 seconds but could get only one free throw to go down which at least got the Eagles back to within a single possession down 68-65. On her last free throw attempt that missed, Eden Prairie sophomore guard Vanessa Jordan would sneak through traffic to snare the offensive rebound and with :09.5 left, she would be fouled and she would cash in on both free throw attempts that reduced the deficit to a scant point at 68-67. Becker's Baird would again take a timeout to set up strategy for his team's next possession and with :07.2 left, Rose would get fouled and the slender junior; with pressure abound, calmly sank both free throw attempts to make it a 70-67 game. Now Eden Prairie's Wiese had to burn a timeout to try and set up a three-point play to force overtime. With just :01 left on the clock, the Eagles' Ehrman got a brief look behind the arc and let a three-point bomb attempt fly but it rattled off the rim and Becker escaped with a tough and exciting 70-67 victory in a well-played contest by both teams.
When I was able to catch up with Becker's Baird after the win, I had to congratulate him and his team on an exciting victory and how this program just keeps the beat going. The first group he had finally broke through a couple of seasons ago and won a state tournament and this group is well on the way to carving its own identity and the culture here and the younger athletes below this current group want to emulate what they're doing. Baird noted that, just like the first group he had, this current group is just very competitive in every aspect - both on and off the floor and he noted that it's just so easy for him because these players come from good families and that they have their priorities correctly in place and it's obvious how much he enjoys leading this program.
What a night it was for Becker's Brown as her 25 points led all scorers but she also got a lot of help as Nuest poured in 16 points while Westin had 13 points and Rose was right behind tallying 12 points on this Friday night. For Eden Prairie, it was Anderson doing most of the damage as her 21 points led the way in a tough loss and the unheralded Ehrman surprised everyone on this night with her spirited play - and 16 points while Lenz finished with 13 points. Interestingly, Eden Prairie had a decided edge on the boards on this night by a 32-25 count and Becker was a perfect 8-8 from the charity stripe.
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