Made a leisurely drive up US Highway 10 and the BNSF's Staples Sub mainline on this sunny Thursday up to Moorhead, MN and Memorial Auditorium on the campus of Concordia College - a venue that I hadn't visited in eleven years - to take in the MIAC Semifinal Playoff game between visiting St. Kate's and host Concordia. I got a motel room over on the west side of Fargo, ND that allowed me to relax for a bit before I ventured back to the other side of the Red River to get settled in. The Wildcats were coming off a thrilling win over Hamline on Tuesday evening in the program's first home playoff game ever and were hoping to ride that momentum into this contest. The Cobbers meanwhile had taken care of business in the last week of the regular season and had the number-two seed locked up that allowed them to get rested a bit but still stay sharp as well.
Concordia Head Coach Kim Wagers had her team in man-to-man defense to start the game and offensively the Cobbers got off to a pretty decent start. Junior guard Carlee Sieben would help her team draw first blood in this contest with a three-point bomb from the top of the key at the 9:27 mark of the opening period and two free throws by strong junior forward Makayla Anderson after she was fouled at the 8:45 mark got the lead to 5-0. St. Kate's would take a bite out of this deficit when junior forward sharpshooter Greta Schimnowski connected with a jumper from the right wing area off of an inbounds pass just inside the arc at the 7:25 mark but that failed to slow the Cobbers down much initially. Senior guard Emily Beseman would get one free throw to go down after getting fouled at the 7:13 mark and a tough jumper along the left baseline by sophomore reserve guard Molly Musland with 4:57 left got the lead to six at 8-2. The 'Cats would try and take another bite out of this early deficit when slender sophomore forward Emme Golembiewski connected with a lay-up with 4:41 left but Concordia went back to work with a 9-0 push. Musland would knock down a jumper from the left wing area with 4:24 left and with 4:02 left, Beseman would come out of nowhere to snatch an offensive rebound and get a putback out of it to get the Cobber lead to 12-4. Strong junior forward Greta Tollefson would connect with a lay-up with 1:36 left and then Sieben would unleash more terror from behind the arc with a bomb from the right wing area with :30.2 left to give Concordia a 17-4 advantage. The Wildcats got a bit of a reprieve when sophomore reserve guard Kristen Lawton would make a daring dart into the lane to connect with a short jumper with :05.6 left but being in a hole down 17-6 from the get-go - on the road no less - was probably one of the big things that St. Kate's Head Coach Don Mulhern feared.
The Wildcats definitely needed a lift of some sort once the second period got going and a "3" by Schimnowski from the left top area at the 9:42 mark got the gap closed to nine at 17-9 but before you knew it, Concordia was off and running again. Anderson would get things going with a routine offensive rebound and putback at the 9:13 mark and would follow that up a bit later with a pair of free throws after getting fouled at the 8:43 mark to make it a 21-9 game. Then the Cobbers started inflicting more damage from behind the arc. Beseman would unleash one bomb from the left wing area after a steal at the 8:36 mark and another bomb from backcourt mate Sieben at the 8:10 mark - her third of the evening - stretched Concordia's lead to 27-11 and the Wildcats' Mulhern had no choice but to take a match to a timeout to try and patch some holes in a hurry. Without question, St. Kate's looked to be in a ton of trouble and could have easily folded at that point. Instead, the 'Cats hunkered down and showed resolve as they slyly got their way right back into this ballgame. Junior forward Rachel Randleman would connect with a lay-up at the 7:44 mark and then freshman sensation guard Hattie Fox got in on the action. The Osceola, WI native would get a pair of freebies to go down after getting fouled at the 6:47 mark and would follow that up with a three-point bomb from the left top area at the 6:14 mark that had the deficit down to eleven at 29-18. Then Golembiewski would use her 5:11 frame to snare an offensive rebound of her own miss for a putback at the 5:41 mark that got St. Kate's back into single digit-range again down 29-20. Both teams went into a bit of a scoring funk over the next four minutes or so but this actually proved to be more costly for Concordia and effectively kept the door open for the 'Cats. The Cobbers finally got some of the cobwebs off of their basket when Sieben connected with a lay-up with 1:30 left but then the Wildcats would finish off this unpredictable second period with an 8-0 tear. Schimnowski would get her second trey of this night when she buried a bomb from the left corner with 1:14 left and a tough offensive rebound and putback by freshman reserve forward Lily Peper with :48 left cut the deficit to seven at 32-25. With just :17.1 left, Schimnowski would unleash more terror from behind the arc to cap this push with a bomb from the left top area that narrowed the deficit to just four at 32-28 and the Cobbers; who appeared to be on the brink of breaking this game open, now trotted back to their locker room a bit dazed and surprised while the Wildcats looked full of life and momentum on their side at the intermission.
Without question, the first few minutes of the third quarter were probably going to go a long way in determing which team would hold the upper hand and it was here where Concordia stood solid when they had to. Senior guard Jordyn Kahler; who was tagged with her second foul of the ballgame at about the midway point of the first period, made amends for some of those earlier transgressions as she would knock down a jumper from the left top area just inside the arc at the 9:46 mark and two free throws by Anderson after she was fouled at the 9:20 mark gave the Cobbers some more breathing room with a 36-28 advantage. That lead would expand to double-digits again when Sieben unleashed her fourth trey of this ballgame - this one from the right corner (much to the delight of the always-rowdy Cobber student crazies) at the 8:52 mark to make it 39-28. St. Kate's would patch up some of this bleeding when always-reliable senior point guard Karis Zezza connected on a lay-up at the 8:40 mark but the Cobbers would maintain this double-digit advantage on one free throw by Anderson after she was fouled at the 8:31 mark. The Wildcats would make a bid to draw close again as Fox would snare an offensive rebound for a putback and get fouled in the process and her ensuing "and one" had the deficit slimmed down to seven at 40-33. But Concordia would put a lid on this latest comeback attempt by its opponent and fatten up the lead again. Kalher would knock down a pair of free throws after getting fouled at the 7:37 mark and a routine score in the paint by Anderson at the 6:53 mark had the lead back up to eleven at 44-33. Two free throws by freshman reserve forward Genevieve Gruba after she was fouled at the 5:53 mark maintained the eleven-point edge at 46-35 but the Cobbers would have to stave off yet another bid by St. Kate's. Sophomore reserve guard Maddie Young would connect on a short, turnaround jumper in the lane at the 5:37 mark and would add a pair of charity stripe shots after getting fouled at the 5:09 mark. Then Randleman would use a burst of speed to connect with a tough lay-up with 4:32 left that gave the Wildcats a ray of hope down by only five at 46-41. Once again, Concordia would hold firm. Kahler would knock down a pair of free throws after getting fouled with 4:13 left and then Kahler, the former Wahpeton, ND standout, banged home a huge "3" from the right wing area with 3:35 left that got the lead back to double digits again at 51-41. With 3:09 left, Anderson would connect on a routine lay-up to make it an eleven-point game again at 53-42 and with the Cobbers now in the bonus, they would keep attacking. Tollefson would knock down a pair of free throws after getting fouled with 2:10 left as would Beseman after she was fouled with 1:57 left to make it 57-44. Diminutive senior reserve guard Maddie Guler would follow suit after getting fouled with :57.8 left to grow the lead to 59-44 and although St. Kate's would get a bit of a reprieve on a Schimnowski three-point bomb from the left top area with :36.7 left, the Cobbers would consolidate on their latest gains when Guler squirted through traffic for a lay-up with just :06.7 left as Concordia was now on much firmer footing with a 61-47 advantage.
Those pesky St. Kate's Wildcats were still not taking "no" for an answer and they attempted another bid to get back into this ballgame in the opening moments of the fourth period. Young; the former Cloquet standout, would grab the spotlight again by grabbing an offensive rebound for a putback at the 9:20 mark and then Young would get an open look from behind the arc in the right wing area and would unleash a bomb that got the 'Cats back to within single digits down 61-52 and the Cobbers' Wagers, not in the mood to take any chances, called for a halt to the action to get her team refocused again. This stoppage in play would pay dividends for Concordia as they would get on a 5-0 push to enlarge its safety net. Kahler would muscle into the paint for one score at the 7:45 mark and one free throw by Beseman after she was fouled at the 6:44 mark got the lead to twelve at 64-52. That lead would grow to 66-52 when Anderson knocked down a jumper from the left elbow area at the 6:08 mark that effectively put the Wildcats back at Square One again. St. Kate's got some momentary relief on a three-point bomb by slender junior reserve forward Sydney Elliott from the left corner at the 5:49 mark but now it was becoming difficult for the Wildcats to sustain any hoped-for momentum as Concordia would always come up with answers. Another routine score in the paint by Anderson at the 5:39 mark and a pretty floater in the lane by Sieben with 4:20 left pushed the lead back to fifteen at 70-55. Kahler would connect with a lay-up with 3:44 left to maintain the fifteen-point edge at 72-57 and two free throws by Tollefson after she was fouled with 3:05 left got the lead to 74-58. The 'Cats would try and take some bites out of this deficit as Young would drop a pair of free throws after getting fouled with 2:58 left and a Fox "3" from the left top area with 1:38 left cut the deficit down to eleven at 74-63 but back to work went the Cobbers from the charity stripe. Guler would get one freebie to go down after getting fouled with 1:33 left and Tollefson would add a pair after being fouled with 1:24 left. Beseman would knock down two more after getting fouled with :24.3 left and Kahler would add one more for insurance with :07.5 left. Perhaps fittingly, in her final game as a St. Kate's Wildcat, Zezza would bury a "3" with just :00.3 left on the clock but it would not alter the outcome as the Concordia Cobbers advanced to Saturday's MIAC Championship Game with an 80-71 victory.
It took a bit but I was able to catch up with much-relieved Wagers of Concordia afterward who shared her thoughts about this contest; particularly with the late second period run her team had to deal with from the Wildcats. She admitted that her squad turned the ball over a lot which is surprising as she pointed out that her team is third in the country in not turning the ball over. "That's crazy for my team" she said wrt the turnovers they committed. "We were a little out of control" she added but the halftime break offered Wagers and her staff an opportunity to get the team calmed down and refocused. "We were definitely more focused and got on a little run" she pointed out. Indeed, that was a critical stretch for both teams in this game when things were hanging in the balance a bit. Now comes the big challenge - getting ready for another date with GAC in the MIAC Championship Game down in St. Peter on Saturday. I got the impression from Wagers that this team feels like its ready for this challenge and I've felt personally - strictly from the eye test - that this team is ready to take the next step. Granted, it wasn't always easy at times on this night and give credit to St. Kate's Don Mulhern who came up with a solid game plan and some pesky defense coming down the stretch in that second period that helped close the gap and at least gave the Wildcats a chance. Ultimately, you have to credit the Cobbers for holding firm when they had to and getting their cushion big enough to where they were never in real jeopardy. When I caught up with the Wildcats' Mulhern, he was incredibly proud of his team for how hard they fought in this contest and showing that grit and determination even though things didn't turn out the way they wanted to in the end. It took a little while but you finally see this program taking a significant step forward under Mulhern's tutelage and in a conference that is as tough and competitive as the MIAC, that's no easy feat. Although they lose Zezza to graduation, they bring all the other important pieces back for next year - including sophomore reserve guard Kaylee Miron who broke her hand in the regular season finale at CSB.
You look at the box score on this one (and beyond) and there's some positives and negatives on each side. Concordia had the edge in the rebounding department by a 37-30 count but they did suffer 16 turnovers in this game with several of those coming in that second period which obviously is very un-Concordia-like. The Cobbers did get to the charity stripe often enough but wound up going only 30-40 for a straight 75% - and for a team that has free throw shooting as one of its other hallmark strengths, this is another figure that will most definitely have to be better Saturday against GAC. St. Kate's free throw shooting percentage was marginally better as the Wildcats were 11-14 for 78.6%. One could argue that the Wildcats got caught a bit flat-footed at times when Concordia was in transition and although that doesn't show up in the box score, it was still a critical component.
It was a very balanced scoring attack for Concordia on this night as (surprise) Anderson leading the way with her 19 points to be one of the co-high scorers of this game. Sieben had her moments too with 16 points - including going 4-5 from downtown and Kahler was solid as well with 14 points and Beseman was just her reliable self as always as she tallied 11 points on this night and nine rebounds to boot. Tollefson finished with "only" eight points on this night but grabbed 12 rebounds which was huge for the Cobbers. St. Kate's, too, had a reasonably balanced attack as Schimnowski was the co-high scorer to pace the Wildcat attack with 19 points and Fox finished with 13 points. The real surprise for the Wildcats on this night may have been Young as she tallied 11 points.
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