MIAC Coaching Changes Update

 Am a bit late with this as I was on vacation this last week but wanted to update everyone on the two recent coaching hires that have recently taken place on the MIAC Women's Basketball front.

Augsburg filled the vacancy left by Ted Riverso's retirement by snagging Mallie Doucette who had most recently been an assistant over at DII Concordia St Paul from 2022-24.  Before that, Doucette had stints at both UW-Eau Claire and Minnetonka HS and had played collegiately at St. Cloud St so it does seem like a reasonably solid hire by AD Jeff Swenson.  

St. Olaf meanwhile settled on a new coach as Interim AD (and former HC) Kelly Mahlum selected Megan Lueck who comes to Northfield after a six-year stint as an assistant at D1 South Dakota St.  Lueck also had previous stints at both Florida St and Mercer and had a solid playing career at UM-Duluth so this also looks to be a pretty solid "get" as well for the Oles in going forward.  

Like Courtney Shelton who came to SMU back in late April, both Doucette and Lueck face something of an uphill task in getting their programs back to relevancy status in a conference like the MIAC that - for right now anyway- is dominated by both GAC and Concordia with two or three other teams right below them so all three will have their work cut out for them when it comes to not only recruiting but getting players who will "fit" their respective systems which hopefully translates into a competitive product in a very competitive conference.  At the same time, these hires all appear to be very good as they bring a certain degree of youth and enthusiasm that can breathe fresh air and energy into programs that desperately need it.  Time is the ultimate teller, of course, but all three need a certain amount of time to "plant the seed" and let their respective trees grow. 

As always, please feel free to fire away with thoughts......    

Midtown YWCA Women's College Summer League Results For Wednesday 7-24-24

 Here are the results of the games I was able to cover on the last night of the Midtown YWCA Women's College Summer League:

6:15 PM Games

UW-Stout - 86

Leaky Roof - 35

Lions Black - 61

Retired Athletes - 50

7:15 PM Games

UW-Stout - 65

CSB - 49

Lions Gold - 54

Court Crashers - 51

UNW Eagles - 76

Luther - 65

Sara's Shooters - 58

KATZ - 38

8:15 PM Games

Lady Hustlers - 84

Free Agents - 77

The Mix Ups - 78

Currey Crew - 65

Arden Hills - 45

Anoka-Ramsey - 31

The HAMster Balls - 87

Guards Of The Galaxy - 46

Only two games in the 6:15 PM slot and the contest over on Court 1 between the Leaky Roof team and the UW-Stout team wasn't much of a contest at all as the latter came out with both barrels blazing from the opening tip-off as the UW-Stout team took a 5-0 lead at the 8:41 mark of the opening period and that would quickly grow to 12-0 by the 6:25 mark of the first period and they would hold this lead near the midway point.  A 12-1 blitz down the stretch had them up 24-1 by the end of the first period.  Things would only get worse once the second period got underway with the UW-Stout team up 26-1 at the 8:25 mark of the second period and by the midway point, the UW-Stout team was sitting on a 35-3 lead.  By the halftime break, the UW-Stout team's lead ballooned to 42-6.  By the 6:35 mark of the third period, the UW-Stout team's lead bulged to 46-6 before the Leaky Roof team finally found a little bit of offense to get into double digits down 55-11 with 3:15 left but things had long since been academic with the UW-Stout team rolling along with a 67-19 lead by the end of the third period.  By the 7:10 mark of the 4th period, the UW-Stout team had things in cruise control with a 70-21 advantage as the waltzed to an easy victory.......A much tighter contest was ensuing over on Court 2 between the Lions Black team and the Retired Athletes team.  This contest would be leveled at two a piece at the 9:35 mark of the opening period and a "3" by Meghan DuBois (Concordia St Paul '22) had the Retired Athletes team up 5-2 by the 8:50 mark of the first period and they would at least maintain this three-point edge up 9-6 near the midway point.  The Retired Athletes team would then embark on a 5-0 push that suddenly had them up 14-6 with 4:35 left after former UST and Park Center standout McKenna DuBois connected with a pretty lay-up.  The Lions Black team would quickly respond with a 6-0 run that had them down just 14-10 with 2:10 left and down by a single possession at 14-12 by the end of the first period.  The Lions Black team would carry this newfound momentum once the second period got underway, getting the game tied at 17-all by the 7:50 mark of the second period and then assuming a 19-17 lead by the 6:10 mark.  A 6-0 push by the Lions Black team would get that leade to 23-17 with 2:25 left and then a three-point bomb by senior-to-be Kylie Baranick pushed the lead to 28-17 with 1:05 left.  By the halftime break, the Lions Black team had unleashed a 16-0 blitz that had them up 33-17.  But the Lions Black team was far from finished as they went on a 9-0 run once the third period got underway that appeared to make this look like a rout with a 42-17 advantage by the 6:20 mark of the third period and they would hold this lead near the midway point.  The Retired Athletes team finally broke out of their extended slumber on a "3" by McKenna DuBois but the Lions Black team still had a sizable cushion up 42-27 although this lead would be trimmed a bit by the end of the third period at 43-30.  The Lions Black team would still hold a 45-30 advantage by the 8:15 mark of the fourth period but the Retired Athletes team finally got a ray of hope as former Park Center/Concordia St Paul/Sioux Falls standout Danielle Schaub buried a "3" at the 6:15 mark of the fourth period that cut into this deficit although the Lions Black team would still be holding onto a 49-36 at the midway point.  Undaunted, the Retired Athletes team kept plugging away as another three-point bomb by McKenna DuBois got the deficit down to ten at 49-39 with 3:40 left in regulation and they would crawl back to within single digit range down 51-42 with 3:09 left in regulation.  Alarmed, the Lions Black team would get their lead back to double digits at 56-42 with 2:20 left in regulation before the Retired Athletes team would make one last gasp - cutting the deficit down to eight at 58-50 with 1:12 left but the comeback attempt would prove to be a bridge too far as the Lions Black team held on for the tough win.

A much busier time in the 7:15 PM slot with four games going on.  On Court 1, the UW-Stout team; doing double-duty on this night, had a considerably tougher opponent to take on this time around as they faced off against the CSB team.  The CSB team would get off to a good start in this one; grabbing an 8-5 lead by the 7:45 mark of the 1st period but that didn't seem to faze the UW-Stout team as they would roar back to assume an 18-13 lead with 3:25 left in the first period although the CSB team would hang tough; getting back to within a single possession down 18-15 with 3:00 left.  Still, the UW-Stout team was able to re-establish the five-point edge at 23-18 by the end of the first period.  The UW-Stout team would then get a firmer grip on this game with a 27-20 lead by the 8:20 mark of the second period and grow the lead to nine at 32-23 with 3:05 left in the second period and by the halftime break, the UW-Stout team had assumed a double digit advantage at 40-28.  The UW-Stout team would up the lead to 42-28 by the 6:40 mark of the third period but the CSB team refused to go away as they would mount a comeback that would eventually have them back to within single-digit range down 45-38 with 1:10 left in the third period.  By the end of the third period, the outcome of this one appeared to be up in the air with the UW-Stout team up only by six at 47-41.  There was still hope for the CSB team down just 50-43 by the 8:30 mark of the fourth period but then the UW-Stout team but a 10-2 run by the UW-Stout team cleared up any doubts on this one as they would hold a 60-45 lead with 2:50 left in regulation and would claim their second dub on this night.......A very good game was ensuing over on Court 2 between the Lions Gold team and the Court Crashers team and this one would be leveled at six a piece by the 7:45 mark of the opening period and by the midway point of the first period, the Lions Gold team would be clinging to a 9-8 advantage.  This one would stay neck-and-neck and by the end of the first period, the Court Crashers team had turned the tables to hold a 15-14 edge.  This game would be knotted again at 19-all by the 8:00 mark of the second period and the Court Crashers team would be hanging on to a 23-21 lead by the midway point of the second period.  The Lions Gold team would then find some magic and go on the first significant push that had them up 29-24 with 1:15 left and a 4-0 push grew the lead to nine at 33-24 by the halftime break.  The Lions Gold team would grow this lead to 38-27 by the 8:05 mark of the third period but an 8-0 run by the Court Crashers team narrowed this lead to only 38-35 near the midway point of the third period.  The Lions Gold team would get a bit more breathing room with a 43-39 lead with 3:05 left but the Court Crashers team would embark on another push that suddenly had them up 46-45 by the end of the third period.  The Court Crashers team would grow their lead to 51-47 by the 7:45 mark of the fourth period but that lead would be narrowed up a bit at 51-48 near the midway point of the fourth period.  With 3:45 left in regulation, the Lions Black team had cut the deficit down to a scant point at 51-50 and the Court Crashers team would be nursing this same lead with just 1:30 left.  The Lions Gold team would save the best for last as they assumed a 52-51 lead with :35 left in regulation and added another score for insurance as they claimed an exciting victory.......Another good game was taking place on Court 3 between the Luther team and the UNW Eagles team and this one would be knotted up at two a piece by the 7:42 mark of the opening period.  The UNW Eagles team would hold a 7-6 edge near the midway point of the first period but the Luther team would come back down the stretch and they would hold a 24-22 advantage by the end of the first period.  The Luther team would be holding a 27-24 lead by the 8:15 mark of the second period and they would get the lead to four at 35-31 near the midway point of the second period.  But the UNW Eagles team did not falter and they would gradually come back down the stretch and hold a 40-39 lead by the halftime break.  The UNW Eagles team would be holding a 44-41 advantage at the 7:20 mark of the third period and things were still very tight by the midway point of the third period with the UNW Eagles team trying to hang on with a 49-47 lead.  It was here, however, where the UNW Eagles team found a burst of energy and went on a 12-3 run to assume a 61-50 lead with 3:00 left and they would grow this lead to 63-50 by the end of the third period.  The Luther team was unable to rekindle the earlier magic it had in this contest as the UNW Eagles team had a 67-54 lead near the midway point of the fourth period and although the Luther team would make one last gambit to try and get into this thing down the stretch, the deficit was too much to overcome as the UNW Eagles team got the win on this night.......An intriguing contest was taking place over on Court 4 between the Sara's Shooters team and the KATZ team that was coming off a big win on Tuesday night.  The Sara's Shooters team would grab a 2-0 advantage at the 9:10 mark of the opening period and this game would be leveled at four a piece near the midway point of the first period.  This game would still be tied at 11-all with 1:10 left and fittingly this game would be deadlocked at 13 a piece by the end of the first period.  The Sara's Shooters team would get the upper hand once the second period got underway and they would hold a 23-18 advantage near the midway point of the second period but the KATZ team was staying within striking distance; down 25-22 with 1:20 left in the second period and down only 28-24 by the halftime break.  The Sara's Shooters team would still be hanging on to this 28-24 advantage by the 8:40 mark of the third period and with 4:05 left in the third period, things still appeared to be very much in doubt with the Sara's Shooters team clinging to a 31-29 advantage.  With 3:35 left, this game was leveled again at 31 and even though the Sara's Shooters team would hold a 34-31 advantage by the end of the third period, this one definitely looked to be up for grabs.  But the KATZ team appeared to run out of gas once the fourth period got underway as the Sara's Shooters team got their lead to five at 41-36 by the 6:40 mark of the fourth period and would grow that lead to 43-36 near the midway point of the fourth period.  The Sara's Shooters team managed to cruise down the stretch for the relatively easy win.

On Court 1 in the 8:15 PM slot, two alumni/mixed teams were going at it as the Lady Hustlers team was taking on the Free Agents team.  This one would be nip-and-tuck as well from the get-go with the Free Agents team holding an 11-10 edge near the midway point of the opening period and would be up 16-12 by the end of the first period.  The Lady Hustlers team would crawl back to within single-digit range down 16-14 by the 8:10 mark of the second period and would stay close and with 3:30 left in the second period, this game would be tied at 24-all.  By the halftime break, the Free Agents team would be holding on to an uncertain 32-30 lead.  Things seemed even more uncertain as the Lady Hustlers team assumed a 44-40 advantage near the midway point of the third period and the Lady Hustlers team would at least hold the upper hand down the stretch as they owned a 56-54 lead.  The Lady Hustlers team still had things going its way near the midway point of the fourth period with a 70-68 lead but the Free Agents team would soon get this gamed knotted again at 70 a piece with 4:25 left in regulation.  But the Lady Hustlers team would not break down the stretch as they earned the tough win on this night.......A strange game meanwhile would be ensuing over on Court 2 between The Mix Ups team and the Currey Crew and although The Mix Ups team would hold a 2-0 advantage by the 9:25 mark of the opening period, things would soon go south for this team as the Currey Crew used its namesake three-point shooting prowess to hold a 19-12 lead near the midway point of the first period.  The Currey Crew team would grow this lead to 24-16 with 2:00 left and would be up 27-20 by the end of the first period.  The Currey Crew team would see its lead shrink to just four at 27-23 by the 8:20 mark of the second period but they would have a bit more breathing room up 36-29 near the midway point of the second period and they would own a 39-33 advantage with 3:30 left.  The Currey Crew team would get on another push down the stretch and by the halftime break, the Currey Crew team was in very good shape up 48-37.  The Currey Crew team would still be holding a 48-40 lead by the 8:40 mark of the third period but some craziness (or stupidity depending upon your point of view) would soon set in as one of the players on The Mix Ups team; who had been having a back-and-forth with the game officials, decided to take a page from my book during my competitive tennis-playing days and unleashed a barrage of expletives that promptly got her tossed.  Luckily for The Mix Ups team, the game continued and this incident somehow gave The Mix Ups team new life as they would go on a big run that would have them up 57-53 with 3:19 left in the third period.  And The Mix Ups team was far from finished as they would embark on an 8-0 push to own a 65-53 lead by the end of the third period.  The Currey Crew team was unable to recover once the fourth period got underway with The Mix Ups team holding a 69-53 advantage at the 7:10 mark of the fourth period.  By the midway point of the fourth period, The Mix Ups team was cruising up 72-57 and was able to coast the rest of the way for the wild, weird win.......Things were somewhat more calm over on Court 3 in this time slot as the Anoka-Ramsey team was taking on the Arden Hills team.  Although defense would take center stage early on with the Arden Hills team owning a 2-0 edge at the 9:05 mark of the opening period and a 5-0 lead near the midway point of the first period, the Arden Hills team was able to find its groove and opened up a 13-6 advantage with 1:05 left and they would hold this lead by the end of the first period.  The Arden Hills team would be up 18-10 by the 7:20 mark of the second period and hold an 18-12 lead near the midway point of the second period.  The Arden Hills team would be holding form with a 21-14 advantage with 1:30 left and by the halftime break, the Arden Hills team had established a ten-point cushion up 24-14.  The Arden Hills team would grow this lead to 31-14 by the 7:55 mark of the third period and double-up its opponent at 36-18 with 3:25 left in the third period and would own a 40-23 lead by the end of the third period.  The struggles for the Anoka-Ramsey team would continue once the fourth period got underway with the Arden Hills team up 42-27 near the midway point of the fourth period and they would have things in cruise control the rest of the way for the win.......Over on Court 4, the Guards Of The Galaxy team was trying to match wits with The HAMster Balls team but the latter would assume control of this contest early on as The HAMster Balls team would own an 11-6 advantage at the 6:10 mark of the opening period and by the end of the first period, The HAMster Balls team had a ten-point cushion at 24-14.  Things would continue to go south for the Guards Of The Galaxy team as The HAMster Balls team got its lead to 36-20 by the 6:10 mark of the second period and by the halftime break, The HAMster Balls team owned a cozy 43-24 advantage.  Not much would change once the fourth period got underway with The HAMster Balls team owning a 45-27 lead at the 8:15 mark of the third period and got the lead to twenty at 47-27 at the 7:25 mark.  The HAMster Balls lead ballooned to 61-34 with 2:25 left and although the Guards Of The Galaxy team did get a bit of a spark on a pretty lay-up by Marisa Gustafson (GAC '21) a short time later, they were still on the wrong end of a 66-38 score at the end of the third period.  The HAMster Balls team would continue to pour it on once the fourth period got underway as they upped the lead to 70-44 by the 7:10 mark of the fourth period as they romped to an easy win.

Just want to give a shout out to Bruce Smith of the Midtown YWCA for putting together another great and fun Summer League and to all the officials and players who helped make it happen.  Great job everyone!   

Midtown YWCA Women's College Summer League Results For Tuesday 7-23-24

 Here are the results of the games I was able to cover on Tuesday evening at the Midtown YWCA Women's College Summer League:

6:15 PM Games

CSB - 61

Bemidji St - 55

Lions Black - 60

The HAMster Balls - 56

Currey Crew - 103

Court Crashers - 61

7:15 PM Games

Sara's Shooters - 58

Leaky Roof - 26

GAC Alumni - 90

UNW Eagles - 64

Free Agents - 90

Luther - 73

8:15 PM Games

The Mix Ups - 71

Lady Hustlers - 62

KATZ - 59

Wash Ups - 57

Arden Hills - 68

Lions Gold - 62

Retired Athletes - 86

Guards Of The Galaxy - 45

An interesting matchup took place over on Court 1 in the 6:15 PM slot with the Bemidji St team taking on the CSB team.  The CSB team would get off to a very good start in this one; taking a 3-0 lead early in this contest and eventually building the lead to 12-2 with 2:50 left in the opening period and the CSB would maintain this ten-point cushion at 16-6 by the end of the first period.  The Bemidji St team would try and make inroads and they would have the deficit cut to seven at 18-11 by the 8:20 mark of the second period but the CSB team refused to fold and they would eventually re-establish the ten-point cushion at 31-21 with 1:50 left and they would get their lead to eleven at 35-24 by the halftime break.  By the 8:20 mark of the third period, the CSB team would have its largest lead yet at 37-24 but the Bemidji St team would get on a bit of a push and narrow the deficit down to eight at 39-31 by the midway point and by the end of the third period, the CSB team's lead would be cut a bit further at 45-38.  The CSB team would still be nursing this 45-38 lead by the 8:00 mark of the fourth period but the Bemidji St team would embark on another push that would narrow the CSB team's lead down to four at 45-41 at the 6:46 mark.  Things were still hanging in the balance somewhat with 2:11 left with the CSB team hanging on to this four-point edge at 56-52 but they would not falter as they would maintain this four-point cushion at 59-55 with 1:20 left and earn the tough win........One of the better games on this Tuesday night took place over on Court 2 in this time slot that saw The HAMster Balls team taking on the Lions Black team.  A short jumper by super senior-to-be Emma (not evil) Kniefel at the 9:45 mark of the opening period got the Lions Black team on the board first but The HAMster Balls team would offer a solid response as they would come back and get an 8-5 lead by the 6:55 mark.  Not to be outdone, the Lions Black team would come back to grab a 10-9 advantage near the midway point of the first period and they would up the lead to 15-11 with 2:10 left and by the end of the first period, the Lions Black team owned a 17-14 lead.  The Lions Black team would maintain this three-point edge at 23-20 by the 6:10 mark of the second period but  that lead would be reduced to a scant point at 23-22 by the midway point of the second period.  Alarmed, the Lions Black team would get on a push and get their lead to nine at 33-24 with 1:40 left and they appeared to be in much better shape with a 36-26 lead at the halftime break.  The Lions Black team still had things going their way with a 36-28 lead at the 8:30 mark of the third period and things still looked pretty good for the Lions Black team with a 44-35 lead near the midway point of the third period.  But The HAMster Balls team would then embark on a push that narrowed the gap to six at 45-39 with 1:40 left and a "3" by senior-to-be Kate Trachsel got The HAMster Balls team back to within a single possession down just 45-42 with :38 left and the Lions Black team would be holding onto this somewhat tenuous lead by the end of the third period.  The Lions Black team appeared to be back on solid footing again with a 49-43 lead at the 7:30 mark of the fourth period but The HAMster Balls team refused to go away as they embarked on one last bid in an effort to bring this one back.  With 2:55 left in regulation, The HAMster Balls team had crawled back to within a single possession down just 58-56 with what appeared to be a ton of time left but they could not get any closer.  The Lions Black team would get an insurance score to get their lead to 60-56 with 1:25 left in regulation to hang on for the narrow win.......No such drama over on Court 3 where the Currey Crew team was taking on the Court Crashers team.  The Currey Crew team would bolt out to an 11-3 lead by the 6:10 mark of the opening period although the Court Crashers team would narrow the gap to five at 11-6 near the midway point of the first period.  But the Currey Crew team would eventually expand its lead to double digits at 21-11 by the end of the first period.  That lead would continue to grow once the second period got underway and by the 6:20 mark, the Currey Crew team was sitting on a cozy 33-16 lead and that would grow to 41-19 by the midway point of the second period.  The Currey Crew would be up twenty at 43-23 with 1:05 left and by the halftime break, the Currey Crew was sitting pretty with a 46-25 lead.  The Currey Crew would double up its opponent by the 7:40 mark of the third period at 56-28 and there was little doubt with how things were going to turn out with 2:30 left with the Currey Crew owning a 69-35 advantage.  By the end of the third period, the Currey Crew was cruising up 74-41.  Things were pretty much academic once the fourth period got going and with 3:11 left, the Currey Crew had things in cruise control with a 94-56 lead as they romped to an easy win.  

Nor was there much in the way of drama on Court 1 in the 7:15 PM slot that saw the Leaky Roof team taking on the Sara's Shooters team as the latter would race out to a 9-0 lead by the 7:05 mark of the opening period and they would at least maintain this nine-point edge up 13-4 with 2:50 left in the first period.  By the end of the first period, the Sara's Shooters team would grow the lead to 17-4 and this trend would continue once the second period got underway as the Sara's Shooters team upped the lead to 21-6 at the 7:10 mark of the second period and grew that lead to 25-9 with 3:20 left.  By the halftime break, the Sara's Shooters team was sitting on a sizable 31-9 advantage.  Although the Leaky Roof team would cut into this deficit a bit down 31-11 by the 7:10 mark of the third period, they still couldn't get much going offensively to make a big difference as the Sara's Shooters team would own a 35-19 advantage with 2:45 left and would still be up handily at 38-22 by the end of the third period.  A 9-0 burst out of the gate once the fourth period got underway erased any doubts that might have been lingering that put the Sara's Shooters team up 47-22 by the 6:45 mark of the fourth period and they would waltz to an easy win.......Over on Court 3, the UNW Eagles team was taking on the GAC Alumni team and this one would pretty much follow the same pattern.  Even though the GAC Alumni team held a 3-2 advantage by the 7:38 mark of the opening period, the GAC Alumni team would get on a run that would balloon this lead to 14-5 with 3:20 left and by the end of the first period, the GAC Alumni team was already up double digits at 21-10.  The GAC Alumni team would up this lead to 25-13 at the 8:10 mark of the second period and would expand this lead to eighteen at 33-15 by the midway point of the second period.  The UNW Eagles team would get on a spurt that cut the deficit to ten a 39-29 that offered a ray of hope with 1:20 left but the GAC Alumni would find firmer footing with a 41-29 advantage by the halftime break.  The GAC Alumni team would pick up where it left off once the third period got underway; growing the lead to 46-31 at the 8:30 mark of the third period and a tough offensive rebound and putback by Grace Benz (GAC '23) helped the GAC Alumni team keep a firm grip on things up 52-38 by the midway point.  The GAC Alumni team would own a 60-42 lead with 2:05 left and enjoyed a 63-47 advantage by the end of the third period.  The UNW Eagles team would make one last-gasp attempt to draw close again as the fourth period got underway; trimming the deficit to thirteen at 63-50 by the 8:45 mark of the fourth period and they would at least stay in this thirteen-point range down 70-57 by the midway point.  But the GAC Alumni team would close the door down the stretch as they would be up 78-59 with 3:05 left and had things in cruise control the rest of the way for the easy win.......And it was pretty much the same story over on Court 4 that saw the Luther team taking on the Free Agents team.  The Free Agents team would grab a 10-6 lead by the 6:40 mark of the opening period and that lead would slowly grow to 21-8 with 3:05 left.  To their credit, the Luther team was able to get on a push and get back to within single digit range down 27-22 by the end of the first period.  The Free Agents team would at least maintain this five-point cushion at 29-24 by the 7:50 mark of the second period but they would soon get on a roll that would quickly grow this lead to 41-27 near the midway point of the second period.  The Free Agents team would be in good shape up 51-29 left and they would grow that lead to 53-29 by the halftime break.  The Luther team would take a bit of a bite out of this deficit down 56-39 at the 8:05 mark of the third period but they would take a much more significant bite as this third period progressed and by the midway point, the Luther team had suddenly crawled back to within single digit range down 60-52.  Alarmed, the Free Agents team slowly rebuilt its cushion and had their lead up to 64-54 with 1:55 left and they would hold a 68-56 lead by the end of the third period.  The Luther team would make one more push to get things back within single digit range again down 70-61 at the 8:50 mark of the fourth period but they weren't able to sustain this momentum and that allowed the Free Agents team to put the finishing touches on this game as they would hold an 81-69 lead by the midway point and then coast to a relatively easy win.

Two experienced teams were going at it on Court 1 in the busy 8:15 PM slot that saw the Lady Hustlers team taking on The Mix Ups team.  This contest would be knotted at two a piece at the 9:15 mark of the opening period but then The Mix Ups team would get on a run and establish a 15-8 advantage with 2:53 left and finish out the first period with a 6-0 push that stretched the lead to 21-8 by the end of the first period.  The Lady Hustlers team offensive struggles continued as The Mix Ups team got their lead to 25-11 at the 7:15 mark of the first period and with 3:40 left, The Mix Ups team had a nice cushion with a 33-15 lead.  The Lady Hustlers team would find a bit of magic coming down the home stretch and they at least managed to tighten things up a bit down 40-27 by the halftime break.  The Mix Ups team tried to get things going again once the third period got underway but couldn't get more space with a 45-33 lead at the 7:17 mark of the third period and the Lady Hustlers team kept hanging around and found themselves down by only ten at 52-42 with 3:35 left.  With newfound momentum, the Lady Hustlers team kept chipping away and suddenly found themselves down by only four at 55-51 with 1:07 left before The Mix Ups team finally got a bit of a push to get some more breathing room with a 59-51 advantage by the end of the third period.  Unfortunately for the Lady Hustlers team never could find that same magic once the fourth period got underway as The Mix Ups team enjoyed a 64-55 lead at the midway point of the fourth period and they still had a 67-59 lead with 1:30 left as they hung on for the dub.......Another very good game on this Tuesday night took place over on Court 2 where the KATZ team was taking on the Wash Ups team.  The KATZ team would draw first blood in this contest with a 2-0 lead at the 9:10 mark of the opening period but they would stretch this lead to 10-2 by the 6:25 mark before the Wash Ups team could get things tightened up a bit down 12-6 near the midway point.  The Wash Ups team held firm and by the end of the first period, they were right back in the thick of things down 18-14.  The Wash Ups team would continue with this newfound momentum and embark on a 5-0 push that put them out in front 19-18 by the 8:35 mark of the second period but they weren't able to establish any more space than that and that allowed the KATZ team to come back and re-take the lead at 25-23 near the midway point of the second period.  Things were still tight with 2:30 left with the KATZ team holding onto a 28-25 lead but the complexion of this contest turned as the KATZ team ended this second period with a crucial 5-0 push that expanded their lead to 33-25 by the halftime break.  The Wash Ups team did get a big boost on a three-point bomb that was unleashed by Macy Hatlestad (UST '21) that kept them reasonably close down 35-28 at the 7:45 mark of the third period but the KATZ team was able to at least maintain this seven-point spread up 38-31 with 4:05 left and the KATZ team would get a ten-point cushion when senior-to-be Greta Schimnowski drained one of her patented three-point bombs that made it a 41-31 ballgame with 3:00 left.  The Wash Ups team was able to narrow the gap a bit down 41-33 with 1:10 left but they were still on the wrong end of a 44-35 score by the end of the third period.  The Wash Ups team would attempt their first comeback attempt once the fourth period got going; cutting the deficit to six at 45-39 at the 7:45 mark of the fourth period but things looked beyond reach once the KATZ team re-established a ten-point cushion up 51-41 near the midway point.  But just when things looked hopeless, the Wash Ups team would make one last bid in an effort to bring this one back.  With just :45 left, the KATZ lead would be cut down to four at 59-55 and with under :20 left, the Wash Ups team had crawled back to within a single possession down just 59-57.  Alas, they were unable to get any closer than that as the KATZ team held on for an exciting and fun win.......Another interesting contest was ensuing over on Court 3 between the Arden Hills team and the Lions Gold team.  The Arden Hills team would jump out to a 4-0 lead by the 8:45 mark of the opening period and they would grow that lead to 20-12 by the midway point of the first period.  But a young and pesky Lions Gold team would embark on a 9-1 run that cut the deficit to a scant point at 22-21 with 1:20 left but the Arden Hills team would respond with a 5-0 push of their own that gave them a bit more breathing room with a 27-21 lead by the end of the first period.  Still, the Lions Gold team would hang in there once the second period got underway and stay within striking distance and with 3:05 left in the second period, they got back to within a single possession again down 33-31 but, just like before, the Arden Hills team would find solid footing again and get their safety net re-established with a 39-33 lead by the halftime break.  The Arden Hills team looked to be in control of things once the third period got underway as they grew their lead to 44-37 by the 7:15 mark of the third period and they would have a double digit cushion established with 2:22 left with a 50-39 advantage.  By the end of the third period, things looked bleak for the Lions Gold team as they found themselves on the wrong end of a 54-41 score.  Not much would change once the fourth period got underway with the Arden Hills team up 62-45 by the midway point of the fourth period and things still looked safe for them with 3:10 left in regulation with a 66-50 lead.  The Lions Gold team, however, would make one last desperate bit to try and get back in this one and with :25 left in regulation, they had cut the deficit down to six at 68-62 but the sands of time would run out on them as the Arden Hills team hung on for the victory.......An intriguing contest between two different alumni/mixed teams took place over on Court 4 that saw the Retired Athletes team taking on the Guards Of The Galaxy team.  Things would be tight early on in this contest as the game would be knotted at four a piece at the 7:50 mark of the opening period although the Retired Athletes team would get the upper hand on a three-point bomb by Meghan DuBois (Concordia St Paul '22) that had them up 13-12 with 1:12 left and the Retired Athletes team would be up 16-14 by the end of the first period.  Things quickly fell apart for the Guards Of The Galaxy team once the second period got underway, however, as the Retired Athletes team went on an 11-2 run that changed the complexion of this game for good and had them up 27-16 by the 7:14 mark of the second period and that lead would grow to 35-18 near the midway point.  By the halftime break, the Retired Athletes team had a comfortable 44-22 advantage.  Things would only get worse for the Guards Of The Galaxy team as the Retired Athletes team's lead would bulge to 52-25 by the 7:05 mark of the third period and they would lead 58-27 near the midway point of the third period.  By the end of the third period, there was little question as to how this one was going to go with the Retired Athletes team up 75-41.  By the midway point of the fourt period, it was all over but the crying with the Retired Athletes team up 78-43 as they romped to an easy win.    

Midtown YWCA Women's College Summer League Results For Wednesday 7-17-24

 Here are the results of the games I was able to cover at the Midtown YWCA Women's College Summer League on the last night of the regular season:

6:15 PM Games

Currey Crew - 85

Lions Gold - 47

Court Crashers - 75

Anoka-Ramsey - 48

KATZ - 64

Luther - 59

7:15 PM Games

GAC Alumni - 84

Bemidji St - 69

UW-Stout - 87

UNW Eagles - 54

Arden Hills - 65

Leaky Roof - 52

Guards Of The Galaxy - 75

Free Agents - 69 

On Court 1 in the 6:15 PM slot, the Currey Crew team was taking on the Lions Gold team and the Currey Crew team set the tone for this contest early on; getting a 2-0 lead by the 9:45 mark of the opening period and building the lead to 10-4 near the midway point of the first period.  The Currey Crew team would maintain the six-point cushion up 17-11 with 1:10 left although the Lions Gold team would tighten things up a bit down 17-13 by the end of the first period.  The Currey Crew team would rebuild the six-point edge up 21-15 by the 8:22 mark of the second period but the spunky young Lions Gold team would get back to within a single possession down 21-18 at the 7:57 mark; providing some hope.  But that hope quickly dissolved as the Currey Crew team went on a game-changing 12-0 run to assume a 33-18 lead with 3:33 left and they would hold a sizable 38-24 lead by the halftime break.  The Currey Crew team would pad their lead by a 44-26 count by the 8:03 mark of the third period and they would hold a comfortable 53-29 advantage by the midway point of the third period.  By the end of the third period, the Currey Crew team was on a roll up 62-35 and there was little doubt as to how this one was going to go by the 7:05 mark of the fourth period with the Currey Crew team up 68-37 as they waltzed to an easy win.......It was a similar story over on Court 2 which saw the Court Crashers team taking on the Anoka-Ramsey team as the former started out of the gate fast - building a 10-0 advantage by the midway point of the first period before the Anoka-Ramsey team could finally break out of their extended slumber but the Court Crashers team would still hold a 13-5 advantage with 3:15 left and would grow that lead to 21-12 by the end of the first period.  This score would remain unchanged by the 7:10 mark of the second period but the Court Crashers team would finally get things going again and hold a 26-15 lead near the midway point of the second period.  The Court Crashers team would grow their lead to 33-17 with 2:10 left and they would be sitting on a cozy 39-20 advantage by the halftime break.  Not much would change once the third period got going with the Court Crashers team up 42-24 at the 7:35 mark and a 46-26 lead near the midway point and with 2:45 left, the Court Crashers team was cruising up 53-28.  By the end of the third period, the Court Crashers team would be up 53-34 and there was little doubt as to how this one was going to turn out with the Court Crashers team up 63-37 by the 6:10 mark of the fourth period as the romped to an easy win.......A much tighter contest ensued over on Court 3 between the KATZ team and the Luther team.  The Luther team would jump out to a 10-3 advantage by the 7:30 mark of the opening period and would up the lead to 18-10 with 2:50 left but the KATZ team would cut into this cushion down the home stretch and by the end of the first period, the Luther team's lead would be cut to 20-16.  The Luther team would get things going again once the second period got underway and they would build a ten-point cushion at 28-18 by the 6:50 mark and they would hold this lead near the midway point of the second period.  But the KATZ team would answer right back with a big 10-2 run that saw the Luther team's advantage dwindle to 30-28 with 1:10 left and perhaps fittingly, this game would be leveled at 31 a piece by the halftime break.  The newfound momentum that the KATZ team found would show up even more once the third period got underway as they would grab a 36-31 lead by the 6:50 mark and would grow that lead to 40-31 by the midway point.  The Luther team finally broke out of its doldrums but not enough to slow down the KATZ team as they would grow their lead to double digits at 53-40 with 1:05 left and by the end of the third period, the KATZ team still enjoyed a 53-43 advantage.  Things were still looking reasonably safe for the KATZ team near the midway point of the fourth period with a 61-54 lead but the Luther team would make one last gamble to get back into this contest and with 2:25 left in regulation, the KATZ team saw its lead cut to four at 61-57 and a bit later with 2:05 left in regulation, the Luther team had climbed back to within a single possession down just 61-59.  But the Luther team could get no closer than that as the KATZ team held on for the win.

An interesting contest was brewing on Court 1 in the busy 7:15 PM slot between the Bemidji St team and the GAC Alumni team.  Things would be tight early on with the game knotted at two a piece by the 8:14 mark of the opening period and the GAC Alumni team nursing a 4-2 advantage by the 6:45 mark.  The Bemidji St team would then find its groove as they would hold a slim 12-10 lead with 2:40 left and they would maintain this two-point advantage up 18-16 by the end of the first period.  Unfazed, the GAC Alumni team would bounce back and establish a 28-25 lead near the midway point of the second period and they would mange to grow their lead to 38-32 by the halftime break.  The Bemidji St team would trim the deficit to four points at 49-45 by the 6:45 mark of the third period but the GAC Alumni team got a big boost shortly thereafter as recent GAC grad Lexi Schermann (GAC '24) unleashed a three-point bomb to grow the lead to 52-45.  With momentum now on their side, the GAC Alumni team upped its lead to 57-49 with 2:40 left and a late run by the GAC Alumni team had them up double digits at 68-52 by the end of the third period.  The Bemidji St team would desperately try to trim the deficit down once the fourth period got underway but the GAC Alumni team would still hold a 75-62 advantage by the 6:00 mark and would have a good safety net with an 80-69 lead with 2:00 left in regulation as they claimed the dub.......Not much in the way of drama over on Court 2 that saw the UNW Eagles team taking on the UW-Stout team and it didn't take the latter very long to set the tone in this one as the UW-Stout team would grab a 5-0 lead by the 9:03 mark of the opening period and by the midway point of the first period the UW-Stout team was already blowing this one wide open with a 16-2 advantage.  With 1:30 left, the UW-Stout team's lead would grow to 22-6 and they would be owning a 28-10 advantage by the end of the first period.  By the 6:25 mark of the second period, the UW-Stout team owned a 39-12 lead and that lead would bulge to 44-16 with 2:10 left.  By the halftime break, it was more than clear to see how this one was going to go with the UW-Stout team up 48-18.  And not much would change once the third period got underway with UW-Stout held a 54-19 lead at the 8:25 mark and would lead 63-30 with 3:35 left and by the end of the third period, the UW-Stout team was racing away with a 67-37 lead.  The UW-Stout team would hold a 71-39 lead by the 7:25 mark of the fourth period as they got the blowout win.......A much-closer contest was taking place over on Court 3 between the Leaky Roof team and the Arden Hills team as the latter would hold a 6-5 edge near the midway point of the opening period and this contest would be leveled at 16 a piece with 1:05 left and this game would still be tied at 16-all by the end of the first period.  This game would still be knotted at 18 a piece by the 7:43 mark of the second period before the Leaky Roof team got on a bit of a push that had them up 27-22 with 4:38 left.  The Arden Hills team would then respond with a big 15-0 run that suddenly had them up 37-27 by the halftime break.  To their credit, the Leaky Roof team would find a second wind and tighten things up as the Arden Hills team's lead would be cut to 43-37 near the midway point of the third period and by the end of the third period, the Leaky Roof team had crawled back to within a single possession down by just three at 45-42.  But the Leaky Roof team would run out of gas once the fourth period got underway and this allowed the Arden Hills team to rebuild its cushion as they would hold a 49-42 lead by the 8:43 mark and would maintain this cushion up 57-49 left as they got the "W" on this night.......Another intriguing contest was taking place down on Court 4 between the Free Agents team and the Guards Of The Galaxy team.  The Guards Of The Galaxy team would hold the upper hand with a 12-7 lead by the midway point of the first period but that cushion would be cut to just three at 15-12 with 2:45 left before a late run gave them much more breathing room with a 24-15 advantage by the end of the first period.  The Free Agents team would make inroads once again; reducing the deficit to just five down 30-25 near the midway point of the second period before the Guards Of The Galaxy team could establish some more breathing room again with a 40-31 lead with 1:54 left and they would hold this lead by the halftime break.  But the Guards Of The Galaxy team would have to withstand another push by the Free Agents team as they saw their cushion shrink to just four at 47-43 by the 8:15 mark of the third period before they could step on the gas pedal again to rebuild that cushion with a 60-51 advantage with 2:35 left.  And things still appeared safe for the Guards Of The Galaxy team with a 60-53 lead by the end of the third period.  The Guards Of The Galaxy team would still hold the upper hand throughout most of the fourth period and would enjoy a 73-59 lead with just 3:30 left.  However, the Free Agents team managed to throw one last scare as they went on a 10-2 run to cut the deficit to six at 75-69 but could never get any closer as the Guards Of The Galaxy team held on for a tough but fun win.

Playoff action starts this next week and although I haven't received any information as of yet, you'd better make sure to get down to the Midtown YWCA to catch all the action.  

Midtown YWCA Women's College Summer League Results For Wednesday 7-10-24

 Wasn't able to make it over to the games on 6-26 as I had to work late that afternoon but certainly wasn't going to miss the games on this night and here's the results of the games I was able to cover:

6:15 PM Games

Sara's Shooters - 44

Retired Athletes - 42

Bemidji St - 68

UW-Stout - 66

Court Crashers - 67

The HAMster Balls - 46

7:15 P.M. Games

Lions Gold - 69

Free Agents - 55

Lions Black - 59

Leaky Roof - 30

Anoka-Ramsey - 67

CSB - 64

Wash Ups - 78

Luther - 39 

Two of the best games on this Wednesday evening took place in the 6:15 P.M. slot and the game over on Court 1 between the Sara's Shooters team and the Retired Athletes team was one of them.  The Sara's Shooters team would hold a 4-3 advantage at the 7:10 mark of the opening period but the Retired Athletes would nudge ahead by a 5-4 count at the 6:40 mark.  By the midway point of the first period, the Sara's Shooters team had taken back the lead by a 6-5 count only to see the Retired Athletes team come back and hold a 13-11 advantage by the end of the first period.  The Retired Athletes team would hold the upper hand with an 18-16 lead by the midway point of the second period but the Sara's Shooters team would find a second wind and come back to hold a 24-21 lead with 1:45 left and by the halftime break, the Sara's Shooters team would hold a 27-23 advantage.  The Sara's Shooters team would hold a 29-26 lead at the 7:30 mark of the third period and that score would hold steady by the midway point of the third period.  But the Sara's Shooters team was able to hold its opponent at bay down the stretch and by the end of the third period, they seemed to have a decided edge up 38-31.  The Sara's Shooters team would maintain this seven-point cushion by the 7:20 mark of the fourth period up 40-33 but the Retired Athletes team would slyly chip their way back into this contest and with just 1:51 left in regulation, they were back to within a single possession down 42-39.  With just :23 left in regulation, the Retired Athletes team had drawn closer down just 44-42 but their last two possessions came up empty as the Sara's Shooters team hung on for a close victory.......The game of the night likely was on Court 2 in this time slot that saw the Bemidji St team taking on the UW-Stout team.  The Bemidji St team would draw first blood on a pair of free throws to hold a 2-0 edge at the 8;45 mark of the opening period but the UW-Stout team would come back and have this contest leveled at five a piece by the 7:50 mark.  The UW-Stout team would hold a 9-8 advantage with 3:10 left but the Bemidji St team would come back and hold a 12-10 lead by the end of the first period.  Right back came the UW-Stout team as the regained the lead at 15-14 by the 8:50 mark of the second period and this game would be tied up once again at 17 a piece by the 7:50 mark.  Here, however, the UW-Stout team went on a push to grab a 28-21 lead near the midway point of the second period.  The UW-Stout team would up its lead to 30-22 with 2:05 left and the UW-Stout team still had the needle pointed in its favor with a 32-26 lead by the halftime break.  The UW-Stout team would continue with its hot streak as they pushed their lead to double digits at 41-28 by the 7:20 mark of the third period and they would maintain control with a 47-36 lead with 3:05 left.  The Bemidji St team was able to narrow the deficit down the stretch and get back to withing single-digit range again down 52-45 by the end of the third period.  The UW-Stout team was at least able to maintain this seven-point advantage with a 62-55 lead midway through the fourth period but the Bemidji St team would soon embark on its comeback attempt and with just 1:45 left in regulation, the UW-Stout team's lead was cut to a perilous one point at 65-64.  A bit later with 1:20 left in regulation, the Bemidji St team would take a 66-65 lead but the UW-Stout team would get one free throw to go down to level this contest at 66 a piece with 1:03 left.  With just :40 left, the Bemidji St team would score to take the lead again at 68-66 and they would snuff out the latest two attempts by the UW-Stout team to hold on for an exciting and fun win.......Court 3 saw an interesting contest unfolding between The HAMster Balls team and the Court Crushers team.  The HAMster Balls team would hold a 2-1 lead by the 6:40 mark of the first period and they would still be up 11-9 with 1:50 left and would hold a 13-11 lead by the end of the first period.  The Court Crushers team would manage to get the game leveled at 18 a piece by the 7:00 mark of the second period but just when you thought that this game might be another back-and-forth affair like the games on the other two courts, the Court Crushers team suddenly exploded with a 14-0 run that enabled them to own a 32-18 lead by the halftime break.  A 3-0 burst by the Court Crushers team stretched that lead to 35-18 by the 7:15 mark of the third period and even though The HAMster Balls team finally broke out of its extended slumber, they would still find themselves in a big hole down 40-22 by the midway point of the third period.  By the end of the third period, the Court Crushers team would still be holding a sizable 49-28 advantage at 49-28.  The Court Crushers team was in no mood to let off the gas pedal once the fourth period got underway and with 2:05 left with a 67-42 lead, the Court Crushers team was able to waltz to an easy win.

A full slate of games going on in the 7:15 P.M. slot that kept me hopping from court to court in a vain effort to try and keep up with everything.  On Court 1, the Lions Gold team was taking on the Free Agents team and the former would hold a 6-3 advantage by the midway point of the first period and by the end of the first period, the Lions Gold team had expanded that lead to 17-9.  By the midway point of the second period the Lions Gold team grew its lead to double digits at 29-17 and by the halftime break the Lions Gold team would have a ten-point cushion up 33-23.  The Lions Gold team would soon grow its lead once the third period got underway as they would own a 44-26 lead midway through the third period and would be up 55-38 by the end of the third period.  Nothing much changed in this contest once the fourth period got underway with the Lions Gold team enjoying a 69-52 lead as they cruised to an easy win.......It was much the same story over on Court 2 that saw the Lions Black team taking on the Leaky Roof team.  The Lions Black team would hold a 4-2 edge by the 7:10 mark of the opening period and would lead 10-7 with 2:35 left and they would open up a bit more space with a 13-7 advantage by the end of the first period.  Once the second period got underway, the Lions Black team started running away with this one as they would own a 16-7 lead by the 7:30 mark of the second period and that lead would bulge to 25-9 with 3:05 left and they would maintain this cushion with a 27-11 lead by the halftime break.  The Lions Black team would hold a 35-12 lead by the midway point of the third period and would enjoy a 47-25 lead by the end of the second period.  Not much would change once the fourth period got underway and the Lions Black team would own a 57-25 lead with 1:45 left as they got an easy win as well.......The game over on Court 3 meanwhile was a much different story as the Anoka-Ramsey team was taking on the CSB team.  The Anoka-Ramsey team would start off fast in this game; owning a 10-5 lead by the midway point of the opening period but the CSB team would eventually narrow the gap and close back to within a single possession down 16-13 with 1:30 left which is how the first period would end.  The CSB team would get this contest leveled at twenty a piece by the 6:30 mark of the second period and would finally nudge ahead at 27-26 with 1:45 left and the CSB team would own a 29-28 lead by the halftime break.  The Anoka-Ramsey team would promptly take the lead back at 30-29 by the 8:45 mark of the third period but that didn't last long as the CSB team came back to nudge ahead at 34-33 by the midway point of the third period.  The Anoka-Ramsey team would answer with a burst that saw them up 46-40 with 2:35 left and they would maintain this six-point cushion up 48-42 by the end of the third period.  The Anoka-Ramsey team appeared to be in good shape with a 50-42 lead by the 7:15 mark of the fourth period and they still seemed to be well in control of things with a 60-53 lead with 3:15 left in regulation.  The Anoka-Ramsey team's lead would be reduced to six at 64-58 with 1:05 left in regulation and the CSB team had enough to throw one last scare at its opponent; drawing to within a single possession down 64-61 and with :21 left in regulation, that lead was cut to a scant one-point at 65-64.  The Anoka-Ramsey team would get a bit more breathing room a very short time later with a 67-64 lead but the CSB team had one last chance to force overtime.  With time winding down, the CSB team was attempting to set up a three-point shot but the Anoka-Ramsey team was playing tough defense and the last-second trey attempt was blocked as the Anoka-Ramsey team held on for a thrilling and fun win.......No such drama over on Court 4 where the Luther team was taking on the Wash Ups team and the latter would set the tone of this contest early as the Wash Ups team bolted out to an 8-9 lead by the 8:05 mark of the opening period and they would own a 16-6 advantage with 3:05 left.  By the end of the first period, the Wash Ups team seemed to be in full control with a 21-9 lead.  The Wash-Ups team would maintain this cushion up 36-21 midway through the second period and although that lead would be reduced a bit at 39-27 with 1:26 left, the Wash Ups team recovered enough to own a sizable 42-27 lead by the halftime break.  The Wash Ups team would grow the lead to 44-27 by the 8:00 mark of the third period and they would be sitting on a very comfortable 53-29 lead by the end of the third period.  By the time the fourth period got underway, the Wash Ups team was rolling as they would own a 74-36 lead with 3:35 left enroute to a runaway victory.

Make sure you get down to the Midtown YWCA for the last week of the regular season of the Midtown YWCA Women's College Summer League this coming Wednesday!