Made my way over to St. Paul on this sunny but very cold early January Saturday to first run over to El Burrito Mercado off of Cesar Chavez to get stocked up on their fabulous salsa fresca (and if you truly love Mexican food as I do, you need to get your butt over there) - and THEN over to Butler Center on the campus of St. Catherine University for today's pivotal match-up between visiting GAC and host St. Kate's. The Gusties were coming into this contest with an unblemished 11-0 record including 3-0 in conference play while the Wildcats have had a bit harder time than expected coming into this game; trying to stay over .500 with a 6-4 overall record but only 1-3 in conference play and were wanting desperately to get off on the right track in 2025.
Considering how GAC cruised to easy wins in their last two visits to Butler Center, I was more or less expecting the trend to continue but the 'Cats had vastly different ideas. Still, the Gusties would draw first blood in this contest at the 9:08 mark of the opening period when fifth-year senior guard Emma (not evil) Kniefel buried a "3" from the left wing area before St. Kate's started showing its worth. Junior guard Maddie Young used her strong 5'9" frame to muscle into the paint for a score at the 8:11 mark and then sophomore guard sensation Hattie Fox drained a "3" from the right top area at the 7:18 mark to push the Wildcats ahead by a 5-3 count. This unexpected and early 7-0 push by St. Kate's would be capped on a pair of free throws by lanky senior forward Greta Schimnowski after she was fouled at the 5:46 mark that had them up 7-3. It would take long for GAC to answer the call as Kniefel would knock down a short pull-up jumper in transition with 4:17 left that cut the deficit to two. Then fellow fifth-year senior Izzy (Izzy Izzy, you're making me dizzy) Quick would connect on a lay-up with 3:11 left that also drew a foul and the ensuing "and one" by the former Champlin Park standout put the Gusties out in front 8-7. Right back came the Wildcats as senior forward Rachel Randleman banged home a "3" from the left top area with 2:54 left that put St. Kate's out in front 10-8 before GAC got this game leveled at ten a piece on a pair of free throws by another fifth-year senior - guard Syd Hauger - after she was fouled with 1:58 left. But what was standing out more than anything in this game thus far was defense - and a lot of it - particularly from the GAC side as the Gusties were using pressure and trapping to slow down this fast-paced Wildcat team that loves to get out and run. And for GAC it was a good thing that they were as this normally-potent Gustie team was not exactly setting the world on fire with their shooting. The Gusties and Wildcats would trade pairs of free throws - two by GAC senior guard Kylie Baranick after she was fouled with 1:22 left and two by St. Kate's Randleman after she was fouled with 1:07 left - that had this game knotted again at 12-all. The Gusties hoped that they would at least have their nose out in front when senior reserve forward Morgan Kelly connected on a tough lay-up off of an inbounds pass with :56 left that had them up 14-12 but St. Kate's would get this one leveled again when slender junior forward Emme Golembiewski knocked down a jumper from the left top area just inside the arc and with :20 left and there was just a lot of uncertainty about how this game was going to go at this point.
GAC seemed to wipe away whatever uncertainty there was in this contest once the second period got underway as they reeled off a 10-1 run. A short jumper by Kniefel at the 9:25 mark got the Gusties out in front at 16-14 and a lay-up in transition by slender sophomore reserve guard Kendyl Queensland at the 8:12 mark and two free throws by senior forward Rachel Kawiecki at the 7:08 mark after she was fouled had GAC up 20-14. Kawiecki would come up big again at the 5:24 mark by grabbing an offensive rebound for a putback and then Morgan Kelly would connect on a smooth jumper from the right top area just inside the arc with 4:19 left that seemed to have the Gusties in command with a 24-15 lead. St. Kate's; held in check by that suffocating Gustie defense in this second period, finally dusted off the cobwebs on its basket when junior reserve guard Kristen Oberle sneaked into traffic to connect on a lay-up with 2:45 left but GAC extended its lead to ten when Queensland drained a "3" from the right top area with 1:33 left that made it a 27-17 ballgame. But just when you thought that the 'Cats might have been beyond reach in this contest with their trademark drive-and-dribble game stymied by this suffocating Gustie defense, Fox would unleash a three-point bomb from the left wing area with 1:18 left that not only got St. Kate's back to within single digits again down 27-20 but also gave them a little bit of momentum going into the locker room at the half.
GAC again appeared to take the bull by the horns, so to speak, once the third period got underway as they were able to rebuild the double-digit cushion. Kawiecki; the former Holy Angels standout, would start this latest push on a lay-up at the 8:35 mark and would also get sent to the charity stripe after getting fouled a bit later at the 8:03 mark where her two free throws had the Gusties seemingly in very good shape with a 31-20 lead and GAC would maintain this eleven-point edge when Quick made a hard drive into the lane and lost her balance and started falling to the floor - and STILL got a one-handed shot to go in (!) at the 7:08 mark to make it 33-22. But there was little time for the Gusties to feel safe just yet as St. Kate's discovered newfound energy and embarked on a 7-0 push of their own. Schimnowski would start this run when she connected with a short jumper off the glass at the 6:33 mark and one free throw by Young after she was fouled at the 6:05 mark had the 'Cats back in single digit range again down 33-25. With 4:50 left, Fox would knock down a pair of freebies after getting fouled and when sophomore reserve forward Lily Peper connected with a lay-up with 2:19 left that reduced the deficit to four at 33-29, GAC Head Coach Laurie Kelly had seen enough with this run and the fact that her squad had suddenly gone into an offensive funk to know that a thirty-second timeout was warranted. This short stoppage in play seemed to get the Gusties attention as they went back to work in trying to make amends. Quick would knock down a jumper from the left elbow area with 1:57 left and with :35.4 left, Baranick would drill a "3" from the left top area that gave GAC some needed breathing room with a 38-29 advantage. However, this cushion lost a good chunk of its foundation when Wildcat freshman reserve guard Jordyn Peed buried a "3" from the top of the key with just :08.4 left that not only whittled the deficit down to six at 38-32 but also gave St. Kate's another shot of momentum with this one transitioning to the fourth period.
Probably the best window of opportunity for the Wildcats came early on in the fourth period when they cut the deficit to just four points on a short jumper along the right baseline off of an inbounds pass by Golembiewski at the 9:44 mark that saw the GAC lead cut to 38-34. Alarmed at the dreaded possibilities, the Gusties went right back to work. Morgan Kelly would connect with a jumper along the left baseline at the 9:25 mark that upped GAC's lead to six at 40-34. St. Kate's had another opportunity to crawl back to four points when Golembiewski was fouled at the 9:04 mark but both free throw attempts went awry and that proved costly for the 'Cats as the Gusties would then consolidate on their lead. Kniefel would bury a heartbreaking "3" from the right top area at the 8:49 mark and the former Medford standout would follow that up a short time later at the 8:23 mark with a jumper from the left elbow area that pushed GAC's lead to eleven at 45-34 and St. Kate's acting Head Coach Paul Richie; perhaps seeing the window of opportunity close for good, called a timeout in hopes of rectifying the situation. To their credit, the Wildcats were able to close the gap a bit but it was done in a an unexpected fashion. Confusion would reign at the 7:11 mark when officials stopped the game and, after a discussion with GAC's Laurie Kelly - who was not at all amused with the situation - a technical foul would be assessed to GAC (more on that later). St. Kate's Young would get a pair of charity stripe shots to go down out of that mess and when the Gusties were temporarily stymied on the offensive end, the Wildcats managed to cut the deficit to seven at 45-38 when Golembiewski connected on a tough turnaround jumper along the right baseline at the 5:04 mark. Again, St. Kate's had a golden opportunity to pull closer when Randleman was fouled with 4:29 left but both free throw attempts did not cooperate and the Wildcats could never get closer. GAC would make the 'Cats pay dearly for that as they proceeded to but the finishing touches on this game. Quick would maneuver into the paint for a score with 4:01 left and then Baranick would drain a killer "3" from the right corner with 3:26 left left that gave the Gusties a ten-point cushion at 50-40. With :50.3 left, Kniefel would knock down a pair of insurance free throws as the Gusties came out a bit bumped and bruised but more importantly collected a 52-41 victory in this defensive slugfest.
When I was finally able to corral GAC's Laurie Kelly afterward, the first thing I mentioned to her is that this is not about winning a beauty contest. When things aren't clicking offensively the way you'd like them and you're getting tested by your opponent, you resort to your other strengths to help lead you to ultimate victory. She was quick to concur that this one was on the ugly side and the shooting numbers underscore what a rather dreadful day it was from a shooting standpoint for the Gusties - going 18-60 from FG range for a straight 30% (uff da) and 5-16 from behind the arc for 31.3%. But, you keep looking at the box score and you see how GAC pulled this one off without bringing their "A" game - owning the boards by a whopping 40-24 count, having a decided advantage in points in the paint at 16-8 and in those all-important second-chance points at 9-2. But here's what I really love: GAC was a perfect 11-11 from the charity stripe for 100%! How often do you see THAT happen? Anyone who reads this blog knows that I harp on free throw shooting all the time. Well, guess what? This is a perfect example of where solid free throw shooting helps you win games! It's not rocket science folks. Here's the other thing that caught my eye on this day: I didn't expect many of Laurie Kelly's younger reserves to get much playing time - if any - in such a close, hard-fought contest but we saw players like Queensland, freshman guard Anna Goodman and sophomore guard Peyton Stevermer get some quality minutes out there that allowed some of the main chain-gang group to catch breathers when they needed it. Goodman caught my eye this last summer at the Midtown YWCA Women's College Summer League and I was raving about her to Laurie Kelly back then. "She's got some serious swag" Laurie Kelly said. Now, regarding that technical foul that was called at the 7:11 mark of the fourth period. Apparently, the officials had warned Quick about flopping earlier in the contest and, according to the officials, she didn't heed their earlier warning when she fell to the floor again - hence, the technical being assessed. First off, I've got to say that I was, shall we say, less than impressed with the officiating on this day. It wasn't great for either side. I try like hell not to comment on the officiating too much but it just wasn't very good on this day. And, as an official, you've got to know the difference between getting knocked to the floor in a competitive situation and genuine flopping. It's really not that difficult. As Sonny Corleone said to Clemenza in The Godfather Part I, "Hey, cut the crap, eh? I've got more important things for you to do."
When you look at this from a St. Kate's standpoint, you come away encouraged given how games against GAC in the last two years resulted in you getting run out of your own gym. Yet it's got to be incredibly frustrating, too, because you know that you had chances, had opportunities in this one that could have possibly turned the tide for you. Again, I've got to harp on the free throw shooting. We know what the Gusties did on this day on that front. The 'Cats meanwhile were 11-18 from the charity stripe for 61.1% and in a close game like this, that's going to cost you big time. I'm not saying that replicating what GAC did would have necessarily got you over the top but it would have at the very least changed the complexion of this one significantly. And yeah, that darned Gustie defense did indeed wreak havoc as the Wildcats shot 13-45 for 28.9% from FG range and were only 4-15 from downtown for an icy 26.7%. So, yeah, there ya go. But, unlike the Gusties, the Wildcats weren't able to make up for these deficiencies when they had to and essentially were in the position of having to play catch-up for most of this game. Probably just as important, St. Kate's had their trademark drive-and-dribble into the paint aspect taken away from them on this day and the Gusties made them more or less one-dimensional. But, to be sure, there's some bad luck hovering over this St. Kate's program at the moment. Head Coach Don Mulhern; as I found out afterward, recently had surgery and is likely going to be out of action for the next couple two or three weeks as his top assistant, Richie, has had to assume the reigns for the time being. But Richie is more than capable of leading this team and he's got a couple of top-notch guys at his side in Geno Bullard and Ben Fleming who'll help keep this team on course (BTW, I touched base with Mulhern last night and he's in good spirits). On top of that, junior point guard Kaylee Miron was on crutches as she suffered an injury and is apparently out for the season. But this St. Kate's team is one tough cookie and woe to the opponent who thinks they're ripe for the taking.
It's not surprising at all that Kniefel would be the one stepping up for GAC on this day when they needed someone to step up on the scoring front as she led the way for the Gusties - and all scorers - with her 14 points and Quick just missed out on a double-double as she tallied nine points and had 10 rebounds. She was just all over the place on this day. St. Kate's was paced by Fox's 11 points.
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