Am definitely looking forward to Friday night's opening round of games of the NCAA Division III Women's Basketball Tournament. Right here in town, UST will be hosting the first and second round games of its pod and the slate of games there on Friday night - Luther vs St. Norbert at 5:30 P.M. and the nightcap between UM-Morris and UST I think could turn out to be very interesting contests. The first game between Luther out of the IIAC and St. Norbert out of the Midwest Conference is especially intriguing to me simply because I know little or nothing about either of these squads. The Norse; by virtue of the IIAC Championship Game win over Wartburg, are paced by junior guard Moran Lonning's 14.4 points per game average and they have a nice blend of youth and experience. Luther also has quite a collection of former Minnesota high school players as well who I'm sure are anxious to put on a good show in this kind of setting and venue. St. Norbert, on the other hand, is a relatively young squad dominated by sophomores and juniors and features only one senior; guard Tasha Giese. I would be surprised if this one isn't close and doesn't come down to the last few possessions. I just have that feeling about this game.
The nightcap, of course, features the Cougars of UM-Morris taking on host and second-ranked UST; a game that, on paper anyway, should be an easy win for the Tommies. But, as we all know, games aren't won on paper and, as ESPN's Chris Berman would say, "THAT'S why they play the game!" I think UST does win this one; halfway comfortably anyway. But again, as I stressed earlier in the week after Selection Monday's aftermath, UM-Morris is not a team you want to take lightly where you think you can just show up and win. From what little I got to see of the Cougars this last Saturday evening, I really like this squad and I like how they play. UM-Morris has been paced this year by senior guard Kendra Wycoff and her 15.8 ppg average and fellow senior forward Emily Auch is right behind with her 11.8 ppg average and is by far the leading rebounder on this team and loves the physical part of the game. I can see this one staying relatively close before the Tommies start pulling away in the second half. I just think the one-two punch of senior point guard (and MIAC POY) Jen Dockter and fellow senior post Maggie Weiers will be too much for UM-Morris to overcome although I am wondering how UST will handle things without senior forward Anna Smith's contributions on both ends of the floor. Presumably, senior reserves Elaine Warner and Alyssa (nothing vanilla) Favilla will help pick up the slack but that's still a big loss for the Tommies in the big scheme of things. UM-Morris is coming into this game with absolutely nothing to lose and everything to gain and the longer they stay close in this game with UST, the more dangerous they become.
Somewhat surprisingly, Bethel was shipped off to the Wheaton (IL) pod where they'll be pitted against perennial powerhouse Hope out of the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association; a program that has not only been to the Dance for several years but has also won the whole ball of wax as well. For the Royals, I think it's going to come down to how well they handle the situation; i.e., a different environment and venue and not getting "too caught up in the moment". Maybe it's not the greatest analogy, but I remember as a young tennis player and playing in the big tournaments back home in Iowa in either Cedar Rapids, Iowa City or Des Moines and having that "deer in the headlights" sensation. That, to me anyway, is going to be of paramount concern for Head Coach Jon Herbrechtsmeyer and his staff. Personally, I think the Royals are capable of winning this game but their margin for error is virtually nil. They have to (1) play defense - which they love to do and (2) take care of the rock. In the final analysis, they can't be simply satisfied with just getting there. They have to be hungry enough and want it badly enough to do the things necessary to move on. I hope they can do it.
Los Angeles Rams
Thursday, March 5, 2015
Section 3AAA Quarterfinal Recap - St. Paul Johnson vs Park Center 3-4-15
Made the short hop again over to nearby Park Center High School on this Wednesday evening to take in the Section 3AAA Quarterfinal game between visiting St. Paul Johnson and host Park Center. The Pirates; as defending state champions and seeded number one in Section 3AAA were prohibitive favorites in this one and rightly so. Still, I wanted to see if Park Center would come out with a sense of urgency and quash any notion that they would just sleepwalk through this one. I found out the answer to that one quickly.
Even quicker than I had imagined, actually. A lay-up off the opening tip by senior guard McKenna
DuBois at the 17:56 mark and a "3" from the left corner by fellow senior point guard Hannah Schaub made it 5-0 Pirates by the 17:14 mark and two scores by sophomore Danielle Schaub - a "3" from the left wing at the 15:29 mark and one freebie at the 15:03 mark after getting fouled - bulged the lead to 13-0. A McKenna DuBois "3" from the right top area at the 14:00 minute mark made it 16-0. Sophomore reserve guard Fey Ayobamedele's "3" from the right top area at the 13:37 mark made it 19-0 and after a steal and lay-up the other way by Danielle Schaub at the 12:45 mark, sophomore guard Ann Simonet uncorked a "3" from the right corner at the 12:25 mark for a 24-0 Park Center lead and St. Paul Johnson Head Coach Darryl Smith; in a vain effort to try and stop the massive bleeding early on, called a timeout. But the Pirates would not step off the gas pedal until they had established a 30-0 on junior reserve guard Olivia Peterson's offensive rebound and putback at the 11:21 mark. The Governors finally got on the scoreboard at the 11:06 mark of the first half when senior point guard Lauryn Smith drained a "3" from the top of the key and a lay-up in transition by senior post Nyshayona Howard at the 10:45 mark made it 30-5. But the outcome was never in doubt once the Pirates started rolling and, with a sizable lead already established, Park Center Head Coach Chris VanderHyde could now start substituting liberally and this gave the younger reserves on the Pirate squad a chance to shine and show their stuff. Freshman reserve guard Jada Buford knocked down one freebie after getting fouled at the 10:08 mark and then banged home a "3" from the right corner with 8:50 left. A "3" from the left top area by fellow freshman reserve guard Summer Blakemore with 8:33 left made it a 41-8 ballgame although St. Paul Johnson was able to trim a bit of fat off the deficit thanks to junior guard Jane Lindstrom's lay-up with 8:17 left and her free throws with 8:01 and 7:55 left. Freshman reserve post Qusyia Smith-Pugh was able to get some more points on the board fro the Governors when she unleashed a "3" from the right corner with 6:46 left. Still, with a huge lead, Park Center's young players were finally getting a chance to strut their stuff and have a bit of fun doing it as well. A Blakemore drive and finish with 5:20 left and a Buford "3" from the left corner with 4:37 left expanded the Pirate advantage to 55-19 and a Blakemore "3" from the top of the key with 1:31 left made it 61-23. Two free throws by McKenna DuBois with :04.4 left gave Park Center a 65-25 halftime lead and the only question now would be how soon would the rest of the bench get in on the action.
Two scores by sophomore post Mikayla Hayes - a free throw at the 17:10 mark and a score in the paint at the 16:36 mark - along with a score in the paint by Simonet at the 15:18 mark now made it a 70-25 ballgame and VanderHyde wasted no time in getting his reserves back into the contest. Senior reserve Camille McCoy got free throws at the 14:27 and 14:13 marks and then connected with a short jumper off the glass at the 13:25 mark for a 74-30 Pirate lead. The Buford/Blakemore duo also got an opportunity to shine in this second half as Bufored made a pretty drive along the right baseline for a finish at the 11:53 mark and then Blakemore dropped two three-point bombs on St. Paul Johnson - one from the right wing at the 11:24 mark and another from the left wing at the 10:49 mark - that upped the Park Center lead to 82-34. With a nearly 50-point lead, the "mercy rule" kicked in at the 9:00 mark that features a continuous clock to speed up the finish of the contest - and also gave VanderHyde a chance to go deeper on his bench as well. Freshman reserve forward Azsha Michael got consecutive scores - an offensive rebound for a putback with 9:42 left and a score in the paint with 8:42 left. Fellow freshman reserve guard Meghan DuBois got her name in the books as well with her "3" from the right top with 5:00 left and two free throws at the 4:04 left. Smith and Smith-Pugh got late scores for the Governors but to no avail as the Pirates had it in cruise control winning this one by a final count of 92-41 to advance to Saturday afternoon's semifinal round action.
Even quicker than I had imagined, actually. A lay-up off the opening tip by senior guard McKenna
DuBois at the 17:56 mark and a "3" from the left corner by fellow senior point guard Hannah Schaub made it 5-0 Pirates by the 17:14 mark and two scores by sophomore Danielle Schaub - a "3" from the left wing at the 15:29 mark and one freebie at the 15:03 mark after getting fouled - bulged the lead to 13-0. A McKenna DuBois "3" from the right top area at the 14:00 minute mark made it 16-0. Sophomore reserve guard Fey Ayobamedele's "3" from the right top area at the 13:37 mark made it 19-0 and after a steal and lay-up the other way by Danielle Schaub at the 12:45 mark, sophomore guard Ann Simonet uncorked a "3" from the right corner at the 12:25 mark for a 24-0 Park Center lead and St. Paul Johnson Head Coach Darryl Smith; in a vain effort to try and stop the massive bleeding early on, called a timeout. But the Pirates would not step off the gas pedal until they had established a 30-0 on junior reserve guard Olivia Peterson's offensive rebound and putback at the 11:21 mark. The Governors finally got on the scoreboard at the 11:06 mark of the first half when senior point guard Lauryn Smith drained a "3" from the top of the key and a lay-up in transition by senior post Nyshayona Howard at the 10:45 mark made it 30-5. But the outcome was never in doubt once the Pirates started rolling and, with a sizable lead already established, Park Center Head Coach Chris VanderHyde could now start substituting liberally and this gave the younger reserves on the Pirate squad a chance to shine and show their stuff. Freshman reserve guard Jada Buford knocked down one freebie after getting fouled at the 10:08 mark and then banged home a "3" from the right corner with 8:50 left. A "3" from the left top area by fellow freshman reserve guard Summer Blakemore with 8:33 left made it a 41-8 ballgame although St. Paul Johnson was able to trim a bit of fat off the deficit thanks to junior guard Jane Lindstrom's lay-up with 8:17 left and her free throws with 8:01 and 7:55 left. Freshman reserve post Qusyia Smith-Pugh was able to get some more points on the board fro the Governors when she unleashed a "3" from the right corner with 6:46 left. Still, with a huge lead, Park Center's young players were finally getting a chance to strut their stuff and have a bit of fun doing it as well. A Blakemore drive and finish with 5:20 left and a Buford "3" from the left corner with 4:37 left expanded the Pirate advantage to 55-19 and a Blakemore "3" from the top of the key with 1:31 left made it 61-23. Two free throws by McKenna DuBois with :04.4 left gave Park Center a 65-25 halftime lead and the only question now would be how soon would the rest of the bench get in on the action.
Two scores by sophomore post Mikayla Hayes - a free throw at the 17:10 mark and a score in the paint at the 16:36 mark - along with a score in the paint by Simonet at the 15:18 mark now made it a 70-25 ballgame and VanderHyde wasted no time in getting his reserves back into the contest. Senior reserve Camille McCoy got free throws at the 14:27 and 14:13 marks and then connected with a short jumper off the glass at the 13:25 mark for a 74-30 Pirate lead. The Buford/Blakemore duo also got an opportunity to shine in this second half as Bufored made a pretty drive along the right baseline for a finish at the 11:53 mark and then Blakemore dropped two three-point bombs on St. Paul Johnson - one from the right wing at the 11:24 mark and another from the left wing at the 10:49 mark - that upped the Park Center lead to 82-34. With a nearly 50-point lead, the "mercy rule" kicked in at the 9:00 mark that features a continuous clock to speed up the finish of the contest - and also gave VanderHyde a chance to go deeper on his bench as well. Freshman reserve forward Azsha Michael got consecutive scores - an offensive rebound for a putback with 9:42 left and a score in the paint with 8:42 left. Fellow freshman reserve guard Meghan DuBois got her name in the books as well with her "3" from the right top with 5:00 left and two free throws at the 4:04 left. Smith and Smith-Pugh got late scores for the Governors but to no avail as the Pirates had it in cruise control winning this one by a final count of 92-41 to advance to Saturday afternoon's semifinal round action.
Monday, March 2, 2015
Raise Another Glass To The MIAC!!
I have to be honest and admit that, during most of the morning and before the selection show came on, I had much pretty much conceded in my own mind that the MIAC was going to be a one-horse team in the Big Dance with UST carrying the torch. Even despite my own belief that I felt that they (Bethel) definitely deserved to be in, my years of "conditioning" (from being a life-long LA Ram, UCLA Bruin and Iowa Hawkeye fan) had me ready for disappointment. So imagine my shock and surprise when the Royals were placed in the field of 64; edging out very, very good teams such as Whitworth, U of Chicago and UW-Superior. What may have been the deciding factor, according to D3Hoops, was Bethel's 21-5 record vs Division III teams where Whitworth was only 15-5 against Division III opponents. Another factor that may have come into play was that the MIAC was 55-29 against out of conference competition; which helped raise the SOS (strength of schedule) for Bethel. There's probably no "magic" numbers that would assure any potential at-large team of being a "sure thing" so the best thing that any potential at-large team can do is take care of business from beginning to end. The only thing that I didn't quite understand was the committee's decision to place the Royals in the Wheaton (IL) pod; going up against perennial powerhouse Hope, instead of keeping them in the Twin Cities to be a part of the UST pod. However, I'm sure that the Royals aren't complaining too much at this point. In any event, a big congratulations to Head Coach Jon Herbrechtsmeyer and his staff and team for getting in!
As expected, UST will be hosting an NCAA Regional pod this coming Friday night; going up against UM-Morris while the first game will pit Midwest Conference champ St. Norbert against IIAC champ Luther. The Luther - St. Norbert contest should be an interesting one and I'll be anxious to watch this one; not knowing much about either squad. While the Tommies will be prohibitive favorites in their game against UM-Morris - on paper anyway - they can ill-afford to take the Cougars lightly. I said it last night and I'll say it again today. UM-Morris will be coming into this NCAA Tournament with nothing to lose. They know that they're the underdogs in this one and they can play loose and feel free to roll the dice a little. I still think UST wins this one halfway comfortably but UM-Morris is not as bad as some people think. As more than one coach has told me before, it's tournament time!
Game time at UST for the first game between St. Norbert and Luther looks to be set for 5:30 P.M. Here's the link for the entire NCAA Division III Tournament. http://www.ncaa.com/interactive-bracket/basketball-women/d3
As expected, UST will be hosting an NCAA Regional pod this coming Friday night; going up against UM-Morris while the first game will pit Midwest Conference champ St. Norbert against IIAC champ Luther. The Luther - St. Norbert contest should be an interesting one and I'll be anxious to watch this one; not knowing much about either squad. While the Tommies will be prohibitive favorites in their game against UM-Morris - on paper anyway - they can ill-afford to take the Cougars lightly. I said it last night and I'll say it again today. UM-Morris will be coming into this NCAA Tournament with nothing to lose. They know that they're the underdogs in this one and they can play loose and feel free to roll the dice a little. I still think UST wins this one halfway comfortably but UM-Morris is not as bad as some people think. As more than one coach has told me before, it's tournament time!
Game time at UST for the first game between St. Norbert and Luther looks to be set for 5:30 P.M. Here's the link for the entire NCAA Division III Tournament. http://www.ncaa.com/interactive-bracket/basketball-women/d3
Sunday, March 1, 2015
Looking Ahead To Selection Monday
Whew! What another fun season it was and congratulations to UST on it's unprecedented 27-0 start that saw them run roughshod through the MIAC regular season and then hold off Bethel in the MIAC Championship Game yesterday to earn the MIAC's automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament. While we won't know for sure until Monday afternoon, of course, it seems like a given that the Tommies will be hosting an NCAA 1st/2nd Round Regional pod this next Friday and Saturday night. I've said it before and I'll say it again. If there was ever a year that the Tommies were going to win it all, you would have to think that this would be the year that they do it. The injury to Anna Smith yesterday put a damper on the celebration and it's definitely a damn shame she went down again with an apparent knee injury. I can only wish a full and speedy recovery for her.
Elsewhere, UM-Morris came back late in regulation to send the UMAC Championship Game into overtime and knocked off defending champion Northwestern to claim that conference's automatic bid to the dance. While I only got to catch the last eight minutes of that contest, I was very impressed with the Cougar's man-to-man defense and their guards and forwards can be quite physical. This is not a team you want to take lightly and should they be placed in the UST pod as I anticipate that they will be, they'll be playing as the underdog with nothing to lose and that alone makes them dangerous.
Luther claimed the IIAC Championship Game yesterday afternoon at home in Decorah knocking off Wartburg so the Norse lay claim to the IIAC's automatic bid. Regular season champ Dubuque was knocked off by Wartburg in the semifinals so it's highly unlikely that the IIAC gets two teams in this year.
Earlier this afternoon, UW-Oshkosh as the number three seed upset number one seeded UW-Superior 66-61 in the WIAC Championship Game in ironically, the Yellow Jackets last year in the conference. So while the Titans earn the WIAC's automatic bid, things are not so certain for Don Mulhern's UW-Superior squad.
Out west, George Fox won the NWC Championship Game with a similar 66-61 victory over Puget Sound so while the Bruins get the conference's automatic bid, Puget Sound; along with Whitworth, look to be solidly in the Dance. Claremont Mudd-Scripps predictably won the SCIAC Conference Championship Game to snare that conference's automatic berth and that will likely be their only entry into the Dance.
So this brings us to Bethel. At 21-6 (14-4) in one of the top Division III conferences in the nation, and getting to that conference's championship game SHOULD - in my mind anyway - be more than enough to get them an invite to the Dance. I'm certainly not saying that either UW-Superior or Whitworth aren't. It's just that, when you look at the Royals' overall body of work, they deserve the invite, IMHO. Yes, they did have two "bad" losses to both CSB and St. Kate's but they also had "good" out of conference wins as well against both Redlands and Chapman. They also had that 11-game win streak from early January through late February that was finally snapped by UST which can't be ignored. And finally, they played the Tommies very tough in the MIAC Championship Game. The fact that they were ranked seventh in the West Regional rankings - behind BOTH Buena Vista AND Dubuque - is a complete joke and whoever is in charge of making these rankings that has a direct impact on a team getting in or not is not doing his or her job and needs to be taken to task. At the VERY least, I would expect that person to get a GOOD look at ALL the potential teams involved before just simply scribbling something on a piece of paper and throwing it against the wall to see if it sticks.
Nonetheless, Monday is going to be very interesting for sure and you can catch all the pairings at approximately 1:30 P.M. (Central Time) if you go to www.d3hoops.com and follow the links provided.
Elsewhere, UM-Morris came back late in regulation to send the UMAC Championship Game into overtime and knocked off defending champion Northwestern to claim that conference's automatic bid to the dance. While I only got to catch the last eight minutes of that contest, I was very impressed with the Cougar's man-to-man defense and their guards and forwards can be quite physical. This is not a team you want to take lightly and should they be placed in the UST pod as I anticipate that they will be, they'll be playing as the underdog with nothing to lose and that alone makes them dangerous.
Luther claimed the IIAC Championship Game yesterday afternoon at home in Decorah knocking off Wartburg so the Norse lay claim to the IIAC's automatic bid. Regular season champ Dubuque was knocked off by Wartburg in the semifinals so it's highly unlikely that the IIAC gets two teams in this year.
Earlier this afternoon, UW-Oshkosh as the number three seed upset number one seeded UW-Superior 66-61 in the WIAC Championship Game in ironically, the Yellow Jackets last year in the conference. So while the Titans earn the WIAC's automatic bid, things are not so certain for Don Mulhern's UW-Superior squad.
Out west, George Fox won the NWC Championship Game with a similar 66-61 victory over Puget Sound so while the Bruins get the conference's automatic bid, Puget Sound; along with Whitworth, look to be solidly in the Dance. Claremont Mudd-Scripps predictably won the SCIAC Conference Championship Game to snare that conference's automatic berth and that will likely be their only entry into the Dance.
So this brings us to Bethel. At 21-6 (14-4) in one of the top Division III conferences in the nation, and getting to that conference's championship game SHOULD - in my mind anyway - be more than enough to get them an invite to the Dance. I'm certainly not saying that either UW-Superior or Whitworth aren't. It's just that, when you look at the Royals' overall body of work, they deserve the invite, IMHO. Yes, they did have two "bad" losses to both CSB and St. Kate's but they also had "good" out of conference wins as well against both Redlands and Chapman. They also had that 11-game win streak from early January through late February that was finally snapped by UST which can't be ignored. And finally, they played the Tommies very tough in the MIAC Championship Game. The fact that they were ranked seventh in the West Regional rankings - behind BOTH Buena Vista AND Dubuque - is a complete joke and whoever is in charge of making these rankings that has a direct impact on a team getting in or not is not doing his or her job and needs to be taken to task. At the VERY least, I would expect that person to get a GOOD look at ALL the potential teams involved before just simply scribbling something on a piece of paper and throwing it against the wall to see if it sticks.
Nonetheless, Monday is going to be very interesting for sure and you can catch all the pairings at approximately 1:30 P.M. (Central Time) if you go to www.d3hoops.com and follow the links provided.
UMAC Championship Game Synopsis - UM-Morris vs Northwestern 2-28-15
After leaving UST's Anderson Athletic complex, I hustled up Snelling Avenue to the north side of town and over to Northwestern's Ericksen Center to catch what I could of the UMAC Championship Game between visiting UM-Morris and host Northwestern. I got settled in with 8:53 left in the game and with UM-Morris holding a 39-32 lead.
Whatever might have been holding the Eagles down up to this point was unknown from my vantage point but Northwestern; looking to repeat as UMAC Playoff champions, finally found its groove when it appeared as if they might be in great danger. A lay-up by freshman reserve guard Jackie Foster with 8:05 left shrunk the Cougar lead to 39-34 and a "3" from the right corner by sophomore guard Tiffany Stubbs with 7:35 left brought the house down as the UM-Morris lead was now down to a scant two points at 39-37. A jumper from the right elbow by senior forward Jessica Love did up the Cougar advantage to 41-37 with 7:08 left but this Eagle squad; which looked to have been the beneficiary of a second wind, was able to snare the lead away from UM-Morris. Junior guard Kim Campbell connected with a lay-up with 6:54 left and then junior post Regan Cooper muscled into the paint on the ensuing Northwestern possession for a score and got fouled in the process and the obligatory freebie now had the Eagles up 42-41. With 4:45 left, Campbell connected with a lay-up in transition and was fouled in the process and the Bloomington native knocked down the free throw for a 45-41 Northwestern lead. Campbell added more heroics with a blocked shot and being fouled in transition that allowed her to sink one free throw for a 46-41 Eagle lead with 4:13 left. The Cougars, who could have easily folded after absorbing this 14-2 shellacking over the last four minutes, somehow steadied the ship and fought back. Senior guard Kendra Wycoff drained a "3" from the top of the key with 3:29 left that cut the Eagle lead to 46-44 and two free throws by fellow senior forward Emily Auch who was fouled in transition with 3:03 left tied the issue at 46. A Stubbs trey from the right corner with 2:41 left looked to have Northwestern in the driver's seat again with a 49-46 lead but Wycoff came to the rescue again for UM-Morris as she banged home a "3" of her own from the right wing area with 2:10 left that tied things up at 49 a piece. The Eagles were unable to convert on two scoring opportunities on their next possession and, on the ensuing Cougar possession, Auch; the Benson native, wound up on the charity stripe after being fouled with 1:00 left where she knocked down her two free throw attempts for a 51-49 UM-Morris lead. After Northwestern Head Coach Aaron Kahl called a timeout to set up strategy, the Eagles committed a costly turnover courtesy of Auch and could have paid for it dearly had senior guard Connor Lewis been able to connect at the charity stripe with 18.4 left. Lanky Northwestern senior forward/post Jacki Smith was able to snare the rebound and the Eagles dashed down the court where Kahl called a final timeout with :13 left. The play that tied it up was set-up beautifully by Kahl and his staff. The Eagles got the ball down low to Cooper and she placed a perfect bounce pass into the hands of Stubbs who made a hard cut for the ball and connected with a lay-up with :09 left that made it 51-all. The Cougars had one last chance left in regulation but junior reserve guard Cori Becker's three-point attempt from the left corner in the waning seconds was errant and off to overtime we went tied at 51.
The fact that Northwestern couldn't quite close the deal in regulation after that 14-2 run seemingly had a downer effect on the Eagles in the extra five minute session. Or maybe it was because UM-Morris; buoyed by a raucous contingent of fans and students who had made their way to the Cities for this game, caught new life after averting disaster. In any event, the Cougars wasted little time in usurping control of this contest. A score in the paint by reserve sophomore forward Tori Holt with 3:33 left put UM-Morris up for good at 53-51. A missed jumper by Smith and a Cooper turnover stymied Northwestern's efforts on their ensuing possessions but still, trailing only by two, the Eagles still had hope. Smith swatted away a jumper attempt by the Cougar's Auch with 1:56 left but another Northwestern turnover on their ensuing possession killed their chances as Auch snared the ball way and quickly got the rock to Wycoff who connected with a lay-up in transition with 1:16 left for a 55-51 UM-Morris lead. Campbell was unable to connect on a lay-up attempt with 1:04 left and the Cougars got the rebound and the ball off to Wycoff who was immediately fouled and her two free throws with :53.9 left made it a 57-51 game and Northwestern was now in desperation mode. Smith was unable to connect from three-point land with :44 left and another Cougar rebound led to another trip to the charity stripe for insurance points. Auch was nails for UM-Morris with free throws in the last minute while the Eagles lost their two "bigs" - Smith and Cooper - to fouls as the Cougars earned a measure of revenge for last year's UMAC Championship Game loss to Northwestern at Morris with a 63-54 victory.
Kahl, while disappointed with the loss, thought that this was a great game and was thankful for the opportunity to have been in it. I asked him if he felt that maybe his squad ran out of energy after that big run late in the second half but Kahl felt it was more of a proposition where UM-Morris simply made some great plays and shots where they had to. Kahl had mentioned to me on Wednesday night after the victory over Martin Luther that he felt that they just had to make their shots in order to beat the Cougars on Saturday. They did in that great 14-2 run. They just couldn't do it when they needed it most at the end. Meanwhile, for UM-Morris, I suppose a lot of people can easily dismiss this team with a 16-11 overall record and, with a likely placing in the UST pod for the first round of the NCAA Tournament, many will think that they will be fodder for either the Tommies or perhaps Bethel. But, from what little I got to see of this squad, their guards and forwards are very physical and they can play very tough man-to-man defense. The bottom line here is that it's tournament time and with the Cougars arguably playing the underdog role, they can roll the dice and gamble and that's a very beautiful position to be in; with nothing to lose.
Whatever might have been holding the Eagles down up to this point was unknown from my vantage point but Northwestern; looking to repeat as UMAC Playoff champions, finally found its groove when it appeared as if they might be in great danger. A lay-up by freshman reserve guard Jackie Foster with 8:05 left shrunk the Cougar lead to 39-34 and a "3" from the right corner by sophomore guard Tiffany Stubbs with 7:35 left brought the house down as the UM-Morris lead was now down to a scant two points at 39-37. A jumper from the right elbow by senior forward Jessica Love did up the Cougar advantage to 41-37 with 7:08 left but this Eagle squad; which looked to have been the beneficiary of a second wind, was able to snare the lead away from UM-Morris. Junior guard Kim Campbell connected with a lay-up with 6:54 left and then junior post Regan Cooper muscled into the paint on the ensuing Northwestern possession for a score and got fouled in the process and the obligatory freebie now had the Eagles up 42-41. With 4:45 left, Campbell connected with a lay-up in transition and was fouled in the process and the Bloomington native knocked down the free throw for a 45-41 Northwestern lead. Campbell added more heroics with a blocked shot and being fouled in transition that allowed her to sink one free throw for a 46-41 Eagle lead with 4:13 left. The Cougars, who could have easily folded after absorbing this 14-2 shellacking over the last four minutes, somehow steadied the ship and fought back. Senior guard Kendra Wycoff drained a "3" from the top of the key with 3:29 left that cut the Eagle lead to 46-44 and two free throws by fellow senior forward Emily Auch who was fouled in transition with 3:03 left tied the issue at 46. A Stubbs trey from the right corner with 2:41 left looked to have Northwestern in the driver's seat again with a 49-46 lead but Wycoff came to the rescue again for UM-Morris as she banged home a "3" of her own from the right wing area with 2:10 left that tied things up at 49 a piece. The Eagles were unable to convert on two scoring opportunities on their next possession and, on the ensuing Cougar possession, Auch; the Benson native, wound up on the charity stripe after being fouled with 1:00 left where she knocked down her two free throw attempts for a 51-49 UM-Morris lead. After Northwestern Head Coach Aaron Kahl called a timeout to set up strategy, the Eagles committed a costly turnover courtesy of Auch and could have paid for it dearly had senior guard Connor Lewis been able to connect at the charity stripe with 18.4 left. Lanky Northwestern senior forward/post Jacki Smith was able to snare the rebound and the Eagles dashed down the court where Kahl called a final timeout with :13 left. The play that tied it up was set-up beautifully by Kahl and his staff. The Eagles got the ball down low to Cooper and she placed a perfect bounce pass into the hands of Stubbs who made a hard cut for the ball and connected with a lay-up with :09 left that made it 51-all. The Cougars had one last chance left in regulation but junior reserve guard Cori Becker's three-point attempt from the left corner in the waning seconds was errant and off to overtime we went tied at 51.
The fact that Northwestern couldn't quite close the deal in regulation after that 14-2 run seemingly had a downer effect on the Eagles in the extra five minute session. Or maybe it was because UM-Morris; buoyed by a raucous contingent of fans and students who had made their way to the Cities for this game, caught new life after averting disaster. In any event, the Cougars wasted little time in usurping control of this contest. A score in the paint by reserve sophomore forward Tori Holt with 3:33 left put UM-Morris up for good at 53-51. A missed jumper by Smith and a Cooper turnover stymied Northwestern's efforts on their ensuing possessions but still, trailing only by two, the Eagles still had hope. Smith swatted away a jumper attempt by the Cougar's Auch with 1:56 left but another Northwestern turnover on their ensuing possession killed their chances as Auch snared the ball way and quickly got the rock to Wycoff who connected with a lay-up in transition with 1:16 left for a 55-51 UM-Morris lead. Campbell was unable to connect on a lay-up attempt with 1:04 left and the Cougars got the rebound and the ball off to Wycoff who was immediately fouled and her two free throws with :53.9 left made it a 57-51 game and Northwestern was now in desperation mode. Smith was unable to connect from three-point land with :44 left and another Cougar rebound led to another trip to the charity stripe for insurance points. Auch was nails for UM-Morris with free throws in the last minute while the Eagles lost their two "bigs" - Smith and Cooper - to fouls as the Cougars earned a measure of revenge for last year's UMAC Championship Game loss to Northwestern at Morris with a 63-54 victory.
Kahl, while disappointed with the loss, thought that this was a great game and was thankful for the opportunity to have been in it. I asked him if he felt that maybe his squad ran out of energy after that big run late in the second half but Kahl felt it was more of a proposition where UM-Morris simply made some great plays and shots where they had to. Kahl had mentioned to me on Wednesday night after the victory over Martin Luther that he felt that they just had to make their shots in order to beat the Cougars on Saturday. They did in that great 14-2 run. They just couldn't do it when they needed it most at the end. Meanwhile, for UM-Morris, I suppose a lot of people can easily dismiss this team with a 16-11 overall record and, with a likely placing in the UST pod for the first round of the NCAA Tournament, many will think that they will be fodder for either the Tommies or perhaps Bethel. But, from what little I got to see of this squad, their guards and forwards are very physical and they can play very tough man-to-man defense. The bottom line here is that it's tournament time and with the Cougars arguably playing the underdog role, they can roll the dice and gamble and that's a very beautiful position to be in; with nothing to lose.
MIAC Championship Game - Bethel vs UST 2-28-15
Made my way over to UST's Anderson Athletic Complex and Schoenecker Arena on this sunny Saturday afternoon for the climax of the MIAC women's basketball season - the MIAC Championship Game which featured a highly anticipated rematch between second-seeded Bethel and number one seed and host UST. The Tommies claimed a tough 81-77 victory ten days ago at Robertson Center so this one figured to be a battle as well. The Royals; with their victory over SMU on Thursday night, notched 21 wins for the first time in program history and were hoping to pull off the monumental upset to assure themselves of the automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament instead of anxiously awaiting for an at-large bid on Monday. UST meanwhile, with its unblemished 26-0 record was looking to make history - again - by running roughshod over the rest of the conference and claiming yet another MIAC regular season and playoff title - and likely getting to host a regional pod in the NCAA Tournament as well.
The Tommies would open an early 6-2 advantage with a score in the paint by senior post Maggie Weiers at the 19:39 mark and two scores by fellow senior point guard Jen Dockter - a short jumper at the 18:46 mark and another one from the free throw line at the 18:26 mark. Bethel would trim the deficit to 6-4 on a score in the paint by junior post Rachel Parupsky but a "3" by junior guard Katie Stone from the left wing area at the 16:25 mark had things looking good for UST up 9-4. That "feel good" sensation for the Tommies, however, would take a blow when senior forward Anna Smith went down with an apparent knee injury after being fouled. Though Smith was able to get up under her own power, senior reserve forward Alyssa (nothing vanilla) Favilla came in to do the free throw honors for a 10-4 UST lead. The Royals would once again make a dent in the deficit as sophomore guard Shanni Moorse connected on a drive and finish as the shot clock expired at the 14:55 mark and junior guard Hannah Niewald knocked down two freebies after being fouled at the 14:35 mark that made it a 10-8 game. Smith; hoping that her apparent knee injury was nothing more than just a mere tweak, went back into the game at the 13:42 mark but quickly realized it was a more serious situation when she had to go out less than a minute later after a turnover. Meanwhile, a lay-up by sophomore forward Kalli Zimmerman at the 11:59 mark knotted the issue at 10-all and this one definitely appeared to be a battle at this point.
In fact, if it weren't for a plethora of missed lay-ups and "bunnies", Bethel may have very well established a bit of a lead by this point. As it was, they were right in the thick of things where they wanted to be. With the Royals trailing 14-12, Parupsky found herself open at the top of the key and uncorked a three-point bomb that kissed perfectly off the glass and into the cylinder that gave Bethel its first lead of the afternoon at 15-14 with 9:34 left and a Parupsky jumper off the glass in transition with 9:13 left increased that lead to 17-14. A determined Tommie team, however, was not going to be upstaged on its home floor and went quickly back to work to rectify the situation. Back-to-back scores by lefty senior reserve guard Hannah Hughes - a short jumper with 8:55 left and a jumper from the right wing off the glass with 8:16 left - had UST back out in front 18-17 and also helped ignite an 8-0 run that increased the lead to 24-17 that was capped off by a Stone "3" from the left wing area with 4:32 left. Smith; with that knee and leg heavily wrapped by this time for stability, was back in the contest by this time and, presumably anyway, was okay to go. With the Tommies up 26-19, Stone uncorked another three-point bomb; this one from the left top area that pushed the lead to ten at 29-19 and a Weiers drive along the right baseline and pretty reverse finish with 2:27 left made it a twelve-point 31-19 UST advantage and the Royals were arguably reeling by this point. Senior reserve forward Elaine Warner increased the lead to thirteen at 33-20 with her drive and left-handed lay-up with :18 left and it would have been a perfect ending to the first half for the Tommies except for the fact that Smith got tangled up in heavy traffic in the waning seconds and went down again in pain and sadly had to be helped to the locker room after the buzzer sounded with UST up 33-21. While it was tough to have to watch Smith be helped off the court, Bethel was facing the prospect of being down double digits at the half. A paltry 7-26 from FG range for 26.9% was bad enough but what was really shocking was that the Royals were absolutely being hammered on the glass as the Tommies owned a shocking 29-9 advantage on the boards.
UST could have had an emotional roller-coaster downfall once the second half got underway but instead the Tommies quietly and efficiently kept doing their thing. A 9-4 push in the opening minutes; fueled by a Dockter lay-up at the 17:47 mark and capped by a Weiers drive and jumper that got her fouled and allowed her to sink the obligatory freebie made it a 42-25 ballgame. Free throws by Dockter at the 14:42 mark and by Weiers at the 13:36 mark coupled with a Hughes lay-up at the 12:37 mark pushed the lead to 23 at 48-25 and it looked by this time that UST was on its way to a rout as Bethel could get nothing going offensively and found few opportunities in the paint area where not even a canister of Drano could unplug the stout Tommie "D". Down by twenty plus, the Royals could have easily thrown in the towel. Somehow, though, they hunkered down and dug deep and forged a comeback that, had it not been for all those missed lay-ups, bunnies and free throws, might have had a drastically different result.
Bethel, which had been frustrated up to this point by not being able mount a sustained run, finally got untracked and unleashed a 13-0 blitzkrieg. A pull-up jumper by freshman reserve guard Angie Kirchoff at the 11:58 mark and a Zimmerman "3" from the right top area at the 11:28 mark trimmed the UST lead down to 48-30. Parupsky was finally able to muscle into the paint for a score with 9:47 left and a pretty one-handed shot by Zimmerman with 9:14 left not only cut the Tommie lead down to fourteen at 48-34 but the Royals also now found themselves in the bonus as well. A Parupsky jumper from the right wing with 8:05 left and two free throws by Schultz after she was fouled with 7:24 left shrunk the UST lead down to ten at 48-38 and the shell-shocked Tommies definitely looked a bit dazed by this point. But two thirty-second timeouts by UST Head Coach Ruth Sinn helped calm the waters just enough to stave off disaster. While Zimmerman single-handedly tried to bring the Royals back from the brink with three consecutive scores - two free throws with 4:46 left; a steal and lay-up the other way with 4:35 left; and one more freebie with 3:58 left - the Tommies held firm when they had to and were able to snuff out the last Bethel threat. A reverse lay-up by Dockter; and a ball that seemed to go all the way up to the rafters before safely falling through the cylinder in the process, upped the lead to eleven at 59-48 with 2:42 left and two free throws by senior guard Laura Margarit with 1:30 left maintained a relatively safe ten-point cushion at 61-51. Both Parupsky and Kirchoff missed jumpers in the last minute in a vain attempt to save their hopes. Dockter and Warner knocked down pairs of insurance free throws and UST found itself hoisting yet another MIAC trophy with a 65-51 victory.
A disappointed and somewhat emotional - yet proud Bethel Head Coach Jon Herbrechtsmeyer referred to his squad as heroes as he talked about his team's comeback efforts when all appeared lost early on in the second half. The disparity in total rebounds for the game - 52 to 27 for UST - was one of the big reasons for the defeat obviously. Herbrechtsmeyer felt that if things had stayed relatively the same from the regular season contest just ten days ago and if the Royals had been able to clean some things up on the offensive end, things might have turned out differently. Alas, that didn't happen and now Bethel must await anxiously for Monday afternoon's announcement of pairings for the NCAA Tournament to see if they're in or not. I don't want to delve into a rant in this game story to explain why the Royals definitely deserve a bid but, with a 21-6 overall record playing in one of the best Division III conferences in the nation, they have a very strong argument for getting in. For UST, Sinn was very happy and pleased with her squad's efforts; especially how they were able to stand firm when Bethel had their run. "We had to get back to being aggressive again" she explained. I also asked her about the near-term outlook and status of Smith who spent the second half on the bench with ice wrapped around that injured knee. "Worst-case scenario it's an ACL injury" she said and said that she'll have an MRI done within the next couple of days to assess the damage. That's definitely a damn shame for a great player like Smith who had to battle back so hard after sitting out last year and it certainly doesn't seem fair for someone who has worked so hard to get her game back. What does this all mean in the big scheme of things? Certainly, without Smith, a very important piece for the Tommies has been removed from the picture; someone who can not only score inside and out on the perimeter but someone who also knows a thing or two about defense and rebounding as well. At the same time, I think UST is still definitely good enough to have a shot at winning the whole thing but it won't be as easy without her. Presumably, the Tommies will be hosting a first/second round NCAA regional pod at Schoenecker and it's difficult to imagine anyone knocking off the Tommies, no matter what other teams get placed here.
The Tommies would open an early 6-2 advantage with a score in the paint by senior post Maggie Weiers at the 19:39 mark and two scores by fellow senior point guard Jen Dockter - a short jumper at the 18:46 mark and another one from the free throw line at the 18:26 mark. Bethel would trim the deficit to 6-4 on a score in the paint by junior post Rachel Parupsky but a "3" by junior guard Katie Stone from the left wing area at the 16:25 mark had things looking good for UST up 9-4. That "feel good" sensation for the Tommies, however, would take a blow when senior forward Anna Smith went down with an apparent knee injury after being fouled. Though Smith was able to get up under her own power, senior reserve forward Alyssa (nothing vanilla) Favilla came in to do the free throw honors for a 10-4 UST lead. The Royals would once again make a dent in the deficit as sophomore guard Shanni Moorse connected on a drive and finish as the shot clock expired at the 14:55 mark and junior guard Hannah Niewald knocked down two freebies after being fouled at the 14:35 mark that made it a 10-8 game. Smith; hoping that her apparent knee injury was nothing more than just a mere tweak, went back into the game at the 13:42 mark but quickly realized it was a more serious situation when she had to go out less than a minute later after a turnover. Meanwhile, a lay-up by sophomore forward Kalli Zimmerman at the 11:59 mark knotted the issue at 10-all and this one definitely appeared to be a battle at this point.
In fact, if it weren't for a plethora of missed lay-ups and "bunnies", Bethel may have very well established a bit of a lead by this point. As it was, they were right in the thick of things where they wanted to be. With the Royals trailing 14-12, Parupsky found herself open at the top of the key and uncorked a three-point bomb that kissed perfectly off the glass and into the cylinder that gave Bethel its first lead of the afternoon at 15-14 with 9:34 left and a Parupsky jumper off the glass in transition with 9:13 left increased that lead to 17-14. A determined Tommie team, however, was not going to be upstaged on its home floor and went quickly back to work to rectify the situation. Back-to-back scores by lefty senior reserve guard Hannah Hughes - a short jumper with 8:55 left and a jumper from the right wing off the glass with 8:16 left - had UST back out in front 18-17 and also helped ignite an 8-0 run that increased the lead to 24-17 that was capped off by a Stone "3" from the left wing area with 4:32 left. Smith; with that knee and leg heavily wrapped by this time for stability, was back in the contest by this time and, presumably anyway, was okay to go. With the Tommies up 26-19, Stone uncorked another three-point bomb; this one from the left top area that pushed the lead to ten at 29-19 and a Weiers drive along the right baseline and pretty reverse finish with 2:27 left made it a twelve-point 31-19 UST advantage and the Royals were arguably reeling by this point. Senior reserve forward Elaine Warner increased the lead to thirteen at 33-20 with her drive and left-handed lay-up with :18 left and it would have been a perfect ending to the first half for the Tommies except for the fact that Smith got tangled up in heavy traffic in the waning seconds and went down again in pain and sadly had to be helped to the locker room after the buzzer sounded with UST up 33-21. While it was tough to have to watch Smith be helped off the court, Bethel was facing the prospect of being down double digits at the half. A paltry 7-26 from FG range for 26.9% was bad enough but what was really shocking was that the Royals were absolutely being hammered on the glass as the Tommies owned a shocking 29-9 advantage on the boards.
UST could have had an emotional roller-coaster downfall once the second half got underway but instead the Tommies quietly and efficiently kept doing their thing. A 9-4 push in the opening minutes; fueled by a Dockter lay-up at the 17:47 mark and capped by a Weiers drive and jumper that got her fouled and allowed her to sink the obligatory freebie made it a 42-25 ballgame. Free throws by Dockter at the 14:42 mark and by Weiers at the 13:36 mark coupled with a Hughes lay-up at the 12:37 mark pushed the lead to 23 at 48-25 and it looked by this time that UST was on its way to a rout as Bethel could get nothing going offensively and found few opportunities in the paint area where not even a canister of Drano could unplug the stout Tommie "D". Down by twenty plus, the Royals could have easily thrown in the towel. Somehow, though, they hunkered down and dug deep and forged a comeback that, had it not been for all those missed lay-ups, bunnies and free throws, might have had a drastically different result.
Bethel, which had been frustrated up to this point by not being able mount a sustained run, finally got untracked and unleashed a 13-0 blitzkrieg. A pull-up jumper by freshman reserve guard Angie Kirchoff at the 11:58 mark and a Zimmerman "3" from the right top area at the 11:28 mark trimmed the UST lead down to 48-30. Parupsky was finally able to muscle into the paint for a score with 9:47 left and a pretty one-handed shot by Zimmerman with 9:14 left not only cut the Tommie lead down to fourteen at 48-34 but the Royals also now found themselves in the bonus as well. A Parupsky jumper from the right wing with 8:05 left and two free throws by Schultz after she was fouled with 7:24 left shrunk the UST lead down to ten at 48-38 and the shell-shocked Tommies definitely looked a bit dazed by this point. But two thirty-second timeouts by UST Head Coach Ruth Sinn helped calm the waters just enough to stave off disaster. While Zimmerman single-handedly tried to bring the Royals back from the brink with three consecutive scores - two free throws with 4:46 left; a steal and lay-up the other way with 4:35 left; and one more freebie with 3:58 left - the Tommies held firm when they had to and were able to snuff out the last Bethel threat. A reverse lay-up by Dockter; and a ball that seemed to go all the way up to the rafters before safely falling through the cylinder in the process, upped the lead to eleven at 59-48 with 2:42 left and two free throws by senior guard Laura Margarit with 1:30 left maintained a relatively safe ten-point cushion at 61-51. Both Parupsky and Kirchoff missed jumpers in the last minute in a vain attempt to save their hopes. Dockter and Warner knocked down pairs of insurance free throws and UST found itself hoisting yet another MIAC trophy with a 65-51 victory.
A disappointed and somewhat emotional - yet proud Bethel Head Coach Jon Herbrechtsmeyer referred to his squad as heroes as he talked about his team's comeback efforts when all appeared lost early on in the second half. The disparity in total rebounds for the game - 52 to 27 for UST - was one of the big reasons for the defeat obviously. Herbrechtsmeyer felt that if things had stayed relatively the same from the regular season contest just ten days ago and if the Royals had been able to clean some things up on the offensive end, things might have turned out differently. Alas, that didn't happen and now Bethel must await anxiously for Monday afternoon's announcement of pairings for the NCAA Tournament to see if they're in or not. I don't want to delve into a rant in this game story to explain why the Royals definitely deserve a bid but, with a 21-6 overall record playing in one of the best Division III conferences in the nation, they have a very strong argument for getting in. For UST, Sinn was very happy and pleased with her squad's efforts; especially how they were able to stand firm when Bethel had their run. "We had to get back to being aggressive again" she explained. I also asked her about the near-term outlook and status of Smith who spent the second half on the bench with ice wrapped around that injured knee. "Worst-case scenario it's an ACL injury" she said and said that she'll have an MRI done within the next couple of days to assess the damage. That's definitely a damn shame for a great player like Smith who had to battle back so hard after sitting out last year and it certainly doesn't seem fair for someone who has worked so hard to get her game back. What does this all mean in the big scheme of things? Certainly, without Smith, a very important piece for the Tommies has been removed from the picture; someone who can not only score inside and out on the perimeter but someone who also knows a thing or two about defense and rebounding as well. At the same time, I think UST is still definitely good enough to have a shot at winning the whole thing but it won't be as easy without her. Presumably, the Tommies will be hosting a first/second round NCAA regional pod at Schoenecker and it's difficult to imagine anyone knocking off the Tommies, no matter what other teams get placed here.
Maple Grove vs Park Center Recap 2-27-15
Made the short hop over to Park Center High School on this Monday night to take in Senior Night and a big regular season finale for both visiting Maple Grove and host Park Center. Pirate seniors Hannah Schaub, McKenna DuBois and Camille McCoy were all recognized before the game for their contributions to this Pirate program over the years they have been a part of it.
In addition to this game being the regular season finale with a Northwest Suburban Conference Divisional title on the line, this game was also a fun one to be a part of as well as not only did host Park Center have a raucous student section on hand this night, but visiting Maple Grove had a nice contingent of students supporting their Crimson as well. So this was a great atmosphere to be a part of this night and it helped make this game even more special. In this physical, defense-dominated contest, scoring would come at a premium but it still didn't prevent Maple Grove from getting out to a great start. A score in the paint by junior guard Mackenzie Barta at the 17:08 mark that got her fouled and allowed her to sink the obligatory freebie and a "3" from the left wing area by lanky fellow junior forward Maddie Tharp had the Crimson up 6-1 by the 14:41 mark. Park Center would battle back, however as a "3" from the top of the key by Hannah Schaub at the 14:28 mark and a score in the paint by sophomore post Mikayla Hayes had the Pirates trailing by a scant point at 8-7 at the 10:22 mark. Despite the fact that Maple Grove found itself in the bonus with 7:32 left, turnovers were rearing their ugly head for the Crimson which opened the door for Park Center coming down the stretch of the first half. With Maple Grove holding a tenuous 12-11 advantage, Pirate sophomore reserve forward Fey Ayobamidele drained a "3" from the top of the key with 5:04 left and a steal in the backcourt and lay-up by DuBois with 4:54 left had Park Center up 16-12. With 4:27 left, DuBois struck again; this time with a three-point bomb from the right wing that increased the Pirate lead to 19-12. Barta would get two free throws for the Crimson with 2:38 left but Park Center sophomore guard Ann Simonet would add one freebie as well as the Pirates took a 20-14 lead into the locker room at intermission.
Park Center would maintain a bit of a cushion in the opening minutes of the second half with the lead bobbing back and forth between four and six points but back-to-back scores in the paint by Hayes allowed the Pirates to stretch the lead to eight at 26-18. At the 13:08 mark, the lanky sophomore post for Park Center struck again; this time on a lay-up in transition that got her fouled and allowed her to sink the obligatory freebie for a 29-20 Pirate advantage. Then it was the flashy sophomore reserve Ayobamidele's turn to shine. A tip-in of a missed lay-up in transition at the 11:11 mark and a jumper from the left wing at the 10:17 mark now stretched the lead to 33-20. Maple Grove could have hit the panic button right then and there but the Crimson dug deep and fought their way right back into the thick of things with a 10-0 run of their own with Barta and junior forward Allie Schmidt doing the damage from the charity stripe that chopped the Park Center lead down to 33-30 with 3:15 left and had Pirate Head Coach Chris VanderHyde clamoring for a timeout. That stoppage in play did the trick as Maple Grove; in the face of a stingy Park Center defense in the critical moments in the home stretch, could only find iron - or worse - air - with shots. Even with the Crimson in the double-bonus with 2:17 left, Maple Grove saw Park Center close the door on their hopes of an undisputed divisional title. A lay-up by Hayes with 2:31 left stretched the lead to 35-30 and two free throws by Danielle Schaub with 1:23 left stretch the lead to six at 37-31. Insurance free throws by Simonet and DuBois within the last minute sealed the deal for the Pirates as Park Center claimed a tough 45-35 win that not only successfully closed out the regular season on Senior Night but also gave the Pirates a share of the divisional title with Maple Grove as well.
In addition to this game being the regular season finale with a Northwest Suburban Conference Divisional title on the line, this game was also a fun one to be a part of as well as not only did host Park Center have a raucous student section on hand this night, but visiting Maple Grove had a nice contingent of students supporting their Crimson as well. So this was a great atmosphere to be a part of this night and it helped make this game even more special. In this physical, defense-dominated contest, scoring would come at a premium but it still didn't prevent Maple Grove from getting out to a great start. A score in the paint by junior guard Mackenzie Barta at the 17:08 mark that got her fouled and allowed her to sink the obligatory freebie and a "3" from the left wing area by lanky fellow junior forward Maddie Tharp had the Crimson up 6-1 by the 14:41 mark. Park Center would battle back, however as a "3" from the top of the key by Hannah Schaub at the 14:28 mark and a score in the paint by sophomore post Mikayla Hayes had the Pirates trailing by a scant point at 8-7 at the 10:22 mark. Despite the fact that Maple Grove found itself in the bonus with 7:32 left, turnovers were rearing their ugly head for the Crimson which opened the door for Park Center coming down the stretch of the first half. With Maple Grove holding a tenuous 12-11 advantage, Pirate sophomore reserve forward Fey Ayobamidele drained a "3" from the top of the key with 5:04 left and a steal in the backcourt and lay-up by DuBois with 4:54 left had Park Center up 16-12. With 4:27 left, DuBois struck again; this time with a three-point bomb from the right wing that increased the Pirate lead to 19-12. Barta would get two free throws for the Crimson with 2:38 left but Park Center sophomore guard Ann Simonet would add one freebie as well as the Pirates took a 20-14 lead into the locker room at intermission.
Park Center would maintain a bit of a cushion in the opening minutes of the second half with the lead bobbing back and forth between four and six points but back-to-back scores in the paint by Hayes allowed the Pirates to stretch the lead to eight at 26-18. At the 13:08 mark, the lanky sophomore post for Park Center struck again; this time on a lay-up in transition that got her fouled and allowed her to sink the obligatory freebie for a 29-20 Pirate advantage. Then it was the flashy sophomore reserve Ayobamidele's turn to shine. A tip-in of a missed lay-up in transition at the 11:11 mark and a jumper from the left wing at the 10:17 mark now stretched the lead to 33-20. Maple Grove could have hit the panic button right then and there but the Crimson dug deep and fought their way right back into the thick of things with a 10-0 run of their own with Barta and junior forward Allie Schmidt doing the damage from the charity stripe that chopped the Park Center lead down to 33-30 with 3:15 left and had Pirate Head Coach Chris VanderHyde clamoring for a timeout. That stoppage in play did the trick as Maple Grove; in the face of a stingy Park Center defense in the critical moments in the home stretch, could only find iron - or worse - air - with shots. Even with the Crimson in the double-bonus with 2:17 left, Maple Grove saw Park Center close the door on their hopes of an undisputed divisional title. A lay-up by Hayes with 2:31 left stretched the lead to 35-30 and two free throws by Danielle Schaub with 1:23 left stretch the lead to six at 37-31. Insurance free throws by Simonet and DuBois within the last minute sealed the deal for the Pirates as Park Center claimed a tough 45-35 win that not only successfully closed out the regular season on Senior Night but also gave the Pirates a share of the divisional title with Maple Grove as well.
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