Park Center vs Anoka 12-8-16

Made my way up to Anoka High School on this cold early December Thursday night to take in this important Northwest Suburban Conference game between visiting Park Center and host Anoka.  This contest would be a clash of contrasts as the Pirates rely on their speed and quickness and their defensive prowess to create opportunities while the Tornadoes prefer the half-court style along with their size down low to overpower opponents.  I got there early and was fortunate enough to run into former Anoka standout Abby Torgerson who was there to cheer on her alma mater with her family.

The Tornadoes showed a 2-3 zone defense from the get go in hopes of plugging up the middle with their size and taking their chances with Park Center's perimeter shooting.  Unfortunately for them, Pirate senior guard Ann Simonet showed off her three-point shooting ability with her bomb from the right top area at the 17:10 mark and two free throws from fellow senior guard Danielle Schaub at the 16:16 mark allowed Park Center to maintain that three-point edge at 5-2.  Anoka would come right back, however, as big senior post Brittany Bongartz connected with a jumper from the right wing area at the 15:35 mark and two free throws by junior forward/post Lily Schoknecht gave the Tornadoes their first lead at 6-5 at the 14:33 mark.  A Schaub "3" from the left corner at the 14:11 mark had Park Center back out in front at 8-6 but one free throw by freshman reserve guard Jersi McAlpine at the 13:58 mark and two more by junior guard Noelle Josephson at the 13:42 mark had the Tornadoes back out in front 9-8.  The two sides would eventually be deadlocked at 10-all just beyond the midway point of the first half so, presumably anyway, a real battle was shaping up.

The first real sign of trouble for Anoka showed up with the score tied at 13 a piece.  Simonet uncorked her second trey of the ballgame - this one from the left wing area - with 6:33 left that sparked a 7-0 Pirate burst.  Lanky senior post Mikayla Hayes made a pretty spin move and finished with a left-handed lay-up with 4:45 left and two Hayes free throws with 4:17 left gave Park Center a 20-13 advantage.  Still no real reason for the Tornadoes to go into panic mode just yet but the usually-reliable front court trio of Bongartz, Schoknecht and senior forward Abby Slater were not getting the easy opportunities down low that Head Coach Zack Vogelsberg had hoped for and when they did put up shots, they were off the mark.  Worse yet, the turnover bugaboo was starting to rear its ugly head for Anoka.  A Schoknecht lay-up with 4:06 left did reduce the deficit to five at 20-15 but then the Pirates got their transition game going and went on an 11-0 game-changing blitz.  Simonet's third trey of the evening - this one from the right wing area with 3:32 left - started the run.  Two free throws by Schaub with 3:14 left gave Park Center its first double digit lead at 25-15.  Then, flashy junior guard Sommer Blakemore delivered two back-breaking threes - one from the left corner with 2:46 left and the other from the top of the key with 2:23 left - that suddenly pushed the lead to 31-15 and the Tornadoes' Vogelsberg had no choice but to call a halt to the action.  Unfortunately for Anoka, all they could muster in the last two minutes was one Slater free throw with :50 left and the Tornadoes went into the locker room staring at a 31-16 Park Center lead.

Anoka needed to grab any momentum it could find in the early moments of the second half and Noelle Josephson tried to provide just that.  She made good on a drive and lay-up at the 16:25 mark and two free throws at the 15:43 mark allowed the Tornadoes to trim the deficit to thirteen at 33-20. But any reasonable amount of hope to mount a true comeback vanished into thin air as Park Center went on a quick 7-0 burst.  Hayes connected with a jumper in the lane at the 15:13 mark and then slender junior guard Meghan DuBois finally found her range from three-point land; nailing one from the right corner at the 14:44 mark.  Two Hayes free throws at the 14:10 mark ballooned the lead to 40-20 and now Anoka was in a real hole.  To their credit, the Tornadoes managed to step on the gas pedal a bit and went on an 8-0 burst.  Sophomore reserve guard Elizabeth Torgerson connected with a short shot at the 13:42 mark and a lay-up in transition by junior guard Emily Smith whittled the Pirate lead down to 40-24.  One free throw by McAlpine at the 12:28 mark and a Schoknecht "3" from the right top area reduced the deficit to twelve at 40-28.

But that's as close as Anoka would get to mounting a real comeback as the Pirates slowly but surely righted the ship and cruised the rest of the way.  A Schaub offensive rebound and putback at the 10:15 mark started a key 7-2 run that the Tornadoes could never recover from.  A Blakemore drive into the lane and finish off the glass at the 9:26 mark and one Blakemore free throw at the 9:00 mark got the lead back to 45-29 and a drive and lay-up by Blakemore with 7:05 left made it 47-30.  A Slater lay-up with 6:55 left and one charity stripe shot by freshman reserve guard Emily Josephson with 6:07 left cut Park Center's lead down to fourteen at 47-33 but the Pirates would again close the door.  Schaub made a drive along the left baseline and finished with 4:43 left and the future Concordia St. Paul Golden Bear made a daring drive into the lane for a finish with 3:11 left that made it a 53-34 ballgame.  A short shot by Hayes in the lane with 1:59 left and a Schaub score in the paint with 1:27 left along with two DuBois freebies with :34.4 left gave Park Center a big 59-36 road victory.

I managed to catch up with Pirate Head Coach Chris VanderHyde afterward who labeled this win as a "typical grind it out Northwest Suburban Conference game."  Park Center, which arguably looked out of sorts offensively in Saturday's Breakdown game against East Ridge, looked more like its old self tonight as the Pirates were solid on both ends of the floor; particularly Hayes.  She not only scored but also swatted away more shots and passes on this night than a chaperone at a debutante ball. Perhaps just as important, team defense really set the tone on this night for the Pirates as the limited both Slater and Bongartz - two of Anoka's big scoring pieces - to just four points a piece.  That's tough to do.  On the other side of the coin, if you're Anoka and if you have to lose a game like this, it's better to do that now than, say, in February or (worse yet) March.  Undoubtedly, even with all the talent that the Tornadoes have, there's still bound to be some adjustments at hand after the sudden and unexpected resignation of Scott Antl.  But I expect that Vogelsberg will make adjustments where necessary and tweak some things here and there to get things clicking again for Anoka.

Carleton vs Macalester 12-7-16

Made my way over to the Leonard Center on the campus of Macalester College on this cold, windy Wednesday evening to take in the battle between visiting Carleton and host Macalester.  This was a big game for both teams as they were coming into this contest at 0-2 in the MIAC and were looking for a way to break out of their doldrums.  Not only that, both squads were hoping that this contest could lead to bigger things down the road and possibly breaking out of that lower tier of the conference.

Offense seemed to come at a premium for both teams in the early going with each side missing easy opportunities.  With the score tied at 3-all, Macalester was finally able to make its first decisive move of the evening.  Senior forward Park Masterson's jumper in the lane at the 7:53 mark helped spark a 15-2 run.  Two free throws by junior post Regan Fruh at the 7:38 mark and a lay-up by freshman guard Holly Hull at the 5:33 mark made it 9-3 game.  The Knights temporarily stopped this charge when willowly sophomore forward Cece Leone drove into the lane from the left side and connected on a pretty hook shot at the 5:04 mark but the home team continued with its blitz.  One Fruh freebie with 4:39 left and a lay-up in transition by junior reserve guard Vivi Gregorich with 4:20 left pushed the lead to 12-5 and a Fruh lay-up in transition a bit later with 3:57 left in the opening period stretched the lead to 14-5 and Carleton Head Coach Cassie Kosiba called for a thirty-second timeout to try and get her squad recharged.  But a Gregorich "3" from the left wing area with 3:11 left and a Fruh score in the paint with 2:31 left had the lead at 19-5 before the Knights were able to make something of an inroad on the deficit.  One free throw by sophomore reserve guard Caroline Hull with 1:57 left and one more by Leone with 1:07 left trimmed the Scot lead down to 19-7 and two free throws by freshman reserve forward Malika Adda-Berkane with :19.7 left in the period allowed the visitors from Northfield to get into the ten-point range trailing 19-9 but Macalester had clearly set the tempo going into the second period.  Even more worrisome for Kosiba was that the Knights had missed out on easy scoring opportunities in the opening period leaving several potential points on the table.

Carleton appeared ready to make a charge early on in the second period thanks to junior reserve forward Katherine Miles.  The Park Ridge, Illinois native got into the paint for one score at the 8:01 mark and was able to knock down a "3" from the left top area at the 6:20 mark that cut the Scot lead down to 21-14 but Macalester refused to capitulate.  Two free throws by Fruh at the 6:01 mark and one more by freshman reserve guard Tyana Loiselle at the 5:53 mark got the lead back to double digits at 24-14 and then Loiselle struck again at the 5:08 mark scoring on a nifty give-and-go lay-up that got the lead to 26-14.  Another Gregorich three-point bomb from the top of the key with 4:43 left made it 29-16 before the Knights were able to chip away.  Two free throws by Caroline Hull with 4:25 left and a tough turnaround shot by freshman post Samantha Cooke with 3:26 left had Carleton flirting with a comeback attempt; back in single-digit range trailing 29-20 and a "3" from the right wing area by freshman guard Katie Chavez with 2:13 left kept the Knights in the hunt trailing 32-23. One free throw by Cooke with 1:41 left and a drive and finish by Chavez with 1:14 left now had Carleton within striking distance trailing 32-26 but the Scots were finally able to put on the brakes just before the half.  Holly Hull banged home a "3" from the right wing area with :58 left and senior reserve post Karen Rathjens connected with a short jumper with :29 left that allowed Macalester to take a 37-28 lead into the locker room at the half.  Though the Knights were at least back in single digit range, some of the stats in the first half box score were cause for concern:  12 turnovers and a 71.4% rate from the charity stripe again left some points on the table.

While in single digit range going into the third period, Carleton was still in something of a precarious position given their relative inefficiency on offense in the first half and things gradually got worse as the third period wore on.  For starters, the Scots reeled off the first five points as a score in the paint by Fruh at the 9:26 mark and lanky junior guard Leah Gray; who had a quiet first half from a scoring standpoint, got into the books at the 8:52 mark with one freebie at the 8:52 mark that had Macalester back up by double digits at 40-28.  A Fruh lay-up at the 8:28 mark made it 42-28 before the Knights could counter on free throws by Cooke at the 7:17 mark and by Leone at the 6:52 mark that at least cut the deficit back to ten points at 42-32.  But then the Scots exploded for an 14-2 run that really put Carleton behind the 8-ball for good.  Holly Hull connected with a lay-up at the 5:48 mark that drew a foul and allowed the Overland Park, Kansas native to sink the obligatory free throw for a 45-32 lead and three straight scores by the energetic Gregorich - a short, running jumper at the 5:28 mark and lay-ups with 3:41 and 3:11 left - along with a short shot off the glass in transition by Fruh bulged the Macalester lead to 53-34 and Kosiba had no alternative by this point but to call a timeout to get her Knights refocused.  Fruh would cap this 14-2 onslaught with a lay-up with 1:13 left that drew a foul and sent the San Rafael, California native to the charity stripe for the ensuing freebie.  Carleton finally stopped the bleeding in the last minute of the third period on a Chavez drive and lay-up with :43 left and a drive and finish by Leone with :11 left but the Knights were still staring at an 18-point deficit at 56-38 going into the fourth and final period.

Carleton needed something to energize them in the early moments of the fourth period and a Chavez "3" from the left wing area at the 9:38 mark along with a lay-up in transition by junior forward Sarah Waldfogel at the 8:43 mark trimmed the Scots lead down to fifteen at 58-43.  One Chavez freebie at the 7:33 mark and one more by Waldfogel at the 5:57 mark kept the deficit at the fifteen-point range at 60-45 but Gregorich; who was proving to be a pain in the side for Kosiba's Knights on this evening, stretched Macalester's lead back to nineteen at 64-45 with her free throws at the 5:29 mark and with 4:40 left.  A jumper from the left elbow area by senior reserve guard Lauren Clamage for insurance gave the Scots a 66-47 lead with 3:13 left.  It was at this point that Carleton made an unlikely run that, while not in the same league as Texas A&M's bizarre comeback over UNI this last March in the NCAA Tournament, at least shaved some of the fat off of the deficit in the final tally. Caroline Hull not only drilled a "3" from the right corner but a foul away from the ball at the same instant sent Waldfogel to the charity stripe where she sank two free throws for an unusual five-point play with 2:58 left.  Two free throws by Cooke with 2:03 left and two more by Chavez with 1:04 left got the deficit back to ten points and, had there been another minute or two left in this game, it's entirely likely that Macalester Head Coach Kelly Roysland might have been sweating bullets and Roysland indeed called a timeout after a lay-up in transition by Leone with :34 left got the Scots back to within single digits trailing 66-58.  Fittingly, however, two Gregorich free throws with :06.3 left closed the door on Carleton as the Scots took their first MIAC victory of the year by a final score of 68-58 that improved their record to 1-2 in conference play and 5-3 overall.

Kosiba lamented afterward when I had an opportunity to catch up with her that "We just didn't execute our gameplan tonight."  Certainly one of the most important pieces in the overall Carleton gameplan - junior forward Anne Hamilton - was dressed in civvies on the bench on this night; still apparently not fully recovered from an injury last season.  Kosiba, however, remains hopeful that Hamilton will be back in action sometime after the holiday break.  "She's progressing well" she added.  I was also able to catch a moment with Waldfogel afterward as well and she remarked that "we can't be putting ourselves in a hole".  Presumably, however, once Hamilton is back in action, Carleton will have a dynamic player back in its starting rotation and someone who, according to Kosiba, has talents way beyond her scoring ability.  Meanwhile, on the Macalester side, Roysland had to be bubbling with good feelings after a great outing by the junior reserve guard Gregorich who led all scorers on this night with her 23 points.  Gray was right behind with her 22 points and nine boards on this night but the real positive for the Scots is that they have someone who is able to step up and provide quality minutes not to mention get a good number of points scored that will undoubtedly relieve some of the burden on both Masterson and Gray.  If they can do this consistently, Macalester could be a very dangerous team going forward.  Carleton was led on this night by Chavez' 13 points while both Leone and Caroline Hull had ten points a piece.  The Scots did hold an overall advantage on the boards at 41-35 as well.

St. Olaf vs St. Kate's 12-3-16

After leaving Macalester's Leonard Center, I made my way on the wonderful streets of St. Paul and Grand and Fairview Avenues over to the Butler Center on the campus of St. Kate's for the 3:00 P.M. contest between St. Olaf and host St. Kate's.  I got settled into the Butler Center with a good crowd on hand with 2:30 left in the opening period and St. Kate's up 10-6.

Two scores by flashy senior reserve guard/forward LaShay Holt late in the first period helped the Wildcats carry a 14-9 lead going into the second period and St. Kate's would expand their lead to ten points on a "3" from the right top area off of an inbounds pass by freshman reserve guard Sam Skwarek at the 9:24 mark and a drive into the lane and one-handed jumper by senior forward Mari Lee at the 8:17 mark that made it a 19-9 ballgame.  The Oles would attempt to cut into that lead as freshman guard Ella Skrien drained a "3" from the left wing area at the 7:21 mark and a jumper in the lane off the glass by lanky sophomore guard Margaret Anderson at the 6:48 mark trimmed the deficit down to seven at 21-14.  Senior do-it-all forward Betsey Daly connected with a short turnaround jumper at the 5:55 mark that kept St. Olaf within striking distance trailing 24-17 but the 1-2-2 zone defense that Head Coach Dave Stromme was employing on this afternoon didn't deter the 'Cats when they got their transition game going.  Two quick scores - one in the paint by senior forward Kennedy Jennings at the 5:32 mark and a lay-up by senior reserve guard Alexis Garcia with 4:56 left - got the St. Kate's lead back up to double digits at 28-17 and a Garcia lay-up in transition a short time later with 4:35 left suddenly made it a 30-17 game.  The Oles would again briefly get the deficit back into single digit range when scores in the paint by freshman forward Britta Koenen with 4:13 left and Makenna Ash with 2:26 left that made it a 30-21 game but it wouldn't take long for the Wildcats to hit the "push" button again.  Freshman reserve guard Danica Cambrice knocked down a short shot with 2:14 left and two scores by junior guard Audra Clark - a short jumper with 1:42 left and a lay-up in transition with 1:15 left - stretched St. Kate's lead to 37-24.  One Daly free throw with :45.3 left and a jumper from the left elbow by Daly with just :05 left before the half lessened the burden for St. Olaf but the Oles were still looking at a 37-27 deficit going into the locker room at the halftime break.  Turnovers were a big problem for Stromme's squad in the first half as the Oles recorded 11 of them to only four for St. Kate's.  While the Oles had a slight advantage on the boards at 20-17 (thanks to Daly and Ash), the Wildcats shot better at 45.7% from FG range compared to St. Olaf's 39.3%.

St. Olaf needed a spark to turn things around and it definitely looked like they got that spark at the beginning of the third period.  Daly; the rebounding machine, snared an offensive rebound for a putback at the 9:03 mark and two scores by Ash - a lay-up at the 8:31 mark and a score in the paint at the 7:53 mark - cut the Wildcat lead down to 37-33.  Daly completed this 7-0 push at the 6:51 mark by sinking one freebie and suddenly the Oles were within a single possession trailing 37-34.  But this experienced St. Kate's group shunned the desire to break out the panic button and instead hunkered down and calmly responded with a 7-0 run of their own.  Lee uncorked a "3" from the left corner at the 6:30 mark and two free throws by Jennings at the 5:11 mark upped the lead to 42-34.  Cambrice's drive and finish with 4:29 left made it a 44-34 game and, just like that, St. Olaf was back at Square One again trailing by ten.  The Oles would make a push again as two Daly free throws with 4:12 left and a score in the paint by Ash with 3:02 left along with one Ash free throw with 2:44 left slimmed the deficit down to five points at 44-39 but St. Kate's was able to find its groove on offense again. Holt uncorked a three-point bomb from the right wing with 2:25 left and free throws by both Garcia junior guard Meg Clark had the Wildcats up by ten again at 49-39 with 1:02 left.  One free throw by Anderson with :49.9 left and two by Daly with :40.7 left allowed St. Olaf to creep a bit closer but a score in the paint by Holt with :16.5 left in the period allowed St. Kate's to carry a nine-point 51-42 lead going into the fourth period.

The Oles looked primed to make another run in the early moments of the fourth period as Daly; the lone senior on this youthful squad; sank one free throw at the 8:53 mark and connected with a jumper off the glass along the right baseline at the 8:22 mark that slimmed down the gap to eight points at 53-45.  Anderson dropped a three-point bomb from the right top area at the 7:57 mark that cut the St. Kate's lead down to five at 53-48 and a score in the paint by Ash at the 6:20 mark kept St. Olaf within striking distance trailing 55-50.  But just when the 'Cats looked a wee bit vulnerable, they calmly rose to the challenge.  Audra Clark sank one freebie after getting fouled at the 6:09 mark and then was able to knock down a short jumper off the glass with 4:42 left that again gave St. Kate's a ten-point cushion at 60-50.  Holt; the Oles worst nightmare, unleashed another three-point bomb  - this one coming from the left top area with 3:41 left and then Skwarek connected on a lay-up in transition with 3:17 left that got the lead to fifteen at 65-50 and it was smooth sailing from there.  Jennings would add a lay-up with 1:52 left and an offensive rebound and putback by Audra Clark with :21 left for insurance gave the Wildcats their first MIAC win of this young season by a 69-51 count.

While St. Kate's Head Coach Sean Pinkerton would no doubt love to have graduated senior Shauna Horsch back on the team for just one more year, you can tell that this Wildcat team has grown and matured over these last three years when the current group of seniors first came to the program.  I asked Pinkerton about the run that St. Olaf made at them at the beginning of the third period and how his team was able to respond.  He replied that "It's nice to have juniors and seniors leading the way." The Wildcats had a relatively balanced attack in this contest with Holt leading all scorers with her 19 points and also pulling down ten rebounds.  Audra Clark followed up with 15 points while Garcia, Jennings and Cambrice all added eight points.  Not surprisingly, Daly led the way for St. Olaf in this one with her "double-double" of 15 points and monster performance on the boards with 16 rebounds. Ash recorded a "double-double" as well with her 14 points and ten rebounds and Skrien added ten points.  Because of the rebounding machine that Daly is, St. Olaf did have an edge on the boards at 43-39 but also (likely to Stromme's chagrin) had way more turnovers at 21 to the Wildcats 11. Neither side shot exceptionally well on this day but St. Kate's did have an 18-10 advantage on points off of turnovers and had a decided advantage on points off the bench at 32-12.      

GAC vs Macalester 12-3-16

My second stop on this busy first Saturday in December was the Leonard Center over on the St. Paul side of town for this 1:00 P.M. MIAC clash between visiting GAC and host Macalester.  The Gusties came into this contest undefeated at 6-0 while the host Scots were looking to rebound after Wednesday night's loss at the hands of another MIAC powerhouse, UST.

GAC came out of the gate fast in this contest as senior forward Miranda Rice snared the opening tip and raced down the court for a lay-up in transition at the 9:54 mark that sparked an opening 9-2 run. Rice would get into the paint for a score and draw a foul in the process that sent the Forest Lake native to the line for the obligatory free throw for a 5-2 Gustie lead.  Rice would strike again on the ensuing Macalester possession as she snared a steal and raced the other way for an easy lay-up that made it a 7-2 game at the 7:41 mark and a score in the paint by fellow senior forward Hannah Howard at the 6:42 mark capped the run for a 9-2 GAC lead.  The Scots would manage to get back to within a single possession on a one-handed shot by senior forward Park Masterson at the 5:52 mark and a tough score in the paint by junior post Regan Fruh at the 5:19 mark that made it 9-6 and a Masterson lay-up with 3:18 left kept Macalester within that single-possession range trailing 11-8.  But the Gusties would find another spark down the stretch of the first period in the form of sophomore reserve guard Brooke Lemke.  The Delano native drained her first trey attempt from the left wing area with 2:52 left and another Lemke "3" from that same left wing area with 1:40 left made it a 17-10 game.  Less than thirty seconds later, Lemke struck terror again from behind the arc; nailing one from the right wing area with 1:11 left for a 20-10 GAC lead and Scot Head Coach Kelly Roysland had no alternative but to call a thirty-second timeout to shore things up on defense.  Senior reserve guard Lauren Clamage would try to come to the rescue of Macalester with her three-point bomb from the right corner with :57 left in the opening period that made it 20-13 but the Gusties had set the tone early on in this contest.

Clamage; the Lake Forest, Illinois product, picked up right where she left off once the second period got underway with her second three-point bomb of the ballgame; this one coming from the left corner at the 9:42 mark that had the Scots threatening again trailing 20-16.  GAC methodically deterred this comeback attempt as junior point guard Mikayla Miller knocked down a short shot at the 9:15 mark and an offensive rebound and putback by Rice at the 8:36 mark got the lead back up to eight at 24-16. Sophomore guard Taylor Anderson drilled a "3" from the top of the key at the 7:58 mark and then a Miller "3" from the same area at the 6:01 mark got the lead back up to ten at 30-20.  Macalester would attempt another comeback as a Fruh score in the paint with 4:52 left and a "3" from the left wing area by junior guard Leah Gray with 4:18 left closed the gap to five points at 30-25 and Gustie Head Coach Laurie Kelly called a thirty-second timeout to make some quick adjustments on defense. Still, the Scots would get to within a single possession as Clamage drained her third trey of the afternoon from the left wing area with 2:21 left that also drew a foul and sent her to the line for the obligatory free throw that trimmed GAC's lead down to 32-29 and one more freebie by junior guard Grace Dickman with 1:58 left cut further into the deficit at 32-30.  But the Gusties would calmly respond with a late 8-1 run to answer the call.  Miller; the Goodhue product, banged home her second trey of the day from the top of the key with 1:46 left and then casually dropped her third three-point bomb of the period with :57 left from the left top area for a 38-31 lead.  A score in the paint by the always-reliable Rice with :12 left capped this spurt and gave GAC considerable more breathing space up 40-31 going into the locker room at the halftime break.  A glance of the first half box score shows that the Gusties shot 66.7% from FG range and an equally-blistering 75% from behind the arc so, in many respects, it's surprising that they weren't up by more.

GAC was able to get its lead up to double digits in the early moments of the third period as two free throws from Rice at the 8:41  mark made it 42-31 and an offensive rebound and putback by her frontline partner Howard at the 7:42 mark that drew a foul and sent the former Cretin-Derham Hall standout to the line for the ensuing freebie stretched the lead to 45-31.  A Rice score in the paint at the 7:11 mark made it a 47-32 game before the Scots could muster some offense.  Junior reserve guard Vivi Gregorich uncorked a "3" from the right corner at the 6:47 mark and sophomore reserve guard Katie Grahn was able to connect with a "3" from the left wing area at the 5:43 mark that trimmed the Gustie lead down to 49-38.  Another Masterson score in the paint with 4:40 left and another Gregorich "3" from the left corner with 3:56 left had Macalester in the ten-point range trailing 53-43 and although Roysland called a thirty-second timeout to discuss strategy with her squad, the Gusties effectively shut the door again with a 12-2 run to close the period.  Sophomore guard Justine Lee drilled a "3" from the top of the key with 3:37 left and a Rice jumper from the right elbow area with 2:41 left made it a 58-43 ballgame.  Rice would connect from that same area with 1:20 left and two Lee free throws with :44.5 left and another Miller "3" - this one from the right wing with just :00.9 left, now gave GAC a nice twenty-point cushion at 65-45 going into the fourth and final period.

A Miller "3" from the top of the key at the 8:52 mark that rolled around the rim before finally falling in describes in a nutshell how well the Gusties were shooting on this afternoon and when Miller connected with a short shot at the 8:04 mark for a 70-48 GAC lead; the Scots' Roysland called a timeout to try and put a halt to this Gustie steamroller.  To its credit, Macalester was able to whittle a bit of the fat off the deficit as the fourth period progressed.  Two scores by Fruh - a jumper from the right elbow area at the 7:34 mark and a short turnaround jumper at the 5:11 mark - made it a 73-52 ballgame and helped spark an unlikely spurt.  Senior reserve forward Emilie McGuire connected with a jumper from the right elbow with 4:15 left and junior reserve guard G. G. Gunther banged home a "3" from the right wing area with 3:13 left.  Freshman reserve guard Tyana Loiselle connected with a jumper from the top in transition with 2:41 left that sliced GAC's lead down to 73-59 and again Roysland called a timeout in hopes of creating a miracle comeback but it was not to be.  The Gusties put this one away for good as Lee connected with a lay-up with 2:02 left that made it 75-59 and one free throw by freshman reserve guard Kelsey Nelson maintained the sixteen-point edge at 76-60 with :37.1 left.  Nelson's back-end attempt was awry but there for the offensive rebound and putback was freshman reserve guard Tierney Winter who was fouled in the process and her free throw made it 79-60 with :35.9 left.  Finally, freshman reserve forward Josie Schieffert put the final icing on the cake with her score in the paint with just :06.5 left to make the ending tally 81-60 in favor of the Gusties.

While Kelly said that a twenty-point win on the road in the MIAC is always a good win, she was quick to give credit to Macalester; noting that they are much improved.  I asked Assistant Coach Dan Wolfe if he was happy with his squad's defensive effort and he replied with a resounding "No!"  "Give Macalester credit......They were able to counter some of the things we were doing but we've still got to get better."  He added that good defense comes in stages and that "we've got to work our way to the next stage."  But you can tell that this GAC squad is also much, much improved over the last couple of seasons as well and it helps when you have a strong core of juniors and seniors leading the way and it's easy to see why they're definitely one of the top three teams in the conference (along with UST and Bethel) with a shot to win it all.  Rice led the way for the Gusties on this day with her 22 points while Miller was right behind with her 19 points thanks to all those three-point bombs and Lee finished with a solid 13-point performance.  For Macalester, Fruh led the way with her 13 points and Clamage had a very good day with her twelve points.  Perhaps most encouraging for Roysland in this loss was that she got contributions from a lot of different players today rather than relying solely on Fruh, Masterson and Clamage to shoulder the burden.  The Gusties owned the glass on this day by a 33-21 count although neither Kelly nor Roysland could be happy with the number of turnovers that their squads were guilty of on this day (the Gusties with 14 and the Scots with 17).

Breakdown Tip-Off Classic - Park Center vs East Ridge Recap 12-3-16

Made my way over to Hopkins High School on this Saturday morning to take in one of the games of one of the better high school girl's events in the upper Midwest - the Breakdown Tip-Off Classic.  The 10:30 A.M. game on the East Court at Lindbergh Center featured Park Center; one of the powerhouse teams out of the Northwest Suburban Conference and East Ridge; an up-and-coming team out of the Suburban East Conference.

The Raptors have an interesting mix of veteran leadership and promising young sophomores and freshman and, because of that, the train of thought (at least in my mind anyway) was that Park Center would use its experience and speed and athleticism to gain a decisive advantage early on.  But East Ridge has a lot of size on its front line and backcourt and that size seemed to stifle the usually explosive Pirate offense.  With the game tied at 2-all, senior guard Lauren Johnson's jumper from the left corner just inside the arc started an 11-0 run.  Fellow senior post Mariah Sexe then made her presence felt as she was able to snare an offensive rebound for a putback that drew a foul and sent her to the line for the obligatory free throw and then the 6'1" Lehigh commit connected with a jumper from the left corner at the 13:49 mark for a 9-2 Raptor lead.  Lanky senior forward/post Kelen Kenol was able to make a pretty spin move and connect with a jumper in the lane at the 12:58 mark and then senior guard Emma Stoehr made good on a daring drive into the land of giants for a finish at the 10:53 mark for a 13-2 East Ridge lead.  The shell-shocked Pirates finally awoke from their Saturday morning slumber when senior point guard Danielle Schaub knocked down a short jumper at the 10:29 mark.  Two scores by junior reserve forward Charo Nickens - a short shot at the 9:52 mark and a score in the paint at the 9:12 mark - pulled Park Center closer trailing 13-8 but it was becoming readily apparent that this was not the Thursday night waltz they had with Eden Prairie and if the Pirates were going to do this, they were going to have to do it the hard way.

The Raptors got their lead back to nine points on a score in the paint by junior reserve forward Meaghan Rapp with 8:48 left and a lay-up in transition by senior guard Noelle Tomes with 8:19 left that made it a 17-8 ballgame but Park Center was able to close the gap on two three-point bombs - one by senior guard Ann Simonet from the right wing with 8:03 left and another from junior reserve post Azsha Michael from the left corner with 7:29 left - that cut the East Ridge lead to 17-14.  But the Raptors were able to respond with a 6-0 push that cut short this attempted comeback.  A score in the paint by Rapp with 6:51 left and pairs of free throws by Tomes with 6:17 left and Kenol with 3:58 left made it a 23-14 game.  Trailing by nine, the Pirates were able to finally kick it into gear and get their offense going a bit; going on a 9-0 run.  Junior guard Sommer Blakemore made a hard drive into the lane for a finish with 3:20 left and Schaub was able to connect on a short shot on the ensuing Pirate possession with 2:41 left.  Then, two more Blakemore scores - a short jumper off the glass with 1:49 left and a "3" from the right wing with 1:29 left - knotted the score at 23 a piece and it was here that many thought (including your's truly) that Park Center had finally found itself and now could gradually take control of things.  But it would be East Ridge that would have the final say of the first half as Kenol knocked down two freebies with 1:09 left and then Tomes knocked down a jumper from the left wing with just :01 before the halftime buzzer that gave the Raptors an unlikely 27-23 lead and the head of steam that Park Center had built up with that run seemed to go out the window.

A Sexe drive and finish at the 17:43 mark of the second half expanded East Ridge's lead to 29-23 but the Pirates managed to battle back and finally take a few brief one-point leads.  Simonet drained her second trey of the day with a bomb from the right wing area at the 17:14 mark and a short shot by senior post Mikayla Hayes at the 16:04 mark cut the Raptor lead to a single point at 29-28 and then it was slender junior guard Meghan DuBois slithering her way into the lane for a finish off the glass that gave Park Center its first lead of the day at 30-29.  The two teams would trade one-point leads over a nearly three minute stretch and with the Pirates holding a 34-33 advantage, Tomes banged home a "3" from the left wing area that had East Ridge back on top 36-34 but Park Center's Schaub knotted the issue at 36-all with her jumper at the 11:51 mark so it looked like the Pirates were right where they wanted to be and in position to seize control.

But when Park Center seemingly had this upstart East Ridge team on the ropes, they inexplicably and mysteriously let them off the hook.  After a DuBois "3" from the left top area at the 10:47 mark tied the contest at 39-all, the Raptors went on a game-changing 8-0 run.  A Rapp score in the paint at the 10:29 mark and a short shot by Sexe at the 9:15 mark gave East Ridge at 43-39 advantage.  Then it was Sexe stealing the show by snaring an offensive rebound for a putback with 8:19 left that not only gave the Raptors a 45-39 lead but was also Sexe's 1,000th point of her fabulous high school career.  When Johnson knocked down a jumpewr from the left wing area.  When Johnson knocked down a jumper from the left wing area with 5:59 left, East Ridge was now up 47-39 and Pirate Head Coach Chris VanderHyde called a timeout knowing full and well that his squad was in deep trouble.  But the Raptors were able to stretch their lead to ten points on a Sexe jumper from the right elbow area with 4:09 left before Park Center could even begin to make any meaningful comeback.  Pairs of Hayes free throws with 3:45 and 2:51 left and a Hayes score in the paint with 2:25 left had the Pirates within striking distance trailing 51-45 but when they needed that one big shot - that one big trey or a score drawing a foul, it just simply wasn't there on this day.  Twice within the last two minutes, Park Center got themselves within a single tantalizing possession but never could get any closer.  Blakemore would connect with a "3" from the left wing area with 2:00 left that had the Pirates trailing 51-48 and one Du Bois free throw with 1:07 left along with a Blakemore drive into the land and finish with :44 left cut the Raptors lead down to 53-51.  Alas, that's as close as Park Center could get.  Tomes would hit two insurance free throws with :24.4 left for a 55-51 Raptor advantage and the Pirates never could find anything else on offense.    

Eden Prairie vs Park Center Recap 12-1-16

The high school season began this season where it always seems to for me - over at Park Center High School where on this Thursday evening the defending Northwest Suburban Conference champs were hosting Eden Prairie out of the Lake Conference - something of an unusual matchup right out of the gate.  The visiting Eagles under the tutelage of Head Coach Faith Johnson Patterson in her second season at the helm were hoping to get off to a good start in the season opener and perhaps make a name for themselves in the early part of the season while the Pirates are looking to consolidate their recent good results over the last three seasons which includes two state titles in the AAA field and an appearance last year in the AAAA field.

Eden Prairie came out in a 2-3 zone defense and, with the size that they have, it effectively clogged up the middle and slowed the usually frenetic-paced Pirate offense - at least in the early going anyway.  The problem was that as much as Park Center was slow getting into its flow in the early moments of the contest, the Eagles looked totally inept on offense as my UCLA Bruins did this fall (as much as that pains me to say as a die-hard UCLA guy).  With the Pirates holding a 1-0 lead on a free throw by junior guard Sommer Blakemore at the 17:48 mark, Park Center exploded with a 9-0 run.  Senior point guard Danielle Schaub drained a "3" from the left wing in transition at the 14:41 mark and slender junior guard Meghan DuBois drilled one "3" from the right corner at the 13:54 mark and then promptly dropped another three-point bomb from the top of the key at the 13:24 mark for a 10-0 Pirate lead and Johnson Patterson wasted no time in calling a timeout in an effort to stop the hemorrhaging.  A Schaub drive and lay-up at the 12:54 mark stretched the lead to 12-0 before the Eagles finally got on the board at the 12:32 mark and they at least managed to stay in the ten-point range for a bit.  Senior guard Jordan Schinas connected with a jumper from the left wing at the 12:05 mark and a score in the paint with 11:06 left by junior forward Kira Mosley along with a jumper in the lane by senior forward Sophia Hughes at least gave Eden Prairie a bit of hope trailing 18-8.  The Eagles briefly got back to within single digits when sophomore reserve forward Kemara Watson slithered into the paint for a score with 8:39 left for an 18-10 game but that flicker of hope was quickly doused when the Pirates embarked on a 10-0 burst.  Two scores in the paint by junior reserve forward Charo Nickens and two freebies by Blakemore made it 24-10 with 3:54 left.  Senior post Mikayla Hayes knocked down two free throws as well and added a jumper in the lane that made it a 28-10 game with 2:49 left and there was no looking back.  Turnovers galore and missed free throws along with an incredibly pesky Park Center defense simply stymied any Eden Prairie threat and the Eagles were incredibly fortunate to be down only 30-13 at the half.

Things only went from bad to worse for Eden Prairie once the second half got underway as the Pirates went on yet another 10-0 blitz.  Blakemore connected on a lay-up in transition at the 16:57 mark as did Hayes after a steal at the 16:41 mark.  Du Bois banged home a "3" from the left wing area at the 16:19 mark and then it was Blakemore unleashing a "3" from the left wing area that made it 40-13 and Johnson Patterson once again was clamoring for a timeout to try and save this quickly sinking ship.  Alas, the Eagles continued to flounder as the Pirates kept expanding their advantage. Two Schaub free throws at the 14:47 mark and a Hayes jumper from the right elbow area at the 13:40 mark made it 44-15 and a Blakemore "3" from the left corner at the 13:00 mark ballooned the lead to 47-17.  A Schaub steal and lay-up the other way at the 12:52 mark and a Charo Nickens lay-up in transition with 9:59 left helped make it a 53-19 game and, with running time looming the rest of the way, Johnson-Patterson called a timeout to get her troops reorganized.  Still, Charo Nickens added a lay-up in transition with 9:31 left and DuBois was able to wiggle inside for a score that drew a foul and sent her to the line for the obligatory free throw that made it 58-20 with 6:48 left.  Park Center Head Coach Chris VanderHyde was able to gradually insert his younger reserves into the game to give them some valuable in-game experience that they normally wouldn't get.  Freshman reserve guard Aaliyah Ragulen was able to knock down two freebies with 4:12 left and sophomore reserve forward Trinidi Prochaska was able to get into the paint for a score with :18 left as the Pirates cruised in the season opener by a score of 62-23.  

Hamline vs Augsburg 11-30-16

Made my way over to Si Melby Hall on the campus of Augsburg College on this dreary, rainy last day of November to take in the MIAC opener between visiting Hamline and host Augsburg.  The Pipers were coming off a resounding victory over Crown on Monday night and were no doubt looking to carry some momentum from that win over to this game tonight.  The Auggies meanwhile were coming into this contest without a blemish on their record while at the same time becoming the most talked-about team in the MIAC with their youth and athleticism.

Augsburg would get a 5-2 lead in the first minute of the game on the strength of a "3" from the left wing by freshman point guard Aiza Wilson at the 9:37 mark and a pretty coast-to-coast lay-up by fellow freshman (and DeLaSalle grad) Camryn Speese.  The Pipers would cut the deficit to one point at the 8:09 mark on a lay-up by sophomore (and former Auggie) guard Alaina Quaranta but the Auggies would then proceed to go on an 8-0 push.  Wilson would unleash her second trey of the evening - this one coming from the left corner at the 7:41 mark for an 8-4 Augsburg lead.  Then junior forward Hannah Steinhaus connected on a lay-up at the 6:56 mark that drew a foul and allowed the Waterville native to sink the obligatory free throw for an 11-4 Auggie advantage and, after a foiled Hamline possession, Steinhaus was able to connect on a lay-up in transition at the 6:35 mark that made it a 13-4 ballgame.  The Pipers could have been in some real trouble at that point but they managed to close the gap down the stretch of the first period.  Freshman forward Reilly Geistfeld got into the paint for one score at the 6:24 mark and also connected with a lay-up with 4:11 left that reduced Augsburg's lead down to 15-8.  A "3" from the left corner by senior guard Chloe Graves with 2:09 left kept the deficit at seven at 18-11 and, although the Auggies would get the lead up to double-digits at 22-11 less than a minute later, Hamline would continue to make inroads.  Freshman reserve forward Aly Sartain got into the paint for a score with 1:14 left and a short jumper off the glass by fellow freshman reserve guard Kaeli Stayer with :24 left left had the Pipers back within single-digit range trailing 24-15.  Graves was sent to the line with :05.6 left and while she was able to knock down the front end, the second free throw attempt rimmed out.  Fortunately for Hamline, Sartain was able to snare the offensive rebound for a putback with :03.1 left that not only had the Pipers back within striking distance trailing 24-18 but may have taken a bit of wind out the Auggies sail as well.

Hamline's prospects appeared to brighten when freshman guard Morgen Coleman's lay-up at the 8:51 mark of the second period cut the Auggies lead down to 24-20 and a Graves lay-up at the 8:07 mark had the Pipers back within a single possession trailing 25-22.  Quaranta; who did so much damage with her defensive prowess for Augsburg last year, now was doing it to her former team.  A short jumper at the 7:03 mark followed by a jumper from the left elbow area at the 6:01 mark had Hamline tantalizingly close trailing 27-26.  The Auggies were able to create a bit more breathing space thanks to a Steinhaus offensive rebound and putback at the 5:35 mark and a short shot off the glass by Steinhaus at the 5:17 mark for a 31-26 lead and one free throw by freshman guard Tamira McLemore with 3:13 left made it 32-26.  A Geistfeld lay-up with 3:06 left cut the Piper deficit down to 32-28 but a score in the paint by sophomore reserve forward Carlee Kobow with 2:48 left and two free throws by freshman reserve guard Ari Jones with 2:11 left stretched Augsburg's lead to 36-28 and one Wilson free throw with :36.5 left gave the Auggies a 37-28 advantage going into the locker room at the half.  A quick glance at the first half box score reveals that Augsburg had a big advantage on the boards by a 26-18 count and, although the Pipers shot better from FG range at 46.4% compared to the Auggies 33.3%, Hamline was a woeful 1-8 from the charity stripe for 12.5% so in many ways, they were incredibly fortunate to be where they were at the break.

An offensive rebound and subsequent lay-up by Graves at the 9:46 mark of the third period was a hopeful mark for the Pipers to begin the second half but this is exactly where the wheels started to come off for Hamline.  Leading 37-30, the Auggies proceeded to go on a game-changing 8-0 burst. Freshman guard K'Aezha Wubben connected with a lay-up at the 9:27 mark and a steal and lay-up the other way by McLemore at the 9:11 mark got Augsburg's lead back up to double-digits at 41-30. Two Wubben freebies at the 8:00 mark and an offensive rebound and putback by Speese at the 7:41 mark made it a 45-30 ballgame and Piper Head Coach Kerri Stockwell had seen enough and called a full timeout to assess the damage done.  A "3" by Geistfeld from the right wing at the 7:25 mark stopped some of the bleeding that Hamline was experiencing but the Auggies went right back to work with a 6-0 spurt.  An offensive rebound and putback by Speese at the 7:12 mark and a Speese score in the paint at the 6:31 mark got the lead up to 49-33 and then it was McLemore playing the thief in the night again with her steal and lay-up the other way at the 6:10 mark for a 51-33 lead.  The Pipers would trim the deficit on a score in the paint by Sartain at the 5:35 mark and a "3" from the left corner by Coleman with 4:16 left but a "3" by freshman reserve forward Abby Jordan with 4:00 left and one Speese free throw with 3:36 left now had Augsburg up by twenty at 58-38.  A Quaranta "3" from the left top area with 2:43 left trimmed the Auggie lead down to 58-41 and an offensive rebound and putback by junior reserve forward Ivannie Robertson that drew a foul and sent the Keenesburg, Colorado to the line for the obligatory free throw cut further into the deficit.  Graves made good on a drive and lay-up with :09 left in the period that trimmed Augsburg's lead down to 61-46 going into the fourth and final period but the Pipers still had a lot of ground to make up for.

Hamline would manage to throw a bit of a scare into the host Auggies at the beginning of the fourth period as a Robertson score in the paint at the 8:34 mark and two Graves free throws at the 8:13 mark trimmed Augsburg's lead down to 63-50.  Senior guard Tia Diggins' offensive rebound and putback at the 7:40 mark made it a 63-52 ballgame and Auggie Head Coach Ted Riverso quickly called a thirty-second timeout to get his squad refocused.  That short stoppage in play was exactly what the doctor ordered for Augsburg as they went on a 10-0 run that effectively closed the door on this last Piper threat.  Two Speese freebies at the 7:01 mark and a Jones drive and finish at the 6:39 mark made it a 67-52 game and a McLemore drive and finish at the 5:59 mark and one McLemore free throw at the 5:18 mark made it 70-52 and then the dagger was applied by Jordan as she uncorked a "3" from the left wing area with 4:52 left for a 73-52 Auggie lead.  Hamline would manage to get the deficit back to sixteen points as one Quaranta free throw with 4:38 left and a Geistfeld offensive rebound and putback of Quaranta's back-end attempt with 4:31 left made it 73-56 and one more Quaranta free throw with 4:04 left made it 73-57 but the Pipers could get no closer.  Wubben was able to get a score in the paint with 3:53 left that drew a foul and sent the former Hopkins player to the line for the ensuing freebie for a 76-57 lead and pairs of Steinhaus free throws with 3:27 left and 2:12 left made it 80-57 and although late Hamline scores - a Coleman "3" from the right wing in transition with 1:31 left and a Graves lay-up off of an inbounds pass with :45.4 left - brought the Pipers a bit closer, a Jones lay-up with :18.6 left provided the finishing touches on the Auggies comfortable 82-62 win.

I managed to catch up with Hamline Assistant Coach Dean Stambaugh afterward and all he could offer was that "our youth really caught up with us tonight" but also offered that "we've got to go right back to work."  Augsburg's Riverso was obviously pleased with the win that brings the Auggies record to 6-0 which is their best start in history.  He talked about the defensive adjustments that he and his staff made at the half that enabled them get stops and get on that game-changing run at the beginning of the third period.  I asked him specifically about his young core group of players that have meshed so well with the experienced veterans such as Steinhaus and fellow juniors Bridget Bednar and Savanna Roth.  "There's some nights where I really don't know what to expect" he said with a smile given the group's inexperience and youthful exuberance.  I think the one thing I like about this squad is that they seem to play with no fear or nerves.  It's almost as if they collectively say "(Expletive deleted) you.  We're coming after you no matter what."  And you have to respect that.  Realistically, I do think that there is a ceiling for this group and they'll likely hit that ceiling come Saturday when they host UST but in a year or two, who knows?  Steinhaus had a solid evening on this night; leading the way with her 17 points and eight rebounds and Speese had a "double-double" with her 12 points and ten rebounds while McLemore and Jones both contributed 11 points each. Hamline had a balanced scoring attack in the losing effort as Graves had 14 points, Geistfeld; a "double-double" with her 13 points and ten rebounds and Quaranta; the former Auggie with her 12 points.  Augsburg owned the glass on this night by a 51-39 count although turnovers were probably a bit higher than Riverso and his staff would have liked with 12 total.  The Auggies also had a decided advantage in second-chance points at 23-16 and bench points at 24-13 (thanks to Jones and Jordan).