The first night game of the opening day of the state tournament had the Class AAA teams stealing the spotlight. The first game featured #1 seed and Section 5AAA champ Orono going up against Section 8AAA champ Thief River Falls. The Prowlers; unseeded in this field were again one of those teams I had not seen before while the Spartans I had caught in action back in January at their victory over Waconia. I was very impressed with Orono as they have a very nice blend of size and speed and I knew then that they'd be a force in this field and tonight's game didn't do anything to change my thinking.
A score in the paint at the 17:35 mark by lanky junior post Meghan Mandel got the Spartans off on the right foot but a pesky TR Falls team was not about to buckle under the pressure of a raucous Orono student section; closing the gap to 7-5 before the Spartans were able to go on a 4-0 spurt to increase their lead to 11-5 and a "3" from the left corner by savvy senior guard Kiera Nelson at the 12:07 mark extended the lead to 14-6 but the Prowlers managed to battle back and get the deficit back into the six-point range when 6'3" post Jenna Tadych scored in the paint at the 11:05 mark that trimmed the Orono lead down to 16-10. The Spartans, however, would embark on a 10-2 run that made it 26-10 before TR Falls could get the deficit back to ten with 7:20 left. Two free throws by junior reserve forward Rachel Rudd with 7:07 left and a "3" from the left top area by sophomore guard Tori Andrew gave the Spartans a 31-16 lead with 2:54 left before TR Falls managed to forge yet another mini-comeback. Two free throws by freshman guard Kylea Praska with 2:33 left and a pair of freebies by senior forward/post Madison Brekke trimmed the deficit down to eleven points at 31-20. With 1:08 left, Brekke struck again as she connected with a jumper in the lane to get the Prowlers back to within single digits trailing 31-22 and two more Praska charity stripe shots with :21.9 left had TR Falls trailing 33-24 before a late Orono score made it 35-24 when the buzzer sounded. The Spartans had a relatively balanced scoring attack in the first half with Mandel's nine points leading the way. TR Falls did as well with Praska's seven points leading the way but the Prowlers were also guilty of 12 first half turnovers which offset a solid rebounding performance.
An 8-2 burst by the Spartans opened up yet more separation between the number-one seeded team and their pesky opponent for a 41-26 advantage and that lead soon ballooned to 47-27 by the 12:T18 mark. A Rudd "3" from the left top area with 11:32 left made it 53-31 and this one was slowly but surely slipping away for TR Falls Head Coach Jeff Loe. A Nelson "3" from the top of the key made it 56-32 and a Nelson lay-up with 8:56 that got her fouled and allowed her to sink the obligatory freebie made it 59-34 and the Spartans were clearly on their way. Even worse for TR Falls was the fact that when the Spartans weren't scoring, they were getting several offensive rebounds and eating precious time off the clock. TR Falls tried valiantly to fight back; a "3" from the right top area by junior guard Meleah Biermaier with 4:01 left got some more points on the board for the Prowlers but it didn't make much of a dent in the deficit. The thing that impressed me watching this Orono team inflicting destruction in this second half was that they have so many ways that they can hurt you; whether it's in transition with one of their guards or going down low into the blocks with Mandel. They're tough. They're hot. They're lucky. They think they've got everything going for them just right and their 70-42 victory suggests that they just might be right.
I spoke with Orono senior reserve guard Sydney Reiners afterward and, despite the fact that she didn't score on this night and does not figure heavily into the scoring option for the Spartans on a normal basis, her contributions away from scoring are just fine with her. "I try to control the things I can control such as boxing out, rebounding, and going for loose balls" she said. I also asked her about what this state tournament means to her and her team on a personal basis. "We've been through a lot" she said; referring to a mere three years ago when this Spartan team struggled mightily on the floor. Orno Head Coach Ellen Wiese was in a great mood after this resounding victory. "I thought we played really well.....Our strategy to wear them down worked" she said. I asked her about the different scoring options this squad seems to have and how they can hurt you in so many ways. Here, Wiese stressed the other end of the ball. "If you don't play defense, you're not going to play" as she really stresses defense with her team which leads to offensive opportunities. She spoke glowingly of Nelson; the senior guard who led all scorers on this night with 18 points and called her "an outstanding scorer". Being able to do this at Target Center backed by a raucous student section was "a blast" according to Wiese. She also spoke about a time not so long ago when, as Wiese put it quite bluntly, "We sucked." But this squad has come a heckuva long way in a relatively short period of time. I also asked Wiese if she felt that they could win it all. "Absolutely!" she replied.
Los Angeles Rams
Tuesday, March 17, 2015
Minnesota Girl's State Tournament - Class AAAA Quarterfinal Game Recap - Andover vs Eastview 3-17-15
The third game of the day featured defending Class AAAA and Section 3AAAA champ Eastview against the new kid on the block - upstart Andover from the Northwest Suburban Conference and the Section 7AAAA champ. While I have watched the Lightning on a number of occasions, Andover; despite my coverage of the Northwest Suburban Conference, was one of those teams I hadn't seen in action before so it was the unknown factor coming into play yet once again. Still, from a Northwest Suburban Conference perspective it was refreshing to have the Huskies in the field and I was intrigued if they could give the defending champs trouble.
The Andover student section was lively and full of fun once the Huskies got a 2-0 lead and chants of "Overrated!" reverberated throughout Target Center. Unfortunately for the Huskies, however, opa jumper from sophomore reserve guard Rachel Ranke with 7:33 left to make it 21-4 and a score in the paint by strong senior forward Samantha Trammel with 4:28 left made it 26-7. Andover junior reserve forward Alyssa Hostad got one freebie to go down with :58.7 left but it didn't make much of a dent as Eastview took a commanding 29-8 lead into the locker room at the half. Somewhat surprisingly, it was Ranke's 12 points that paced Eastview in this first half steamroll. Shooting 61% as the Lightning did in the first half will generally help out as well. For Andover meanwhile, it was misery across the entire board. 3-22 FG shooting for a frightening 13.6% and 0-5 from behind the arc. Something good was going to have to happen for Belschner's club to keep this thing from getting ugly.
A "3" from the top of the key by sophomore reserve guard Haley Diemer at the 15:06 mark dusted off a few of the cobwebs that were surrounding the Andover rim but the Huskies would need a heckuva lot more of these if they were going to entertain any hope of possibly getting back into this one. As it was, Andover simply had no answer for an experienced, athletic and confident Eastview team that methodically found a variety of ways to score. A "3" from the left wing by senior star guard Madison Guebert at the 11:57 mark and two Guebert charity stripe shots at the 10:31 mark ballooned the Lightning lead to 43-15. Ranke padded her stat sheet with a "3" from the right top area with 8:38 left for a 47-16 Eastview lead and with 7:15 left she struck again from behind the arc - this one from the left wing area and, for good measure, she dropped yet another three-point bomb with 6:43 left from the top of the key for a 53-24 Eastview lead. Lightning Head Coach Melissa Guebert gradually unloaded her bench as did Andover's Belschner and Eastview had it in cruise control the rest of the way with a comfortable 62-28 victory.
I asked Ranke afterward; who paced all scorers with her 23 points, about her shining moment on this afternoon. "My teammates found me and I was just able to make shots" and also adding that "I've always been a shooter." She talked also about how big this win was as well. "Once we all start playing together, we can get back to where we were last year." While Guebert was full of praise for her sophomore sharpshooter, she also placed a lot of the credit to her squad's defensive effort. "We had a very good defensive effort today.....At halftime, we talked about stepping up our pressure." She noted that Andover is a very good shooting team that can get up and down the floor and that her team's defense stalled the Huskie's efforts. I also asked Guebert if having a state title under their belt helps this team more confident. She responded that just having the number of kids back who have had this experience before has really helped. "It's even helped me" she said with a smile. Guebert's daughter; senior Madison added 13 points in the winning effort and the Lightning owned the glass in this one with a resounding 38-22 advantage on the boards.
The Andover student section was lively and full of fun once the Huskies got a 2-0 lead and chants of "Overrated!" reverberated throughout Target Center. Unfortunately for the Huskies, however, opa jumper from sophomore reserve guard Rachel Ranke with 7:33 left to make it 21-4 and a score in the paint by strong senior forward Samantha Trammel with 4:28 left made it 26-7. Andover junior reserve forward Alyssa Hostad got one freebie to go down with :58.7 left but it didn't make much of a dent as Eastview took a commanding 29-8 lead into the locker room at the half. Somewhat surprisingly, it was Ranke's 12 points that paced Eastview in this first half steamroll. Shooting 61% as the Lightning did in the first half will generally help out as well. For Andover meanwhile, it was misery across the entire board. 3-22 FG shooting for a frightening 13.6% and 0-5 from behind the arc. Something good was going to have to happen for Belschner's club to keep this thing from getting ugly.
A "3" from the top of the key by sophomore reserve guard Haley Diemer at the 15:06 mark dusted off a few of the cobwebs that were surrounding the Andover rim but the Huskies would need a heckuva lot more of these if they were going to entertain any hope of possibly getting back into this one. As it was, Andover simply had no answer for an experienced, athletic and confident Eastview team that methodically found a variety of ways to score. A "3" from the left wing by senior star guard Madison Guebert at the 11:57 mark and two Guebert charity stripe shots at the 10:31 mark ballooned the Lightning lead to 43-15. Ranke padded her stat sheet with a "3" from the right top area with 8:38 left for a 47-16 Eastview lead and with 7:15 left she struck again from behind the arc - this one from the left wing area and, for good measure, she dropped yet another three-point bomb with 6:43 left from the top of the key for a 53-24 Eastview lead. Lightning Head Coach Melissa Guebert gradually unloaded her bench as did Andover's Belschner and Eastview had it in cruise control the rest of the way with a comfortable 62-28 victory.
I asked Ranke afterward; who paced all scorers with her 23 points, about her shining moment on this afternoon. "My teammates found me and I was just able to make shots" and also adding that "I've always been a shooter." She talked also about how big this win was as well. "Once we all start playing together, we can get back to where we were last year." While Guebert was full of praise for her sophomore sharpshooter, she also placed a lot of the credit to her squad's defensive effort. "We had a very good defensive effort today.....At halftime, we talked about stepping up our pressure." She noted that Andover is a very good shooting team that can get up and down the floor and that her team's defense stalled the Huskie's efforts. I also asked Guebert if having a state title under their belt helps this team more confident. She responded that just having the number of kids back who have had this experience before has really helped. "It's even helped me" she said with a smile. Guebert's daughter; senior Madison added 13 points in the winning effort and the Lightning owned the glass in this one with a resounding 38-22 advantage on the boards.
Minnesota Girls State Tournament - Class AAAA Quarterfinal Game Recap - Shakopee vs White Bear Lake 3-17-15
The second quarterfinal game of the day figured to be much closer than the first one as Section 2 champion Shakopee took on Section 4 champ and #4 seed White Bear Lake. Shakopee was an unfamiliar team for me but I had caught the Bears in action earlier in the season during the Breakdown Classic at Hopkins back in December. Both students certainly seemed fired up for this one and you just had the feeling that this could be a good one.
White Bear Lake would get off to a quick 4-0 lead on a jumper from junior forward Brianna Karg at the 17:34 mark and a steal and lay-up the other way by fellow junior guard Alison Hinck at the 16:59 mark but two scores by Shakopee junior forward Caleigh Rodning tied things up at 4-all by the 15:22 mark and a "3" from the left corner by senior guard Emily DeSart put the Sabers out in front 7-4 at the 14:32 mark. A 5-2 Saber run; highlighted by a "3" from the right wing by senior forward Haley Zerr at the 13:11 mark and a drive and finish by lanky 6'2" junior post Taylor Koenen at the 12:45 mark had Shakopee out in front 12-6 and White Bear Lake Head Coach Jeremy Post; not liking the early look of things called a thirty-second timeout. The resourceful Bears, however, would scratch and claw their way back and eventually get a 19-18 lead with 5:42 left so any thoughts of another blowout were quickly washed away. Trailing 20-19, Shakopee would get a key run to end the first half. Zerr made a hard drive and finish with 3:21 left and an offensive rebound and putback by sophomore reserve forward Mateya Hutton with 2:57 left made it 24-20 Sabers. Two jumpers from the left wing by Koenen - one with 2:18 left and the other with just :07 left - gave Shakopee a 28-20 halftime lead and White Bear Lake seemed out of sorts; hitting a drought on offense. Koenen's 11 points paced Shakopee while Karg's 11 led the way for the Bears in the first half.
Shakopee's 7-3 burst in the opening minutes of the second half had the Bears mired in more doo-doo. Two scores in the paint by the Bears - one by Karg at the 15:25 mark and one by junior reserve post Kate Brabenec at the 14:42 mark - helped to trim some fat off the deficit but White Bear Lake was having a devilish time trying to get stops in critical moments and even more so trying to neutralize the Sabers versatile Koenen. At the 13:53 mark the willowy-blonde Koenen snared a defensive rebound and then dashed coast to coast for a finish to give Shakopee a 41-28 lead. White Bear Lake got a bit of a lift offensively when sophomore reserve guard Gabrielle Potthoff banged home a "3" from the top of the key at the 10:26 mark but by now the Bears could no longer afford to simply trade baskets with their opponents. They needed to get on a run and Shakopee was in no mood for that. With 6:51 left and leading 50-37, Shakopee was now in the bonus and things definitely looked gloomy for the Bears by this point but White Bear Lake was not quite ready to wave the white flag just yet. Hinck connected with a lay-up with 6:16 left and got fouled in the process and the obligatory free throw reduced Shakopee's lead down to ten at 50-40. Two Hinck freebies with 6:00 left and a score in the paint by reserve junior forward Makala Keefe got the Bears back to within single digits trailing 52-44 with 5:17 left. A Hinck drive and finish in the lane with 2:33 left that got her fouled and allowed her to sink the ensuing free throw again had White Bear Lake trailing by eight but they could not get the stops necessary to get on a sustained run that might have got them to within serious striking distance. Koenen free throws with 1:07 and :24.2 left and a pair from Rodning gave Shakopee a 62-56 victory to advance to Thursday night's semifinals.
It's certainly not that big of a surprise that Koenen's 26 points led all scorers in this one as she was definitely the focal point of Shakopee's offensive output on this day. I specifically asked Saber Head Coach Juan Mitchell about that 8-0 run to end the first half. "We played really well defensively" he said during that run. White Bear Lake's Post had a differing view. "We missed 6 free throws in that stretch and we should have held the ball" he replied glumly when I asked him about that run. "They did a great job of defending us and they're very long he added. The Bears; who close the season at 22-8 were led by Hinck's 19 points in the losing effort.
White Bear Lake would get off to a quick 4-0 lead on a jumper from junior forward Brianna Karg at the 17:34 mark and a steal and lay-up the other way by fellow junior guard Alison Hinck at the 16:59 mark but two scores by Shakopee junior forward Caleigh Rodning tied things up at 4-all by the 15:22 mark and a "3" from the left corner by senior guard Emily DeSart put the Sabers out in front 7-4 at the 14:32 mark. A 5-2 Saber run; highlighted by a "3" from the right wing by senior forward Haley Zerr at the 13:11 mark and a drive and finish by lanky 6'2" junior post Taylor Koenen at the 12:45 mark had Shakopee out in front 12-6 and White Bear Lake Head Coach Jeremy Post; not liking the early look of things called a thirty-second timeout. The resourceful Bears, however, would scratch and claw their way back and eventually get a 19-18 lead with 5:42 left so any thoughts of another blowout were quickly washed away. Trailing 20-19, Shakopee would get a key run to end the first half. Zerr made a hard drive and finish with 3:21 left and an offensive rebound and putback by sophomore reserve forward Mateya Hutton with 2:57 left made it 24-20 Sabers. Two jumpers from the left wing by Koenen - one with 2:18 left and the other with just :07 left - gave Shakopee a 28-20 halftime lead and White Bear Lake seemed out of sorts; hitting a drought on offense. Koenen's 11 points paced Shakopee while Karg's 11 led the way for the Bears in the first half.
Shakopee's 7-3 burst in the opening minutes of the second half had the Bears mired in more doo-doo. Two scores in the paint by the Bears - one by Karg at the 15:25 mark and one by junior reserve post Kate Brabenec at the 14:42 mark - helped to trim some fat off the deficit but White Bear Lake was having a devilish time trying to get stops in critical moments and even more so trying to neutralize the Sabers versatile Koenen. At the 13:53 mark the willowy-blonde Koenen snared a defensive rebound and then dashed coast to coast for a finish to give Shakopee a 41-28 lead. White Bear Lake got a bit of a lift offensively when sophomore reserve guard Gabrielle Potthoff banged home a "3" from the top of the key at the 10:26 mark but by now the Bears could no longer afford to simply trade baskets with their opponents. They needed to get on a run and Shakopee was in no mood for that. With 6:51 left and leading 50-37, Shakopee was now in the bonus and things definitely looked gloomy for the Bears by this point but White Bear Lake was not quite ready to wave the white flag just yet. Hinck connected with a lay-up with 6:16 left and got fouled in the process and the obligatory free throw reduced Shakopee's lead down to ten at 50-40. Two Hinck freebies with 6:00 left and a score in the paint by reserve junior forward Makala Keefe got the Bears back to within single digits trailing 52-44 with 5:17 left. A Hinck drive and finish in the lane with 2:33 left that got her fouled and allowed her to sink the ensuing free throw again had White Bear Lake trailing by eight but they could not get the stops necessary to get on a sustained run that might have got them to within serious striking distance. Koenen free throws with 1:07 and :24.2 left and a pair from Rodning gave Shakopee a 62-56 victory to advance to Thursday night's semifinals.
It's certainly not that big of a surprise that Koenen's 26 points led all scorers in this one as she was definitely the focal point of Shakopee's offensive output on this day. I specifically asked Saber Head Coach Juan Mitchell about that 8-0 run to end the first half. "We played really well defensively" he said during that run. White Bear Lake's Post had a differing view. "We missed 6 free throws in that stretch and we should have held the ball" he replied glumly when I asked him about that run. "They did a great job of defending us and they're very long he added. The Bears; who close the season at 22-8 were led by Hinck's 19 points in the losing effort.
Minnesota Girls State Tournament - Class AAAA Quarterfinal Game Recap - Rochester Mayo vs Hope kins 3-17-15
The very first game on tap at 10:00 A.M. featured the number one seed Hopkins; the Section 6 champion going up against Rochester Mayo, the Section 1 champion. The Royals, with a sparkling 27-1 record would be prohibitive favorites in this one but, according to some of the people I spoke with prior to the contest, you shouldn't just necessarily assume an easy Hopkins victory would be in the offing. From not having seen the Spartans in action myself, I was curious about this team and what they would bring in this game.
Hopkins, using its speed and athleticism to its advantage, quickly put up a 4-0 lead but the Spartans; who looked a bit rattled early on, settled down and fought their way back. Two big three-pointers - one from junior guard Lexie Riley from the left top area at the 15:27 mark and another from fellow junior Courtney Hruska from the top of the key - put Rochester Mayo on top 6-4. Hopkins would get a 5-0 push to take a 9-6 lead but lanky Spartan junior post Anna Winter was able to snare an offensive rebound of her own miss and get a putback and get fouled in the process as well. The ensuing freebie made it 9-all by the 13:36 mark and it looked for a bit that that Rochester Mayo might be able to stay right in the thick of things. But this Hopkins team presents so many match-up problems with their speed that it can cause several problems for opponents on offense and such was the case for the Spartans who committed several turnovers on offense whenever the Royals would press or trap. This scenario enabled Hopkins to embark on a 13-2 run over a five minute stretch to make it a 22-11 game; punctuated by a "3" by junior guard Ashley Bates' "3" from the right top area with 8:48 left. Rochester Mayo finally stopped some of the bleeding with 7:10 left on a score by Winter in the paint but it was here that the Royals got the separation they were looking for; going on an 18-2 blitz over a six minute stretch that really set the tone for a 40-15 advantage. Too many turnovers and too many easy baskets for Hopkins was the story in this critical stretch that the Spartans simply couldn't overcome. Rochester Mayo found some reprieve late in the first half as Winter got a score in the paint and got fouled in the process as well and sunk the obligatory freebie with 1:26 left. A steal by Riley in the backcourt and lay-up made it 40-20 but another late 5-0 surge by the Royals established a commanding 45-20 Hopkins lead by the time the buzzer sounded ending the first half. The impressive thing about the Royals' great first half, IMHO, was their balanced scoring attack. Bates' ten points led the way but junior guard Nia Hollie added nine and senior guard Viria Livingston had eight points. Winter's eight points paced Rochester Mayo while Riley added five points. Turnovers had to be a sore spot for Spartan Head Coach Rich Decker as Rochester Mayo was guilty of 25. Yikes.
Things didn't get any better for the Spartans once the second half got going either as the turnovers continued to pile up and Hopkins extended its lead; going on a 6-2 push in the first six minutes before a score in the paint by Winter at the 11:59 mark put a temporary halt to the bleeding but the Royals methodically put more and more separation between themselves and their opponent. A jumper by Hollie in the paint with 9:22 left established a 55-22 lead and a Hollie lay-up with 6:39 left made it 60-27. Rochester Mayo got late points to make the score respectable though. Junior forward Hannah Larson scored inside with 4:34 left and Winter got one more score in the paint with 2:16 left. Hopkins Head Coach Brian Cosgriff inserted his bench in the closing minutes as the Royals cruised to an easy 62-35 win to advance to the semis. Afterward, Cosgriff stated that "We played hard but we still need to take better care of the basketball....."Our goal from Day 1 has been to play from the opening day to the very last day." I asked Cosgriff about the balanced scoring attack his team has. "We've done that all year" he said. "We share the ball but will always look for the one with the hot hand."
Hopkins, using its speed and athleticism to its advantage, quickly put up a 4-0 lead but the Spartans; who looked a bit rattled early on, settled down and fought their way back. Two big three-pointers - one from junior guard Lexie Riley from the left top area at the 15:27 mark and another from fellow junior Courtney Hruska from the top of the key - put Rochester Mayo on top 6-4. Hopkins would get a 5-0 push to take a 9-6 lead but lanky Spartan junior post Anna Winter was able to snare an offensive rebound of her own miss and get a putback and get fouled in the process as well. The ensuing freebie made it 9-all by the 13:36 mark and it looked for a bit that that Rochester Mayo might be able to stay right in the thick of things. But this Hopkins team presents so many match-up problems with their speed that it can cause several problems for opponents on offense and such was the case for the Spartans who committed several turnovers on offense whenever the Royals would press or trap. This scenario enabled Hopkins to embark on a 13-2 run over a five minute stretch to make it a 22-11 game; punctuated by a "3" by junior guard Ashley Bates' "3" from the right top area with 8:48 left. Rochester Mayo finally stopped some of the bleeding with 7:10 left on a score by Winter in the paint but it was here that the Royals got the separation they were looking for; going on an 18-2 blitz over a six minute stretch that really set the tone for a 40-15 advantage. Too many turnovers and too many easy baskets for Hopkins was the story in this critical stretch that the Spartans simply couldn't overcome. Rochester Mayo found some reprieve late in the first half as Winter got a score in the paint and got fouled in the process as well and sunk the obligatory freebie with 1:26 left. A steal by Riley in the backcourt and lay-up made it 40-20 but another late 5-0 surge by the Royals established a commanding 45-20 Hopkins lead by the time the buzzer sounded ending the first half. The impressive thing about the Royals' great first half, IMHO, was their balanced scoring attack. Bates' ten points led the way but junior guard Nia Hollie added nine and senior guard Viria Livingston had eight points. Winter's eight points paced Rochester Mayo while Riley added five points. Turnovers had to be a sore spot for Spartan Head Coach Rich Decker as Rochester Mayo was guilty of 25. Yikes.
Things didn't get any better for the Spartans once the second half got going either as the turnovers continued to pile up and Hopkins extended its lead; going on a 6-2 push in the first six minutes before a score in the paint by Winter at the 11:59 mark put a temporary halt to the bleeding but the Royals methodically put more and more separation between themselves and their opponent. A jumper by Hollie in the paint with 9:22 left established a 55-22 lead and a Hollie lay-up with 6:39 left made it 60-27. Rochester Mayo got late points to make the score respectable though. Junior forward Hannah Larson scored inside with 4:34 left and Winter got one more score in the paint with 2:16 left. Hopkins Head Coach Brian Cosgriff inserted his bench in the closing minutes as the Royals cruised to an easy 62-35 win to advance to the semis. Afterward, Cosgriff stated that "We played hard but we still need to take better care of the basketball....."Our goal from Day 1 has been to play from the opening day to the very last day." I asked Cosgriff about the balanced scoring attack his team has. "We've done that all year" he said. "We share the ball but will always look for the one with the hot hand."
Monday, March 16, 2015
Looking Ahead To The 2015 Minnesota Girl's State Tournament
Another Minnesota Girl's State Tournament is almost upon us as play begins tomorrow (Tuesday 3-17) at Target Center. And I'll be there to give game recaps and bits and pieces from interviews as well. Here is how I'm seeing things in a nutshell:
Class A - Am liking the top two seeds - Maranatha Christian and Ada-Borup to meet up Saturday at high noon from the Barn. I have not seen either team play this year but both have had historically strong programs and both have won state championships before. Minneota, IMHO, could be a darkhorse in this field.
Class AA - A bit more unpredictable here....Sauk Centre got the nod as the #1 seed and Dover-Eyota is the #2 seed. The only team I have seen in this field this year was Minnehaha Academy and I was very impressed with this squad. The Redhawks; coached by Josh Thurow is a solid squad led by junior point guard Sarah Kaminski who came off an ACL injury earlier this season. 6'1" senior post Lilly Thomey anchors the post. With the #4 seed, Minnehaha Academy is positioned to do some damage and may have the best shot of upsetting the apple cart in this field.
Class AAA - Naturally, being very close to the Park Center program, I'm inclined (perhaps a bit biased :) ) to go with the Pirates here to win their second straight state title. But the path to that ultimate goal is fraught with peril and danger. There are a bevy of very, very good teams in this field; including #1 seed Orono which I got to see play back in January. The Spartans are solid at seemingly every spot. The post is anchored by 6'3" junior Meghan Mandel who can simply dominate down low and I was very impressed with senior guard Kiera Nelson who can really score. Still, I like Park Center's odds of at least returning to the title game; likely against said Orono team, based on their experience and the fact that they've gone toe-to-toe with some of the best teams in the state already. That can play a huge part in a setting such as this. The freshmen from last year who heroically saved the night for the Pirates are a year older and more experienced as well. Perhaps even more important, senior guard Hannah Schaub; who had to watch last year's state title run from the sidelines while recovering from an ACL injury, is skillfully running the point guard spot and I think she has a lot to prove and is hungry for her last go-around. Marshall, last year's runner-up, is back as well at the #4 seed led by senior guard Sarah Buysse and the Tigers have a shot at doing some damage as well if last year's experience turns out to be a positive, rather than an inhibiting experience for them.
Class AAAA - All signs point to an Eastview - Hopkins clash here. The Royals; as the #1 seed and the Lightning as the #2 seed just seem better than everyone else in this field. That's not to say that their respective paths to Saturday night's grand finale at the Barn will be an easy one necessarily but they should still be heavy favorites to advance to that stage. Hopkins is just simply incredibly athletic as all get out and seniors TT Starks and Viria Livingston along with junior Ashley Bates are fun to watch when they have the throttle in notch 8 (railroad language again). And Head Coach Brian Cosgriff knows a few things about winning state titles as well. Still, there's something about this Eastview team that I really, really like. Maybe it's the fact that Head Coach Melissa Guebert's squad finally broke through last year and won their first-ever state title after enduring years of being the annual bridesmaid in this field. Or maybe it's because senior Madison Guebert is so experienced and so calm and cool under pressure. Maybe it's because of the strong supporting cast Eastview has as well. They just seem to do the right thing at the right time. The other team in this field to keep an eye on just might be #4 seed White Bear Lake. This squad has a nice blend of youth and experience and are very-well balanced scoring-wise. If they get past their opening quarterfinal game against Shakopee, they could get a head of steam and you just never know.
So there you have it. Am looking forward to this five-day marathon of hoops and it should be fun!
Class A - Am liking the top two seeds - Maranatha Christian and Ada-Borup to meet up Saturday at high noon from the Barn. I have not seen either team play this year but both have had historically strong programs and both have won state championships before. Minneota, IMHO, could be a darkhorse in this field.
Class AA - A bit more unpredictable here....Sauk Centre got the nod as the #1 seed and Dover-Eyota is the #2 seed. The only team I have seen in this field this year was Minnehaha Academy and I was very impressed with this squad. The Redhawks; coached by Josh Thurow is a solid squad led by junior point guard Sarah Kaminski who came off an ACL injury earlier this season. 6'1" senior post Lilly Thomey anchors the post. With the #4 seed, Minnehaha Academy is positioned to do some damage and may have the best shot of upsetting the apple cart in this field.
Class AAA - Naturally, being very close to the Park Center program, I'm inclined (perhaps a bit biased :) ) to go with the Pirates here to win their second straight state title. But the path to that ultimate goal is fraught with peril and danger. There are a bevy of very, very good teams in this field; including #1 seed Orono which I got to see play back in January. The Spartans are solid at seemingly every spot. The post is anchored by 6'3" junior Meghan Mandel who can simply dominate down low and I was very impressed with senior guard Kiera Nelson who can really score. Still, I like Park Center's odds of at least returning to the title game; likely against said Orono team, based on their experience and the fact that they've gone toe-to-toe with some of the best teams in the state already. That can play a huge part in a setting such as this. The freshmen from last year who heroically saved the night for the Pirates are a year older and more experienced as well. Perhaps even more important, senior guard Hannah Schaub; who had to watch last year's state title run from the sidelines while recovering from an ACL injury, is skillfully running the point guard spot and I think she has a lot to prove and is hungry for her last go-around. Marshall, last year's runner-up, is back as well at the #4 seed led by senior guard Sarah Buysse and the Tigers have a shot at doing some damage as well if last year's experience turns out to be a positive, rather than an inhibiting experience for them.
Class AAAA - All signs point to an Eastview - Hopkins clash here. The Royals; as the #1 seed and the Lightning as the #2 seed just seem better than everyone else in this field. That's not to say that their respective paths to Saturday night's grand finale at the Barn will be an easy one necessarily but they should still be heavy favorites to advance to that stage. Hopkins is just simply incredibly athletic as all get out and seniors TT Starks and Viria Livingston along with junior Ashley Bates are fun to watch when they have the throttle in notch 8 (railroad language again). And Head Coach Brian Cosgriff knows a few things about winning state titles as well. Still, there's something about this Eastview team that I really, really like. Maybe it's the fact that Head Coach Melissa Guebert's squad finally broke through last year and won their first-ever state title after enduring years of being the annual bridesmaid in this field. Or maybe it's because senior Madison Guebert is so experienced and so calm and cool under pressure. Maybe it's because of the strong supporting cast Eastview has as well. They just seem to do the right thing at the right time. The other team in this field to keep an eye on just might be #4 seed White Bear Lake. This squad has a nice blend of youth and experience and are very-well balanced scoring-wise. If they get past their opening quarterfinal game against Shakopee, they could get a head of steam and you just never know.
So there you have it. Am looking forward to this five-day marathon of hoops and it should be fun!
Section 5AAAA Championship Game - Wayzata vs Centennial 3-12-15
The second game on tap on this Thursday night up at Anoka was the Section 5AAAA Championship Game featuring yet another Northwestern Suburban Conference perennial powerhouse - Centennial; which was also the defending section champ from a year ago. The opponent, however, was unexpected. Not number two-seeded Osseo or number three-seed Maple Grove but upstart sixth seed Wayzata which knocked off Maple Grove and Osseo in succession to advance to the section final. While the defending section champ Cougars would be the decided favorites to repeat and advance on to yet another appearance at the state tournament, the Trojans would make an impression on this night and, buoyed by a strong student section cheering them on, they Wayzata was riding high.
Early on though, the Trojans initially looked like they might be in over their heads a bit as Centennial established a 9-2 lead over the game's first five minutes. Senior guard/forward Jaycie Gerding's "3" from the left top area at the 16:49 mark and sophomore guard Nikki Clark's drive and finish off the glass at the 15:36 mark gave the Cougars a 5-2 lead. Gerding would strike again at the 14:55 mark with a jumper from the left wing and a score in the paint by lanky sophomore post Sarah Grow at the 13:31 mark completed the opening blitz. A score in the paint by Grow at the 11:22 mark made it an 11-3 game and the Trojans were stymied in their half-court sets and forays into the paint resulted in several shots being swatted away into oblivion. Freshman forward Sydney Stapleton's "3" from the right corner with 9:48 gave Centennial a 14-5 lead and it looked like things were pointing toward a long night for Wayzata.
But Trojan Head Coach Mike Schumacher's squad is an experienced one; dominted by juniors and seniors and they were able to settled down and get some things going on offense against this long and talented Centennial squad. Junior guard Hannah Heiring's lay-up with 8:37 left and two free throws by senior guard Liz Waytas with 8:23 left trimmed the Cougar's lead down to 14-9. Centennial was able to push the lead to 17-9 on free throws by Stapleton but a Heiring jumper off the glass off of an inbounds pass with 7:13 left and a score in the paint by sophomore post Camryn Hay with 6:44 left got the deficit down to six at 19-13. A free throw by senior reserve guard Lauren Houts with 4:02 left and a lay-up by junior guard Annie Robertson with 2:41 left pulled Wayzata closer trailing 19-16. Gerding connected on a lay-up in transition with 2:01 left and got fouled in the process and her ensuing freebie got the Cougar lead back to six at 22-16 but the Trojans were able to counter. Quick junior reserve guard Sydney Hayden slithered in for a lay-up with 1:46 left and free throws by both Waytas and Hayden in the closing seconds of the first half got Wayzata close again trailing 26-23 once the buzzer sounded for intermission. For some reason, you just had the feeling that all the early momentum that Centennial had established had gone out the window as did their early sizable lead.
Further evidence of that showed early on in the second half. Waytas got one free throw to go down after getting fouled at the 17:22 mark that cut the Cougar lead down to two at 26-24. Three-point shooting for the Trojans was a sore spot in the first half but that all changed in the second half. Robertson finally found her touch from the left top area at the 16:34 mark that gave Wayzata its first lead at 27-26 since the opening moments of the first half and Centennial Head Coach Greg Amundson; not at all liking how things were developing in the early going of this second half, called a timeout to discuss things with his squad. But that stoppage in play certainly didn't seem to cool off Robertson as she was able to launch yet another "3" from the right corner at the 16:02 mark that made it a 30-26 game. A Heiring jumper from the free throw line area at the 14:30 mark and a score in the paint by the diminutive Hayden at the 14:05 mark got the Trojan lead to six at 34-28. Centennial was able to trim the deficit down to two on two scores by Grow - a lay-up at the 13:39 mark and a score in the paint at the 12:43 mark but a "3" from the top of the key by sophomore reserve guard Sydney Franks at the 12:22 mark gave the Trojans another spark. A short jumper by Houts from the left side at the 11:40 mark and a Heiring lay-up in transition at the 10:33 mark after a steal established a 41-36 lead for Wayzata and Centennial appeared to be reeling.
This young Centennial squad; dominated by freshman and sophmores with only two seniors (Gerding and reserve Kayla Lodico) could have folded and closed up shop right then and there but they somehow found a way to hunker down and dig in their collective heels. Two Grow free throws at the 10:16 mark and one more by Clark with 8:22 left helped make it a one-possession game trailing 41-39 and, more importantly, the Cougars were also in the bonus by this point as well. A Gerding jumper from the top of the key just inside the arc with 8:01 left tied the issue at 41-all and the Trojan's Schumacher; seeing all that early second-half momentum slipping away, called a timeout. Wayzata would re-establish a four-point advantage on one free throw by Waytas with 7:08 left and another Robertson trey from the right corner with 6:58 left to make it 45-41 but Centennial would fight their way back again. Pairs of free throws by Gerding with 6:09 left and freshman reserve guard Justine Watson brought the Cougars back to within a single possession trailing 47-45 and a jumper by Stapleton along the right baseline with 5:20 left knotted things up again at 47. A score in the paint by Grow with 4:44 left gave Centennial the lead at 49-47. The Trojans would get things knotted up at 49-all on free throws by Heiring with 4:21 left and 3:08 left and two more free throws by Robertson with 2:14 left gave Wayzata the lead again at 51-50. But the Cougars simply did all the right things at the right times in the last two minutes. Sophomore guard Paige Comer connected with a huge pull-up jumper with 1:44 left that put Centennial back in front for good at 52-51. Just as important, the Cougars were now in the double-bonus as well. Two Grow free throws with 1:42 left and one by Comer with 1:03 left built a four-point 55-51 advantage. The Trojans; unable to connect with any three-point attempts when they really, really needed them forced them to foul to preserve what little clock was left. Comer connected with a pair of charity stripe shots with :25.9 left and Gerding got one to go down with :11.3 left that gave Centennial another section title with a hard-fought 58-53 win.
I asked Amundson afterward while his squad was in the process of cutting down the net if there was ever any panic that may have set in when things seemed to go awry early in the second half. He replied in the negative. "Our kids are prepared for every situation" he said. "They work hard on that in practice." I also talked to him about getting back to state which, considering all the great players that Centennial graduated from a year ago, may have seemed like a bridge too far for this young squad. "Getting to state is certainly a bonus with this young team.....It was really our goal" he said. Amundson also added that "We don't care who we wind up playing." The Cougars; who lost to Lakeville North in the opening quarterfinal round last year, seemingly have something to prove this time around and don't be surprised if they wind up making splash.
Early on though, the Trojans initially looked like they might be in over their heads a bit as Centennial established a 9-2 lead over the game's first five minutes. Senior guard/forward Jaycie Gerding's "3" from the left top area at the 16:49 mark and sophomore guard Nikki Clark's drive and finish off the glass at the 15:36 mark gave the Cougars a 5-2 lead. Gerding would strike again at the 14:55 mark with a jumper from the left wing and a score in the paint by lanky sophomore post Sarah Grow at the 13:31 mark completed the opening blitz. A score in the paint by Grow at the 11:22 mark made it an 11-3 game and the Trojans were stymied in their half-court sets and forays into the paint resulted in several shots being swatted away into oblivion. Freshman forward Sydney Stapleton's "3" from the right corner with 9:48 gave Centennial a 14-5 lead and it looked like things were pointing toward a long night for Wayzata.
But Trojan Head Coach Mike Schumacher's squad is an experienced one; dominted by juniors and seniors and they were able to settled down and get some things going on offense against this long and talented Centennial squad. Junior guard Hannah Heiring's lay-up with 8:37 left and two free throws by senior guard Liz Waytas with 8:23 left trimmed the Cougar's lead down to 14-9. Centennial was able to push the lead to 17-9 on free throws by Stapleton but a Heiring jumper off the glass off of an inbounds pass with 7:13 left and a score in the paint by sophomore post Camryn Hay with 6:44 left got the deficit down to six at 19-13. A free throw by senior reserve guard Lauren Houts with 4:02 left and a lay-up by junior guard Annie Robertson with 2:41 left pulled Wayzata closer trailing 19-16. Gerding connected on a lay-up in transition with 2:01 left and got fouled in the process and her ensuing freebie got the Cougar lead back to six at 22-16 but the Trojans were able to counter. Quick junior reserve guard Sydney Hayden slithered in for a lay-up with 1:46 left and free throws by both Waytas and Hayden in the closing seconds of the first half got Wayzata close again trailing 26-23 once the buzzer sounded for intermission. For some reason, you just had the feeling that all the early momentum that Centennial had established had gone out the window as did their early sizable lead.
Further evidence of that showed early on in the second half. Waytas got one free throw to go down after getting fouled at the 17:22 mark that cut the Cougar lead down to two at 26-24. Three-point shooting for the Trojans was a sore spot in the first half but that all changed in the second half. Robertson finally found her touch from the left top area at the 16:34 mark that gave Wayzata its first lead at 27-26 since the opening moments of the first half and Centennial Head Coach Greg Amundson; not at all liking how things were developing in the early going of this second half, called a timeout to discuss things with his squad. But that stoppage in play certainly didn't seem to cool off Robertson as she was able to launch yet another "3" from the right corner at the 16:02 mark that made it a 30-26 game. A Heiring jumper from the free throw line area at the 14:30 mark and a score in the paint by the diminutive Hayden at the 14:05 mark got the Trojan lead to six at 34-28. Centennial was able to trim the deficit down to two on two scores by Grow - a lay-up at the 13:39 mark and a score in the paint at the 12:43 mark but a "3" from the top of the key by sophomore reserve guard Sydney Franks at the 12:22 mark gave the Trojans another spark. A short jumper by Houts from the left side at the 11:40 mark and a Heiring lay-up in transition at the 10:33 mark after a steal established a 41-36 lead for Wayzata and Centennial appeared to be reeling.
This young Centennial squad; dominated by freshman and sophmores with only two seniors (Gerding and reserve Kayla Lodico) could have folded and closed up shop right then and there but they somehow found a way to hunker down and dig in their collective heels. Two Grow free throws at the 10:16 mark and one more by Clark with 8:22 left helped make it a one-possession game trailing 41-39 and, more importantly, the Cougars were also in the bonus by this point as well. A Gerding jumper from the top of the key just inside the arc with 8:01 left tied the issue at 41-all and the Trojan's Schumacher; seeing all that early second-half momentum slipping away, called a timeout. Wayzata would re-establish a four-point advantage on one free throw by Waytas with 7:08 left and another Robertson trey from the right corner with 6:58 left to make it 45-41 but Centennial would fight their way back again. Pairs of free throws by Gerding with 6:09 left and freshman reserve guard Justine Watson brought the Cougars back to within a single possession trailing 47-45 and a jumper by Stapleton along the right baseline with 5:20 left knotted things up again at 47. A score in the paint by Grow with 4:44 left gave Centennial the lead at 49-47. The Trojans would get things knotted up at 49-all on free throws by Heiring with 4:21 left and 3:08 left and two more free throws by Robertson with 2:14 left gave Wayzata the lead again at 51-50. But the Cougars simply did all the right things at the right times in the last two minutes. Sophomore guard Paige Comer connected with a huge pull-up jumper with 1:44 left that put Centennial back in front for good at 52-51. Just as important, the Cougars were now in the double-bonus as well. Two Grow free throws with 1:42 left and one by Comer with 1:03 left built a four-point 55-51 advantage. The Trojans; unable to connect with any three-point attempts when they really, really needed them forced them to foul to preserve what little clock was left. Comer connected with a pair of charity stripe shots with :25.9 left and Gerding got one to go down with :11.3 left that gave Centennial another section title with a hard-fought 58-53 win.
I asked Amundson afterward while his squad was in the process of cutting down the net if there was ever any panic that may have set in when things seemed to go awry early in the second half. He replied in the negative. "Our kids are prepared for every situation" he said. "They work hard on that in practice." I also talked to him about getting back to state which, considering all the great players that Centennial graduated from a year ago, may have seemed like a bridge too far for this young squad. "Getting to state is certainly a bonus with this young team.....It was really our goal" he said. Amundson also added that "We don't care who we wind up playing." The Cougars; who lost to Lakeville North in the opening quarterfinal round last year, seemingly have something to prove this time around and don't be surprised if they wind up making splash.
Saturday, March 14, 2015
Section 3AAA Championship Game - DeLaSalle vs Park Center 3-12-14
Made my annual trek up to Anoka for the two sectional championship games that Anoka High School hosts on a yearly basis. The first game on tap on this Thursday night was the 6:00 P.M. contest between - who else - DeLaSalle and Park Center. These two squads have seemingly faced off in this venue in this game since B.C. and while the Islanders got the best of the Pirates in the first few meetings, Park Center finally broke through last year; beating DeLaSalle and earning their first trip to state where they won the whole ball of wax. This year's contest, though, was likely the last one in this setting; at least for a while anyway with the Pirates slated to be shoved to Class AAAA next year.
From a Park Center perspective anyway, the one thing I feared coming into this contest was how the Pirates would handle a bigger, more physical Islander squad that was a year older and a year more experienced. But those fears were quickly erased in the opening minutes of the first half as the Pirates raced out to an early 11-1 lead; fueled by a "3" from the left top area by senior guard McKenna DuBois at the 16:49 mark and a "3" from the left corner by sophomore guard Ann Simonet at the 15:03 mark. Two lay-ups by senior point guard Hannah Schaub; including one in transition at the 13:50 mark and one free throw by sophomore reserve forward Fey Ayobamadele at the 12:47 mark gave Park Center that 11-1 lead before the Islanders finally got untracked a bit. Two free throws by junior forward Camryn Speese at the 12:03 mark and a "3" from the right wing by junior reserve guard Aiza Wilson at the 11:27 mark plus two Wilson freebies at the 11:10 marked closed the gap a bit at 14-8 but DeLaSalle arguably left several points on the table in the first ten minutes of this contest as well; missing several easy lay-ups in transition that could have tightened things up considerably. A Simonet lay-up at the 11:02 mark and a Simonet jumper from the left wing with 9:58 left had the Pirates up by ten at 18-8.
The Islanders tried to counter as Speese connected with one jumper from the right elbow area off of an inbounds pass with 9:34 left and then again in the lane with 9:00 left that helped trim the Park Center lead down to 18-12 and an offensive rebound and putback by junior forward Teja Bodden drew the Islanders closer trailing 19-14 with 7:54 left but DeLaSalle was having a ton of trouble getting back on defense whenever the Pirates got their transition game going. Senior reserve forward Camille McCoy connected with a lay-up with 7:44 left and diminutive sophomore guard Danielle Schaub did as well with 7:24 left that pushed the Park Center lead back to nine at 23-14. Two Hannah Schaub freebies with 4:34 left and a score in the paint by lanky 6'2" sophomore post Mikayla Hayes with 2:12 left and two charity stripe shots by Danielle Schaub with :22.3 left expanded the lead to fourteen at 29-15 before the Islanders found a late spark. Senior reserve guard Jada Haynes muscled into the paint for a score with just :12.9 left and got fouled in the process and her free throw chopped the Pirate lead down to 29-18. Then, with just :00.2 left, strong senior forward Taylor Toney; who struggled mightily with her shooting touch in the first half, found some redemption as she tipped in a missed lay-up in transition that got DeLaSalle back into single-digit range at the half trailing 29-20 and certainly Head Coach Faith Johnson-Patterson's squad had to be feeling a heckuva lot better about themselves than they had minutes earlier
Park Center appeared to be in the process of sewing things up and solidly assuring themselves of a return trip to state in the opening minutes of the second half. Hayes got a score in the paint at the 16:52 mark and then sunk two freebies at the 16:21 mark for a cozy 34-22 lead. Two more Hayes forays and finishes in the paint - one at the 15:32 mark and then again at the 12:41 mark pushed the lead to 38-24 and a DuBois lay-up in transition at the 12:30 mark that got her fouled and allowed her to sink the obligatory free throw now had the Pirates up 41-24 and seemingly in full control. But the Islanders were not ready to go down meekly without a fight. A Toney score in the paint at the 11:07 mark and two Bodden freebies at the 10:23 mark trimmed Park Center's lead down to 41-28. Toney made a hard drive and finish with 8:20 left and a Haynes lay-up in transition with 8:03 left now had DeLaSalle back to within single digits again trailing 41-32. Moreover, the Pirates; for whatever reason, seemed to get away from what was working for them earlier; getting into transition that usually led to easy points or, at the very least, got them to the charity stripe. But Park Center suddenly found themselves in a dry spell and that nice double-digit cushion was suddenly gone. Head Coach Chris VanderHyde quickly recognized the situation and wasted no time calling a timeout. Was this panic time for the Pirates?
Any questions about Park Center not being up for the challenge were answered and answered quickly. With 7:28 left, Hayes got into the paint for another score and got fouled in the process as well. Though she missed the ensuing freebie, the Pirates were able to snare the offensive rebound and Hannah Schaub got herself free from the right corner behind the arc with 7:18 left where she drained a huge "3" that suddenly had Park Center back up by fourteen at 46-32 and the Islander threat vanished just like that. A Simonet lay-up in transition with 7:00 left that got her fouled in the process as well and allowed her to sink the obligatory free throw now made it a 49-32 game and DeLaSalle's Johnson-Patterson saw this one slipping away for good and called a timeout to try and stave off the inevitable. Hayes, who had the hot hand for the Pirates in the second half, made good on a drive and finish with 6:54 left and then snared an offensive rebound for a putback with 6:23 left for a 51-36 lead and, even worse now for the Islanders, foul trouble was now becoming a factor as well. Speese picked up her fourth foul with 5:46 left and after a Hannah Schaub lay-up with 4:55 left and two Hayes free throws with 4:22 left, Park Center now was in the double-bonus. A thoroughly frustrated Haynes fouled out with 2:38 left and two Danielle Schaub free throws with 1:49 left put the finishing touches on a convincing 57-39 Pirate victory that sends the green and gold back to the state tournament for the second year in a row.
I asked VanderHyde afterward if there was ever any sense of panic or worry when DeLaSalle managed to get back to within single digits near the 8:00 mark. "No.....We simply had to refocus and find re-direction and get back to attacking which is our style" he said. And the Pirates certainly did just that. I also got to spend a few moments with a jubilant Hannah Schaub afterward as well. She was forced to sit on the sidelines a year ago as she had suffered that ACL injury late in the regular season and now has fully recovered and looks to be playing her best basketball - and seemingly at just the right time. She seems hungry and she was very focused as were her teammates and they came out and took care of business on this night. Are they a favorite to repeat on the big stage for a second year in a row? Certainly they'll be in the conversation along with number one seed Orono and the experience of last year will play a big part in how well they do this next week.
From a Park Center perspective anyway, the one thing I feared coming into this contest was how the Pirates would handle a bigger, more physical Islander squad that was a year older and a year more experienced. But those fears were quickly erased in the opening minutes of the first half as the Pirates raced out to an early 11-1 lead; fueled by a "3" from the left top area by senior guard McKenna DuBois at the 16:49 mark and a "3" from the left corner by sophomore guard Ann Simonet at the 15:03 mark. Two lay-ups by senior point guard Hannah Schaub; including one in transition at the 13:50 mark and one free throw by sophomore reserve forward Fey Ayobamadele at the 12:47 mark gave Park Center that 11-1 lead before the Islanders finally got untracked a bit. Two free throws by junior forward Camryn Speese at the 12:03 mark and a "3" from the right wing by junior reserve guard Aiza Wilson at the 11:27 mark plus two Wilson freebies at the 11:10 marked closed the gap a bit at 14-8 but DeLaSalle arguably left several points on the table in the first ten minutes of this contest as well; missing several easy lay-ups in transition that could have tightened things up considerably. A Simonet lay-up at the 11:02 mark and a Simonet jumper from the left wing with 9:58 left had the Pirates up by ten at 18-8.
The Islanders tried to counter as Speese connected with one jumper from the right elbow area off of an inbounds pass with 9:34 left and then again in the lane with 9:00 left that helped trim the Park Center lead down to 18-12 and an offensive rebound and putback by junior forward Teja Bodden drew the Islanders closer trailing 19-14 with 7:54 left but DeLaSalle was having a ton of trouble getting back on defense whenever the Pirates got their transition game going. Senior reserve forward Camille McCoy connected with a lay-up with 7:44 left and diminutive sophomore guard Danielle Schaub did as well with 7:24 left that pushed the Park Center lead back to nine at 23-14. Two Hannah Schaub freebies with 4:34 left and a score in the paint by lanky 6'2" sophomore post Mikayla Hayes with 2:12 left and two charity stripe shots by Danielle Schaub with :22.3 left expanded the lead to fourteen at 29-15 before the Islanders found a late spark. Senior reserve guard Jada Haynes muscled into the paint for a score with just :12.9 left and got fouled in the process and her free throw chopped the Pirate lead down to 29-18. Then, with just :00.2 left, strong senior forward Taylor Toney; who struggled mightily with her shooting touch in the first half, found some redemption as she tipped in a missed lay-up in transition that got DeLaSalle back into single-digit range at the half trailing 29-20 and certainly Head Coach Faith Johnson-Patterson's squad had to be feeling a heckuva lot better about themselves than they had minutes earlier
Park Center appeared to be in the process of sewing things up and solidly assuring themselves of a return trip to state in the opening minutes of the second half. Hayes got a score in the paint at the 16:52 mark and then sunk two freebies at the 16:21 mark for a cozy 34-22 lead. Two more Hayes forays and finishes in the paint - one at the 15:32 mark and then again at the 12:41 mark pushed the lead to 38-24 and a DuBois lay-up in transition at the 12:30 mark that got her fouled and allowed her to sink the obligatory free throw now had the Pirates up 41-24 and seemingly in full control. But the Islanders were not ready to go down meekly without a fight. A Toney score in the paint at the 11:07 mark and two Bodden freebies at the 10:23 mark trimmed Park Center's lead down to 41-28. Toney made a hard drive and finish with 8:20 left and a Haynes lay-up in transition with 8:03 left now had DeLaSalle back to within single digits again trailing 41-32. Moreover, the Pirates; for whatever reason, seemed to get away from what was working for them earlier; getting into transition that usually led to easy points or, at the very least, got them to the charity stripe. But Park Center suddenly found themselves in a dry spell and that nice double-digit cushion was suddenly gone. Head Coach Chris VanderHyde quickly recognized the situation and wasted no time calling a timeout. Was this panic time for the Pirates?
Any questions about Park Center not being up for the challenge were answered and answered quickly. With 7:28 left, Hayes got into the paint for another score and got fouled in the process as well. Though she missed the ensuing freebie, the Pirates were able to snare the offensive rebound and Hannah Schaub got herself free from the right corner behind the arc with 7:18 left where she drained a huge "3" that suddenly had Park Center back up by fourteen at 46-32 and the Islander threat vanished just like that. A Simonet lay-up in transition with 7:00 left that got her fouled in the process as well and allowed her to sink the obligatory free throw now made it a 49-32 game and DeLaSalle's Johnson-Patterson saw this one slipping away for good and called a timeout to try and stave off the inevitable. Hayes, who had the hot hand for the Pirates in the second half, made good on a drive and finish with 6:54 left and then snared an offensive rebound for a putback with 6:23 left for a 51-36 lead and, even worse now for the Islanders, foul trouble was now becoming a factor as well. Speese picked up her fourth foul with 5:46 left and after a Hannah Schaub lay-up with 4:55 left and two Hayes free throws with 4:22 left, Park Center now was in the double-bonus. A thoroughly frustrated Haynes fouled out with 2:38 left and two Danielle Schaub free throws with 1:49 left put the finishing touches on a convincing 57-39 Pirate victory that sends the green and gold back to the state tournament for the second year in a row.
I asked VanderHyde afterward if there was ever any sense of panic or worry when DeLaSalle managed to get back to within single digits near the 8:00 mark. "No.....We simply had to refocus and find re-direction and get back to attacking which is our style" he said. And the Pirates certainly did just that. I also got to spend a few moments with a jubilant Hannah Schaub afterward as well. She was forced to sit on the sidelines a year ago as she had suffered that ACL injury late in the regular season and now has fully recovered and looks to be playing her best basketball - and seemingly at just the right time. She seems hungry and she was very focused as were her teammates and they came out and took care of business on this night. Are they a favorite to repeat on the big stage for a second year in a row? Certainly they'll be in the conversation along with number one seed Orono and the experience of last year will play a big part in how well they do this next week.
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