UST Practice 10-24-16

Had to battle some heavy traffic on I-94 on Monday afternoon to make my way over to Schoenecker Arena on the campus of UST to take in the Monday evening practice session.  Was running just a bit late but managed to get into the Arena (thanks to senior guard Gabby Zehrer letting me in) as the Tommies were in the midst of various stretching and warm-up exercises.  Head Coach Ruth Sinn came over a short time later to say hello and hand me a practice itinerary and it wasn't long before Sinn had her squad hard at it in this fast-paced practice.

The theme that Sinn and her coaching staff have for this season is "Own The Moment" and the Tommies appear ready to do just that.  One of the first items that Sinn has her team perform is lane slides and this is one of the lesser known techniques that helps make the Tommies so incredibly tough on defense.  Another defensive drill that Sinn has her team work on is short and long closeouts in an effort to perfect those defensive techniques.  "We gave up too many '3's' " Sinn says and I have to wonder if she was referring to that NCAA Sweet Sixteen game at home last March against Wartburg where the Knights shot the lights out from behind the arc enroute to an upset win over UST that brought an abrupt end to the Tommies fantastic 2015-16 season.

An interesting drill is performed next called "Bradley Passing".  Here, the team is lined up along the lanes and they work on a variety of passes and the goal here appears to be to make as many accurate passes within a specified time frame.  The team next works on triangle passing and here the team gets into groups of three to work on ball movement and passing and Sinn wants the players to use a pivot move to gain an advantage.

Another interesting drill performed during this practice is "One More 'Schape' Shooting".  Here, the team gets into four groups.  One player does a lay-up and then passes the ball to a coach assisting the group.  Another player on the wing gets the ball and the player who made the lay-up has to defend her in a one-on-one situation.

Sinn has the team work on some more closeout drills and free throws as well and then it's time for a drill called "1 vs 1 - Hit & Get Blockout".  In this drill, an errant shot is put up and the sole defender has to block out a would-be offensive player and get the rebound.  The team yells "shot" when the ball is put up and then "chest" when the defender has grabbed the rebound.

Next is "3-Line Blockout".  This is basically a 3-on-3 drill with a twist.  Here, one of the coaches throws the ball to one of the players out on the wing who puts up an immediate shot with the emphasis on blocking out.

The next drill Sinn has some of her squad work on is "3 Player, 2-Ball Shooting"; a continuous shooting drill while Assistant Coach Brian Silk has the post players work on positioning and boxing out.  In the next drill session, Sinn has her guards work on transition breakdown while Silk and Assistant Coach A. C. Clouthier work with the posts and forwards on a variety of items.  Then Sinn seeks to put some of the concepts worked on to a test in 5-on-5 full-court work.  To wind up the evening, the team does some half-court work where the guards work on getting good passes into the post along with some 4-on-4 half-court work as well as free throws.

Outtakes:  Former Orono Head Coach Ellen Wiese comes aboard on Sinn's staff and her knowledge and experience is another asset to this loaded UST program.....Losing a great player and leader like Katie Stone to graduation is a big loss, of course, but the Tommies have three solid seniors ready to take on the leadership roles and it was easy to see that Paige Gernes, Kaitlin Langer and Zehrer will excel in this area......I asked Sinn afterward if that Wartburg loss still weighs heavily on her and the team's mind and she responded in the affirmative and added that "We're hungry."  Sinn is also high on her newcomers to the team saying that they're "long and athletic" and it was easy to see that in practice.  The Tommies will scrimmage against Southwest Minnesota State at home next week Wednesday and open the season with some challenging games - first at the McDaniel College Tip-Off Tournament on November 18-19 and will host WIAC perennial powerhouse UW-Stevens Point on November 27 before delving into MIAC play.  Additionally, the Tommies will play at the Bluffton Holiday Tournament right before the end of the year where they'll first take on another national powerhouse, Hope, on December 29.....Sinn was quick to acknowledge that they expect a strong challenge from GAC for MIAC honors but, IMHO, it will take a Herculean effort for anyone to dethrone the Tommies.          

Carleton Practice 10-20-16

I headed down to Northfield on Thursday afternoon to take in Carleton's practice that began at 5:30 that evening.  I got to West Gym in plenty of time and met Head Coach Cassie Kosiba in her office as she was enjoying a salad for something of an impromptu meal to hold her over for the early evening.  I was able to make myself comfortable on the sofa in her office and we talked about her squad and the upcoming season.  Kosiba exuded a quiet confidence in her team's ability to take the next step - and hopefully avoid the injury bugaboo that plagued the team last season.  There was a part of me that waxed a bit nostalgic as well as I brought up the glory years of Carleton Women's Basketball from 2001 to 2008 that saw the program win five MIAC Championship Games and snare three regular season titles as well.  Kosiba remembers those days well and she hopes to bring those glory days back to West Gym but she knows the road ahead will not be easy.

While the volleyball team is finishing up things on the gym floor, Assistant Chris Dahled is watching the squad mill around the upper level of West Gym; doing some various stretching and flexing exercised to get loosened up for the evening's practice session.  Dahled and I talk about the squad and the upcoming season and, he too, is enthusiastic about the squad and its chances this season. Eventually I'm able to take a set at a table on the upper deck of the arena while the squad and Kosiba and Dahled get onto the gym floor and ready themselves for the practice session.

One point that Kosiba wants to get across to her team in their pre-practice pep talk is to "celebrate each other's success"; whether it's a good pass or a defensive play or a clutch shot with high-fives and the like.  But the team is a close-knit group and they know what to do.  The first drill of the evening is "Transition Buildup".  In this drill, a free throw is shot and then it's a 2-on-1 situation going the other way.  After a basket is made, it then becomes a 3-on-2 drill the other way back and it gradually expands to 4-on-3 to 5-on-4 and then finally 5-on-5.  Both Kosiba and Dahled have to stop the drill from time to time to point out flaws that need to be corrected.

Next, shooting is worked on in a drill called "Motion Cuts/Shots".  Here, you have a player at the top of the key and players at each wing.  The top player throws the ball to one of the wing players and the other wing player has to simulate a screen that allows the top player to get into the lane with the pass and score.  Kosiba and Dahled also alter the drill so that the top player has to hit a shot from the wing area as well.

Offense becomes the next area of focus and this is where Kosiba and Dahled work on the motion offense.  Kosiba takes time to explain to her team how the motion offense should work; showing them how they should be moving and filling the spots on the floor and to be "shot ready" on every catch.

Fast break and transition which is Carleton's bread and butter is worked on next.  This is essentially a 5-on-0 "shell" drill that begins off of a defensive rebound.  Kosiba is a big believer in up-tempo play and being able to make this work effectively will be critical for the Knights.

After a well, deserved water break, the team works for a bit on rebounding and boxing out; something that is crucial for any basketball team.  Then, Kosiba has the team in two lines to work on finishing shots.  Both inside hand and reverse lay-ups are done in addition to shots in the middle of the lane.

Next is a drill called "Cyclone Closeouts" and, being an Iowa grad and a die-hard UCLA guy, I wish the Bruins and the Hawkeyes could get a bit more love when it comes to drill names.  In any event, here you have three lines of players - one along each sideline and another group in the middle. Dahled throws a ball to one of the sideline players and the middle line players then have to go over and defend the player on that sideline.  Each line gets a chance to be a defender in this drill.

After Kosiba has the team do some 4-on-4 half-court work to work on and analyze the defensive aspect a bit more, the last drill of this evening's practice is aptly called "Chaos".  Here, you have five shooters and five reboundersand the goal for each shooter is to make as many shots as possible within a specified time frame and the shooters have to rotate positions as well.  Afterward, Kosiba has the team gather round for a closing pep talk, hammering home the point of good communication between each player and the coaches and, once again, to celebrate each other's success.  The team is in a good mood and both Kosiba and Dahled seem pleased with the evening's practice and they call it a night.

Outtakes:  Being that so many of the players come from out of state, you might initially think that team chemistry could be an issue.  But these players seem to mesh very well both on and off the court and Kosiba was bubbling with enthusiasm on her newcomers......Junior forward Anne Hamilton who played her high school basketball at Minnetonka will have a big part in helping make this Carleton team go with her versatile play.  A couple of other players who stood out, IMHO, are junior guard Sarah Paller of Brooklyn, New York and sophomore forward Cece Leone of Fairfax, Virginia.....The first three non-conference games to open the season are challenging.  They host WIAC perennial powerhouse UW-River Falls in their opener on 11-15 and then head out to California over the Thanksgiving holiday to take on both Claremont-Mudd-Scripps and Pomona-Pitzer in the David Wells Classic before delving into MIAC play.  They also take on UMAC powerhouse Northwestern on 12-14 and play two more WIAC teams before the end of the year - UW-Oshkosh and UW-Stout - with both of those games at Wisconsin Dells......Injuries plagued the Knights last season and they have to stay healthy this time around if they hope to have a shot at that sixth playoff spot.            

Anoka-Ramsey Practice 10-19-16

Was up in Coon Rapids on Wednesday afternoon to take in Anoka-Ramsey's practice.  Today was picture day for the squad and Head Coach David DeWitt had the squad dress into their uniforms to have the team picture taken.  After that, the squad got back into their practice gear and headed up to the conference room upstairs for an impromptu team meeting.  DeWitt asks the players questions from a John Wooden book and also reads a story from the book for the team to ponder and what it means to them.  De Witt also has the squad review some film from their scrimmage against Gogebic in the previous weekend's jamboree and points out flaws and deficiencies that need to be corrected. One of the points DeWitt hammers home with his team is being an "energy giver" as opposed to being an "energy taker".  DeWitt closes the team meeting by saying, "Your job is to get better today."  After a brief conference among DeWitt and Assistants Dave Alto and Jessica Pelzel that I'm lucky enough to sit in on, we head down to the auxiliary gym for the afternoon's practice.

DeWitt starts the day's practice with some passing drills and then has the team do a 3-on-0 full-court drill to work on the "high-low" aspect on the offensive end.  Then the team does a 3-on-0 full-court transition drill but there can only be one dribble in the process.  It's not an easy drill to perform and although the team does get better with it as it progresses, it's still not up to DeWitt's standards and the team gets to do "walking push-ups" for their subpar performance.

Next, the team does a similar drill but this time each player has to finish with a basket.  The last transition player has to make a lay-up and the other two players shoot jump shots.  Again, however, the drill does not live up to DeWitt's expectations and the team gets to run lines afterward.

The emphasis of the practice then turns to an Anoka-Ramsey staple - defense - and DeWitt and his staff have the team do a 3-on-3 half-court drill called "close outs".  The idea here is for the defenders to try and prevent the offensive players having an easy catch of the ball; something that didn't always happen in the scrimmage from the previous weekend.  Preventing a drive into the lane is another sore spot for DeWitt from the previous weekend as well.  "We do not give up a drive into the lane!" he exclaims.

Next, DeWitt runs basically the same drill but this time it's a 5-on-5 situation and here things get really intense.  DeWitt abhors turnovers on offense.  "We do NOT turn the ball over.....If you turn the ball over, you are out of the game" he says.

Jump shots are the next thing to be worked on and the Golden Rams do an interesting drill that has Alto and Volunteer Assistant (and former player) Olivia Antilla at the top and the players at the corner baselines to shoot jumpers.  Not enough shots are made here and a displeased DeWitt has the team run lines again.

The last drill of the day is a free throw drill whereby two players work in tandem.  The shooter starts at the baseline and runs out to the half-court line and then back to the free throw line to shoot the free throw.  If the shooter makes the free throw, she gets to shoot a second but if she misses, she has to run to the opposite baseline and then back to the free throw line to try it again.  Shooting accurate freebies is not as easy as it looks from the stands; particularly right after you've done running.

Outtakes:  DeWitt has another talented, athletic and speedy team at his disposal and while there's some kinks to work out initially, this squad will be fine in the long run.  Sophomore guard Rashonna Thomas really helps make this team go and she's definitely a player to keep your eye on......Size could be a bit of concern with freshman Kendell Martin being the only player 6'0" or better but Anoka-Ramsey seemingly always finds ways to work around the size issue.....Rochester Technical and Community College could prove to be a strong challenger to Anoka-Ramsey in the MCCC but there's every reason to think that Anoka-Ramsey could find itself back in the national tournament come March......The ARCC Classic on November 11/12 has the Golden Rams going up against Madison College and a rematch with Gogebic Community College the following day.  A home game with Milwaukee Area Technical College follows on 11-17 and then the Golden Rams head out to Yuma, Arizona over the Thanksgiving Holiday weekend to take on both Cochise College and Arizona Western College before delving into MCCC play.                

St. Kate's Practice 10-17-16

My first stop to start out the 2016-17 season was over on the St. Paul side of town at St. Kate's and, as always, was treated to a warm and hospitable greeting by Head Coach Sean Pinkerton and his assistants Tim Kjar and Tim Peper.  I was particularly anxious to watch some of the new players on the team and how they would mesh with the returning veterans.

After visiting with Pinkerton in his office, we headed upstairs to the arena where the players were doing various stretching and running exercises to ready themselves for the evening's practice session. After gathering the squad together to go over the evenings objectives and goals, the first drill of the evening was "Iowa State Layups" and, being an Iowa grad and a die-hard UCLA fan, I couldn't help but jest with Pinkerton beforehand if he had any drills up his sleeve that might incorporate a Bruin or a Hawkeye flavor.  In any event, this drill has one player who throws a baseball pass to a mid-court player who then feeds a third palyer running in transition to complete the lay-up.  The goal here is to make 24 lay-ups in a two minute time period.

The next drill Pinkerton has his team in is called "Star Passing" and this drill has two ball in play with players in five lines in a star-like formation.  The whole drill itself is very fast-paced and you have to be precise and crisp with your passes to your teammates to keep the drill fluid and fast-paced.

Two more lay-up drills are performed upon Pinkerton's instructions.  One drill; termed "Canton Layups", has three lines of players at mid-court to work on a three-person transition opportunity and thirteen lay-ups need to be made on each side.  The other drill is called two-line lay-ups whereby one player makes a short shot off the glass then bounces the ball high off the glass for the player on the other side of the basket to finish with a short shot off the glass and the process is repeated.  This drill is not as easy as it looks and, the amount of easy shots missed during this drill does not please Pinkerton and a set of sprints were in the offing for the squad after this drill.

Next is the "Princeton Drill".  This begins as a 2-on-1 drill but on the defensive rebound it turns into a 3-on-2 drill and on the defensive rebound at the other basket it then morphs into a 4-on-3 drill; all representing transition opportunities for a team that prides itself on being up-tempo.

Next is 3-line rebounding where groups of players are located at the top of the key and at the corners of the baseline.  It's really a drill where the player with the ball has to battle two defenders down low.

Next is a point guard transition drill that gives the designated point guard a chance to survey the floor coming down in transition and junior twin sisters Audra and Meg Clark excel in this setting.

The next drill Pinkerton has his squad do is called the "Villanova Drill" and, for an Iowa grad like myself who remembers all too well what the eventual national champ Wildcats did to the Hawkeyes in the NCAA Tournament this last March, I'm intrigued at what this drill is like.  While Ryan Arcidiacono did not make a guest appearance for this drill, the Wildcat players were able to run it just fine.  Here, you have two offensive players out on the perimeter and one defender coming off the baseline along with one other defender out on the perimeter.  The real emphasis of the drill is for one of the offensive players to set a screen and force the defensive players to switch.

Pinkerton then switches the theme to defense and does some 3-on-3 drill to work on defensive switching.  The team also does some 4-on-4 "helper" drills to emphasize defensive help.

One of the most basic elements of basketball - shooting the ball - is the next point of emphasis.  One odd-looking drill; a one-and-run before you shoot" drill is performed.  The idea here is to be accurate with your shots after you run.  This drill is done with free throws first and then jump shots are incorporated and, trust me, it's not as easy as it looks.

After the team is split into two groups to work on bounce passes for lay-ups, a 3-on-0 drill is done where the emphasis is moving with the ball and getting open for a good jump shot.

Assistant Coach Tim Peper then has the squad do two different drills.  One drill is a half-court 5-on-5 drill and to close out the evening, Peper has the team do a drill called "Diamond Up And Down"; a 5-on-0 drill that he has the team run through to get an idea of positioning and movement.  As Peper explained to me afterward, it's a drill he was able to pick up this last summer while watching a practice and it's a tough one to do in a game situation with the shot clock.  Pinkerton has the team gather up for one last quick meeting before calling it a night.

Outtakes:  Although some of the newbies on the team are a little rough around the edges so to speak, there's a ton of potential that the new players bring and they'll be battling to get minutes coming off the bench.  The squad will be anchored by seniors Mari Lee and Kennedy Jennings along with Clark sister backcourt duo and senior Alexis Garcia will undoubtedly play a big role as well both on the court and with leadership.  Pinkerton was quick to admit, however, that the loss of Shauna Horsch to graduation will leave a huge hole to fill.  The early schedule for the team is challenging to say the least; starting off at UW-Eau Claire on 11-15 before heading off to the Big Apple for the NYU Tip-Off Tournament where they'll face both UMass-Boston and Baruch.  They come back to the friendly confines of Butler Center where they'll face a very good UW-Stout team on 11-27 before delving into MIAC play against CSB on 11-30.  The big challenge for the Wildcats, as I see it, will be staying healthy and avoiding that annual January swoon that, so far anyway, has kept them on the outside looking in come playoff time.  Assuming they can overcome these two obstacles, there's certainly reason to think that they can be solidly in contention for that sixth playoff spot if not better.    

Here We Go - A New Season Is Upon Us!

Hard to believe it's mid-October already and another season has begun.  But, like many of you, I've been ready for a while and, considering the subpar seasons that my LA Rams and UCLA Bruins are both currently enduring, it couldn't come soon enough.  I'll be out there covering some of the early practices; getting an idea of how each team is preparing for the new season.  And, I'll be offering up my predictions for the upcoming season as well.

It's a great time of the year, isn't it?  :)

Midtown YWCA Women's College Summer League Results For Wednesday 7-27-16

Here are the results on the final night of the Midtown YWCA Women's College Summer League:

6:00 P.M. Game

Northern State - 52
St. Kate's - 38


7:00 P.M. Game

B Ballers - 80
Superhoopers - 79  OT


8:00 P.M. Game

Concordia St. Paul Alumni - 40
Renegades - 30


9:00 P.M. Game

B Ballers - 43
Concordia St. Paul Alumni - 36


The college team division championship in the 6:00 P.M. slot pitted the St. Kate's team going up against the Northern State team in a MIAC-NSIC showdown.  It would be the Northern State team getting off to a good start in this one; getting a quick 4-0 lead and building that advantage to a 9-2 count when sophomore-to-be Makenzie Murtha drained a "3" from the left wing area early in the contest.  The St. Kate's team would make inroads on that deficit before the first period was over when senior-to-be La Shay Holt banged home a "3" that trimmed the Northern State lead down to 11-8 with 4:05 left in the opening period.  The Northern State team would recover, however, and get some more breathing room down the stretch of the first period; getting their lead up to 18-8 on a 7-0 spurt highlighted by a lay-up by junior-to-be Jillian Conrad and a Murtha free throw.  The Northern State team would open up more distance in the second period when Murtha found the range again from downtown early in the second period that helped build the lead to 23-10.  The St. Kate's team would chip away at the deficit and tough scores in the paint against a bigger Northern State team by junior- to-be Audra Clark and senior-to-be Mari Lee had the St. Kate's team within single digits but the Northern State team would recover and get the lead back to double-digit range at 29-18 at the half.  A 6-0 run at the beginning of the third period by the St. Kate's team gave them some momentary hope as they closed the gap to 29-24 and arguably would have been closer had it not been for several easy missed opportunities.  As such, the Northern State team calmly set the ship sailing straight again and choked off the threat by the St. Kate's team as they built a 35-25 lead by the end of the third period. The size of the Northern State team; particularly the rebounding ability of Conrad spelled doom for the St. Kate's team in the fourth and final period as they built their lead to 39-25 and extended it to 43-27 midway through the period.  The St. Kate's team would manage to make a last-ditch effort late in the game that momentarily trimmed the Northern State team's lead down to 45-33 but they could never get any closer.  Congratulations to the Northern State team on winning the championship!

The alumni division games filled up the rest of the evening.  The semifinal game in the 7:00 P.M. slot between the B Ballers team and the Superhoopers team may very well have been the best game of the entire league as it had high quality play from both teams with several swings in momentum.  The B Ballers team; comprised mostly of former Southwest Minnesota State players, built a 9-4 lead midway through the first period but an 11-0 burst by the Superhoopers team made it a 15-9 game. The B Ballers team would respond with a 9-3 push of their own that knotted the game at 18 late in the opening period and the teams would be tied at 20-all going into the second period.  The B Ballers team appeared to capture some momentum in the second period; getting a 26-22 advantage on the strength of three-point shooting and they would hold a 30-24 lead midway through.  The Superhoopers team would manage to cut the B Ballers team's lead down to 33-30 and get to within a scant point trailing 35-34 but a late second period run by the B Ballers team would get the lead up to eight at 44-36 and they would enjoy a little bit of breathing room at the half with a 44-39 lead.  The Superhoopers team would slyly whittle away at the deficit in the opening minutes of the third period and reduce the B Ballers team's lead down to 46-43 and tie the contest at 46-all at the 7:36 mark.  The B Ballers team would respond with a 5-0 push to make it a 51-46 game but that advantage was quickly wiped away by the Superhoopers team as they went on an 8-0 run tied that gave them a 54-51 lead and they would hold a 57-56 lead going into the fourth period.  Things would be tied up again at 59 a piece early in the fourth period and both teams would trade one-point leads over the next couple of minutes.  The B Ballers team would go on a bit of a spurt to grab a 68-64 lead but that lead again was short-lived as the Superhoopers team came right back and knotted things up again at 68-all midway through the fourth period.  The B Ballers team would go on a three-point scoring spree and take a 74-68 lead that momentarily looked to have the Superhoopers team in a bit of trouble but, once again, the Superhoopers team found a way to come right back to tie the game again at 74 a piece with 3:20 left.  Both teams played things carefully down the home stretch; unwilling to let a mistake be fatal for them in the closing moments.  The Superhoopers had the ball and a chance to close it out in the closing seconds but two shot attempts in the last few seconds went awry and into overtime we went tied at 74.  The B Ballers team took the initiative in the extra two minute session and built a 78-74 lead with just under a minute left but the Superhoopers team managed to close the gap to one point at 78-77 with just :09 left.  They immediately fouled that gave the B Ballers team an opportunity to build their lead to three points again which they did at 80-77.  Still a final opportunity left for the Superhoopers team as a player was fouled behind the three point line with just :02 left.  But only two free throws went down and the B Ballers team ran out the last two ticks to hold on for a thrilling victory.

No such drama in the other semifinal game in the 8:00 P.M. slot of the alumni division between the Concordia St. Paul Alumni team and the Renegades team.  Things would be tied at 5-all midway through the first period and the Concordia St. Paul Alumni team would hold a slim 9-8 advantage going into the second period.  In a game where defense was the buzzword, the Concordia St. Paul team found just enough cracks in the Renegades team defense to grab a 13-8 advantage and a pretty give-and-go layup by former Golden Bear standout Carissa Wolyniec with 2:00 minutes left before the half made it a 15-11 game and they would hold a 17-13 lead at the half in this low-scoring affair.  A Wolyniec "3" at the beginning of the third period stretched the Concordia St. Paul Alumni team's lead to 20-13 but the Renegades team did manage to make a bit of a comeback late in the period.  A pretty three-point play by former Waldorf standout De'sia Demmings helped spark a late third-period run by the Renegades team that had them within striking distance trailing 31-28 going into the fourth period.  But a 6-0 run by the Concordia St. Paul team at the beginning of the fourth period effectively sunk the hopes of the Renegades team as they could do little offensively down the stretch.

So that set up the championship game of the alumni division in the 9:00 P.M. slot between the B Ballers team and the Concordia St. Paul team.  The B Ballers team would grab control of this one early on; building up a 10-2 lead and some hot three-point shooting got the lead to 16-8 by the end of the first period.  The B Ballers would control the tempo in this contest; primarily with their size in the paint and get a 20-10 lead early in the second period and 22-12 midway through.  The Concordia St. Paul Alumni team struggled offensively in the half court and although Carissa Wolyniec managed to knock down a three-point bomb late in the second period, the B Ballers team still held a 26-15 lead at the half.  Two early third period scores by former Minnesota Golden Gopher standout Ashley Ellis-Milan stretched the B Ballers team's lead to 30-16 and effectively had the Concordia St. Paul team in a precarious position as they were unable to make any serious inroads going into the fourth period trailing 35-21.  The Concordia St. Paul Alumni team finally found some signs of life in the fourth and final period as two quick scores trimmed the B Ballers team's lead down to 39-28.  The B Ballers team tried to methodically eat as much time off the clock as possible on their offensive possessions but the Concordia St. Paul team had one last gasp left in them as they finally got back into single-digit range trailing 39-31 with 4:44 left and 41-36 with 2:30 left.  But just when things appeared most dangerous for the B Ballers team, Ellis-Milan powered into the paint for an insurance score and they closed the door on any futile attempts the Concordia St. Paul team had in the final minute.  Congrats to the B Ballers team on their championship win!    

Midtown YWCA Women's College Summer League Results For Wednesday 7-20-16

Another action-packed night at the Midtown YWCA Women's College Summer League where the playoffs are underway.  First, I want to apologize because, unbeknownst to me, there was action on the previous night that I wasn't aware of so I spent the first few minutes getting caught up on what took place.  Anyway, here are the scores of what happened on this night:

5:00 P.M. Game

Winona State - 47
UST Purple - 43


5:55 P.M. Games

NIACC - 62
Anoka-Ramsey - 42

Augsburg - 59
UW-River Falls - 56  OT


6:50 P.M. Games

Northern State - 37
CSB - 30

St. Kate's - 85
NIACC - 53

St. Olaf - 55
Augsburg - 40


7:45 P.M. Games

B Ballers - 72
Retirees - 46

Superhoopers - 59
Suns - 29

Bethel - 47
St. Olaf - 39


8:40 P.M. Games

Renegades - 55
Phatties - 52

Concordia St. Paul Alumni - 59
Rusty Pipes - 57


Just one game in the 5:00 P.M. slot and it was a good one.  The Winona State team held a slim 17-14 edge on the UST Purple team midway in the second period and maintained that three-point lead at the half by a 21-18 count.  The Winona State team would increase its lead to as many as seven points in the third period but a late 5-0 push that was fueled by a "3" by junior-to-be Maddie Wolkow cut the Winona State team's lead down to 31-29 going into the fourth period.  The UST Purple team took a 35-33 lead at the 6:42 mark of the fourth period but two quick scores by the Winona State team; including a lay-up in transition by senior-to-be Kayla Timmerman, allowed them to get their nose back out in front again.  The UST Purple team managed to tie the game at 41-all thanks to two more Wolkow treys with 1:20 left and took a brief 43-41 lead with :25 left.  The Winona State team, however, managed to send the game to overtime with two late free throws and in the extra two minute session they shut out the UST Purple team to advance to the Championship game next week.

In the 5:55 P.M. slot on Court 1, things were tight in the early going between the Anoka-Ramsey team and the NIACC team and it would be interesting to see how these two young, quick squads would fare against each other.  The NIACC team; known for its run-and-gun style, began to find a groove late in the first period and took an 11-7 lead going into the second period.  The Anoka-Ramsey team struggled offensively in the second period and this allowed the NIACC team to stretch its lead to 17-7 midway through the second period.  The Anoka-Ramsey team tried to make inroads on the deficit and a "3" by sophomore-to-be Rashonna Thomas trimmed the NIACC team's lead down to 21-16 but the NIACC team recovered enough to take a 24-17 halftime advantage.  In the third period, the NIACC team began to slowly pull away for good as their three-point shooting and transition game had the Anoka-Ramsey team on its heels.  Leading 31-19 midway through the third period, they stretched the lead to 40-25 going into the fourth period enroute to a comfortable victory. The other game on Court 2 was a much closer, tighter affair even though the Augsburg team behind some hot early shooting grabbed a 7-2 lead.  But the UW-River Falls team would soon close the gap and tie the game late in the second period although a last-second buzzer-beater by freshman-to-be Aiza Wilson gave the Augsburg team a tenuous 17-15 lead at the end of the first period.  The UW-River Falls team went through a stretch of cold-shooting in the second period and that allowed the Augsburg team to take a 27-17 lead midway in the second period and they held a 32-21 advantage at the half.  The Augsburg team would get its lead to 36-24 midway through the third period before the UW-River Falls team finally shook off enough cobwebs to crawl back into single-digit range trailing 41-36 going into the fourth period.  The Augsburg team tried in vain to work the clock with a precarious 45-42 lead but the UW-River Falls team managed to finally tie the game at 46-all with 1:50 left in regulation.  Then things really got crazy.  The UW-River Falls team took a 49-48 lead and led by as much as 53-48 with under :30 left.  But just when the Augsburg team looked to be doomed, they got a break when the UW-River Falls team missed the back-end of a one-and-one situation and then proceeded to get two late treys; including one by Wilson at the buzzer that sent the game into overtime tied at 54-all.  The UW-River Falls team; perhaps feeling a bit deflated after failing to ice the game for good in regulation, fell flat in the extra two minute session as the Augsburg team prevailed in a wild one.

There were three games on the 6:50 P.M. slot.  On Court 1, the Northern State team had to regroup after falling behind 6-0 in the early going against the CSB team but they definitely did recover and took a 12-8 lead going into the second period.  Strong play down low by junior-to-be Jillian Conrad and some timely three-point shooting stretched the Northern State team's lead to 20-11 midway in the second period.  A late second period flurry by the CSB team trimmed the Northern State team's lead to 20-15 at the half and trailed only 29-22 going into the fourth and final period.  The CSB team made a valiant effort late as they cut the Northern State team's lead down to 34-30 with just 1:00 left but alas could get no closer.  Over on Court 2, a rematch of sorts took place as the NIACC team; fresh off its victory in the 5:55 P.M. slot, took on the St. Kate's team, a squad they had beaten back in June with their run-and-gun style.  But the St. Kate's team had revenge on its collective minds on this night and they quickly jumped out to an 8-2 lead and a stingy defense closed off the driving lanes that the NIACC team likes to find.  Seniors-to-be LaShay Holt, Kennedy Jennings and Mari Lee powered the St. Kate's team to a 36-7 lead midway in the second period and 46-20 at the half as they breezed to a blowout win.  On Court 3, the Augsburg team was trying to carry over the good feeling of their overtime win in the previous time slot.  But the St. Olaf team had very, very different ideas and they managed to slowly build a cushion; getting a 29-24 lead midway through the second period and expanding that lead to 44-29 going into the fourth period.  The Augsburg team made a bit of an inroad late in the contest but could never get close enough to threaten.

The 7:45 P.M. slot featured three games as well.  On Court 1, the B Ballers team broke open a close game with the Retirees team and took a 19-12 lead going into the second period and stretched that lead to 25-12 early in the second period thanks to some strong inside play by the former Southwest Minnesota State players.  The B Ballers team enjoyed a 39-20 lead at the half and cruised to an easy win from there.  Meanwhile on Court 2 the Suns team shone brightly early on as they grabbed an early 7-0 advantage but storm clouds in the form of the Superhoopers team soon appeared and that dimmed the prospects the Suns team may have had going into this one.  With the game tied at 7-all going into the second period, the Superhoopers quickly grabbed control of this one with strong inside play and great guard play by former Concordia St. Paul player Jamie Jones and got out to a 25-11 lead midway in the second period and led 33-14 at the half.  The Suns team never could recover from the onslaught as the Superhoopers team carried a 44-25 lead going into the fourth period and rolled to an easy win.  Over on Court 3, the Bethel team got out to an early 11-5 lead on the St. Olaf team but that lead would shrink to a single point at 12-11 by the end of the first period.  The Bethel team would scratch and claw their way to a 20-16 advantage midway through the second period and some strong play by senior-to-be Shanni Moorse helped the Bethel team stretch that lead to double-digits at 27-16 although a late flurry by the St. Olaf team cut the Bethel team's lead down to single digits at 29-20 at the halftime break.  A "3" by junior-to-be Abby Miller got the Bethel team's lead back to double-digits again early in the third period and they enjoyed that cushion until the end of the third period when the St. Olaf team was able to make a bit of a rally; capped by a score in the paint by senior-to-be Betsey Daly that once again had the Bethel team's lead down to single-digits at 35-26 going into the fourth period.  But the St. Olaf team's hopes of bringing this one all the way back died quickly in the fourth period as the Bethel team stretched their lead out to 40-28 early in the fourth period and the St. Olaf team was unable to threaten.

Finally, in the 8:40 P.M. slot, the Renegades team used their quickness and transition game to build a 7-0 lead early on in their contest with the Phatties team.  The Phatties team relied heavily on the Dakota Wesleyan juniors-to-be twin sister duo of Amber and Ashley Bray to get them going offensively but the Renegades team still enjoyed a 20-11 lead by the end of the first period.  The Phatties team slowly but surely chipped away at the deficit; trailing 23-17 midway in the second period and gaining ground from there.  Two free throws by Amber Bray gave the Phatties team their first lead at 25-24 although the Renegades team would reclaim the lead by halftime by a 29-28 margin.  Things would stay tight in the third period with neither side willing to give an inch and the Renegades team was clinging to a 43-42 lead going into the fourth period.  The Renegades team tried to make a decisive move as they got their lead to six at 50-44 midway in the fourth and final period but the Phatties were able to get the game down to a single possession late in the contest.  The Renegades team had to hang on in the final minute to claim a thriller.  Over on Court 2 was another close encounter between the Concordia St. Paul Alumni team and the Rusty Pipes team.  This one would be close as well as the Concordia St. Paul Alumni team held a slim 13-10 advantage going into the third period and led only 25-24 at the half.  The Concordia St. Paul Alumni team would manage to build a bit of a cushion in the third period; leading 37-31 midway through and 49-43 going into the fourth period.  An early fourth period surge by the Concordia St. Paul team upped their lead to ten points at 53-43 but the Rusty Pipes team worked their way back into single-digit range.  One score by former Hamline standout Jordan Sammons cut the Concordia St. Paul Alumni team's lead down to 58-54 and a "3" by another former Hamline standout - Kara "The Natural" Poirer - slashed the Concordia St. Paul Alumni team's lead down to a scant point at 58-57 with :34 left.  But the Rusty Pipes team was unable to overcome the deficit and an insurance free throw late helped preserve the Concordia St. Paul Alumni team's victory.

Third-place and championship games are tentatively slated for next week Wednesday evening so get on down to the Midtown YWCA to catch the action.