Midtown YWCA Women's College Summer League Results For Tuesday 6-9-26

Here are the results of the games played on Tuesday evening (6-9) over at the Midtown YWCA Women's College Summer League:

6:15 PM Games

Backcourt Baddies - 39

Midway Monsters - 35

Granny's Got Game - 58

UW-Stout - 55

St. Olaf - 54

Free Agents - 43

GAC Gold - 55

Anoka-Ramsey - 34

7:15 PM Games

Wash-Ups - 49

Da Birthdays - 42

UW-Stout - 61

Anoka-Ramsey - 59  OT

Sara's Shooters - 67

St. Kate's - 65  OT

GAC White - 82

Auggies - 60

8:15 PM Games

UMD Dogs - 64

Northwestern - 35

Team 1 - 61

Team Jody - 40

Ball Busters - 58

Cross Era - 50

GAC Black - 69

Royal Ballers - 49

Some good games in the 6:15 PM slot on this Tuesday evening.....Over on Court 1, the Backcourt Baddies team was taking on the Midway Monsters team and although the Backcourt Baddies team jumped out to a 4-0 lead by the 7:30 mark of the opening period, the Midway Monsters team would claw back to get on even terms and eventually build a 10-6 lead with 2:45 left although that lead would be shaved to three at 12-9 by the end of the first period.  That lead would quickly get shrunk to just one at 12-11 by the 9:15 mark of the second period and by the midway point the Backcourt Baddies team had snared away the advantage with a 15-12 lead and they would have a four-point cushion at 21-17 by the halftime break.  The Backcourt Baddies team would see its lead cut to a single possession at 22-19 by the 7:40 mark of the third period and the Backcourt Baddies team was unable to establish much in the way of breathing room as the third period progressed as they would be nursing a 24-22 advantage with 3:35 left.  Sure enough, by the end of the third period the Midway Monsters team was able to get this game back on even terms at 26 a piece.  The Backcourt Baddies team would get its nose out in front again up 31-28 by the 6:50 mark of the fourth period and even though they got a bit of breathing room up 35-30 near the midway point, the Midway Monsters team made things very uncomfortable them down the stretch as the Backcourt Baddies team saw its lead reduced to just two at 37-35 with 3:15 left in regulation.  Fortunately for the Backcourt Baddies team, they were able to keep their opponent scoreless the rest of the way and they were able to hang on for a tough 39-35 victory......Another interesting game was going down over on Court 2 where the UW-Stout team was taking on another new mixed/Alumni squad called the Granny's Got Game team.  The UW-Stout team would have the upper hand early on in this game and would hold a 9-6 advantage near the midway point of the opening period and an 8-2 push had the UW-Stout team up 17-8 with 2:05 left.  By the end of the first period, things definitely appeared to be going the UW-Stout team's way as they were up 20-13.  The UW-Stout team would stretch its lead to nine again at 22-13 by the 8:50 mark of the second period and they still appeared to be in full control with a 27-20 lead with 4:05 left.  But by the halftime break, the UW-Stout team saw its lead shrunk to five at 33-28.  The Granny's Got Game team would make further inroads once the third period got underway as the UW-Stout team saw its lead cut to four at 35-31 by the 8:00 mark and the UW-Stout team would still be hanging on to that four-point edge up 39-35 with 4:20 left.  But the Granny's Got Game team was finally able to get this game back on even terms again by the end of the third period at 41 a piece.  Momentum was clearly on the side of the Granny's Got Game team once the fourth period was underway as they would launch a key 6-1 push that suddenly had them up 47-42 by the 7:50 mark of the fourth period and they would at least maintain this five-point edge as they held a 50-45 lead with 4:12 left in regulation.  Down the stretch, the UW-Stout team faltered badly as the Granny's Got Game team ran away with a double-digit win......Another good game was in progress over on Court 3 between the Free Agents team and the St. Olaf team.  The St. Olaf team got off to a solid start in this one; grabbing a 7-2 lead by the 7:35 mark of the opening period but the Free Agents would gradually claw their way back into this game as the St. Olaf team saw its lead trimmed to four points at 12-8 with 3:00 left and by the end of the first period, the St. Olaf team's lead was down to just one at 14-13.  The Free Agents team would eventually get this game deadlocked at 19 a piece by the 6:10 mark of the second period and they would poke their nose out in front at 20-19 near the midway point.  The Free Agents team would still own a one-point advantage up 24-23 with 1:15 left and they would be holding onto this lead by the halftime break.  The Free Agents team still appeared to have the upper hand in this one with a 26-23 advantage by the 8:25 mark of the third period but a key 8-2 run by the St. Olaf team turned the tables in this contest as the St. Olaf team would be up 31-28 with 4:30 left and they would hold a 36-33 lead by the end of the third period.  The St. Olaf team would stretch its lead to seven at 44-37 by the 7:30 mark of the fourth period and although the Free Agents team would briefly cut the deficit down to five down 48-43 with 3:20 left in regulation, they could never get any closer as the St. Olaf team pulled away for a double-digit win......Meanwhile, a very interesting game was going down over on Court 4 between the GAC Gold team and the Anoka-Ramsey team.  The GAC Gold team struggled mightily out of the gate which allowed the Anoka-Ramsey team to grab a 5-2 advantage near the midway point of the opening period and the Anoka-Ramsey team would quickly grow that lead to 10-2 a short time later with 4:10 left.  Alarmed, the GAC Gold team got things into gear and got the deficit down to two at 10-8 with 3:15 left and by the end of the first period, it looked as if the GAC Gold team had things figured out as they had this game knotted at ten a piece.  But this tricky Anoka-Ramsey team was off and running again once the second period got underway as a 7-0 push had them up 17-10 by the 7:10 mark and they would be holding onto this lead near the midway point.  Once again, the GAC Gold team had to dig themselves out of a hole and they were able to get back to within a single possession down 22-19 with 1:40 left and the Anoka-Ramsey team would be holding onto this 22-19 lead by the halftime break.  The Anoka-Ramsey team would again put its opponent in a tough spot once the third period got underway as a 5-0 spurt had them enjoying a 27-19 advantage by the 7:50 mark.  And, once again, the GAC Gold team would answer the bell as they would get back to within a single possession down 27-25 with 4:00 left but this time the GAC Gold team was done messing around as they would forge ahead and by the end of the third period, they were holding a 32-29 lead.  A 9-0 run by the GAC Gold team out of the gate once the fourth period got underway left little doubt as to how this one was going to go with a 41-32 advantage by the 7:00 mark and that lead would grow to 47-34 near the midway point.  The GAC Gold team would run away with this one down the stretch for the relatively easy win.

But if you were seeking real drama on this night, you would definitely find it in the 7:15 PM slot.  First, over on Court 1, a good battle was taking place between a couple of mixed/Alumni teams as the Da Birthdays team was taking on the Wash-Ups team.  The Wash-Ups team would get a 3-0 lead by the 7:20 mark of the opening period and would still hold a 6-4 lead with 3:10 left.  But a 9-4 push down the stretch by the Da Birthdays team would find them out in front by a 13-10 count at the end of the first period.  Things would stay tight once the second period was underway and by the midway point the Da Birthdays team was holding onto a 17-16 advantage and they would still be holding onto a one point lead at 21-20 with 2:10 left.  The Da Birthdays team would manage to get some more breathing room by the halftime break, however, with a 25-20 lead.  The Da Birthdays team would still be holding onto this same 25-20 advantage by the 7:10 mark of the third period but they would see their lead narrow to a single possession up 31-28 by the end of the third period.  The early part of the fourth period was a defensive slugfest and by the 6:30 mark the Wash-Ups team managed to get this game leveled at 31 a piece.  Oddly enough, the Da Birthdays team would run out of gas down the home stretch as the Wash-Ups team got a hard-fought victory on this night......Easily one of the two best games on this night took place over on Court 2 between two teams doing double duty on this Tuesday evening with the UW-Stout team taking on the Anoka-Ramsey team.  The Anoka-Ramsey team would grab a 3-2 lead by the 9:20 mark of the opening period and this one would stay tight and with 3:40 left, the UW-Stout team found itself up 15-13 but then the Anoka-Ramsey team would come back with an 8-2 run down the stretch to hold a somewhat surprising 21-17 lead at the end of the first period.  The Anoka-Ramsey team would continue to hold the upper hand once the second period was underway as they would be up 26-22 at the 8:25 mark and they would get the lead to five points at 31-26 with 4:05 left.  The Anoka-Ramsey team would extend its lead to six at 34-28 with 1:40 left but then the UW-Stout team would unleash a 9-2 spurt that had them up by one at 37-36 by the halftime break.  The Anoka-Ramsey team would be quick to respond as they would get this game leveled at 39 a piece by the 8:25 mark of the third period and would then manage to pull ahead again as they would find themselves up 49-44 with 3:00 left.  But the UW-Stout team would counter and close the gap to a single possession down 49-47 by the end of the third period.  The UW-Stout team would soon have this game tied again at 49-all by the 8:45 mark of the fourth period and they would manage to push ahead at 53-50 near the midway point.  This one would stay tight down the stretch and with :45 left in regulation, the UW-Stout team was trying desperately to hang onto this lead but the Anoka-Ramsey team would get a late score in regulation that would knot this game at 61 a piece so off to the extra two-minute session we went.  The UW-Stout team managed to prevail in the extra session and come away with a thrilling victory......The game over on Court 3 in this time slot wasn't devoid of drama either as the St. Kate's team took on the Sara's Shooters team.  The St. Kate's team would get off to a good start in this one; getting a 7-3 lead by the 7:10 mark of the opening period and they would still have the upper hand with a 14-9 advantage with 2:40 left.  By the end of the first period, the St. Kate's team had grown its lead to seven at 19-12.  The Sara's Shooters team did close the gap to four down 20-16 by the 7:05 mark of the second period but would still find themselves down 28-23 with 3:15 left before they finally got the ship righted and went on a 6-0 push down the stretch to hold a 29-28 lead by the halftime break.  The Sara's Shooters team would continue to hold the upper hand up 36-34 by the 6:25 mark of the 3rd period and by the end of the third period, the Sara's Shooters team had extended its lead to five at 47-42.  But the St. Kate's team showed it wasn't going anywhere anytime soon and they were back to within a single possession down 54-51 at the 7:10 mark of the fourth period.  The Sara's Shooters team, however, would then go on another push and would establish a 63-55 lead with 2:10 left in regulation.  But this never-say-die St. Kate's team would then unleash an 8-0 tear down the stretch that had this tied at 63-all with :14 left in regulation and the Sara's Shooters team was unable to counter in those last seconds so off to the extra period we went.  The Sara's Shooters team would take a 65-63 lead with 1:50 left in the first overtime but the St. Kate's team would soon get this game leveled again at 65 a piece.  With just :35 left in the first overtime, the Sara's Shooters team would nudge ahead to take a 67-65 advantage and they were able to snuff out a last-gasp attempt by the St. Kate's team as they escaped with a thrilling win of their own......The game over on Court 4 was certainly much more tame from an emotional standpoint as the GAC White team was taking on the Auggies team in a matchup of MIAC rivals.  The Auggies team would jump out to a 4-0 advantage by the 8:45 mark of the opening period and they would still enjoy a 9-3 lead by the 6:00 mark.  But the GAC White team would soon get things in gear as the Auggies team saw their lead trimmed to just two points at 13-11 with 3:05 left and by the end of the first period, the GAC White team had assumed the lead at 20-19.  The GAC White team would consolidate on its newfound momentum as they would assume a 28-21 lead at the 7:30 mark of the second period and would hold a 32-26 lead near the midway point.  With 1:05 left, the GAC White team now had a double-digit cushion at 40-28 and they would still own a 42-31 lead by the halftime break.  The Auggies team would try and make inroads once the third period was underway as they cut the deficit down to six at 42-36 at the 8:00 mark but they were unable to sustain this threat as the GAC White team rebuilt its double-digit cushion at 57-46 with 2:15 left and would increase that lead to 61-46 by the end of the third period.  By the midway point of the fourth period, the GAC White team was in full control up 72-53 as the cruised to an easy win.  

While the 8:15 PM slot didn't feature the same type of drama, there were still some interesting games nonetheless.  Court 1 featured an interesting clash between the Northwestern team and the UMD Dogs team and although this game would be tied at two a piece by the 7:30 mark of the opening period, it didn't take long for the UMD Dogs team to seize control of this one as they would assume an 11-5 lead near the midway point and would up that lead to 20-9 by the end of the first period.  The UMD Dogs team would push the lead to 22-9 by the 8:55 mark of the second period and with 2:35 left that lead ballooned to 33-14.  By the halftime break, the UMD Dogs team had stretched its lead to 42-16.  The Northwestern team tried to get things going offensively once the third period was underway as they cut into the deficit a bit down 46-23 by the 6:35 mark but by this point it was like trying to bail water from a sinking ship as the UMD Dogs team would be holding a 50-28 lead with 1:50 left and that lead would grow to 54-28 by the end of the third period.  Up 54-32 by the 6:35 mark of the fourth period, there was little doubt as to how this one was going to go as the UMD Dogs team rolled to an easy win......Court 2 featured an interesting battle between two mixed/alumni teams as Team Jody took on Team 1.  This game would initially be knotted at one a piece by the 7:10 mark of the opening period but then the Team 1 team went on 17-2 the rest of the way to own an 18-3 lead by the end of the first period.  The Team Jody team continued to struggle on offense as the Team 1 team upped its lead to 22-3 by the 8:45 mark of the second period and with 3:45 left the Team 1 team had established a twenty-point cushion up 29-9.  By the halftime break, the Team 1 team was cruising up 39-18.  Not much would change once the third period was underway with the Team 1 team up 41-21 by the 7:10 mark and although the Team Jody team was able to take a bit of a bite off the deficit down 41-29 with 4:10 left, the Team 1 team would then get on another run and rebuild its lead to 50-32 by the end of the third period.  The Team 1 team would be in full control up 52-32 by the 7:45 mark of the fourth period as they rolled to an easy win......A somewhat tighter game was ensuing over on Court 3 in this timeslot between two other mixed/alumni teams as the Ball Busters team took on the Cross Era team.  This game would be tied at two a piece by the 7:20 mark of the opening period and the Cross Era team would manage to grab an 8-7 lead with 3:00 left.  But the Ball Busters team would manage to turn the tables on its opponent down the stretch as they would own a 15-14 advantage by the end of the first period.  The Ball Busters team would then manage to get some more breathing room as they owned a 25-19 lead by the 6:15 mark of the second period but a short time later the Team Jody team had closed the gap to a single possession down 27-24 with 3:10 left.  By the halftime break, the Ball Busters team was trying to hold on to a 35-31 lead.  The Ball Busters team would then launch another push that gave them some more breathing room with a 45-36 lead near the midway point of the third period but the Cross Era team would recover and close to within a single possession down 47-44 by the end of the third period.  A key 11-0 run by the Ball Busters team would have them up 58-44 near the midway point of the fourth period and they were able to close this one out down the stretch to get the dub......A highly-anticipated game between two MIAC rivals was taking place over on Court 4 in the late night slot as the GAC Black team was taking on the Royal Ballers team.  The GAC Black team had things going their way early on as they would be up 6-2 by the 8:35 mark of the opening period and with 2:00 left the GAC Black team would stretch its lead to eight at 17-9.  The Royal Ballers team, however, was able to cut into this deficit down the stretch as the GAC Black team's lead was down to five at 20-15 by the end of the first period.  The Royal Ballers team was able to make further inroads as the GAC Black team's lead was cut to one at 28-27 near the midway juncture of the second period and things were still tight with 2:20 left with the GAC Black team up 30-27 and they would hold this lead at the halftime break.  But the GAC Black team was able to gradually grow its lead once the third period got underway as they would own a 37-31 advantage with 3:00 left and they would maintain this six-point cushion up 40-34 with 2:00 left before the Royal Ballers team could trim the deficit down to four a 45-41 by the end of the third period.  Things were still tight once the fourth period got underway with the GAC Black team up 47-44 at the 8:20 mark.  But a big jumper by senior-to-be Kaitlyn Schaefer would get the GAC Black team's lead to 50-44 a short time later at the 7:35 mark and the Royal Ballers team seemed to run out of gas by this point as the GAC Black team would stretch its lead to 64-47 with 2:00 left and they wound up getting the convincing win on this night.

I wasn't able to attend Wednesday night's action this last week as I ventured down to southern Minnesota in hopes of some storm chasing that never quite materialized.  But don't forget that this next week the Midtown YWCA Women's College Summer League reverts to a Wednesday night format so hope to see you down there.  

Coaching Change Updates - 6-5-26

St. Scholastica has found its man - Rob McDonald - to take the reigns of the Saints program.

 So wanted to provide everyone with an update on the latest coaching changes happening in and around the MIAC.  Just two days ago (Wednesday 6-3), St. Scholastica filled the vacant spot left by Jason Schmitz and hired Rob McDonald to take the reigns of the Saints program.  McDonald comes to the Twin Ports after spending the last four seasons at DII Saginaw Valley St in Michigan where he was an assistant there.  McDonald has had previous stints at other DII schools as well (Saint Leo University and Lincoln University) but he has MIAC ties as he was both a basketball and football standout at St. Olaf so he knows the conference.  All in all this appears to be a pretty solid hire by AD Jessica Cherry and unlike a number of other institutions across the country in DIII, McDonald isn't inheriting a moribund program - far from it in fact as the Saints posted a solid 16-10 record this last season - good enough to snare the sixth spot in the MIAC Playoffs and a (presumably anyway) pretty solid nucleus returning.  So he's coming into a very good situation up at St. Scholastica.  

But the bigger news on this day was over in the WIAC where UW-Oshkosh Head Coach Brad Fischer announced that he is stepping down after 14 seasons at the helm of the very successful Titans program that saw him lead the program to numerous WIAC regular season and Championship Game titles along with numerous NCAA Tournament appearances as well - including runs to the Final Four in both 2025 and this last season.  Fischer is headed out to Lincoln, NE where he has accepted an Assistant Coaching position with the Nebraska Cornhuskers.  I'll admit that this is one that I did not see coming.....I wouldn't have expected it anyway.  But I can understand it the more I think about it as DI opportunities simply don't come along that often and he probably had to take it while he could get it.  And hey, Lincoln's a great university town and a big BNSF stronghold too so I can understand why he made the move.  The big question now is who does UW-Oshkosh target to fill the vacant position?  You can bet that this job is going to attract a number of highly-qualified candidates.  But the timing of this is what makes it difficult for UW-Oshkosh Assistant Chancellor For Intercollegiate Athletics Darryl Sims and the UW-Oshkosh Administration.  Had this happened, say, two or three months ago, you'd be working with a much wider window of time.  In this particular case, the window has narrowed considerably and that could affect the number of potential replacement candidates for the position.  But this whole process will be interesting to watch to say the least - especially in what has already proven to be a true coaching merry-go-round offseason over on the WIAC side.  

Midtown YWCA Women's College Summer League Results For Tuesday 6-2-26

It was definitely good to be able to catch the opening night of the Midtown YWCA Women's College Summer League and although I had to leave early as I had jury duty the next morning, there were some interesting games that I did get to see.

6:15 PM Games

UW-Stout - 37

GAC Gold - 35

Team Jody - 71

Free Agents - 44

Wash-Ups - 80

St. Olaf - 42

Team One - 75

Auggies - 40

7:15 PM Games

UW-Stout - 70

Auggies - 50

GAC White - 53

Northwestern - 42

Sara's Shooters - 52

Backcourt Baddies - 33

Midway Monsters - 44

Anoka-Ramsey - 32

The best game in my time over at the Midtown YWCA on this night took place over on Court 1 in the 6:15 PM timeslot between the UW-Stout team and the GAC Gold team.  Things looked promising for the GAC Gold team early on as they managed to jump out to a 4-0 lead by the 7:40 mark of the opening period but the UW-Stout team quickly woke up and came back with a vengeance as they would unleash a 14-2 run that had them up 14-6 with 2:05 left in the first period and that's where this game would be once the first period came to a close.  The UW-Stout team would stay in firm control with a 19-8 lead near the midway point of the second period and although the GAC Gold team briefly got back into single-digit range down 19-10 with 2:50 left, the UW-Stout team would recover and hold a ten-point cushion at the halftime break up 23-13.  Not much changed when the third period got underway with the UW-Stout team up 27-15 by the 6:03 mark and things still looked very good for this UW-Stout team up 29-21 by the end of the third period.  But you kind of knew that this GAC Gold team would find a way to come back in this thing and that's exactly what happened once the fourth period got underway as they were able to slice the deficit down to six at 33-27 near the midway point and although the UW-Stout team still had the upper hand with a 37-32 advantage with 1:02 left in regulation, the GAC Gold would pull back to within a single possession with a three-point bomb with :12 left in regulation.  But the UW-Stout team would manage to milk out the clock and was able to preserve a precarious nail-biting win......No such drama over on Court 2 in this timeslot where the Team Jody team was taking on the Free Agents team.  Things would be tight at the beginning as the Team Jody team would hold a 5-2 lead at the 7:20 mark of the opening period but the Free Agents team would eventually claw back and forge a 12-12 deadlock with 2:35 left and although the Team Jody team would get a bit more breathing room by the end of the first period with a 19-14 advantage, this was so far looking like a very close contest.  But the Free Agents team was unable to rekindle whatever magic they had found earlier in this game as the Team Jody team slowly but surely built its advantage as they held a 31-22 lead at the 5:22 mark of the second period and would get the lead to ten at 38-28 with 2:25 left and still had the upper hand with a 40-32 advantage by the halftime break.  The third period didn't see things change significantly as the Team Jody team enjoyed a 46-37 advantage at the 6:35 mark and the Team Jody team maintained that nine-point cushion up 51-42 with 4:20 left.  But if there was still a lifeline for the Free Agents team by this point, it was effectively choked off by the Team Jody team as they would grow their lead to 55-44 by the end of the third period.  And the Team Jody team would start running away with this one once the fourth period got underway and they would be coasting with a 64-44 lead with 4:15 left in regulation as they rolled to an easy win......It was a somewhat similar story over on Court 3 where the Wash-Ups team was taking on the St. Olaf team.  This contest would be tight early on with the Wash-Ups team holding a 10-7 advantage with 2:50 left in the first period but a quick 6-0 run by the Wash-Ups team pushed their lead to 16-7 with 1:30 left and by the end of the third period, the tone had been set with the Wash-Ups team enjoying a 20-9 lead.  Things would get progressively worse for the St. Olaf team once the second period got underway as the Wash-Ups team got its lead to 27-12 by the 6:40 mark and the Wash-Ups team would grow its lead even more to 31-14 by the midway point.  The Wash-Ups would be in firm command up 33-17 with 2:00 left and by the halftime break they were still enjoying a 35-20 advantage.  This pattern would continue as the Wash-Ups team held a 37-23 advantage at the 8:30 mark of the third period and they would be up 51-35 with 2:40 left.  By the end of the third period, the Wash-Ups team was rolling with a 57-38 advantage.  The Wash-Ups team would have things in cruise control the rest of the way as they held a 76-42 lead with 2:50 left in regulation as they romped to an easy win......And it was more of the same over on Court 4 in this timeslot between the Team One team and the Auggies team.  The Team One team would bolt out to a quick 5-0 lead by the 9:15 mark of the opening period which helped set the tone for this game and with 1:15 left in the first period, the Team One team had grown its lead to 21-10.  Although the Auggies team was able to get back to within single-digit range at the end of the first period down 21-13, they weren't able to make further inroads as the Team One team enjoyed a 28-19 lead near the midway point of the second period and they still enjoyed a nine-point lead at 32-23 by the halftime break.  The Team One team was able to break this one open once the third period got underway as they held a 42-25 advantage at the 6:10 mark and they would still hold a firm grip on this game up 51-27 with 2:20 left.  By the end of the third period, the Team One lead had established a twenty-point cushion at 55-35 and things would only get worse for the Auggies team from there as the Team One team ballooned its lead to thirty at 70-40 left with 2:00 left in regulation as they too romped to an easy win.

In the 7:15 PM slot, two team that saw action earlier - the UW-Stout team and the Auggies team - would face off against each other over on Court 1.  This contest would be tight in the early going with the UW-Stout team holding a 4-2 lead at the 8:35 mark of the opening period and the UW-Stout team would still be clinging to a 7-6 advantage with 4:00 left.  But a 7-3 push down the stretch by the UW-Stout team gave them a bit more breathing room with a 14-9 lead with 2:15 left and they were able to maintain this five-point edge up 16-11 by the end of the first period.  It wouldn't take the UW-Stout team long to pad its lead once the second period got underway as they would enjoy a 20-11 advantage at the 8:35 mark and they would still be in very good shape with a 28-19 lead with 3:40 left and they would maintain this nine-point cushion up 31-22 with 2:00 left.  By the halftime break, the UW-Stout team had built a double-digit cushion up 33-22.  The UW-Stout team would slowly build on this lead as they would hold a 37-24 lead by the 8:40 mark of the third period and with 3:40 left, the UW-Stout team would enjoy a 45-33 advantage.  By the end of the third period, UW-Stout had upped the lead to 49-33 and things would only get worse for the Auggies team as they would be on the wrong end of a 55-36 score at the 7:25 mark of the fourth period and by that point the UW-Stout team had things in cruise control the rest of the way; enjoying a safe 64-49 lead with 2:40 left in regulation as they got an easy win this time around......Things would be a bit more contested over on Court 2 in this timeslot as the GAC White team took on the Northwestern team in a MIAC-UMAC clash of sorts.  This game would be leveled at three a piece by the 8:50 mark of the opening period but the GAC White team was then able to shift into higher gear as they would own a 16-7 lead with 3:35 left in the first period and a short time later with 2:05 left, the GAC White team had a ten-point cushion up 20-10.  By the end of the first period, the GAC White team seemed to be in full control with a 24-10 advantage.  To their credit, the Northwestern team went on a 6-0 run in the early moments of the second period that had the deficit down to eight at 24-16 by the 7:10 mark but they were unable to sustain this momentum as the GAC White team would then embark on a push of their own that re-established the double-digit cushion with a 30-18 lead with 4:20 left and by the halftime break, the GAC White team definitely seemed to have their opponent in a vice grip with a sizable 38-20 advantage.  Indeed, the GAC White team would have a twenty-point cushion at its disposal up 42-22 by the 8:15 mark of the third period and they seemed to be cruising along just fine up 45-26 with 4:35 left.  But the Northwestern team then erupted with an 8-0 push down the stretch that suddenly made things interesting with the GAC White team's lead down to eleven at 45-34 by the end of the third period.  Unfortunately for the Northwestern team, they were unable to sustain their newfound momentum once the fourth period got underway as the GAC White team was able to maintain its edge as they would hold a 47-34 lead at the 7:35 mark and would have a 49-38 lead left with 4:00 in regulation as they got the dub on this night......The game over on Court 3 in this timeslot between the Backcourt Baddies team and the Sara's Shooters team followed a somewhat similar story.  The Backcourt Baddies team would be holding onto a slim 4-3 advantage at the 8:00 mark of the opening period but they would slowly build their lead to 8-5 at the 6:10 mark and would push their lead to four at 11-7 with 2:15 left.  But the Sara's Shooters team would then launch a 6-2 push that had this contest on even terms at 13 a piece by the end of the first period.  This game would be knotted again at 18 a piece by the 6:20 mark of the second period and all indications appeared to be that this would be tight throughout.  But it was here that the Sara's Shooters team was able to establish a bit of separation as they would build a 30-23 advantage with 1:05 left and hold that same lead at the halftime break.  The Sara's Shooters team would push its lead to nine at 33-24 by the 7:05 mark of the third period and with 2:05 left the Sara's Shooters team had a double-digit cushion with a 41-28 lead and that lead would grow to thirteen at 43-30 by the end of the third period.  The Backcourt Baddies team was unable to make much in the way of dents in that cushion once the fourth period got underway as the Sara's Shooters team still held a 47-35 advantage by the 6:20 mark and they would get some insurance down the stretch with a 50-33 lead with 1:50 left in regulation as they came away with the win on this night......Meanwhile over on Court 4 there was an interesting contest going on between the Midway Monsters team (made up of current Hamline players) and the Anoka-Ramsey team.  This one would be tight in the early going as well with the Midway Monsters team holding a 5-3 edge at the 6:00 mark of the opening period and with 1:05 left they would still be clinging to that two-point lead at 12-10.  But a late three-point bomb gave the Midway Monsters a bit more breathing room with a 15-10 lead at the end of the first period.  Things would still be close by the midway point of the second period with the Midway Monsters team owning a 16-12 lead but then the Midway Monsters team was able to kick things in gear a bit with a key 6-0 push that had them up 22-12 with 1:05 left and they would hold this same lead by the halftime break.  The Anoka-Ramsey team found some new life once the third period got underway as they cut the deficit down to six at 25-19 by the 6:20 mark and a suddenly-struggling Midway Monsters team saw their lead dwindle to just three at 25-22 with 1:25 left before a late score gave them a bit more breathing room with a 27-22 advantage by the end of the third period.  The Anoka-Ramsey team managed to stay within striking distance by the midway point of the fourth period down by only six at 31-25 and a short time later with 4:00 left in regulation, the Midway Monsters team appeared to be in a bit of hot water with their lead down to just four at 31-27.  But the Midway Monsters team managed to recover and closed out this contest with a 13-5 push as they secured the victory on this night.

Had to head back home after the 7:15 games to get ready for jury duty this next day and wasn't able to make it over on Wednesday night either.  But now that jury duty is officially in the rearview mirror for me, I'm looking forward to covering all games this next Tuesday and Wednesday evening.   

The Midtown YWCA Women's College Summer League Is Back!

The Midtown YWCA Women's College Summer League is set to launch another season on Tuesday evening (6-2) with games on both Tuesday night and Wednesday night the first two weeks before reverting to a Wednesday night format on Wednesday 6-17.  A lot of good teams will be partaking in the fun this year as well with games in the 6:15, 7:15 and 8:15 PM slots and there promises to be a lot of good action with four games in each time slot.  I'm hoping I can be down there for both nights this week but things are a little uncertain at the moment for me as I have to report for jury duty on Tuesday morning (😟) but am hopeful it won't be for an extended period of time.  

Anyway, make sure to get yourself down to the Midtown YWCA Women's College Summer League on Tuesday and Wednesday this week!   

MIAC Coaching Change Updates

St. Kate's made the big announcement yesterday (Tuesday 5-5) that former standout Audra Clark is coming home to take the reigns of the Wildcat program.

So I wanted to provide everyone with updates on a couple of coaching changes that have taken place in the MIAC in this young offseason.  First, Don Mulhern stepped down at the helm of the St. Kate's program on March 26 after a nine-year stint at leading the Wildcats as personal health considerations and his desire to become a family caregiver were drivers in the decision.  After interviewing a number of candidates, St. Kate's on Tuesday (5-5) decided on bringing a famous alum back home - Audra Clark (St. Kate's '19) - to take the reigns of the Wildcat program where she holds the leading scorer of all time along with being tops in assists and other records as well.  After graduation, Clark joined former St. Kate's Head Coach Sean Pinkerton's staff at Oswego St for two seasons and also spent two seasons at another SUNYAC school - Cortland.  She then moved to Bowling Green St where she served as Director of Player Personnel (and also reunited with former St. Kate's Coach Tim Kjar) and then this past season she was an assistant at Northern Illinois in DeKalb, IL.  I'll admit that there's a part of me that wondered if her lack of previous head coaching experience might work against her.  But when I look at what she did as not only a former standout player at St. Kate's but also her previous assistant coaching gigs (particularly with Pinkerton at Oswego St) and her immense knowledge of not only the game but particularly of this St. Kate's program and the fact that she played two seasons under Mulhern's tutelage, this is not only as close as you can get to a relatively seamless transition but also looking at it from a larger perspective, this is about as close to a home run hire that you can find for St. Kate's.  Clark will bring a renewed energy and youthful enthusiasm to this team and I have no doubt that she'll be able to recruit well.  And I think when you look at how MIAC Women's Basketball is now more competitive than ever with four teams making it to the Dance this last season, Clark is exactly the type of coach that you would want to help elevate the St. Kate's program as she knows this program inside and out and what it stands for.  There's always challenges for a new, young coach coming into the ranks but I feel very confident that Clark will meet those challenges head-on and there's going to be some very exciting things in store for this Wildcat program with Clark now at the helm.

Meanwhile up on the shores of (always cold) Gitche Gumee, the St. Scholastica job opened up on on April 23rd when Jason Schmitz resigned to take an assistant coaching job at UST with Mandy Pearson now at the helm of that program after longtime Head Coach Ruth Sinn pulled the pin there after this last season.  Schmitz, who spent five seasons at the helm of the Saints program, slowly but surely brought this program around since St. Scholastica joined the MIAC back in 2021.  This last season, the Saints went 16-10 overall and 11-7 in conference play which included a huge upset of a Bethel team in mid-January that would make it to the Sweet 16 in the NCAA Tournament and snared the sixth-seed in the MIAC Playoffs.  Though their playoff journey was short as they would fall to said Bethel team in Arden Hills in the quarterfinal round, this was a team that showed a lot of promise and hope for the coming season so I guess in that regard, the timing of his departure is unfortunate.  However, whomever St. Scholastica selects as a successor to take the reigns of this program, it won't be a situation where they're walking in and finding empty cupboards as the Saints will return a good nucleus from this last season.  For the moment anyway, I haven't heard anything about possible candidates and/or whom they may have talked to.  But, even though the Twin Ports may not necessarily be the desired destination for some, it's still a very good, very solid job and a chance to coach a program in one of the premier conferences in DIII Women's Basketball so it'll be interesting to see who St. Scholastica brings in.  

Thoughts On Another Season Gone Down

Congrats to Rosemount for capturing their first-ever Class AAAA state title!

I waited a bit longer than I should have, perhaps, to write this particular article but in a way, I think it's smart that I waited because I truly needed to (1) get all the emotions out from this last season and (2) take a bit of a break to get my batteries re-charged as well.  In so many ways - but particularly from my coverage of the MIAC Women's Hoops scene and D3 Women's Hoops in general - this last season was a season unlike any other and it will leave a lot of good memories for me personally.  

And what a year it was indeed for MIAC Women's Basketball that saw not one, not two, not three but FOUR teams make it into the Big Dance and two of those teams - Concordia and Bethel - making deep runs to the Elite 8 and Sweet 16, respectively.  After years of waiting and wondering if the MIAC might ever get to be in this kind of position, it finally happened.  And all of you that read my blog know full and well how I've made my rants over the years about how the conference needed to ditch the ridiculous round-robin schedule that would allow teams to play more non-conference opponents (read quality opponents).  Now, we're finally beginning to see the rewards of that bold move that not only have provided an opportunity for more teams to get national exposure but have given the conference as a whole a lot more exposure as well.  And I feel pretty confident in saying that we'll see the benefits keep flowing; particularly when it comes to recruiting because prospective recruits coming out of high school now will look at MIAC schools from a different perspective given what these four teams accomplished this last season.  And I think too that the programs currently in the lower echelon of the conference will benefit as well - not that the ladder they have to climb will be easy by any stretch given the highly-competitive nature of the conference.  But there's still a ladder there for them nonetheless.  It's going to be fun to see.  Bottom line here - the MIAC is now right up there with the other big-name conferences and it's just great to see!  

But success certainly wasn't limited to the MIAC Women's Hoops scene.  On the D2 side, three teams from the NSIC, Concordia St Paul, Minnesota St and UM-Duluth all got bids to the NCAA Tournament as well.  Now, as many of us know, the NCAA Tournament on the D2 side is a much, much different animal than it is on the D3 side (and in an unfortunate way, IMHO) as the NSIC teams basically had to cannibalize each other in the process before one emerged to have a shot in the Elite 8.  Minnesota St, for example, lost its first round game to UM-Duluth while Concordia St Paul managed to win their first round game over Northwestern Oklahoma St and also beat Fort Hays St in their second round game before falling to said UM-Duluth team in the Regional Championship in a gut-punching double overtime affair.  And that win by the Bulldogs in that Regional Championship Game may very well have been a pyrrhic victory in retrospect as UM-Duluth was rudely bounced by Colorado Mesa in the Elite 8.  But overall, it was still a highly-successful year for these three teams.  Over on the junior college side, we finally saw Anoka-Ramsey make a return to its glory days as the Golden Rams won the NJCAA Region XIIIB Championship Game over Northland in convincing fashion that sent Anoka-Ramsey down to Brownwood, TX for the National Tournament where the Golden Rams beat Owens Community College in their first round game and then again had to face Northland in the second round where Anoka-Ramsey held on for a narrow victory that propelled them to the National Championship Game.  Ultimately, the Golden Rams would fall to another MCAC opponent - Minnesota West - in a tough one but it was still a great season for Anoka-Ramsey.  

And while I unfortunately didn't get to do much on the high school front this year, it was still a memorable season nonetheless - particularly for Rosemount.  I was at the Barn for Thursday night's semifinal action and while Hopkins dumped Maple Grove in the 6:00 PM slot, the nightcap between the Irish and Rochester Mayo was a wild affair that could have easily gone either way.  Ultimately, Rosemount found a way to prevail 65-64 but there was definitely a lot to like about that Rochester Mayo team and you have to think that the future is indeed bright for that program.  That set up the Saturday night showdown between the Royals and the Irish and while the smart money may have been on Hopkins on this night, Rosemount finally found a way to have the bright lights shining on them for a change as a last-second defensive stand by the Irish preserved another thrilling one-point win.  Congratulation to Head Coach Chris Orr and his staff and team and don't be surprised if the Irish find themselves as one of the top favorites in Class AAAA this next season.  Likewise, congratulation have to go out to Benilde-St. Margaret's and Head Coach Tim Ellefson and his staff on their Class AAA state title win over a very good Stewartville team.  And what can you say about Providence Academy and their shining star Maddy Greenway who helped lead the Lions to their FIFTH straight state title in Class AA and shattered the state scoring title with a total of 5,621 points in her career at Providence Academy.  And you know that she's going to do big things at Kentucky.  Congrats to Head Coach Connor Goetz and his staff and team for another glorious run to immortality in Minnesota Girls High School Basketball.  And a hearty congratulations to Sleepy Eye St. Mary's and Head Coach Bruce Woitas and his staff and team on their Class A State Championship Game win over a very good Mountain Iron-Buhl team.

And, like it seemingly always does, the proverbial coaching carousel comes to the forefront once the season gets completed and there's some notable changes close to home worth mentioning.  Here in the MIAC, Head Coach Don Mulhern stepped down just a short two weeks ago at St. Kate's after nine seasons there.  While the number of potential candidates to fill the vacancy at St. Kate's is uncertain as of this writing, the situation could be muddled a bit as current AD Eric Stacey was recently promoted to a VP position within the university and Deputy AD Madge Makowske will assume the AD position on 6-1-26 so we'll just have to monitor the situation for the time being.  Across the River in WIAC country, the big change was UW-Eau Claire snagging Hannah Iverson from conference rival UW-Stout to fill the vacancy after Tonja Englund announced her retirement at the end of the season.  In my mind, it's a bit unusual for a school to poach a coach from within the conference although not unprecedented.  In this particular case, however, it's something of a homecoming for Iverson as she hails from Eau Claire and it's probably a natural fit for her and there's little doubt that she's going to do well there and will get the Blugold program back into the thick of things in a crazy-competitive WIAC.  UW-Stout meanwhile was quick to counter as they were able to quickly fill the subsequent vacancy with Sam Clayton who comes to the Blue Devils program after eight seasons at Michigan Tech.  Given what UW-Stout has been able to accomplish over the last few years - particularly with the memorable run to the Final Four a mere season ago - I think they've made a solid hire here and they get someone who's familiar with the lay of the land there as well.  And former MIAC member and now DI UST has a new face at the helm after Head Coach Ruth Sinn retired at the end of this last season as they got Mandy Pearson from UM-Duluth after 11 seasons with the Bulldog program.  Pearson; who spent nine seasons at SMU before taking the UM-Duluth job after the 2015 season has had good results - including an appearance in the D2 National Championship Game three seasons ago.  While I tend to believe that there's likely a ceiling as to what she can do at a (now) mid-major program such as UST, there's still every reason to think that she'll have good results nonetheless.  

So that kind of wraps things up for this season on my end.  I'm still planning to attend the Minnesota Girls Basketball Coaches Association All-Star Games down in Northfield tomorrow and, who knows, maybe you just might catch me at some AAU event this spring and you'll most definitely see me at the Midtown YWCA Women's College Summer League beginning in early June.  

Saturday Night Update - Concordia's Magic Carpet Ride Ends As They Fall To Scranton In The Elite 8 3-14-26

Scranton was simply too good on this Saturday night as they took down Concordia to advance to the Final Four.  

Had to take some time on this Saturday night with the Blizzard of the Century (?) aka Winter Storm Iona bearing down on Minnesota and the Twin Cities.  So, as you know by now, Concordia fell to a great Scranton team tonight at Long Center as the Royals punched their ticket to the Final Four with a resounding 67-42 win.  It was fairly easy to see from the get-go that it was going to be hard (if not difficult) for the Cobbers to match up with this team as Scranton possesses not only length but great speed and quickness to go with it.  It was just very hard for the Cobbers to do much in their halfcourt offensive sets and equally difficult to work the ball down low as the Royals denied the entry pass on so many different occasions on this night.  You'll recall that I said earlier today that Concordia's margin for error in this one was razor-thin (if that) and Scranton pounced on every error that the Cobbers made in this game.  

Still, I give the Cobbers a ton of credit for hanging in there and actually making things interesting in the third period.  Down 38-21 at the half, they cut the deficit down to fourteen down 49-35 with about a minute left in the third period but the Royals quickly closed the door for good as the fourth period progressed.  Ultimately, you just have to tip your hat to Scranton.  Their defense is just stellar and there's a reason that their defense was not only tops in the Landmark Conference but also ranked best in the nation in DIII women's basketball as well.  And their national semifinal game with NYU this next Thursday night in Salem, VA could easily be the game of the year.  There wasn't much to cheer about from a Concordia standpoint on this night other than the fact that they were outrebounded by just one at 27-26 and they had the edge in bench points at 18-11.  Other than that, it was kind of on the ugly side with Scranton having a whopping edge in points in the paint at 36-16 and the Cobbers suffering 20 turnovers on this night and Scranton cashing in at the bank for 21 points off of those turnovers.  And Concordia had to endure a rough night at the office from a shooting standpoint going 13-38 for 34.2% from FG range and 2-11 from downtown for 18.2%.  Look, the bottom line is that they just ran into a great team tonight and guess what?  That happens all the time in the NCAA Tournament and this Scranton team just might be the group that takes down mighty NYU this next Thursday night and winds up winning the whole damn thing.  They're definitely good enough.  Meanwhile for Concordia, finishing the year at 26-5 that includes a MIAC regular season championship and making a run to the Elite 8 and knocking off some very, very good teams in the process certainly isn't something to stick your head in the oven about (a saying my dear departed father used with me all the time 😅).  This team and program can be awfully proud of what they accomplished this season and now the bar has been set even higher for Concordia which is even better.  But I obviously wouldn't be doing my due diligence if I didn't praise this great senior group for the Cobbers and everything that they've achieved and done for this program.  Molly Musland, Taylor Safranski, Taya Jeffrey and Leah Lenz, thank you so much for the memories.  

I was also able to watch the Minnesota Girls Basketball Championship games on TV today as well (I only got to attend on Thursday night this week) and there were some very good games played (especially the Class AAAA game between Rosemount and Hopkins).  I'll need a few days to digest everything that's transpired over these last few weeks (and maybe a few cold ones tonight too) and get some much-needed things caught up on my end as well but I'll have more thoughts on everything soon.