After going over a week without taking in any action (mainly thanks to Tsnownami 2010 the previous weekend) I headed over to the Butler Center on the campus of St. Kate's as the Wildcats prepared to host Valley City State; an interesting match-up between the MIAC and Dakota Athletic Conference (NAIA). Upon watching the teams warm-up prior to the tip-off, I noticed that the 'Cats were without three players for one reason or another; notably both starter Kristen Lee (ankle) and back-up post Andrea Gould (Nichole Kesgard was also MIA).
Perhaps the very beginning of this game should have been a clear indicator that this was not to be St. Kate's day; a snafu with the national anthem, a botched tip-off by both teams, and the referees stopping the game twice within the first 30 seconds of the contest due to troubles with the shot clock were a foreboding sign for the 'Cats. Still, sophomore Adele Simerson-Wallfred, starting in place of the injured Lee, got the Cats off to a 2-0 start. But VCSU's Kristin Bearstail, coming off an explosive 37-point performance against UM-Morris the night before in a thrilling double OT win, canned a "3" to put the Vikings up 3-2. But the 'Cats senior star Laura Kalbfell would quickly respond with a "3" of her own to put the home team back up 5-3. Fellow senior Quin Halverson would follow suit at the 16:34 mark and the 'Cats looked like they were in good shape in the early stages.
After both teams traded baskets, junior shooting guard Megan Zillmer was on the receiving end of a fast break pass and got the lay-up for a 12-7 St. Kate's lead. A bit later, Simerson-Wallfred scored off of an offensive rebound and was fouled but couldn't convert from the charity stripe, but did give St. Kate's a 14-7 lead at the 14:18 mark. But VCSU would start to climb back into things from that point. After freshman Brittany Lehner's short jumper, 5'9" senior Mandy Johnson's short shot pulled the Vikings to within 3 at the 14:02 mark. Junior Mandi Bindas' two free throws pulled VCSU to within 1 before Kalbfell was able to stem the tide with her jumper for a 16-13 'Cat lead. Zillmer would can two freebies of her own at the 11:09 mark that pushed St. Kate's lead back up to 5 points at 18-13. But just when the 'Cats LOOKED like they might be in good shape VCSU methodically went to work and tied things up at 18-all at about the midway point of the first half. VCSU took a brief 20-18 lead on senior Jacklyn Mitchell's shot before the 'Cats were able to muster one more push that allowed them to get a 23-20 lead.
But the wheels were slowly falling off for St. Kate's as this first half progressed; particularly in the form of missed EASY short shots and layups; simply NOT finishing. What little fire the 'Cats may have had early on slowly faded and, once again, VCSU was able to claw back; tying things up at 23-all at the 4:52 mark and then proceeded to go on a 8-2 run in the closing minutes of the first half giving the Vikings not only a 31-25 halftime lead but a shot of confidence after going through an exhaustive game the night before - both mentally and physically.
Things would only get worse for St. Kate's in the second half. Johnson got the show started off for VCSU as she cooly canned two freebies from the charity stripe. Despite senior Sonja Ellingson's "3" at the 15:04 mark, the 'Cats were simply colder than a rock from any and all points on the floor. Even more discouraging for Head Coach Gary Rufsvold, the plethora of missed free throws, short shots and lay-ups; i.e. NOT FINISHING, would continue to rear their ugly head. But perhaps the moment that would extinguish any wisp of hope for St. Kate's would come at the 13:17 mark when Kalbfell made a strong move inside and scored and was fouled - or at least pretty much everyone inside the Butler Center (including me) thought so. The officials, however, had different ideas and instead called Kalbfell for charging. A horrible call, IMHO, but the Vikings took full advantage of the Metrodome-like deflating effect it had on the 'Cats. Bindas' layup got VCSU to 39-30 and senior Caitlyn Wojahn's "3" from the right wing pushed the Vikings advantage to 42-30. Lehner followed with a short shot soon after and suddenly St. Kate's found itself down by 14.
Predicatably, a downtrodden 'Cat team would not be able to fight back in this one. VCSU pushed their advantage to 20 points on Lehner's two freebies at the 6:42 mark and they would maintain that cushion enroute to a seemingly easy 71-49 win at the bell. You have to be impressed with this VCSU squad that not only knocked off UM-M the night before but also has an earlier win under their belts against St. Cloud State. Mitchell, Bearstail, Johnson, and Wojahn are all very good players and VCSU could be in store for some very good things after the first of the year. St. Kate's, meanwhile, not only has to get healthy again but has to be clicking on all cylinders and taking full advantage when opportunities present themselves. They CANNOT afford to not being able to FINISH on easy shots if they want to snare that sixth MIAC playoff spot. The conference is simply too competitive and close this year.
Los Angeles Rams
Saturday, December 18, 2010
Sunday, December 12, 2010
St. Olaf vs UST 12-9-10
OK, so here I am; only 4 days late. Throw in getting up early in the A.M. for work, Toastmasters meeting on Thursday night, an indoor practice and workout on Friday after work, working OT on Saturday and THEN snownami 2010 that can REALLY, really foul things up and keep me from getting in my game stories on a timely basis. God, I HATE winter.
In any event, I was very much looking forward to taking in this game this last Wednesday night between host UST and a suddenly resurgent St. Olaf team that had lost two very close games at home to Concordia and Gustavus but did manage to knock off CSB by one point in Northfield. I was anxious to get a look at this team to see what kind of potential it has and, from just taking a look at them in warm-ups you can understand why Head Coach Dave Stromme has to be excited about the future.
The first half would stay relatively close for the first 6-7 minutes. Lanky 6-2 sophomore Erin Haglund would things started for the Oles with a nice move and finish inside but Tommie PG Carolyn Dienhart would quickly respond for the Tommies. UST's Sarah Smith's basket off the glass got the Tommies a 7-4 lead at the 16:35 mark but St. Olaf would then respond a mere minute later as Haglund made another pretty move down low for a bucket inside and then sophomore Kirstee Rotty knocked down a short shot that would give the Oles a brief lead of 8-7. Things would be knotted up at 9-all when freshman Elise Raney sank a FT at the 13:42 mark.
But at 13:34 UST would make their move that would allow them to pull away. UST freshman Maggie Weiers sank two FTs from the charity stripe to put the Tommies back in front. At exactly the halfway point senior Rachel Booth made an incredibly sweet spin move and finished off the glass that pushed the lead to 13-9. Even more ominous for St. Olaf was the fact that UST was already in the bonus at the 9:34 mark that gave the Tommies a green light to start working inside. And the Tommies would do just that. Sophomore Kellie Ring drove from the left side and finished for a 16-9 UST lead. Junior Ali Johnson made her presence felt when the willowy swing forward sank one of her trademark "3's" to make it a 22-10 UST lead. Weiers would add to the carnage a few minutes later as she got an inbound pass and scored off of it to make it 27-12. Fellow freshman phenom Taylor Young got in on the act at the 2:07 mark with a nice move inside of her own and finish that got UST to 29-12. St. Olaf stopped the bleeding momentarily when sophomore Mackenzie Wolter connected behind the arc but UST went into the locker room at halftime enjoying a comfortable 33-17 lead.
St. Olaf would come out in the second half and cut into the Tommie lead some. Freshman Brittany Webber was able to score inside and Haglund's left-handed shot off the glass narrowed UST's lead to 33-21. Wolter would hit another "3" at the 17:27 mark that cut the deficity to a slightly more manageable 11 points at 35-24. But being the experienced and defending conference champs that they are UST would respond as senior Jazmin Townsend knocked down a shot and Dienhart would light it up from the outside at the 16:21 mark to push UST's lead back to 40-24. Dienhart would also show how comfortable she is at the PG spot as she would score on a strong move down the middle at the 15:18 mark and finish and then scoot along the baseline and finish as well at the 13:33 mark that got the Tommies to a 20-point lead at 44-24. Raney would try to get St. Olaf back into it with another left-handed shot off the glass at the 12:34 mark but a little more than a minute later she had the misfortune of stepping on a Tommie player's foot and apparently rolled her ankle that would force her to watch the rest of the game from the bench. Coming down the stretch with UST comfortably in front allowed Head Coach Ruth Sinn to empty her bench and, although St. Olaf would make a flurry of a run at the end, UST wound up winning this one 61-52 which is really not indicative of how dominant UST was in this one.
Still, I like this St. Olaf team and it's going to be fun to watch this team grow. This is a young team right now; not high profile yet but they've got some serious size down low with both Haglund and Raney and Webber and Wolter look like they have the potential to be very, very solid in the backcourt. Once this team gets some experience under their belt and, more importantly, LEARNS how to take care of the basketball and be efficient with the small teams I fully expect this squad to move into the upper echelon of the MIAC where they can be in the mix for not only a playoff spot but a conference title as well.
In any event, I was very much looking forward to taking in this game this last Wednesday night between host UST and a suddenly resurgent St. Olaf team that had lost two very close games at home to Concordia and Gustavus but did manage to knock off CSB by one point in Northfield. I was anxious to get a look at this team to see what kind of potential it has and, from just taking a look at them in warm-ups you can understand why Head Coach Dave Stromme has to be excited about the future.
The first half would stay relatively close for the first 6-7 minutes. Lanky 6-2 sophomore Erin Haglund would things started for the Oles with a nice move and finish inside but Tommie PG Carolyn Dienhart would quickly respond for the Tommies. UST's Sarah Smith's basket off the glass got the Tommies a 7-4 lead at the 16:35 mark but St. Olaf would then respond a mere minute later as Haglund made another pretty move down low for a bucket inside and then sophomore Kirstee Rotty knocked down a short shot that would give the Oles a brief lead of 8-7. Things would be knotted up at 9-all when freshman Elise Raney sank a FT at the 13:42 mark.
But at 13:34 UST would make their move that would allow them to pull away. UST freshman Maggie Weiers sank two FTs from the charity stripe to put the Tommies back in front. At exactly the halfway point senior Rachel Booth made an incredibly sweet spin move and finished off the glass that pushed the lead to 13-9. Even more ominous for St. Olaf was the fact that UST was already in the bonus at the 9:34 mark that gave the Tommies a green light to start working inside. And the Tommies would do just that. Sophomore Kellie Ring drove from the left side and finished for a 16-9 UST lead. Junior Ali Johnson made her presence felt when the willowy swing forward sank one of her trademark "3's" to make it a 22-10 UST lead. Weiers would add to the carnage a few minutes later as she got an inbound pass and scored off of it to make it 27-12. Fellow freshman phenom Taylor Young got in on the act at the 2:07 mark with a nice move inside of her own and finish that got UST to 29-12. St. Olaf stopped the bleeding momentarily when sophomore Mackenzie Wolter connected behind the arc but UST went into the locker room at halftime enjoying a comfortable 33-17 lead.
St. Olaf would come out in the second half and cut into the Tommie lead some. Freshman Brittany Webber was able to score inside and Haglund's left-handed shot off the glass narrowed UST's lead to 33-21. Wolter would hit another "3" at the 17:27 mark that cut the deficity to a slightly more manageable 11 points at 35-24. But being the experienced and defending conference champs that they are UST would respond as senior Jazmin Townsend knocked down a shot and Dienhart would light it up from the outside at the 16:21 mark to push UST's lead back to 40-24. Dienhart would also show how comfortable she is at the PG spot as she would score on a strong move down the middle at the 15:18 mark and finish and then scoot along the baseline and finish as well at the 13:33 mark that got the Tommies to a 20-point lead at 44-24. Raney would try to get St. Olaf back into it with another left-handed shot off the glass at the 12:34 mark but a little more than a minute later she had the misfortune of stepping on a Tommie player's foot and apparently rolled her ankle that would force her to watch the rest of the game from the bench. Coming down the stretch with UST comfortably in front allowed Head Coach Ruth Sinn to empty her bench and, although St. Olaf would make a flurry of a run at the end, UST wound up winning this one 61-52 which is really not indicative of how dominant UST was in this one.
Still, I like this St. Olaf team and it's going to be fun to watch this team grow. This is a young team right now; not high profile yet but they've got some serious size down low with both Haglund and Raney and Webber and Wolter look like they have the potential to be very, very solid in the backcourt. Once this team gets some experience under their belt and, more importantly, LEARNS how to take care of the basketball and be efficient with the small teams I fully expect this squad to move into the upper echelon of the MIAC where they can be in the mix for not only a playoff spot but a conference title as well.
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
St. Kate's vs Macalester 12-6-10
Took in the contest over at the Leonard Center in St. Paul between host Macalester and visiting St. Kate's last night. While not one of the marquee match-ups in the MIAC on this night, it was still very much worth the watch and a reminder that even the lower-tier teams can be very, very dangerous on any given night.
The 'Cats would get off to a fairly fast start in this game; getting a 5-0 lead early on that was punctuated by promising FY player Kristen Lee's trey. Though always-dangerous Jessica Rene would sink a "3" of her own, St. Kate's would race to a 13-3 lead at the 16:08 mark before Macalester was able to slow the tide somewhat. Majra Mucic's layup cut St. Kate's lead to 13-7 at the 15:03 mark and a couple of minutes later Holly Schiedermayer made a couple of baskets that sandwiched the 'Cats Andrea Gould's bucket to cut St. Kate's lead to 15-13.
The 'Cats would then embark on another mini-run of their own; a nice 6-0 sprint that Gould finished for St. Kate's. But just when the 'Cats were feeling good about themselves again Jessica Rene stuck another dagger in the 'Cats heart with her long "3". Still, the Cats would recover enough to step on the gas again; this time with senior Sonja Ellingson doing a lot of damage with a "3" at the 7:43 mark that was followed shortly thereafter with a nice move along the baseline and a finish. Fellow senior Laura Kalbfell would soon score and be fouled as well. Although she couldn't convert from the charity stripe, the 'Cats had stretched the lead to a more comfortable 28-20 margin. St. Kate's would hold that advantage at the 2:59 mark thanks to Ellingson (again) and junior shooting guard Megan Zillmer. Coming down the stretch, Kalbfell's power move inside got St. Kate's its biggest lead of the night at 36-24 before the Scots Audrey Mills' basket would trim the 'Cats lead to 36-26 which is how things stood at the half. I thought Mac was somewhat fortunate to be down by only 10 at the half as it seemed as if St. Kate's didn't cash in on all the opportunities they had to expand their lead in that first half. The Rene Sisters were doing most of the damage for Macalester and they needed Mucic, Mills, and Kyanna Jones to step up for them. Obviously, Head Coach Ellen Thompson had to make some adjustments at the half.
Thompson and her Macalester squad would respond in the second half. Mucic and Jessica Rene both scored early and then at the 16:34 mark Mills' 10 footer cut the 'Cats lead to 37-32. You could just tell that Macalester suddenly looked energized and St. Kate's had that collective worried look on their faces. Their somewhat marginal shooting in the 1st half turned ice-cold in the second half from the perimeter. Perhaps even more important, they started looking VERY sloppy with taking care of the ball and committing turnovers. Sensing the 'Cats tentativeness, Macalester turned up the heat on defense bringing some half-court pressure that caused all sorts of problems for St. Kate's.
The 'Cats would manage to hold a 44-38 lead but at the 9:36 mark the Scots would make their charge. Shannon Rene's "3" from the left corner cut the 'Cats margin to 44-41 and 20 seconds later Holly Schidermayer would sink one free throw to cut it to 2 points. Then, at the 8:27 mark Mucic's rebound and putback would tie things up at 44 and it was all downhill for St. Kate's from that point on. Schiedermayer would put Mac ahead for good at the 7:41 mark and Mucic would continue her second-half tear with a "3" that got Macalester a 53-48 lead. Ellingson would manage to hit a late "3" for the Cats in a vain comeback attempt but the Scots were able to ice things away at the charity stripe and they closed the issue with a 58-51 win.
St. Kate's Head Coach Gary Rufsvold was obviously disappointed afterward with his team's performance; particularly in the second half. While the 'Cats shot a decent 45.7% in the first half, it was a dismal 20% in the second half and 3-point shooting was worse as the 'Cats were 4-19 from behind the arc. I thought Thompson made some very good adjustments at halftime and, just as important, Mac got a huge lift from Mucic who would finish with a career-high 22 points.
The 'Cats would get off to a fairly fast start in this game; getting a 5-0 lead early on that was punctuated by promising FY player Kristen Lee's trey. Though always-dangerous Jessica Rene would sink a "3" of her own, St. Kate's would race to a 13-3 lead at the 16:08 mark before Macalester was able to slow the tide somewhat. Majra Mucic's layup cut St. Kate's lead to 13-7 at the 15:03 mark and a couple of minutes later Holly Schiedermayer made a couple of baskets that sandwiched the 'Cats Andrea Gould's bucket to cut St. Kate's lead to 15-13.
The 'Cats would then embark on another mini-run of their own; a nice 6-0 sprint that Gould finished for St. Kate's. But just when the 'Cats were feeling good about themselves again Jessica Rene stuck another dagger in the 'Cats heart with her long "3". Still, the Cats would recover enough to step on the gas again; this time with senior Sonja Ellingson doing a lot of damage with a "3" at the 7:43 mark that was followed shortly thereafter with a nice move along the baseline and a finish. Fellow senior Laura Kalbfell would soon score and be fouled as well. Although she couldn't convert from the charity stripe, the 'Cats had stretched the lead to a more comfortable 28-20 margin. St. Kate's would hold that advantage at the 2:59 mark thanks to Ellingson (again) and junior shooting guard Megan Zillmer. Coming down the stretch, Kalbfell's power move inside got St. Kate's its biggest lead of the night at 36-24 before the Scots Audrey Mills' basket would trim the 'Cats lead to 36-26 which is how things stood at the half. I thought Mac was somewhat fortunate to be down by only 10 at the half as it seemed as if St. Kate's didn't cash in on all the opportunities they had to expand their lead in that first half. The Rene Sisters were doing most of the damage for Macalester and they needed Mucic, Mills, and Kyanna Jones to step up for them. Obviously, Head Coach Ellen Thompson had to make some adjustments at the half.
Thompson and her Macalester squad would respond in the second half. Mucic and Jessica Rene both scored early and then at the 16:34 mark Mills' 10 footer cut the 'Cats lead to 37-32. You could just tell that Macalester suddenly looked energized and St. Kate's had that collective worried look on their faces. Their somewhat marginal shooting in the 1st half turned ice-cold in the second half from the perimeter. Perhaps even more important, they started looking VERY sloppy with taking care of the ball and committing turnovers. Sensing the 'Cats tentativeness, Macalester turned up the heat on defense bringing some half-court pressure that caused all sorts of problems for St. Kate's.
The 'Cats would manage to hold a 44-38 lead but at the 9:36 mark the Scots would make their charge. Shannon Rene's "3" from the left corner cut the 'Cats margin to 44-41 and 20 seconds later Holly Schidermayer would sink one free throw to cut it to 2 points. Then, at the 8:27 mark Mucic's rebound and putback would tie things up at 44 and it was all downhill for St. Kate's from that point on. Schiedermayer would put Mac ahead for good at the 7:41 mark and Mucic would continue her second-half tear with a "3" that got Macalester a 53-48 lead. Ellingson would manage to hit a late "3" for the Cats in a vain comeback attempt but the Scots were able to ice things away at the charity stripe and they closed the issue with a 58-51 win.
St. Kate's Head Coach Gary Rufsvold was obviously disappointed afterward with his team's performance; particularly in the second half. While the 'Cats shot a decent 45.7% in the first half, it was a dismal 20% in the second half and 3-point shooting was worse as the 'Cats were 4-19 from behind the arc. I thought Thompson made some very good adjustments at halftime and, just as important, Mac got a huge lift from Mucic who would finish with a career-high 22 points.
Thursday, December 2, 2010
CSB vs St. Kate's 12-1-10
Was at the Butler Center last night to take in the MIAC opener between perennial powerhouse St. Ben's and host St. Kate's. Going in, I felt that St. Kate's could hang tough with CSB IF they did some things right and keep the turnovers to a minimum but also felt that CSB could waltz in this one if the 'Cats got down early. What a game I was in store for!
CSB admittedly looked rather flat and out of sorts at the beginning as the 'Cats were able to build a 12-4 lead by the 13:04 mark thanks to some smart plays by PG Quinn Halverson and shooting guard Megan Zillmer. Cold-shooting from the perimeter continued to plague the Blazers as things progressed and after Laura Kalbfell (who has adjusted nicely to her present post position) finished with a putback to push the 'Cats lead to 14-5 CSB Head Coach Mike Durbin had seen enough and called time-out to admonish his Blazers.
The "wood-shedding" seemed to have some effect as the Blazers responded with a 7-1 run that cut St. Kate's lead to 15-12 at the 6:58 mark with Amy Stifter and Heather Gillund doing most of the damage. But the 'Cats would respond with a 7-0 run of their own that got them back up to 19-12 thanks to Kalbfell's aggressiveness on both offense and defense. Not to be upstaged, the defending regular-season co-champ Blazers then responded with an 13-5 run down the home-stretch of the first half which was highlighted by sophomore Whitney Canton's (younger sister of senior Laura Canton) coast to coast trek that was punctuated with a buzzer-beating lay-up to give CSB a 25-24 lead at the half. Given the fact that St. Kate's had squandered several opportunities to expand on the leads they had earlier in the half, they let the Blazers methodically claw their way back in despite the fact they looked downright ragged at times.
The first five minutes of the second half saw both sides trading leads. At the 18:20 mark Zillmer broke inside with a pretty move and finished that put the 'Cats back out in front but then the Blazers got on a little mini-run of their own to reclaim the edge at 29-26. Both teams would trade punches over the next few minutes as things stayed close. Then, at the 12:38 mark with the 'Cats clinging to a 31-30 lead, Kalbfell made a great move inside on Gillund and finished off the glass that would start the 'Cats on an 8-2 run of sorts that found them up 39-32 at the 9:23 mark. CSB would then cut that deficit to a mere two points in just a little over a minute that made me think that the Blazers were ready to seize control as I anticipated.
But the 'Cats took the audience by surprise as they made a mighty push beginning at the 7:21 mark with freshman Kristen Lee's "3" from the top of the key. At the 6:26 mark another freshman, Cristin Haase got into the act with a "3" of her own. At 6:17 Zillmer was fouled and calmly drained two free throws and suddenly St. Kate's looked to have CSB in a very, very tough spot leading 47-37. But just when you thought that maybe, MAYBE the 'Cats might have it in them to pull off a huge upset at home things began to slowly unravel and the senior-laden and experienced Blazers would pounce on the opportunity.
CSB was able to cut the 'Cats lead to 47-42 on Gillund's nice move and finish inside. But perhaps the critical point of the game came at the 4:20 mark when, trying to recover a loose ball on the floor, 'Cat senior Sonja Ellingson was surrounded by a host of Blazers and, instead of calling a quick time-out tried desperately to hang on to the ball and get it to a teammate. Unfortunately for her and the 'Cats, she lost control and the Blazers quickly got downcourt and converted to cut St. Kate's lead to a tenuous 47-44 advantage. At the 3:24 mark, Stifter, showing why she is a valid MVP candidate, made a sweet drive inside to score and was fouled in the process. Her charity-strip finish knotted things up at 47-all. Zillmer would respond for St. Kate's on a nice drive and finish that gave her team their last lead at 49-47 at the 2:56 mark. Just a little more than a minute later, Stifter again made her move inside to score that knotted the issue at 49. At exactly the 1:00 mark sophomore Morgan Dale stuck a dagger in St. Kate's back with a "3" of her own to give the Blazers a 52-49 lead. Still, the 'Cats wouldn't quit. Ellingson's heroics knotted the game at 52-all with :35.8 seconds left. Then, at the :19.7 mark and CSB in possession of the ball the referees made a VERY strange reversal of a call that was originally whistled against CSB and was later changed to go against St. Kate's (I STILL have not received ANY clarification of this one and how/why this was done). The subsequent free throws by senior Laura Canton put CSB back up 54-52 and the Blazers would be able to ice the game from the charity strip to come out on top of this one 57-52.
I thought CSB did a great job of keeping their composure when St. Kate's had them in seemingly dire straits. When I chatted with Mike Durbin afterward, he admitted his team did not bring their "A" game into this one and seemed to lack that "sense of urgency" at times. In short - quite ragged. But again, the Blazers showed what they're made of when it counted and FOUND ways to win which is exactly what championship teams do. You had to feel badly for the 'Cats afterward as they seemingly were in position to steal this one at home. I sensed the disappointment from Head Coach Gary Rufsvold whose team AGAIN put up a great effort against CSB for the third time in a row but came up just a bit short. While I still feel they can compete for that sixth playoff spot, the 'Cats have GOT to find ways to close things out against the top teams if they want to make that move into the upper echelon.
Not entirely sure how this coming weekend is going to work out for sure. I WAS planning to go to the scheduled Finlandia - Northwestern game tomorrow night but the impending winter storm approaching could easily scuttle those plans. Am still planning to be at Hopkins H.S. Saturday for the Breakdown Event there as several top teams will be there. Of course, for me anyway, the REALLY big event this weekend is Saturday night at the Rose Bowl when my UCLA Bruins host those rotten classless Trojan scumbags from South Central. UCLA Fight Fight Fight!!!!!!
CSB admittedly looked rather flat and out of sorts at the beginning as the 'Cats were able to build a 12-4 lead by the 13:04 mark thanks to some smart plays by PG Quinn Halverson and shooting guard Megan Zillmer. Cold-shooting from the perimeter continued to plague the Blazers as things progressed and after Laura Kalbfell (who has adjusted nicely to her present post position) finished with a putback to push the 'Cats lead to 14-5 CSB Head Coach Mike Durbin had seen enough and called time-out to admonish his Blazers.
The "wood-shedding" seemed to have some effect as the Blazers responded with a 7-1 run that cut St. Kate's lead to 15-12 at the 6:58 mark with Amy Stifter and Heather Gillund doing most of the damage. But the 'Cats would respond with a 7-0 run of their own that got them back up to 19-12 thanks to Kalbfell's aggressiveness on both offense and defense. Not to be upstaged, the defending regular-season co-champ Blazers then responded with an 13-5 run down the home-stretch of the first half which was highlighted by sophomore Whitney Canton's (younger sister of senior Laura Canton) coast to coast trek that was punctuated with a buzzer-beating lay-up to give CSB a 25-24 lead at the half. Given the fact that St. Kate's had squandered several opportunities to expand on the leads they had earlier in the half, they let the Blazers methodically claw their way back in despite the fact they looked downright ragged at times.
The first five minutes of the second half saw both sides trading leads. At the 18:20 mark Zillmer broke inside with a pretty move and finished that put the 'Cats back out in front but then the Blazers got on a little mini-run of their own to reclaim the edge at 29-26. Both teams would trade punches over the next few minutes as things stayed close. Then, at the 12:38 mark with the 'Cats clinging to a 31-30 lead, Kalbfell made a great move inside on Gillund and finished off the glass that would start the 'Cats on an 8-2 run of sorts that found them up 39-32 at the 9:23 mark. CSB would then cut that deficit to a mere two points in just a little over a minute that made me think that the Blazers were ready to seize control as I anticipated.
But the 'Cats took the audience by surprise as they made a mighty push beginning at the 7:21 mark with freshman Kristen Lee's "3" from the top of the key. At the 6:26 mark another freshman, Cristin Haase got into the act with a "3" of her own. At 6:17 Zillmer was fouled and calmly drained two free throws and suddenly St. Kate's looked to have CSB in a very, very tough spot leading 47-37. But just when you thought that maybe, MAYBE the 'Cats might have it in them to pull off a huge upset at home things began to slowly unravel and the senior-laden and experienced Blazers would pounce on the opportunity.
CSB was able to cut the 'Cats lead to 47-42 on Gillund's nice move and finish inside. But perhaps the critical point of the game came at the 4:20 mark when, trying to recover a loose ball on the floor, 'Cat senior Sonja Ellingson was surrounded by a host of Blazers and, instead of calling a quick time-out tried desperately to hang on to the ball and get it to a teammate. Unfortunately for her and the 'Cats, she lost control and the Blazers quickly got downcourt and converted to cut St. Kate's lead to a tenuous 47-44 advantage. At the 3:24 mark, Stifter, showing why she is a valid MVP candidate, made a sweet drive inside to score and was fouled in the process. Her charity-strip finish knotted things up at 47-all. Zillmer would respond for St. Kate's on a nice drive and finish that gave her team their last lead at 49-47 at the 2:56 mark. Just a little more than a minute later, Stifter again made her move inside to score that knotted the issue at 49. At exactly the 1:00 mark sophomore Morgan Dale stuck a dagger in St. Kate's back with a "3" of her own to give the Blazers a 52-49 lead. Still, the 'Cats wouldn't quit. Ellingson's heroics knotted the game at 52-all with :35.8 seconds left. Then, at the :19.7 mark and CSB in possession of the ball the referees made a VERY strange reversal of a call that was originally whistled against CSB and was later changed to go against St. Kate's (I STILL have not received ANY clarification of this one and how/why this was done). The subsequent free throws by senior Laura Canton put CSB back up 54-52 and the Blazers would be able to ice the game from the charity strip to come out on top of this one 57-52.
I thought CSB did a great job of keeping their composure when St. Kate's had them in seemingly dire straits. When I chatted with Mike Durbin afterward, he admitted his team did not bring their "A" game into this one and seemed to lack that "sense of urgency" at times. In short - quite ragged. But again, the Blazers showed what they're made of when it counted and FOUND ways to win which is exactly what championship teams do. You had to feel badly for the 'Cats afterward as they seemingly were in position to steal this one at home. I sensed the disappointment from Head Coach Gary Rufsvold whose team AGAIN put up a great effort against CSB for the third time in a row but came up just a bit short. While I still feel they can compete for that sixth playoff spot, the 'Cats have GOT to find ways to close things out against the top teams if they want to make that move into the upper echelon.
Not entirely sure how this coming weekend is going to work out for sure. I WAS planning to go to the scheduled Finlandia - Northwestern game tomorrow night but the impending winter storm approaching could easily scuttle those plans. Am still planning to be at Hopkins H.S. Saturday for the Breakdown Event there as several top teams will be there. Of course, for me anyway, the REALLY big event this weekend is Saturday night at the Rose Bowl when my UCLA Bruins host those rotten classless Trojan scumbags from South Central. UCLA Fight Fight Fight!!!!!!
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Northwestern vs Augsburg 11-30-10
Was over at Augsburg's Si Melby Hall last night to take in the clash between Northwestern and host Augsburg last night which was the final non-conference game for both squads. Although I've already seen Northwestern play at least three times so far this season, I was anxious to get my first look at the revamped Auggie squad to see what (if any) improvements there might be.
Northwestern would alter its starting line-up with the insertion of Kristin Sczublewski at the PG spot; taking the place of an injured Kelsey Kosman. Both teams were ineffective offensively early on and it wasn't until the 16:42 mark that Sczublewski got the Eagles on the board with a long trey for a 3-0 lead and she would drain another "3" from the left corner at the 15:34 mark. Those two long-range shots which sandwiched an easy 2-point basket by Allison Johnson and was soon followed by a Katie DeWitt finish gave Northwestern a 10-0 lead and had them feeling good about themselves - at least for the short-term anyway. It wasn't until the 14:52 mark that Augsburg was finally able to break the ice and get something going. Over the next two minutes, they would go on a 7-0 run of their own to slice the deficit down to a scant three points.
Augsburg got to within one of Northwestern at the 12:13 mark before the Eagles kicked it in again; thanks to Tanya Dickey and Allison Johnson that propelled the Eagles to 15-9. But from that point on, things began to slowly unravel for the team wearing purple. Augsburg would go on an 8-2 run and tie things up at 17-all at the 7:57 mark. Perhaps even more ominous for Northwestern, Katie DeWitt was whistled for her third foul and had to ride the pine for the rest of the first half. It would be a tight battle down the stretch before halftime score-wise as Augsburg held a 26-24 lead but in actuality this game was more noteworthy for the comedy of errors on both sides - Augsburg with several missed EASY shots inside and Northwestern with a plethora of turnovers. In short, U-G-L-Y.
Things wouldn't change that much in the beginning part of the second half. But Augsburg had changed up its strategy somewhat; doing some half-court pressing and trapping that really took Northwestern out of its offensive rythym; forcing several turnovers. Newcomer Tracee Schrank nailed a "3" for the Auggies from the left corner at the 15:42 mark and a putback on a rebound by the Auggies extended their lead to 35-28. Despite DeWitt's presence in the second half, not much went right for the Eagles down the home stretch. At 9:36, the Auggies with two quick scores from Nikki Borkhuis and lanky Brittany Dyshaw would give Head Coach Jennifer Britz' squad a 45-34 lead. This was when the wheels REALLY fell off as far as Northwestern was concerned as Augsburg would reel off a 9-2 run that got them to 54-36 at the 7:41 mark.
Northwestern wouldn't quit, however, as Katie DeWitt's heroics trimmed the Augsburg lead to 57-47 at the 4:44 mark but each time Northwestern looked like it might be able to make a run at the Auggies the home team would respond with some clutch 3-point shooting that would keep the pesky Eagles at bay. Augsburg would be able to ice the issue away at the charity stripe and, at the end, claimed a 70-62 victory.
As expected, a nearly hoarse but excited Jennifer Britz would credit her squad's victory to a change-up on defense; doing some trapping and getting more up-tempo with the ball. And, not surprisingly, Aaron Kahl of Northwestern was disappointed afterward, saying his team has a "lot of work to do." It will be interesting to see how Augsburg responds from this win as they host St. Mary's in their MIAC opener tonight. Northwestern gets a couple of extra days to lick their wounds as they will host Finlandia on Friday evening.
Northwestern would alter its starting line-up with the insertion of Kristin Sczublewski at the PG spot; taking the place of an injured Kelsey Kosman. Both teams were ineffective offensively early on and it wasn't until the 16:42 mark that Sczublewski got the Eagles on the board with a long trey for a 3-0 lead and she would drain another "3" from the left corner at the 15:34 mark. Those two long-range shots which sandwiched an easy 2-point basket by Allison Johnson and was soon followed by a Katie DeWitt finish gave Northwestern a 10-0 lead and had them feeling good about themselves - at least for the short-term anyway. It wasn't until the 14:52 mark that Augsburg was finally able to break the ice and get something going. Over the next two minutes, they would go on a 7-0 run of their own to slice the deficit down to a scant three points.
Augsburg got to within one of Northwestern at the 12:13 mark before the Eagles kicked it in again; thanks to Tanya Dickey and Allison Johnson that propelled the Eagles to 15-9. But from that point on, things began to slowly unravel for the team wearing purple. Augsburg would go on an 8-2 run and tie things up at 17-all at the 7:57 mark. Perhaps even more ominous for Northwestern, Katie DeWitt was whistled for her third foul and had to ride the pine for the rest of the first half. It would be a tight battle down the stretch before halftime score-wise as Augsburg held a 26-24 lead but in actuality this game was more noteworthy for the comedy of errors on both sides - Augsburg with several missed EASY shots inside and Northwestern with a plethora of turnovers. In short, U-G-L-Y.
Things wouldn't change that much in the beginning part of the second half. But Augsburg had changed up its strategy somewhat; doing some half-court pressing and trapping that really took Northwestern out of its offensive rythym; forcing several turnovers. Newcomer Tracee Schrank nailed a "3" for the Auggies from the left corner at the 15:42 mark and a putback on a rebound by the Auggies extended their lead to 35-28. Despite DeWitt's presence in the second half, not much went right for the Eagles down the home stretch. At 9:36, the Auggies with two quick scores from Nikki Borkhuis and lanky Brittany Dyshaw would give Head Coach Jennifer Britz' squad a 45-34 lead. This was when the wheels REALLY fell off as far as Northwestern was concerned as Augsburg would reel off a 9-2 run that got them to 54-36 at the 7:41 mark.
Northwestern wouldn't quit, however, as Katie DeWitt's heroics trimmed the Augsburg lead to 57-47 at the 4:44 mark but each time Northwestern looked like it might be able to make a run at the Auggies the home team would respond with some clutch 3-point shooting that would keep the pesky Eagles at bay. Augsburg would be able to ice the issue away at the charity stripe and, at the end, claimed a 70-62 victory.
As expected, a nearly hoarse but excited Jennifer Britz would credit her squad's victory to a change-up on defense; doing some trapping and getting more up-tempo with the ball. And, not surprisingly, Aaron Kahl of Northwestern was disappointed afterward, saying his team has a "lot of work to do." It will be interesting to see how Augsburg responds from this win as they host St. Mary's in their MIAC opener tonight. Northwestern gets a couple of extra days to lick their wounds as they will host Finlandia on Friday evening.
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