Was back over at Hutton Arena on this snowy, dreary February evening to take in senior night at Hamline as they got ready to take on Bethel in this last home game of the season. Hamline honored its three seniors that have all played an integral role in the success of the Pipers this season thus far; Kara "The Natural" Poirer, Steph "Silk" Pilgrim and Cassidy "Lightning" Vogt.
It's funny how you can sometimes have premonitions before a game about how it's going to go and, for whatever reason, I just had the feeling that this game could be one of those wild, weird games that you can only get at Hutton Arena. And, I was right. The first four minutes of this contest belonged to the Pipers as they reeled off an 8-0 run on the Royals. Sophomore sensation Jordan Sammons started it off with a short jumper in transition at the 18:42 mark and then connected again at the 18:02 mark on a score inside. Then it was Pilgrim getting lay-ups at both the 16:50 and 16:15 marks that had Bethel Head Coach Jon Herbrechtsmeyer calling for a halt to the action to reorganize his troops. It worked as the Royals responded with their own 8-0 run. Freshman prodigy Sydney "Bam Bam" Schultz showed that being outside of the Robertson Center doesn't faze her at all as she coldly drained a "3" from the left corner at the 16:00 mark and after freshman post Rachel Parupsky sank two freebies after being fouled, it was the senior from Dawson, Kelly Swenson, draining a "3" from the right top area at the 14:43 mark. Okay - now time for the Pipers to do their thing as they went on 13-0 run highlighted by a jumper from sophomore reserve Rachel Usgaard in the lane at the 12:39 mark a lay-up by Sammons in transition at the 11:25 mark, a "3" by junior guard JeNaya Brown from the left wing at the 10:58 mark and a lay-up in transition by Brown with just under 10:00 left that had Herbie burning yet another timeout.
The Royals would again get back into things but they did it the hard way. Parupsky was able to score inside at the 9:41 mark and Swenson connected with a jumper from the left wing at the 8:50 mark that cut the deficit back into single digits. Senior guard Kristi Nye-Studanski knocked down two free throws with 8:21 left and then it was "Bam Bam" uncorking yet another "3"; this one from her favorite camping spot - the right wing area - that whittled Hamline's lead down to 21-17 with 7:44 left. The Pipers would get their lead back up to double digits once again, however, as Sammons scored in the lane with 6:47 left and then Vogt drained a "3" from the right top area with 4:35 left. Sammons made it a ten point margin once again at 28-18 with her jumper along the left baseline with 4:05 left and Vogt kept it a ten-point ballgame with her long "2" from the left corner with 3:01 left. The Royals, though, would recover again. Junior guard Micaella Petrich bombed home a "3" from the top of the key with 2:13 left. Then, after withstanding a steal in the backcourt and score by Sammons, Parupsky was able to score down low with 1:32 left and then junior guard Katelyn Vavra was able to score on a lay-up with :54 left. Swenson then made good on two opportunites from the charity stripe with :29.7 left and Bethel was right back in it; trailing 32-29 going into the locker room at halftime.
Hamline, on this night, was looking to wrap up a spot in the MIAC playoffs but the Royals were determined to be heartbreakers on this Valentine's Day eve as they took charge once the second half began. Vavra banged home a "3" from the right wing at the 18:09 mark that tied things up at 32-all and then it was Parupsky, who had a monster second half, snaring an offensive rebound for a putback at the 17:37 mark that gave Bethel it's first lead of the evening at 34-32. Bethel would hold Hamline at bay for a bit but the Pipers would eventually tie things up at 40-all when Sammons connected with a "3" from the top at the 15:32 mark. This young Bethel team, however, refused to wilt and the adjustments at halftime made by Herbie and his staff gave the Pipers headaches for a good chunk of the second half as they were in a 2-3 zone most of the time that made it very difficult for the Pipers to get into the paint - and allowed the Royals to gain an edge. Scores in the paint by Parupsky at the 15:07 and 14:01 marks and a jumper by Swenson from the top made it 47-43 Bethel at the 12:14 mark. Parupsky upped that margin to 49-43 with two freebies at the 11:42 mark and another score down low by the Mounds View High product at the 11:13 mark kept the margin at six at 51-45 and had Hamline's post season hopes on the backburner.
But this Piper team seems to always respond in the face of adversity and tonight would be no different. After two free throws by Sammons with 10:58 left, Vogt, the wily senior, stole the rock from Bethel freshman Lexi Friesen and got it to Brown who raced downcourt with a behind the back dribble that wowed the Hutton Arena crowd and found Pilgrim camping out on the left wing. The former Anoka-Ramsey standout drained the "3" with 10:33 left that had the Pipers within one at 51-50. Bethel would find oxygen again and made it a 55-52 game on Petrich's lay-up with 8:50 left but a "3" by Brown with 7:57 left from the top of the key knotted this wild affair up again at 55 a piece and you knew the home stretch was going to be crazy.
Bethel briefly recaptured the lead at 58-57 when Vavra made a sweet drive and finish and got fouled by Vogt (her 4th foul) with 6:56 left but "The Natural"; Poirer gave it right back to the home team with her "3" from the top of the key with 6:30 left. Vavra, however, tied it right back up at 60-all with her jumper in the lane with 6:16 left. The Pipers would make it a 63-60 game thanks to a lay-up by Pilgrim with 5:49 left and a freebie by Sammons with 5:25 left. But guess who would step up for Bethel to draw the Royals even? "Bam Bam" Schultz, that's who as she calmly drained a "3" from the top of the key with 5:06 left. Now the Pipers had to make a push. Pilgrim got inside for a score off of a sweet pass in the lane by Sammons with 4:44 left and then a "3" by Pilgrim with 4:20 left made it LOOK like a safe lead for the Pipers at 68-63 with 4:20 left. Not so fast my friend as the Royals responded with a 6-0 run. And it was another freshman, Niewald, who made amends from an earlier turnover as she connected with a running one-handed jumper off the glass with 3:25 left and then was able to manuever into the paint for another score with 2:46 left. Parupsky's two free throws after a controversial foul called on Sammons made it 69-68 Bethel with just 1:22 left and had Hamline under the gun again. But Pilgrim, just as she had done two years ago in the National Championship game with Anoka-Ramsey, appeared to save the night with her clutch "3" from the left corner with :55 left that had the Pipers up again at 71-69. But then it was Niewald, once again trying to rain on the parade of the home team as she snuck inside for a score with just :22 left that knotted this thing up at 71-all and had the Hutton Arena crowd on its ear.
In the many decades that Hutton Arena has been around, there have been many heroes and heroines that have left their mark on this grand old palace that is the birthplace of intercollegiate basketball. I was lucky enough to witness the heroics of then-freshman Carolyn Korchik ten years ago as she let loose with a behind the halfcourt Hail Mary buzzer beater that gave the Pipers a one-point victory over Macalester. On this night, this venue would see another heroine emerge. After Hamline Head Coach Kerri Stockwell called a timeout, the Pipers brought the ball upcourt. It was apparent that they wanted to get a perimeter shot but Bethel was doing an excellent job of not letting anyone get a great look. Poirer and Brown each passed the ball to the other and, as Poirer admitted to me afterward as to what she was thinking in those last few final frantic seconds, she really had thought that it would be Brown who would launch the last attempt. But Brown; tightly guarded had no realistic shot at it and fed Poirer one last time. With :00.1 left, "The Natural" let fly with a bomb from the left top area that found nothing but net and gave the Pipers not only a thrilling 74-71 victory that had the team and the home crowd celebrating wildly but, more importantly, locked up a spot for the Pipers in the upcoming MIAC playoffs next week where they could be a real threat to topple the apple cart and make everything go kablooey.
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