Made the trek over to Williams Arena on this Friday night in the midst of March Madness to catch this WNIT first round matchup between host Minnesota and visiting Ball State. The Gophers, who just missed a trip to the Big Dance (they should be in, IMHO) would be heavily favored in this game against Ball State as the Cardinals had a very up-and-down year; sporting a 15-15 record. At the same time, however, in order to make the most of this opportunity, the Gophers simply could not afford to overlook anybody as the simple truth of the matter is that you've got to be ready to go at this time of the year because it's a one-and-done deal and if you have one bad night, you're going home. And, on this night, they would find out the hard way that you have to come out with full intensity and a sense of urgency on the opening tip-off.
The first two minutes of the first half did not go well for the home team. Treys from Cardinal junior Brandy Woody and sophomore Brittany Carter plus a score in the paint by junior Katie Murphy had Ball State up 8-0 before the Gophers knew what hit them. A "3" by Carter at the 15:23 mark pushed the Cardinal lead to 11-0 before Minnesota's Kiona Kellogg finally got the Gophers on the scoreboard at the 14:04 mark. But the Gophers would struggle mightily over the next seven minutes in trying to put the ball into the cylinder as Ball State would retain the lead at 16-8 with 7:56 left. The good news for Minnesota, though, was that their defensive pressure was not allowing Ball State to open up a sizable lead that would have them in an incredibly tough spot. The Gophers were also getting the better of it on the glass but this opportunistic Ball State squad still was managing to keep the Gophers at bay as they held a 22-12 advantage with 3:42 left in the first half. A "3" from Woody from the left wing with 2:20 left stretched the Ball State advantage to 25-14 and the Cardinals would keep that double-digit advantage at 27-17 going into the locker room at halftime thanks to a drive and finish by Carter with :07 left (just as the shot clock was expiring). Clearly the Gophers had their work cut out for them in the second half if they were to keep the 2012-13 season going. The halftime stat sheet had all the ugly numbers: 21.2% FG shooting; 1-8 from three-point land for a miserable 12.5% - and ten turnovers to boot. The Gophers did indeed have the advantage on the boards at 25-21 (including a 10-5 advantage in offensive rebounds) but they sure weren't able to take advantage of all those extra rebounds. Woody paced the Cardinal attack with 11 points while sophomore Rachel Banham was leading Minnesota with 8 1st half points.
The Gophers hoped to get right back into the thick of things after an early second half score by Kellogg and indeed, the Gophers would make some inroads on the Ball State lead. Two charity stripe shots by freshman Shayne Mullaney with 13:00 left and then a tough score inside by strong junior post Micaella Riche cut the Cardinal lead to a somewhat more manageable 34-27 count but Ball State would strike right back as a drive and finish by Woody that got her fouled in the process along with the obligatory free throw upped the Cardinal lead to 40-27 with 11:20 left. Two treys by lanky junior forward Lyzz Smith - at the 10:14 and 7:51 marks - allowed Ball State to maintain that double-digit advantage at 46-35. A jumper by Woody with 6:56 left along with a "3" by senior Shanee Jackson with 6:12 left made it a 51-35 game and all hope appeared lost for the Gophers. But this Minnesota team knows a few things about comeback victories as they had to fight off a double-digit hole to overcome Creighton earlier in the season. And this group showed that they had one more run left in them. A "3" by junior guard Sari Noga with 5:37 left commenced this unlikely comeback bid by the Gophers. Then it was Riche's time to shine as she had a monster second half for the Gophers. Two scores in the paint - at the 5:10 and 3:51 marks - helped slice the deficit back into single digits and another "3" by Noga - this one from the left top area with 2:58 left - suddenly had the Gophers to within six at 51-45. A harrassing Minnesota defense was giving the Cardinals fits handling the ball and this gave the Gophers even more opportunities. Two freebies by Riche with 2:13 left and a short jumper with just 1:11 left had the Gophers within a possession at 51-49. Alas, Minnesota could get no closer. Junior forward Katie Murphy connected with a huge jumper for Ball State with :53 left. A jumper in the paint by Banham once again cut it to a single-possession game at 53-51 and after a turnover by Ball State, the Gophers had their chance with :16 left as they brought the ball up the court. A screen allowed Banham to get the ball - and get a good look behind the arc but her three-point attempt bounced off the rim and into the waiting hands of Ball State's Woody where she was immediately fouled with just :04 left. Woody made the front end at the charity stripe but missed the back end and Banham was there for the rebound. She made a few strides up the floor and let loose with a heave and a prayer from just behind the half-court line that missed its mark and allowed Ball State to escape with a narrow 54-51 win at the Barn. Woody led all scorers with 19 points while Riche was right behind for Minnesota with her 18 points and 8 rebounds.
Afterward, elated Ball State Head Coach Brady Sallee talked about his team's composure coming down the stretch when Minnesota made its run. "We didn't come into this tournament just to be a participant" he stated. And no doubt about it - Sallee believes this win tonight is a huge one for his program - and for the Mid-American Conference as well. A subdued Minnesota Head Coach Pam Borton was short and to the point. "Definitely a step backward" she explained as she pointed out the turnovers and missed shots that hurt. At this point it's difficult to say with any exact certainty where the Gophers go from here. They need to find consistency and, perhaps just as important, they need to have that passion and sense of urgency out there and I didn't see it at all times tonight.
Los Angeles Rams
Saturday, March 23, 2013
Saturday, March 16, 2013
Class AAAA Championship Game Recap - Bloomington Kennedy vs Hopkins 3-16-13 8:00 P.M.
The finale of this 2013 Minnesota State Girls Basketball Tournament took me back to old times; the days of 2005 and 2006 when Bloomington Kennedy and Hopkins were meeting in the Class AAAA finals two consecutive years. The players are different now, of course, but you couldn't help but think about those old times. Hopkins, the two-time defending state champs, was a juggernaut and the heavy favorite in this match-up. But Bloomington Kennedy seemed to be the ONE team that, from an athletic standpoint anyway, might be able to stand up to the Hopkins dynasty. Just as interesting on this night was that the Hopkins coaching staff was decked out in pink shirts in honor of breast cancer awareness and the team was also wearing pink shoes; a very nice touch.
The first few minutes saw the teams neck and neck as they were knotted at 5-all by the 14:10 mark. Tied at 7-all, Hopkins embarked on a 5-0 push; aided by some costly Eagle turnovers that made it 12-7 Hopkins with 12:21 left. Moreover, Bloomington Kennedy was having an incredibly hard time trying to box out Erin "Big Country" O'Toole down low. Hopkins looked like they might be on the verge of opening up a cushion on Bloomington Kennedy but credit the Eagles for hanging tough on the big stage. With 6:23 left, they drew to within 19-17 and a "3" by Jasmyn Martin; the 8th grader at the 6:03 mark gave Bloomington Kennedy its first lead at 20-19 and had the Bloomington Kennedy student section rocking. Older sister and senior Jade Martin expanded that lead to 23-20 at the 4:48 mark with one free throw. The Eagles were trying desperately to maintain that slight edge but Hopkins' famous pressure defense was creating the turnover bugaboo to rear its ugly head for Bloomington Kennedy. Nia Coffey's "3" from the top with 1:03 left gave the Royals the lead back at 28-26 which they took to the locker room at the half but, for Bloomington Kennedy, this is right where they wanted to be - in the thick of things - with a fighting chance. Coffey led the Hopkins Express with 12 first half points while Jade Martin led the Bloomington Kennedy effort with 8 points and younger sis Jasmyn was right behind with 7 points. Hopkins, though, did have a slight edge in the rebounds with 26 to Bloomington Kennedy's 22.
The one thing you didn't want to have happen from a Bloomington Kennedy standpoint is for Hopkins to get off to a roaring start in the second half that put you in a hole right away - and that's exactly what happened in the first 1:15 of the second half as the Royals went on a quick 5-0 burst that suddenly bulged the lead to 33-26 and Bloomington Kennedy Head Coach Quintin Johnson called a quick timeout to try and put a halt to all this. But Hopkin's Taylor Anderson nailed a "3" from the right corner at the 15:00 mark to expand the Royals lead to 10 at 36-26 and Bloomington Kennedy was in serious trouble. At the 13:05 mark, Bloomington Kennedy junior Tonoia Wade picked up her fourth foul on a charge and things were slowly falling apart for the Eagles as that initial 5-0 burst by Hopkins suddenly turned into a 15-0 breaking of the dam for Quintin Johnson's squad as they now found themselves down 43-26 at the 12:34 mark. There was a slightly scary moment at the 9:35 mark when Coffey, on one of her blazing fast break lay-up attempts, went down and was grabbing her right leg. She was eventually able to get up with some assistance and it LOOKED as if it was nothing more than a leg cramp (I've had those before; they hurt like hell, believe me). With 8:33 left, Coffey checked back in for the Royals and everything was just peachy keen from a Hopkins point of view. A brief Bloomington Kennedy run just under the 6:00 mark had their student section cheering for a bit but the damage was already done; the war already lost. Hopkins Head Coach Brian Cosgriff inserted his reserves late and Hopkins rolled to a 68-45 victory to claim their third straight Class AAAA state title.
Not surprisingly, Nia Coffey led all scorers and paced the Hopkins attack with 25 points and 16 total rebounds; a devastatingly effective performance. Jade Martin led Bloomington Kennedy with 19 points. Afterward, Bloomington Kennedy Head Coach Quintin Johnson expressed disappointment that his team did not handle the Hopkins pressure defense better. "All those points they got off of turnovers really hurt". But he does seem optimistic about the future and where this program is headed. For Hopkins, they will be graduating a bevy of great players, including one Nia Coffey who is one of the greatest players to come out of Minnesota. But with Brian Cosgriff leading this Hopkins program, don't expect them to fall too far off the map.
The first few minutes saw the teams neck and neck as they were knotted at 5-all by the 14:10 mark. Tied at 7-all, Hopkins embarked on a 5-0 push; aided by some costly Eagle turnovers that made it 12-7 Hopkins with 12:21 left. Moreover, Bloomington Kennedy was having an incredibly hard time trying to box out Erin "Big Country" O'Toole down low. Hopkins looked like they might be on the verge of opening up a cushion on Bloomington Kennedy but credit the Eagles for hanging tough on the big stage. With 6:23 left, they drew to within 19-17 and a "3" by Jasmyn Martin; the 8th grader at the 6:03 mark gave Bloomington Kennedy its first lead at 20-19 and had the Bloomington Kennedy student section rocking. Older sister and senior Jade Martin expanded that lead to 23-20 at the 4:48 mark with one free throw. The Eagles were trying desperately to maintain that slight edge but Hopkins' famous pressure defense was creating the turnover bugaboo to rear its ugly head for Bloomington Kennedy. Nia Coffey's "3" from the top with 1:03 left gave the Royals the lead back at 28-26 which they took to the locker room at the half but, for Bloomington Kennedy, this is right where they wanted to be - in the thick of things - with a fighting chance. Coffey led the Hopkins Express with 12 first half points while Jade Martin led the Bloomington Kennedy effort with 8 points and younger sis Jasmyn was right behind with 7 points. Hopkins, though, did have a slight edge in the rebounds with 26 to Bloomington Kennedy's 22.
The one thing you didn't want to have happen from a Bloomington Kennedy standpoint is for Hopkins to get off to a roaring start in the second half that put you in a hole right away - and that's exactly what happened in the first 1:15 of the second half as the Royals went on a quick 5-0 burst that suddenly bulged the lead to 33-26 and Bloomington Kennedy Head Coach Quintin Johnson called a quick timeout to try and put a halt to all this. But Hopkin's Taylor Anderson nailed a "3" from the right corner at the 15:00 mark to expand the Royals lead to 10 at 36-26 and Bloomington Kennedy was in serious trouble. At the 13:05 mark, Bloomington Kennedy junior Tonoia Wade picked up her fourth foul on a charge and things were slowly falling apart for the Eagles as that initial 5-0 burst by Hopkins suddenly turned into a 15-0 breaking of the dam for Quintin Johnson's squad as they now found themselves down 43-26 at the 12:34 mark. There was a slightly scary moment at the 9:35 mark when Coffey, on one of her blazing fast break lay-up attempts, went down and was grabbing her right leg. She was eventually able to get up with some assistance and it LOOKED as if it was nothing more than a leg cramp (I've had those before; they hurt like hell, believe me). With 8:33 left, Coffey checked back in for the Royals and everything was just peachy keen from a Hopkins point of view. A brief Bloomington Kennedy run just under the 6:00 mark had their student section cheering for a bit but the damage was already done; the war already lost. Hopkins Head Coach Brian Cosgriff inserted his reserves late and Hopkins rolled to a 68-45 victory to claim their third straight Class AAAA state title.
Not surprisingly, Nia Coffey led all scorers and paced the Hopkins attack with 25 points and 16 total rebounds; a devastatingly effective performance. Jade Martin led Bloomington Kennedy with 19 points. Afterward, Bloomington Kennedy Head Coach Quintin Johnson expressed disappointment that his team did not handle the Hopkins pressure defense better. "All those points they got off of turnovers really hurt". But he does seem optimistic about the future and where this program is headed. For Hopkins, they will be graduating a bevy of great players, including one Nia Coffey who is one of the greatest players to come out of Minnesota. But with Brian Cosgriff leading this Hopkins program, don't expect them to fall too far off the map.
Class AAA Championship Game Recap - Red Wing vs DeLaSalle 3-16-13 6:00 P.M.
After a scintillating Class AA final to wrap up the afternoon, anything after that would be anti-climactic but the Class AAA title game would get this Saturday night going. This one featured defending state champion DeLaSalle against Red Wing. The purple-clad Wingers broke through into the title game by virtue of their exciting win over favored Richfield while DeLaSalle's entry into the final game of the season was a given by many. Now the question would be, would Red Wing have enough to take down the heavily-favored Islanders?
The first three minutes of this one suggested an emphatic "No" as DeLaSalle raced to a 6-0 lead by the 14:46 mark. The Islanders were up as much as 10-0 before Red Wing finally found itself and made a sudden flurry to make it 10-5 by the 11:51 mark and two Tesha Buck pull-up jumper in transition pulled the Wingers to within four at 13-9 (yes, the same score UCLA beat USC by back in '06 :) ) with 10:21 mark. But just when it looked like Red Wing was ready to play spoiler in this one, the Islanders responded with an 8-2 run over the next four minutes that had DeLaSalle up by ten at 21-11 with 6:18 left and a lot of the damage was done by senior standout Tyseanna Johnson who has an incredible knack for snaring offensive rebounds for putbacks - and drawing the foul in the process as well. DeLaSalle looked as if they were on their way again but right back came Red Wing as they drew to within three at 28-26 when McKenzie Muelken made good on a drive and finish that drew a foul and sent her to the charity stripe to sink the obligatory free throw with 1:04 left. Two more freebies by McKenna Schaffer tied it up soon thereafter but a late DeLaSalle basket allowed the Islanders to limp into the locker room with a (now) slim 30-28 lead at the halftime break. Johnson led the way for the Islanders with 11 points while Tesha Buck led Red Wing with 10 points and both McKenzie Muelken and Kelly Macy each had 7 points. As expected, DeLaSalle did have the edge in rebounding in the first half by a 23-17 margin.
The Wingers would stay close with DeLaSalle in the early going of the second half but a surge by the Islanders got them out to a 38-32 lead with 12:53 left. At that point, the Islanders were in position to break things open again but right back came Red Wing to close the gap and, to make matters even worse for DeLaSalle, Allina Starr picked up foul #4 at the 11:01 mark that had to have even the most faithful Islander fan worried. With 7:00 left, DeLaSalle had once again righted the ship and embarked on another run that had them up 49-40 with just under 7:00 left; punctuated by a steal by Tyseanna Johnson on Tesha Buck that resulted in an easy Johnson lay-up. At this point, you had to wonder if Red Wing had one more run in them; one more push that could get them to within striking distance again. But the Islanders simply were not to be denied on this Saturday night as they carefully and craftily took time off the clock; being incredibly patient and then, waiting for the right moment, found either Starr or Johnson for a shot down low that got both of them to the charity stripe numerous times coming down the home stretch. Johnson was simply a monster on the boards in the second half and with 3:00 left, DeLaSalle was riding comfortably on a 57-42 margin with no looking back. With :52 left, Red Wing Head Coach Dave Muelken took his star senior, Tesha Buck, out of the game to a standing ovation from the Red Wing contingent and DeLaSalle Head Coach Faith Johnson Patterson soon began doing the same. DeLaSalle scored a convincing 65-50 win and with it captured the Class AAA crown for the third time in a row which tells you a little something about the dynasty Faith Johnson Patterson has built at DeLaSalle and what a great coach she truly is.
The first three minutes of this one suggested an emphatic "No" as DeLaSalle raced to a 6-0 lead by the 14:46 mark. The Islanders were up as much as 10-0 before Red Wing finally found itself and made a sudden flurry to make it 10-5 by the 11:51 mark and two Tesha Buck pull-up jumper in transition pulled the Wingers to within four at 13-9 (yes, the same score UCLA beat USC by back in '06 :) ) with 10:21 mark. But just when it looked like Red Wing was ready to play spoiler in this one, the Islanders responded with an 8-2 run over the next four minutes that had DeLaSalle up by ten at 21-11 with 6:18 left and a lot of the damage was done by senior standout Tyseanna Johnson who has an incredible knack for snaring offensive rebounds for putbacks - and drawing the foul in the process as well. DeLaSalle looked as if they were on their way again but right back came Red Wing as they drew to within three at 28-26 when McKenzie Muelken made good on a drive and finish that drew a foul and sent her to the charity stripe to sink the obligatory free throw with 1:04 left. Two more freebies by McKenna Schaffer tied it up soon thereafter but a late DeLaSalle basket allowed the Islanders to limp into the locker room with a (now) slim 30-28 lead at the halftime break. Johnson led the way for the Islanders with 11 points while Tesha Buck led Red Wing with 10 points and both McKenzie Muelken and Kelly Macy each had 7 points. As expected, DeLaSalle did have the edge in rebounding in the first half by a 23-17 margin.
The Wingers would stay close with DeLaSalle in the early going of the second half but a surge by the Islanders got them out to a 38-32 lead with 12:53 left. At that point, the Islanders were in position to break things open again but right back came Red Wing to close the gap and, to make matters even worse for DeLaSalle, Allina Starr picked up foul #4 at the 11:01 mark that had to have even the most faithful Islander fan worried. With 7:00 left, DeLaSalle had once again righted the ship and embarked on another run that had them up 49-40 with just under 7:00 left; punctuated by a steal by Tyseanna Johnson on Tesha Buck that resulted in an easy Johnson lay-up. At this point, you had to wonder if Red Wing had one more run in them; one more push that could get them to within striking distance again. But the Islanders simply were not to be denied on this Saturday night as they carefully and craftily took time off the clock; being incredibly patient and then, waiting for the right moment, found either Starr or Johnson for a shot down low that got both of them to the charity stripe numerous times coming down the home stretch. Johnson was simply a monster on the boards in the second half and with 3:00 left, DeLaSalle was riding comfortably on a 57-42 margin with no looking back. With :52 left, Red Wing Head Coach Dave Muelken took his star senior, Tesha Buck, out of the game to a standing ovation from the Red Wing contingent and DeLaSalle Head Coach Faith Johnson Patterson soon began doing the same. DeLaSalle scored a convincing 65-50 win and with it captured the Class AAA crown for the third time in a row which tells you a little something about the dynasty Faith Johnson Patterson has built at DeLaSalle and what a great coach she truly is.
Class AA Championship Game Recap - Braham vs New Richland-H-E-G 3-16-13 2:00 P.M.
I have to admit that, the ONE game I was really looking forward to taking in today was the Class AA Championship game that featured undefeated Braham, led by its superstar, Rebekah Dahlman and New Richland-H-E-G, led by its superstar, Carlie Wagner. Last year, the Panthers unceremoniously dumped Braham in the state quarterfinals and you had to think that Braham was seeking a measure of revenge in this one at the very least. The question in my mind was if Braham could prevent a repeat of last year; especially considering their lofty 32-0 record.
The first seven minutes in the first half saw New Richland-H-E-G getting out to an 11-6 lead by the 10:53 mark as (shock of all shocks) Carlie Wagner was leading the way with pull-up jumpers in transition or uncorking a "3" from the top of the key. Dahlman, on the other hand, had recorded only one score up to this point and had already collected her first foul. With 9:04 left, the Panthers had extended their lead to 15-6 and Braham was already in some trouble as they simply could not stop Wagner streaking down the court where she could either knock down a pull-up jumper or finish with a lay-up. With 8:35 left, Dahlman picked up her second foul on a somewhat controversial play under the Braham basket that had Target Center howling. At the 7:17 mark, Dahlman inexplicably picked up her third foul that sent her to the bench as New Richland-H-E-G now had their chance to build their lead. To their credit, Braham hung tough, however, and kept themselves within striking distance trailing 27-15 at the half. But, without question, they would have to come out on fire in the second half to stem the Panther momentum. Nobody claim close to Carlie Wagner's 19 first half points on the New Richland-H-E-G side. Braham was led by Jaclyn Hollenkamp's 6 points while Dani Braund had five first half points for the Bombers.
And in the opening minutes of the second half, it very much indeed looked as if Braham had come out with a new determination as Dahlman suddenly came alive. The Bombers whittled the New Richland-H-E-G advantage to 31-28 at the 14:01 mark and it was definitely a new ball game now. A jumper by Dahlman at the 11:31 mark sliced the Panther lead down to 35-34 and then "3" by Kayla Nickles gave Braham its first lead of the day at 37-35 that had Target Center rocking and had New Richland-H-E-G Head Coach John Schultz calling for a timeout to try and stem this sudden Braham surge. Things were looking good for Braham but, with 7:38 left, those hopes took a jolt when Dahlman picked up foul #4 on a charging call. Slowly, Braham's fortunes began to fade. And, when New Richland-H-E-G needed her most, Carlie Wagner was just phenomenal when it counted: a "3" from the top of the key with 5:23 left, a jumper with 4:59 left, and then a drive and finish that got her fouled and allowed her to sink the freebie made it a 54-45 game with 3:44 left. With 2:02 left, a drive and finish by Wagner in transition made it a 58-51 game that had Braham hanging by a thread. A lay-up by Nickles with 1:27 left cut the Panther lead down to 58-55; still time for the Bombers to make up lost ground. A lay-up by Dahlman with 1:12 left cut the deficit to one at 58-57. Braham's hopes appeared dashed for good when Dahlman finally fouled out with :37.4 left but a steal and lay-up by Nickles with 26.2 left tied it up at 59-all. With :06.1left, Wagner was fouled on a drive but made only one free throw which gave Braham one last chance to steal this. But when Nickles drove up the court with the ball she had the ball stolen away from her by Carlie Wagner and that sealed the deal - and championship - for the Panthers as New Richland H-E-G claimed the Class AA title with an incredibly thrilling 60-59 win.
I have to be honest here....These kinds of games; particularly at the high school level, are so incredibly tough to write about because there's so much emotion here. You can see it, feel it, taste it and when it's over and someone loses a game like this, you can't help but feel the sadness for the losing team. Those tears are real and those hearts are simply crushed. I know it's not the greatest analogy, but I remember how heartbroken I was when my Los Angeles Rams lost to Pittsburgh in Super Bowl 14 when it appeared they were on their way to victory. I remember how crushed I was when I lost a tough match in a junior tournament in a tough three-setter and how I cried afterward. You just don't forget those things and when you see it happening to someone else, you remember the feeling well.
It was only fitting that Carlie Wagner not only broke 5 tournament records but also tied another one in the process. She broke her own tournament scoring record; netting an amazing 50 points to help lead her team to victory today. When asked what was going on in her head in those last few final frantic seconds, she admitted that she wasn't "thinking" at all; it was more a matter of just reacting and doing what came naturally. Paige Overgaard said "It was all about heart" and that "We just wanted it so badly." Dahlman, who scored 30 of her 32 points in the second half, led the way from Braham and Kayla Nickles finished with 12 points.
All I can say after this one is, WOW....WHAT a game.
The first seven minutes in the first half saw New Richland-H-E-G getting out to an 11-6 lead by the 10:53 mark as (shock of all shocks) Carlie Wagner was leading the way with pull-up jumpers in transition or uncorking a "3" from the top of the key. Dahlman, on the other hand, had recorded only one score up to this point and had already collected her first foul. With 9:04 left, the Panthers had extended their lead to 15-6 and Braham was already in some trouble as they simply could not stop Wagner streaking down the court where she could either knock down a pull-up jumper or finish with a lay-up. With 8:35 left, Dahlman picked up her second foul on a somewhat controversial play under the Braham basket that had Target Center howling. At the 7:17 mark, Dahlman inexplicably picked up her third foul that sent her to the bench as New Richland-H-E-G now had their chance to build their lead. To their credit, Braham hung tough, however, and kept themselves within striking distance trailing 27-15 at the half. But, without question, they would have to come out on fire in the second half to stem the Panther momentum. Nobody claim close to Carlie Wagner's 19 first half points on the New Richland-H-E-G side. Braham was led by Jaclyn Hollenkamp's 6 points while Dani Braund had five first half points for the Bombers.
And in the opening minutes of the second half, it very much indeed looked as if Braham had come out with a new determination as Dahlman suddenly came alive. The Bombers whittled the New Richland-H-E-G advantage to 31-28 at the 14:01 mark and it was definitely a new ball game now. A jumper by Dahlman at the 11:31 mark sliced the Panther lead down to 35-34 and then "3" by Kayla Nickles gave Braham its first lead of the day at 37-35 that had Target Center rocking and had New Richland-H-E-G Head Coach John Schultz calling for a timeout to try and stem this sudden Braham surge. Things were looking good for Braham but, with 7:38 left, those hopes took a jolt when Dahlman picked up foul #4 on a charging call. Slowly, Braham's fortunes began to fade. And, when New Richland-H-E-G needed her most, Carlie Wagner was just phenomenal when it counted: a "3" from the top of the key with 5:23 left, a jumper with 4:59 left, and then a drive and finish that got her fouled and allowed her to sink the freebie made it a 54-45 game with 3:44 left. With 2:02 left, a drive and finish by Wagner in transition made it a 58-51 game that had Braham hanging by a thread. A lay-up by Nickles with 1:27 left cut the Panther lead down to 58-55; still time for the Bombers to make up lost ground. A lay-up by Dahlman with 1:12 left cut the deficit to one at 58-57. Braham's hopes appeared dashed for good when Dahlman finally fouled out with :37.4 left but a steal and lay-up by Nickles with 26.2 left tied it up at 59-all. With :06.1left, Wagner was fouled on a drive but made only one free throw which gave Braham one last chance to steal this. But when Nickles drove up the court with the ball she had the ball stolen away from her by Carlie Wagner and that sealed the deal - and championship - for the Panthers as New Richland H-E-G claimed the Class AA title with an incredibly thrilling 60-59 win.
I have to be honest here....These kinds of games; particularly at the high school level, are so incredibly tough to write about because there's so much emotion here. You can see it, feel it, taste it and when it's over and someone loses a game like this, you can't help but feel the sadness for the losing team. Those tears are real and those hearts are simply crushed. I know it's not the greatest analogy, but I remember how heartbroken I was when my Los Angeles Rams lost to Pittsburgh in Super Bowl 14 when it appeared they were on their way to victory. I remember how crushed I was when I lost a tough match in a junior tournament in a tough three-setter and how I cried afterward. You just don't forget those things and when you see it happening to someone else, you remember the feeling well.
It was only fitting that Carlie Wagner not only broke 5 tournament records but also tied another one in the process. She broke her own tournament scoring record; netting an amazing 50 points to help lead her team to victory today. When asked what was going on in her head in those last few final frantic seconds, she admitted that she wasn't "thinking" at all; it was more a matter of just reacting and doing what came naturally. Paige Overgaard said "It was all about heart" and that "We just wanted it so badly." Dahlman, who scored 30 of her 32 points in the second half, led the way from Braham and Kayla Nickles finished with 12 points.
All I can say after this one is, WOW....WHAT a game.
Class A Championship Game Recap - Minneota vs Ada-Borup 3-16-13 12 Noon
The Class A Championship Game featured a familiar face that's been in this position a few times before - Ada-Borup - going up against newcomer Minneota. Both teams are relatively young; the Vikings of Minneota have only two seniors while the Cougars from Ada-Borup have only one - so the future seems quite bright for both programs. This game then would seemingly then see which young group was ready to step up and grab the mantle so to speak; to be ready and step up and take their team to the Promised Land.
While Ada-Borup may have been the odds-on favorite in this one, it was Minneota that got off to the good start in this one as the Cougars simply couldn't find the hole in the early going. Trailing 7-2 early, it wasn't until the 11:52 mark when Ada-Borup made it a one-possession game again thank to senior Megan Kolness' two free throws. A jumper by Kolness at the 11:22 mark got the Cougars their first lead at 8-7 but the Vikings would not be deterred as they kept things tight and sophomore Taylor Reiss was having an outstanding first half getting offensive rebounds for putbacks. With 6:23 left, Minneota had forged a small 18-15 lead but then it was Ada-Borup going on a 7-1 run of its own to grab a 22-19 edge with 3:57 left. The Cougars then looked as if they were on the verge of getting some cushion in this one but the Vikings; particularly Reiss, would not let that happen as they once again closed the gap to a single-possession ballgame as Ada-Borup took a slim 29-27 lead into the locker room at the half. Not surprisingly, it was Reiss' 14 points which paced Minneota while Kolness and Monica Vega led Ada-Borup's attack with 7 points a piece. One item on the stat sheet that must have had Ada-Borup Head Coach David Smart steaming in the locker room was that Minneota had a decided advantage on the boards - 22 to 7 - and the Cougars had to change that stat in the second half.
The Minneota contingent was thrilled as their team charged out of the gates in the second half to a 36-31 lead but this Ada-Borup group; even as young as they are, has been in these pressure-cookers before and they calmly responded to tie things up at 36-all with 10:24 left. With 5:45 left Minneota was clinging to a 44-43 lead and you knew it was going to be one of those kinds of deals where things would be incredibly tight coming down the stretch. The Vikings would have a little burst that saw them grab five point leads on a couple of occasions but Ada-Borup refused to break out the proverbial panic button. With just under two minutes left they had sliced the Minneota lead down to 50-47 and now it was a matter of trying to get a stop. Unfortunately for the Cougars, however, they had to contend with an incredibly determined Taylor Reiss. The key late moment came with 1:36 left when the Cougars failed to box out Reiss on a missed Minneota free throw attempt and the lanky sophomore snared it for a rebound and putback that gave the Vikings a 52-47 lead that now had Ada-Borup behind the 8-ball. The Cougars had been having trouble trying to penetrate inside against a taller Minneota front line and now had no choice but to start thinking in terms of the three-pointer to try and quickly make up lost ground. They couldn't, however, and Minneota was sent to the charity stripe on several occasions in the waning moments as they claimed a 61-51 victory; a win which could be considered a mild upset at the very least. Taylor Reiss, who simply had an outstanding game, led all scorers with 30 points and, just as important, 12 boards which included NINE offensive rebounds. Megan Kolness led the Ada-Borup attack with 12 total points while Heidi Eggen, who had a solid second half for the Cougars, finished with 11 points.
Ada-Borup Head Coach David Smart was quick to point out afterward the stark contrast in the rebounding advantage that Minneota had (40-20 overall). "We just didn't do a good job of keeping them off the glass" a disappointed Smart remarked. He also agreed that they had a a tough time working the ball inside as well. "We didn't get a lot of good looks, either" he lamented. Still, he was very proud of this squad and diminutive junior point guard Shaina Stevenson made clear her and her team's desire to work incredibly hard during the off-season to get themselves into this position next year.
While Ada-Borup may have been the odds-on favorite in this one, it was Minneota that got off to the good start in this one as the Cougars simply couldn't find the hole in the early going. Trailing 7-2 early, it wasn't until the 11:52 mark when Ada-Borup made it a one-possession game again thank to senior Megan Kolness' two free throws. A jumper by Kolness at the 11:22 mark got the Cougars their first lead at 8-7 but the Vikings would not be deterred as they kept things tight and sophomore Taylor Reiss was having an outstanding first half getting offensive rebounds for putbacks. With 6:23 left, Minneota had forged a small 18-15 lead but then it was Ada-Borup going on a 7-1 run of its own to grab a 22-19 edge with 3:57 left. The Cougars then looked as if they were on the verge of getting some cushion in this one but the Vikings; particularly Reiss, would not let that happen as they once again closed the gap to a single-possession ballgame as Ada-Borup took a slim 29-27 lead into the locker room at the half. Not surprisingly, it was Reiss' 14 points which paced Minneota while Kolness and Monica Vega led Ada-Borup's attack with 7 points a piece. One item on the stat sheet that must have had Ada-Borup Head Coach David Smart steaming in the locker room was that Minneota had a decided advantage on the boards - 22 to 7 - and the Cougars had to change that stat in the second half.
The Minneota contingent was thrilled as their team charged out of the gates in the second half to a 36-31 lead but this Ada-Borup group; even as young as they are, has been in these pressure-cookers before and they calmly responded to tie things up at 36-all with 10:24 left. With 5:45 left Minneota was clinging to a 44-43 lead and you knew it was going to be one of those kinds of deals where things would be incredibly tight coming down the stretch. The Vikings would have a little burst that saw them grab five point leads on a couple of occasions but Ada-Borup refused to break out the proverbial panic button. With just under two minutes left they had sliced the Minneota lead down to 50-47 and now it was a matter of trying to get a stop. Unfortunately for the Cougars, however, they had to contend with an incredibly determined Taylor Reiss. The key late moment came with 1:36 left when the Cougars failed to box out Reiss on a missed Minneota free throw attempt and the lanky sophomore snared it for a rebound and putback that gave the Vikings a 52-47 lead that now had Ada-Borup behind the 8-ball. The Cougars had been having trouble trying to penetrate inside against a taller Minneota front line and now had no choice but to start thinking in terms of the three-pointer to try and quickly make up lost ground. They couldn't, however, and Minneota was sent to the charity stripe on several occasions in the waning moments as they claimed a 61-51 victory; a win which could be considered a mild upset at the very least. Taylor Reiss, who simply had an outstanding game, led all scorers with 30 points and, just as important, 12 boards which included NINE offensive rebounds. Megan Kolness led the Ada-Borup attack with 12 total points while Heidi Eggen, who had a solid second half for the Cougars, finished with 11 points.
Ada-Borup Head Coach David Smart was quick to point out afterward the stark contrast in the rebounding advantage that Minneota had (40-20 overall). "We just didn't do a good job of keeping them off the glass" a disappointed Smart remarked. He also agreed that they had a a tough time working the ball inside as well. "We didn't get a lot of good looks, either" he lamented. Still, he was very proud of this squad and diminutive junior point guard Shaina Stevenson made clear her and her team's desire to work incredibly hard during the off-season to get themselves into this position next year.
Friday, March 15, 2013
Class AA Semifinal Recap - Minneapolis Washburn vs New Richland-H-E-G 3-15-13 8:00 P.M.
The second semifinal on this Friday night featured yet another highly anticipated match-up: the Millers from Minneapolis Washburn going up against the Panthers of New Richland-H-E-G. Both teams featured star players - Washburn's 6'3" junior post Chase Coley and New Richland-H-E-G's scoring machine junior Carlie Wagner. Both student sections were in full bore for this one and it was already raucous by the time I got settled in my chair for this one.
The Millers built up a 10-4 lead in the early going as they had things going their way for the most part. Trailing 15-8 by the 11:34 mark, New Richland-H-E-G's situation was made even more difficult when Carlie Wagner picked up foul numero dos. But two quick baskets by Wagner narrowed the deficit by the midway point of the first half. A jumper by Carlie Wagner at the 4:56 mark tied the score at 21-all then a "3" by senior Katie Cole gave the Panthers their first lead of the game at 24-22 with 3:35 left. Coming down the stretch of the first half, it seemed as if things were slowly falling apart for the Millers and New Richland-H-E-G was doing all the things such as getting steals and rebounds. Even more striking was the fact that Coley was scoreless with 2:00 left in the first half and you just had to think that that HAD to change if the Millers were going to reverse their fortunes in this one. With Coley rendered ineffective from a scoring standpoint, New Richland-H-E-G took a 32-29 lead into the locker room at the half - only three points - but they clearly had momentum in their corner. Wagner had an astounding first half with 21 of the Panthers 32 points along with 8 rebounds. Minneapolis Washburn was led by Megan Lucas' 11 points.
The Panthers picked up right where they left off at the end of the first half as Carlie Wagner was making her presence felt all over the court and making the Millers collective playing lives miserable. A steal here, a forced bad pass there, and then a "3" by Carlie Wagner from the left wing at the 14:56 mark pushed New Richland-H-E-G's lead to 38-33. With 14:01 left, Coley FINALLY got into the scoring books and then another score by senior Megan Lucas cut the Panther lead down to 40-38. At the 12:24 mark, Coley took an inadvertent shot to the face and had to sit for a spell. Just before the midway point of the second half, the Panthers embarked on a run; highlighted by a Carlie Wagner rebound of Paige Overgaard's missed free throw where she made an incredible reverse shot under the basket that helped extend their lead to 48-39 with 10:04 left. The Panthers would retain their advantage but Coley finally started getting untracked for the Millers as they slowly crept their way back into the thick of things. With 6:31 left, New Richland-H-E-G's lead had been cut to 54-49 and the Millers weren't through yet. A basket by Natalie Holdahl with 3:36 left further cut into the New Richland-H-E-G advantage as it was now a single-possession game at 55-53 and, as you can imagine, things were getting wild and wooly inside Target Center. But just when it looked like the Panthers might crack, Carlie Wagner remained calm and cool and just put on a display that saved New Richland-H-E-G's title hopes. I have to say that, in some ways, I was so captivated by it all that I simply had to sit back and watch in amazement. Whether it was at the free throw line, hitting a key jumper, grabbing an offensive rebound, forcing a turnover or getting a steal, she simply did it all on this night. Even more amazing on this night is that she was just two points shy of matching her individual game scoring record of 50 points in one game (she finished with 48); nobody else was even in double-digits for the Panthers. New Richland-H-E-G would win this one 69-60 to force the Saturday afternoon showdown against Braham in the Class AA title game. Natalie Holdahl led Minneapolis Washburn with 17 points and Chase Coley, who came alive in the second half, finished with 16.
Afterward, a very humble Carlie Wagner was quick to point out that, while it's great to be able to score like this, it's a team thing and she wants to help make her team and teammates better more than anything. Head Coach John Schultz shook his head in amazement afterward as well; marveling at what Carlie Wagner did for his squad tonight. "She just has a knack for stepping up when she has to" he stated. So now this sets up the huge showdown tomorrow afternoon in the Class AA title game. At this point, I'm not sure who to give an edge to but if Carlie Wagner has a repeat performance tomorrow, New Richland-H-E-G is going to be awfully tough to beat.
The Millers built up a 10-4 lead in the early going as they had things going their way for the most part. Trailing 15-8 by the 11:34 mark, New Richland-H-E-G's situation was made even more difficult when Carlie Wagner picked up foul numero dos. But two quick baskets by Wagner narrowed the deficit by the midway point of the first half. A jumper by Carlie Wagner at the 4:56 mark tied the score at 21-all then a "3" by senior Katie Cole gave the Panthers their first lead of the game at 24-22 with 3:35 left. Coming down the stretch of the first half, it seemed as if things were slowly falling apart for the Millers and New Richland-H-E-G was doing all the things such as getting steals and rebounds. Even more striking was the fact that Coley was scoreless with 2:00 left in the first half and you just had to think that that HAD to change if the Millers were going to reverse their fortunes in this one. With Coley rendered ineffective from a scoring standpoint, New Richland-H-E-G took a 32-29 lead into the locker room at the half - only three points - but they clearly had momentum in their corner. Wagner had an astounding first half with 21 of the Panthers 32 points along with 8 rebounds. Minneapolis Washburn was led by Megan Lucas' 11 points.
The Panthers picked up right where they left off at the end of the first half as Carlie Wagner was making her presence felt all over the court and making the Millers collective playing lives miserable. A steal here, a forced bad pass there, and then a "3" by Carlie Wagner from the left wing at the 14:56 mark pushed New Richland-H-E-G's lead to 38-33. With 14:01 left, Coley FINALLY got into the scoring books and then another score by senior Megan Lucas cut the Panther lead down to 40-38. At the 12:24 mark, Coley took an inadvertent shot to the face and had to sit for a spell. Just before the midway point of the second half, the Panthers embarked on a run; highlighted by a Carlie Wagner rebound of Paige Overgaard's missed free throw where she made an incredible reverse shot under the basket that helped extend their lead to 48-39 with 10:04 left. The Panthers would retain their advantage but Coley finally started getting untracked for the Millers as they slowly crept their way back into the thick of things. With 6:31 left, New Richland-H-E-G's lead had been cut to 54-49 and the Millers weren't through yet. A basket by Natalie Holdahl with 3:36 left further cut into the New Richland-H-E-G advantage as it was now a single-possession game at 55-53 and, as you can imagine, things were getting wild and wooly inside Target Center. But just when it looked like the Panthers might crack, Carlie Wagner remained calm and cool and just put on a display that saved New Richland-H-E-G's title hopes. I have to say that, in some ways, I was so captivated by it all that I simply had to sit back and watch in amazement. Whether it was at the free throw line, hitting a key jumper, grabbing an offensive rebound, forcing a turnover or getting a steal, she simply did it all on this night. Even more amazing on this night is that she was just two points shy of matching her individual game scoring record of 50 points in one game (she finished with 48); nobody else was even in double-digits for the Panthers. New Richland-H-E-G would win this one 69-60 to force the Saturday afternoon showdown against Braham in the Class AA title game. Natalie Holdahl led Minneapolis Washburn with 17 points and Chase Coley, who came alive in the second half, finished with 16.
Afterward, a very humble Carlie Wagner was quick to point out that, while it's great to be able to score like this, it's a team thing and she wants to help make her team and teammates better more than anything. Head Coach John Schultz shook his head in amazement afterward as well; marveling at what Carlie Wagner did for his squad tonight. "She just has a knack for stepping up when she has to" he stated. So now this sets up the huge showdown tomorrow afternoon in the Class AA title game. At this point, I'm not sure who to give an edge to but if Carlie Wagner has a repeat performance tomorrow, New Richland-H-E-G is going to be awfully tough to beat.
Class AA Semifinal Recap - Providence Academy vs Braham 3-15-13 6:00 P.M.
The real soul-tugger game in this 2013 Minnesota State Girls Tournament for me anyway easily had to be this 6 P.M. titanic semifinal clash between two old rivals - Providence Academy and Braham. Braham had eliminated the Lions two years ago in the semifinals; in fact, had beaten them in heart-breaking fashion in a regular season game that same season as well so there would be some emotion in this one. Braham, of course, was unbeaten and being led by the great Rebekah Dahlman and Providence Academy was being led by point guard Leah Szabla and fellow senior Taylor Finley. The other big thing in this one is that both teams have VERY contrasting styles - the up-tempo, fast break style that Braham favors against the slow it down, patient half-court offense that is Providence Academy. Needless to say, I had been waiting in great anticipation for this one.
Braham built an early 7-4 lead in the first half thanks to "3's" from both Dahlman and junior Jenna Winter and Providence Academy had some difficulty running that famous patient, half-court offense of theirs. Another "3" by Dahlman and then a steal and breakaway lay-up by senior Dani Braund that got her fouled and allowed her to sink one freebie pushed the Bomber lead to 13-6 by the 11:50 mark and Providence Academy definitely seemed rattled. Braham pushed the lead to as much as 19-8 before a "3" by Providence Academy senior Taylor Finley cut into the deficit a bit. With 6:23 left, Braham had increased their lead to 23-11 and, worse yet for the Lions, they were forcing Providence Academy to play their up-tempo game which is not what they wanted to do and, you had to think that, at some point anyway, the Providence Academy Head Coach Ray Finley would have to roll the dice and change some things up. The foul situation was also becoming a problem as Finley picked up her second foul and then junior post McKenna Hapke picked up her third foul with 2:25 left. Still, somehow, someway this resourceful Providence Academy found a way to battle back and was able to knot the score at 25-all with less than thirty seconds left before another very late foray into the paint and finish enabled the Bombers to take a slim advantage into the locker room at the half. As expected, Dahlman led the way for Braham with 14 points while Szabla's 13 hard-earned points paced Providence Academy. The big question now for the Lions was could they somehow get a two-possession advantage and then utilize their famous (or infamous, depending upon your point of view) clock-eating patient offense to pull off the upset?
Providence Academy would take two brief leads early on in the second half but with 10:59 remaining, the issue was tied at 32 a piece and that's all the Lions needed to start taking some of the air out of the ball. With 8:35 left, a hard drive into the paint by Dahlman drew a foul by Happke which was her fifth and forced Providence Academy Head Coach Ray Finley to insert sophomore Ashley Borland. More important, it was quite evident that things were getting chippy out on the floor - and in the stands as well. With 5:57 left, a hard drive into the paint by Braham junior Kayla Nickles drew a foul by Szabla, her fourth, and the obligatory freebie made it 38-34. With 4:27 left, Szabla grabbed a rebound and started to head the other way but, in doing so, inadvertently lowered her shoulder into Dahlman and was whistled for her fifth and final foul that sent the Lions best player to the bench. Providence Academy had not been having much luck from behind the arc either and with 3:30 left, Dahlman hit two free throws after being fouled to make it a 40-36 game and now the Lions had no choice but to roll the dice some. With 2:32 left, Taylor Finley picked up her fourth foul as Providence Academy's situation became even more dire as they were down 42-36. With 1:34 left Taylor Finley fouled out on a somewhat controversial call and now Nathalie Ratliff was the only experienced starter left out there for the Lions. With :45.4 left Dahlman snared a steal and drove the other way for a lay-up where she was fouled in the process that made it 46-38 that, for all intents and purposes, was the game.
Braham built an early 7-4 lead in the first half thanks to "3's" from both Dahlman and junior Jenna Winter and Providence Academy had some difficulty running that famous patient, half-court offense of theirs. Another "3" by Dahlman and then a steal and breakaway lay-up by senior Dani Braund that got her fouled and allowed her to sink one freebie pushed the Bomber lead to 13-6 by the 11:50 mark and Providence Academy definitely seemed rattled. Braham pushed the lead to as much as 19-8 before a "3" by Providence Academy senior Taylor Finley cut into the deficit a bit. With 6:23 left, Braham had increased their lead to 23-11 and, worse yet for the Lions, they were forcing Providence Academy to play their up-tempo game which is not what they wanted to do and, you had to think that, at some point anyway, the Providence Academy Head Coach Ray Finley would have to roll the dice and change some things up. The foul situation was also becoming a problem as Finley picked up her second foul and then junior post McKenna Hapke picked up her third foul with 2:25 left. Still, somehow, someway this resourceful Providence Academy found a way to battle back and was able to knot the score at 25-all with less than thirty seconds left before another very late foray into the paint and finish enabled the Bombers to take a slim advantage into the locker room at the half. As expected, Dahlman led the way for Braham with 14 points while Szabla's 13 hard-earned points paced Providence Academy. The big question now for the Lions was could they somehow get a two-possession advantage and then utilize their famous (or infamous, depending upon your point of view) clock-eating patient offense to pull off the upset?
Providence Academy would take two brief leads early on in the second half but with 10:59 remaining, the issue was tied at 32 a piece and that's all the Lions needed to start taking some of the air out of the ball. With 8:35 left, a hard drive into the paint by Dahlman drew a foul by Happke which was her fifth and forced Providence Academy Head Coach Ray Finley to insert sophomore Ashley Borland. More important, it was quite evident that things were getting chippy out on the floor - and in the stands as well. With 5:57 left, a hard drive into the paint by Braham junior Kayla Nickles drew a foul by Szabla, her fourth, and the obligatory freebie made it 38-34. With 4:27 left, Szabla grabbed a rebound and started to head the other way but, in doing so, inadvertently lowered her shoulder into Dahlman and was whistled for her fifth and final foul that sent the Lions best player to the bench. Providence Academy had not been having much luck from behind the arc either and with 3:30 left, Dahlman hit two free throws after being fouled to make it a 40-36 game and now the Lions had no choice but to roll the dice some. With 2:32 left, Taylor Finley picked up her fourth foul as Providence Academy's situation became even more dire as they were down 42-36. With 1:34 left Taylor Finley fouled out on a somewhat controversial call and now Nathalie Ratliff was the only experienced starter left out there for the Lions. With :45.4 left Dahlman snared a steal and drove the other way for a lay-up where she was fouled in the process that made it 46-38 that, for all intents and purposes, was the game.
Class A Semifinal Recap - Ada-Borup vs Win-E-Mac 3-15-13 2:00 P.M.
The second semifinal of the afternoon featured a program that's been here a few times before in recent years - with great success - Ada-Borup against relative newcomer Win-E-Mac which is located in Erskine. Both squads are incredibly young; with each team having only one senior on the roster so naturally both hope this semifinal appearance is a precursor of things to come. One thing favoring Ada-Borup in this one was that the Cougars defeated Win-E-Mac twice in the regular season and if the Patriots wanted to turn the tables in Target Center, they'd have to bring their "A" game.
Ada-Borup would hold the advantage in a low-scoring affair early on; up 9-4 with 10:46 left and would up the ante slightly at 15-8 by the 6:50 mark as the Patriots couldn't get a lot of shots to fall early on. Finally, at the 4:05 mark, Win-E-Mac was able to get to within three of the Cougars thanks to an unlikely source - 8th grader Alayna Espeseth as she put down a short jumper off the glass to make it an 18-15 game. With just over three minutes remaining, a "3" by junior Korbyn Ross put the Patriots up for the first time in this one at 20-18 but a lay-up by Ada-Borup senior Megan Kollness and a "3" by junior guard Monica Vega enabled the Cougars to take a slim 25-22 lead into the locker room at the half. Ada-Borup was paced by Vega's 9 points while Win-E-Mac was led by Ross' 7 points.
Ada-Borup looked to be on its way again after diminutive point guard Shaina Stevenson slipped through the Patriot defense for a drive and lay-up that had the Cougars up 35-30 early on in the second half but again Win-E-Mac came right back and tied things at 37-all. Now it was Ada-Borup's turn to put on a show and, once again, it was the blonde-haired Stevenson stealing the spotlight as she drained a "3" from the top of the key that had the Cougars back up 45-39 with 9:27 mark. Oh, but right back came Win-E-Mac as they sliced the deficit down to a scant single point when Ross took a cue from Stevenson and drilled her own three-pointer from the top with just over 8:00 left. Win-E-Mac would then grab its second lead of the day at 49-47. Ada-Borup would tie things up at 51-all just under the 4:00 mark and you just had a feeling that this one would likely come down to a few critical late possessions and which team could make the most of them. With 1:01 left, it LOOKED as if it would be Ada-Borup that would be that team as they clung to a precarious 55-53 lead. Ross fouled out for Win-E-Mac with 47.5 left as Ada-Borup extended their lead to 58-53. The Patriots had chances to whittle things down late once more but never could get the shots to fall when they needed them as Head Coach David Smart's Ada-Borup squad claimed a tough 62-55 win to advance to Saturday afternoon's Class A Championship Game against Minneota. Vega led the way for Ada-Borup with 18 points but she was not the only one scoring in double figures as Stevenson netted 15 points, Heidi Eggen tallied 14 points and Megan Kollness finished with 12 points. Win-E-Mac was led by Korbyn Ross' 18 points while Shelby Kaster was right behind with 17 points. Ada-Borup had a slight edge in total rebounds but Win-E-Mac had 21 turnovers compared to Ada-Borup's 17 turnovers and some of those turnovers cost Win-E-Mac late.
Afterward, Smart felt that his team has to prepare for the press that Minneota will bring in Saturday's championship game. "We have to take care of the ball and handle their pressure; no doubt about it." Stevenson, the diminutive and shy point guard off the court has the heart of a lion while on it and she showed how bold and daring she can be at times in this game. "I'm not afraid out there and I like to get into the thick of things" she stated. She'll get another chance to do just that tomorrow afternoon.
Ada-Borup would hold the advantage in a low-scoring affair early on; up 9-4 with 10:46 left and would up the ante slightly at 15-8 by the 6:50 mark as the Patriots couldn't get a lot of shots to fall early on. Finally, at the 4:05 mark, Win-E-Mac was able to get to within three of the Cougars thanks to an unlikely source - 8th grader Alayna Espeseth as she put down a short jumper off the glass to make it an 18-15 game. With just over three minutes remaining, a "3" by junior Korbyn Ross put the Patriots up for the first time in this one at 20-18 but a lay-up by Ada-Borup senior Megan Kollness and a "3" by junior guard Monica Vega enabled the Cougars to take a slim 25-22 lead into the locker room at the half. Ada-Borup was paced by Vega's 9 points while Win-E-Mac was led by Ross' 7 points.
Ada-Borup looked to be on its way again after diminutive point guard Shaina Stevenson slipped through the Patriot defense for a drive and lay-up that had the Cougars up 35-30 early on in the second half but again Win-E-Mac came right back and tied things at 37-all. Now it was Ada-Borup's turn to put on a show and, once again, it was the blonde-haired Stevenson stealing the spotlight as she drained a "3" from the top of the key that had the Cougars back up 45-39 with 9:27 mark. Oh, but right back came Win-E-Mac as they sliced the deficit down to a scant single point when Ross took a cue from Stevenson and drilled her own three-pointer from the top with just over 8:00 left. Win-E-Mac would then grab its second lead of the day at 49-47. Ada-Borup would tie things up at 51-all just under the 4:00 mark and you just had a feeling that this one would likely come down to a few critical late possessions and which team could make the most of them. With 1:01 left, it LOOKED as if it would be Ada-Borup that would be that team as they clung to a precarious 55-53 lead. Ross fouled out for Win-E-Mac with 47.5 left as Ada-Borup extended their lead to 58-53. The Patriots had chances to whittle things down late once more but never could get the shots to fall when they needed them as Head Coach David Smart's Ada-Borup squad claimed a tough 62-55 win to advance to Saturday afternoon's Class A Championship Game against Minneota. Vega led the way for Ada-Borup with 18 points but she was not the only one scoring in double figures as Stevenson netted 15 points, Heidi Eggen tallied 14 points and Megan Kollness finished with 12 points. Win-E-Mac was led by Korbyn Ross' 18 points while Shelby Kaster was right behind with 17 points. Ada-Borup had a slight edge in total rebounds but Win-E-Mac had 21 turnovers compared to Ada-Borup's 17 turnovers and some of those turnovers cost Win-E-Mac late.
Afterward, Smart felt that his team has to prepare for the press that Minneota will bring in Saturday's championship game. "We have to take care of the ball and handle their pressure; no doubt about it." Stevenson, the diminutive and shy point guard off the court has the heart of a lion while on it and she showed how bold and daring she can be at times in this game. "I'm not afraid out there and I like to get into the thick of things" she stated. She'll get another chance to do just that tomorrow afternoon.
Class A Semifinal Recap - Bethlehem Academy vs Minneota 3-15-13 12 Noon
The first game on Friday featured the first Class A semifinal pitting Bethlehem Academy located in Faribault against Minneota located in southwest Minnesota. These Class A games would be something of a new experience for me as I have had little exposure to the smaller schools in recent years and this game was no exception. So, bear with me!
On paper, this game appeared to be a match-up of experience with Bethlehem Academy's senior-laden team against youth as the Minneota team is peppered with sophomores and juniors. Early on, it appeared as though the young ones had the edge as the Minneota Vikings built a 14-9 lead with 7:04 left in the first half. The Cardinals of Bethlehem Academy initially had some trouble getting the ball inside into their big post player senior Taylor Schwab. The Vikings would hold that edge as lanky junior forward Molly Hennen drained a "3" from the left corner with 3:04 left for a 17-11 Minneota lead. But sometimes experience does pay off as the Cardinals, despite struggling some on their offensive sets late, managed to whittle the deficit down to a single point at 19-18 with the finishing touch being applied by senior Megan Hoisington as she nailed a "3" from the left wing just before the halftime buzzer that had to have former Carleton and current Bethlehem Academy Head Coach Tammy Filzen proud of her team going into the locker room. Not surprisingly, the Cardinals had incredibly balanced scoring with Schwab's four points leading the way. Minneota was led by sophomore Taylor Reiss' 7 points.
Bethlehem Academy came out fired up as the second half got underway and quickly went on a 6-0 run by the 16:27 mark that had the Cardinals up 24-19 before a lay-up in transition by Reiss helped get the Vikings untracked. Minneota regained the lead at 27-24 as this young bunch showed that they were up for the challenge. By the 7:50 mark, the Vikings upped that lead to a touchdown margin at 35-28 and Filzen knew she had to get her team regrouped for the home stretch. By the 5:00 mark, a "3" by Cardinal senior Jessie Matthews had once again trimmed the deficit down to a scant point at 36-35 and there was a mountain of time left to complete the comeback here. But just when it looked like this young Minneota team might be on the verge of breaking at the crucial moment, they responded on a big way as a quick 6-0 burst by the Vikings had them up 42-35 with 2:56 left and Bethlehem Academy knew they were running out of lifelines in this one. Minneota Head Coach Chad Johnson go into a stall offense to eat up as much clock as possible. It appeared to have things wrapped up for good but a late "3" by Cardinal senior Taryn Ashley cut Minneota's lead to 45-43 with :16 left and on the ensuing Minneota possession Bethlehem Academy forced a turnover that got the Cardinals the ball and a chance to tie or win. Ashley was fouled and sent to the line to shoot two and, although she got the front end, the back end freebie was not as cooperative as it rolled off the rim and into Reiss' waiting arms. She was quickly fouled and sent to the line where she put down two free throws to make the score 47-44. A desperation heave by the Cardinals went awry and this young bunch from Minneota had pulled off an improbable upset that propels them into Saturday afternoon's Class A Championship Game. Reiss led the way for Minneota in this one tallying 22 points and 8 rebounds while Molly Hennen snared 11 total rebounds; huge for this Viking team in its win. Matthews' 16 points led the Bethlehem Academy attack.
On paper, this game appeared to be a match-up of experience with Bethlehem Academy's senior-laden team against youth as the Minneota team is peppered with sophomores and juniors. Early on, it appeared as though the young ones had the edge as the Minneota Vikings built a 14-9 lead with 7:04 left in the first half. The Cardinals of Bethlehem Academy initially had some trouble getting the ball inside into their big post player senior Taylor Schwab. The Vikings would hold that edge as lanky junior forward Molly Hennen drained a "3" from the left corner with 3:04 left for a 17-11 Minneota lead. But sometimes experience does pay off as the Cardinals, despite struggling some on their offensive sets late, managed to whittle the deficit down to a single point at 19-18 with the finishing touch being applied by senior Megan Hoisington as she nailed a "3" from the left wing just before the halftime buzzer that had to have former Carleton and current Bethlehem Academy Head Coach Tammy Filzen proud of her team going into the locker room. Not surprisingly, the Cardinals had incredibly balanced scoring with Schwab's four points leading the way. Minneota was led by sophomore Taylor Reiss' 7 points.
Bethlehem Academy came out fired up as the second half got underway and quickly went on a 6-0 run by the 16:27 mark that had the Cardinals up 24-19 before a lay-up in transition by Reiss helped get the Vikings untracked. Minneota regained the lead at 27-24 as this young bunch showed that they were up for the challenge. By the 7:50 mark, the Vikings upped that lead to a touchdown margin at 35-28 and Filzen knew she had to get her team regrouped for the home stretch. By the 5:00 mark, a "3" by Cardinal senior Jessie Matthews had once again trimmed the deficit down to a scant point at 36-35 and there was a mountain of time left to complete the comeback here. But just when it looked like this young Minneota team might be on the verge of breaking at the crucial moment, they responded on a big way as a quick 6-0 burst by the Vikings had them up 42-35 with 2:56 left and Bethlehem Academy knew they were running out of lifelines in this one. Minneota Head Coach Chad Johnson go into a stall offense to eat up as much clock as possible. It appeared to have things wrapped up for good but a late "3" by Cardinal senior Taryn Ashley cut Minneota's lead to 45-43 with :16 left and on the ensuing Minneota possession Bethlehem Academy forced a turnover that got the Cardinals the ball and a chance to tie or win. Ashley was fouled and sent to the line to shoot two and, although she got the front end, the back end freebie was not as cooperative as it rolled off the rim and into Reiss' waiting arms. She was quickly fouled and sent to the line where she put down two free throws to make the score 47-44. A desperation heave by the Cardinals went awry and this young bunch from Minneota had pulled off an improbable upset that propels them into Saturday afternoon's Class A Championship Game. Reiss led the way for Minneota in this one tallying 22 points and 8 rebounds while Molly Hennen snared 11 total rebounds; huge for this Viking team in its win. Matthews' 16 points led the Bethlehem Academy attack.
Thursday, March 14, 2013
Class AAAA Semifinal recap - Bloomington Kennedy vs Eastview 3-14-13 8:00 P.M.
The second Class AAAA semifinal on this night promised to be a soul-tugger - the highly anticipated Bloomington Kennedy - Eastview clash for the right to play Hopkins in the title game on Saturday night. For Bloomington Kennedy, it seemed like old times as the Eagles were in the limelight back in 2005 and 2006 when Jenna Smith, Tasha Mrosak, Heather MacPhie and Tara Steinbauer had the Eagles running roughshod over opponents. Eastview, on the other hand, has seemingly been on the cusp of breaking through for the last few years and tonight was a huge opportunity for them to get over that hurdle and into the big show on Saturday night. Even more intriguing was the fact that both teams hail from the always-tough South Suburban Conference and had split their two regular season meetings.
Bloomington Kennedy got off to something of an auspicious start when Eastview's Madison Guebert nailed a "3" from the right corner at the 17:20 mark for a quick 3-0 Lightning lead that had Bloomington Kennedy Head Coach Quintin Johnson calling a quick timeout and furiously grabbing his clipboard to make a point to his team. Kennedy finally got on the board at the 12:42 mark but was still trailing 6-2 at this point as Eastview was clearly controlling the tempo of this one early on. Coming down the stretch, Kennedy would close the gap a bit to get to within striking distance but scoring was coming at a premium in this one with Eastview holding a 14-9 lead with 3:41 left. Eastview was now having trouble getting the ball to go through the cylinder and this gave the Eagles the chance to whittle away even further. With :33 left, they took a 16-14 lead when freshman Kiara Russell drained a "3" from the top of the key. For the Lightning, it was a frustrating way to end the first half; a half that saw them get off to a great start and had so many positive things going for them. Now they had to find a way to put all those negative vibes to rest somehow and regroup for the second half. Needless to say, neither team was setting the world on fire from the perimeter with Eastview shooting a cold 25% and Bloomington Kennedy recording an equally frigid 26.1%.
Though the scoring opened up a bit once the second half got underway, neither team could gain a decisive advantage as the lead changed hands on several occasions. With 6:55 left, Kennedy held an ever so slim 32-30 lead and you just had a feeling that this one quite possibly could go into extra sessions. The Eagles, however, weren't interested in making a long night out of this one and made their move late. Leading 38-34 with 2:49 left, they upped their advantage to 41-34 with 1:00 left that severely limited Eastview's chances of getting to within one possession again. Bloomington Kennedy kept leaving the door slightly open as they could not put down critical free throw shots in the last sixty seconds but the Lightning could only draw to within four and that's all the Eagles needed as Bloomington Kennedy claimed an incredibly tough 43-39 win that puts the Eagles on the big stage on Saturday night once again while Eastview was once again forced to play the bridesmaid in this semifinal heartbreaker for them. Bloomington Kennedy was led by Jade Martin's 11 points while Tonoia Wade had 10 points and Jade's younger sister, Jasmyn, notched 8 points. Madison Guebert lead Eastview with 19 points followed by Tyra Johnson's 12 points.
Afterward, a very tired and very hoarse Melissa Guebert thought that the decisive rebounding edge Bloomington Kennedy had (40-29 which included a 25-19 difference in defensive rebounds) made the difference coming down the stretch. There were key opportunities for the Lightning where they simply could not get certain shots to fall and that, coupled with the rebounding, enabled Bloomington Kennedy to escape in this one. A tearful Madison Guebert was quick to point out that her team would be fired up and ready in the consolation game on Saturday.
Bloomington Kennedy got off to something of an auspicious start when Eastview's Madison Guebert nailed a "3" from the right corner at the 17:20 mark for a quick 3-0 Lightning lead that had Bloomington Kennedy Head Coach Quintin Johnson calling a quick timeout and furiously grabbing his clipboard to make a point to his team. Kennedy finally got on the board at the 12:42 mark but was still trailing 6-2 at this point as Eastview was clearly controlling the tempo of this one early on. Coming down the stretch, Kennedy would close the gap a bit to get to within striking distance but scoring was coming at a premium in this one with Eastview holding a 14-9 lead with 3:41 left. Eastview was now having trouble getting the ball to go through the cylinder and this gave the Eagles the chance to whittle away even further. With :33 left, they took a 16-14 lead when freshman Kiara Russell drained a "3" from the top of the key. For the Lightning, it was a frustrating way to end the first half; a half that saw them get off to a great start and had so many positive things going for them. Now they had to find a way to put all those negative vibes to rest somehow and regroup for the second half. Needless to say, neither team was setting the world on fire from the perimeter with Eastview shooting a cold 25% and Bloomington Kennedy recording an equally frigid 26.1%.
Though the scoring opened up a bit once the second half got underway, neither team could gain a decisive advantage as the lead changed hands on several occasions. With 6:55 left, Kennedy held an ever so slim 32-30 lead and you just had a feeling that this one quite possibly could go into extra sessions. The Eagles, however, weren't interested in making a long night out of this one and made their move late. Leading 38-34 with 2:49 left, they upped their advantage to 41-34 with 1:00 left that severely limited Eastview's chances of getting to within one possession again. Bloomington Kennedy kept leaving the door slightly open as they could not put down critical free throw shots in the last sixty seconds but the Lightning could only draw to within four and that's all the Eagles needed as Bloomington Kennedy claimed an incredibly tough 43-39 win that puts the Eagles on the big stage on Saturday night once again while Eastview was once again forced to play the bridesmaid in this semifinal heartbreaker for them. Bloomington Kennedy was led by Jade Martin's 11 points while Tonoia Wade had 10 points and Jade's younger sister, Jasmyn, notched 8 points. Madison Guebert lead Eastview with 19 points followed by Tyra Johnson's 12 points.
Afterward, a very tired and very hoarse Melissa Guebert thought that the decisive rebounding edge Bloomington Kennedy had (40-29 which included a 25-19 difference in defensive rebounds) made the difference coming down the stretch. There were key opportunities for the Lightning where they simply could not get certain shots to fall and that, coupled with the rebounding, enabled Bloomington Kennedy to escape in this one. A tearful Madison Guebert was quick to point out that her team would be fired up and ready in the consolation game on Saturday.
Class AAAA Semifinal Recap - Osseo vs Hopkins 3-14-13 6:00 P.M.
The first AAAA semifinal on this Thursday night featured a rematch of last year's AAAA Championship Game - Osseo and Hopkins - which Hopkins easily won to claim yet another state championship. This is familiar territory for both squads as they've been in this setting numerous times but Osseo hasn't won the whole ball of wax since 2000 when Hana Peljto, Heather Bertram and Lauren Podratz were running the show. Just like last year, Hopkins would be heavily favored but Osseo had got through a tough battle with St. Paul Central just yesterday and wanted another crack at the Royals. Hopkins, meanwhile, had to guard against any potential letdown.
Somewhat predictably, Hopkins got off to a good start taking a good lead but Osseo battled right back; cutting the Royals lead down to 12-10 by the 12:03 mark. The Orioles managed to stay within striking distance over the course of the next five minutes and then pulled to within two at 20-18 on a transition lay-up by athletic senior Phillis Webb with 6:27 left. Freshman Ari Jones put Osseo ahead with her "3" from the right wing with 5:21 left at 21-20. Hopkins would re-take the lead coming down the stretch but missed opportunities by both teams would be the main storyline before the half. The Royals went into the locker room up 31-25 on Osseo but the Orioles had to feel very good about where they were at. Hopkins was led by 6'4" senior post Erin O'Toole's 12 points while Osseo featured a balanced scoring attack - junior Ayo Porte led the way with 8 points but she was closely followed by seniors Webb and Janay Morton who both had 6 points. At this point, turnovers were a problem for Osseo as they had 10 but they were doing well in the rebound category; trailing Hopkins by only three boards.
But Hopkins seemingly has a way of making their opponents feel that they must play an almost superhuman level of basketball in order to have any chance to win and the Royals flipped on the switch at the beginning of the second half to to go on a 10-4 run that had Osseo Head Coach John Rieser calling a thirty second timeout to get his squad calmed down. Another 5-0 burst by Hopkins extended that lead to 46-29 at the 14:08 mark and Rieser called another timeout as he knew his squad was in trouble. The turnovers were starting to mount for the Orioles and they simply could not box out Erin O'Toole in the paint; much less keep up with Nia Coffey in Royal transition breaks. Osseo was still getting opportunities to score but, when they did, they were always met by two more scores by Hopkins that only saw their deficit widen. With 8:46 left, Hopkins was rolling as Taylor Anderson drove into the lane for a finish that got her fouled and the obligatory freebie now had the Royals up 62-33 that, for all intents and purposes, was the ball game. Osseo point guard Madi Malone went out with an injury (not sure how serious) with just under 5:00 left and both Rieser and Hopkins Head Coach were quick to substitute in the last few minutes as Hopkins put a 72-50 win into the books and secured a spot in Saturday night's Class AAAA title game. Coffey had an outstanding second half for the Royals as she finished this night leading all scorers with 20 points along with 8 rebounds. Morton led Osseo with 14 points while fellow senior Webb came in right behind with 13 points.
Afterward, Osseo Head John Rieser was pleased with his team's overall effort but admitted that they ran into a buzzsaw in the second half and simply couldn't answer the pressure defense that Hopkins administered after the break. They felt confident coming into the game and were right where they wanted to be at halftime but "couldn't get it into the same gear as Hopkins did in the second half."
Somewhat predictably, Hopkins got off to a good start taking a good lead but Osseo battled right back; cutting the Royals lead down to 12-10 by the 12:03 mark. The Orioles managed to stay within striking distance over the course of the next five minutes and then pulled to within two at 20-18 on a transition lay-up by athletic senior Phillis Webb with 6:27 left. Freshman Ari Jones put Osseo ahead with her "3" from the right wing with 5:21 left at 21-20. Hopkins would re-take the lead coming down the stretch but missed opportunities by both teams would be the main storyline before the half. The Royals went into the locker room up 31-25 on Osseo but the Orioles had to feel very good about where they were at. Hopkins was led by 6'4" senior post Erin O'Toole's 12 points while Osseo featured a balanced scoring attack - junior Ayo Porte led the way with 8 points but she was closely followed by seniors Webb and Janay Morton who both had 6 points. At this point, turnovers were a problem for Osseo as they had 10 but they were doing well in the rebound category; trailing Hopkins by only three boards.
But Hopkins seemingly has a way of making their opponents feel that they must play an almost superhuman level of basketball in order to have any chance to win and the Royals flipped on the switch at the beginning of the second half to to go on a 10-4 run that had Osseo Head Coach John Rieser calling a thirty second timeout to get his squad calmed down. Another 5-0 burst by Hopkins extended that lead to 46-29 at the 14:08 mark and Rieser called another timeout as he knew his squad was in trouble. The turnovers were starting to mount for the Orioles and they simply could not box out Erin O'Toole in the paint; much less keep up with Nia Coffey in Royal transition breaks. Osseo was still getting opportunities to score but, when they did, they were always met by two more scores by Hopkins that only saw their deficit widen. With 8:46 left, Hopkins was rolling as Taylor Anderson drove into the lane for a finish that got her fouled and the obligatory freebie now had the Royals up 62-33 that, for all intents and purposes, was the ball game. Osseo point guard Madi Malone went out with an injury (not sure how serious) with just under 5:00 left and both Rieser and Hopkins Head Coach were quick to substitute in the last few minutes as Hopkins put a 72-50 win into the books and secured a spot in Saturday night's Class AAAA title game. Coffey had an outstanding second half for the Royals as she finished this night leading all scorers with 20 points along with 8 rebounds. Morton led Osseo with 14 points while fellow senior Webb came in right behind with 13 points.
Afterward, Osseo Head John Rieser was pleased with his team's overall effort but admitted that they ran into a buzzsaw in the second half and simply couldn't answer the pressure defense that Hopkins administered after the break. They felt confident coming into the game and were right where they wanted to be at halftime but "couldn't get it into the same gear as Hopkins did in the second half."
Class AAA Semifinal Recap - Monticello vs DeLaSalle 3-14-13 2:00 P.M.
The second Class AAA semifinal of the afternoon pitted upstart Monticello which made the short hop on I-94 into town to take on perennial powerhouse and #2 seed DeLaSalle. The Islanders, who struggled a bit earlier in the season, found a way to flip on the switch at just the right time to cruise into the state tournament; crushing Park Center in the Section 3AAA final. Monticello fashioned a 24-5 record enroute to the big stage; knocking off Dassel-Cokato in the Section 5AAA final. DeLaSalle, which won it all last year in AAA; looked to be one of the two favorites along with Richfield to win state again. Now, with Richfield out, could DeLaSalle thrive with the target being on their back?
The Islanders got off to a good enough start in this one; building up a lead and a "3" by sophomore Patience Griffin had Monticello in a hole early. Upstart Monticello, however, closed the gap and got to within three at 13-10 before another Islander burst made it 17-10 with 6:26 left in the first half and had Monticello Head Coach Craig Geyen calling a thirty-second timeout to calm his team down. The Islanders extended the lead to 23-10 before a "3" by Monticello junior Grace Sawatzke briefly halted the Islander express but that turned out to be a mere speed bump for DeLaSalle as they kept the Magic at bay with numerous fast breaks off of Monticello turnovers. A "3" by one of DeLaSalle's two standouts - senior Tyseanna Johnson - from the right wing with :03 left enabled the Islanders to take a rather cozy 34-21 lead into the locker room at halftime. DeLaSalle used very balanced scoring to get this halftime lead; Allina Starr led the way with 9 points and was closely followed by Johnson with 7 points while Griffin tallied 6 points. Monticello meanwhile was led by Alyssal Lentner's 8 points in the first half.
A spirited Magic team came out in the second half prepared to lay everything on the line to try and get back into this one. Trouble was, DeLaSalle was not very cooperative in the process as they maintained the double-digit lead and increased it to as many as sixteen points by the 13:00 mark at 39-23. Part of the problem for Monticello was dealing with the speed and athleticism that DeLaSalle has; it's simply difficult to simulate in practice. The other problem for the Magic was that DeLaSalle's Griffin was simply on fire in the second half from behind the arc; a "3" at the 10:43 mark increased the Islander lead to 50-26 and another one at the 9:30 mark (her sixth of the day) increased the lead to 53-26. With just under three minutes remaining, DeLaSalle Head Coach Faith Johnson Patterson slowly pulled her starters (as did Geyen) and the Islanders waltzed to a 67-42 win to set-up the Saturday night showdown in the state title game with Red Wing.
The Islanders got off to a good enough start in this one; building up a lead and a "3" by sophomore Patience Griffin had Monticello in a hole early. Upstart Monticello, however, closed the gap and got to within three at 13-10 before another Islander burst made it 17-10 with 6:26 left in the first half and had Monticello Head Coach Craig Geyen calling a thirty-second timeout to calm his team down. The Islanders extended the lead to 23-10 before a "3" by Monticello junior Grace Sawatzke briefly halted the Islander express but that turned out to be a mere speed bump for DeLaSalle as they kept the Magic at bay with numerous fast breaks off of Monticello turnovers. A "3" by one of DeLaSalle's two standouts - senior Tyseanna Johnson - from the right wing with :03 left enabled the Islanders to take a rather cozy 34-21 lead into the locker room at halftime. DeLaSalle used very balanced scoring to get this halftime lead; Allina Starr led the way with 9 points and was closely followed by Johnson with 7 points while Griffin tallied 6 points. Monticello meanwhile was led by Alyssal Lentner's 8 points in the first half.
A spirited Magic team came out in the second half prepared to lay everything on the line to try and get back into this one. Trouble was, DeLaSalle was not very cooperative in the process as they maintained the double-digit lead and increased it to as many as sixteen points by the 13:00 mark at 39-23. Part of the problem for Monticello was dealing with the speed and athleticism that DeLaSalle has; it's simply difficult to simulate in practice. The other problem for the Magic was that DeLaSalle's Griffin was simply on fire in the second half from behind the arc; a "3" at the 10:43 mark increased the Islander lead to 50-26 and another one at the 9:30 mark (her sixth of the day) increased the lead to 53-26. With just under three minutes remaining, DeLaSalle Head Coach Faith Johnson Patterson slowly pulled her starters (as did Geyen) and the Islanders waltzed to a 67-42 win to set-up the Saturday night showdown in the state title game with Red Wing.
Class AAA Semifinal Recap - Richfield vs Red Wing 3-14-13 12 Noon
The first game on Thursday featured a much-anticipated clash between #1 seed Richfield and #5 seed Red Wing which made its way up the Mississippi River and the Canadian Pacific Railway's River Sub mainline to take in the festivities at the Minnesota State Girls Basketball Tournament. For me, this game was incredibly intriguing as each side had a bona fide star leading the way - Jessica January of Richfield and Tesha Buck of Red Wing - and you knew that each would play an integral role in the outcome of this game.
Richfield's January has made a concerted effort this season to be a more "complete" player; i.e., get her teammates more involved from a scoring standpoint. In the early going in this one, though, she played a prominent role in the Spartans crusade as they forged to an 11-5 lead. The purple-clad Wingers, though, battled right back as they closed the gap to 13-10 by the 11:03 mark; highlighted by a "3" from senior McKenna Schaffer from the right wing. Then it was Buck's turn to shine as she connected on a lay-up in transition at the 10:04 mark that got her fouled and allowed her to sink the obligatory freebie to tie the issue at 13 a piece. The Wingers looked like they were in the groove but with 8:57 left those hopes and dreams might have been dashed when Buck was on the wrong end of a collision on a Richfield fast break opportunity where a Richfield opponent inadvertently landed on her ankle. Buck was able to eventually get up under her own power but with her out of the action it gave Richfield a window of opportunity that they ordinarily would not have had. Fortunately for Red Wing, Buck's injury was not that serious and she was back in with 7:20 left - just in time to help the Wingers halt the start of what could have been a major Richfield run. Things would stay tight until the 3:28 mark when January inexplicably picked up her third foul. This allowed the Wingers to go on a run that would allow them to take a 35-28 lead into the locker room at halftime as Richfield Head Coach Scott Stadem had no choice but to sit his star player. January did tally 12 points before that fulcrum 3:28 mark to pace the Spartans while Buck led the way for Red Wing with her 15 points. Rebounds and turnovers were even steven but Red Wing had the advantage where it counts - on the scoreboard.
Both teams struggled to put the ball in the basket in the first couple of minutes of the second half but Richfield seemed to have that sense of urgency soon thereafter as they embarked on a 12-5 run by the 11:40 mark; spearheaded by January and fellow senior Hailey Lindblom that tied things up at 40-all. Red Wing would then hold a slight advantage but the Wingers had cause for concern when Buck suddenly found herself saddled with 4 fouls by the 7:53 mark that forced Red Wing Head Coach Dave Muelken to sit her for a spell. Buck re-entered the game right around the 5:00 mark for the critical home run stretch as Red Wing was trying to protect a slender advantage. With 4:45 left, Richfield was in the double-bonus as the fouls were beginning to pile up on the Wingers. Things were wild and wooly in the last few minutes - missed opportunities by both teams along with numerous controversial fouls and turnovers that had both student sections rocking. Lindblom went down with 2:06 left after an inadvertent collision but was able to get up under her own power.
Richfield's January has made a concerted effort this season to be a more "complete" player; i.e., get her teammates more involved from a scoring standpoint. In the early going in this one, though, she played a prominent role in the Spartans crusade as they forged to an 11-5 lead. The purple-clad Wingers, though, battled right back as they closed the gap to 13-10 by the 11:03 mark; highlighted by a "3" from senior McKenna Schaffer from the right wing. Then it was Buck's turn to shine as she connected on a lay-up in transition at the 10:04 mark that got her fouled and allowed her to sink the obligatory freebie to tie the issue at 13 a piece. The Wingers looked like they were in the groove but with 8:57 left those hopes and dreams might have been dashed when Buck was on the wrong end of a collision on a Richfield fast break opportunity where a Richfield opponent inadvertently landed on her ankle. Buck was able to eventually get up under her own power but with her out of the action it gave Richfield a window of opportunity that they ordinarily would not have had. Fortunately for Red Wing, Buck's injury was not that serious and she was back in with 7:20 left - just in time to help the Wingers halt the start of what could have been a major Richfield run. Things would stay tight until the 3:28 mark when January inexplicably picked up her third foul. This allowed the Wingers to go on a run that would allow them to take a 35-28 lead into the locker room at halftime as Richfield Head Coach Scott Stadem had no choice but to sit his star player. January did tally 12 points before that fulcrum 3:28 mark to pace the Spartans while Buck led the way for Red Wing with her 15 points. Rebounds and turnovers were even steven but Red Wing had the advantage where it counts - on the scoreboard.
Both teams struggled to put the ball in the basket in the first couple of minutes of the second half but Richfield seemed to have that sense of urgency soon thereafter as they embarked on a 12-5 run by the 11:40 mark; spearheaded by January and fellow senior Hailey Lindblom that tied things up at 40-all. Red Wing would then hold a slight advantage but the Wingers had cause for concern when Buck suddenly found herself saddled with 4 fouls by the 7:53 mark that forced Red Wing Head Coach Dave Muelken to sit her for a spell. Buck re-entered the game right around the 5:00 mark for the critical home run stretch as Red Wing was trying to protect a slender advantage. With 4:45 left, Richfield was in the double-bonus as the fouls were beginning to pile up on the Wingers. Things were wild and wooly in the last few minutes - missed opportunities by both teams along with numerous controversial fouls and turnovers that had both student sections rocking. Lindblom went down with 2:06 left after an inadvertent collision but was able to get up under her own power.
Wednesday, March 13, 2013
Class AA Quarterfinal Recap - Braham vs BOLD, Olivia 3-13-13 8:00 P.M.
The nightcap at Target Center featured unbeaten Braham (30-0) against a new face at the State Tournament - BOLD, Olivia. The Warriors sported a very good 26-3 record and they breezed through the Section 3AA enroute to Minneapolis. Now, though, they would have the dubious task of taking on a Braham squad led by one of the best players ever to play this game, Rebekah Dahlman.
The Bombers, after being rudely bounced in the first round at Target Center last year by New Richland-H-E-G, stumbled a bit initially but eventually put distance between themselves and BOLD, Olivia as they built a 12-5 lead by the 11:20 mark without Dahlman having to shoulder much of the load. Making matters worse for the Warriors was that junior Baylie Kubesh picked up her third foul by the 10:00 mark. The Warriors, however, had reason for hope when junior Carly Sigurdson was able to connect on consecutive lay-ups (one being after she picked Dahlman's pocket) that cut the Braham lead down to 17-10. It appeared that Braham had once again found themselves as a drive and finish by Dahlman with 5:39 left and then another foray into the paint by the lanky senior who is Vanderbilt-bound off of an inbounds pass had the Bombers up by double digits again. However, a late flurry by BOLD, Olivia; highlighted by a "3" from Sigurdson with :40 seconds left cut the Braham lead down to 27-21 and only a jumper before the buzzer by senior forward Dani Braund allowed Braham to take a 29-21 lead into the locker room. From a BOLD, Olivia standpoint, there was a lot to be positive about at this point.
Braham still wasn't able to completely shake the Warriors in the opening minutes of the second half as they clung to a relatively unsafe 39-30 lead by the 13:36 mark. Slowly but surely, the Bombers began to put the necessary distance between themselves and their opponent as they embarked on a 12-0 run in a stretch of two minutes that changed the whole complexion of the game. And Dahlman was simply breathtaking during this stretch - a "3" at the 12:20 mark followed by a jumper at the 11:46 mark and then a brilliant reverse lay-up at the 11:10 mark - made it 52-30 and had BOLD, Olivia Head Coach Brian Kingery calling a halt to the action with a timeout. Moreover, Dahlman was quickly closing in on the 5,000-point scoring benchmark as Braham stepped on the gas to go on another run of 12-8 that expanded the Bomber lead to 64-38. At the 5:35 mark, Dahlman got that ubiquitous mark on a transition lay-up to a standing ovation from the Target Center crowd. Braham eventualled rolled to an easy 79-42 win that saw Dahlman score an astounding 40 points after a relatively quiet first half. Sigurdson led BOLD, Olivia with 16 points.
Afterward, Dahlman was humble about her accomplishment; stating that the most important aspect of tonight's win was that "We played like a team" as she rattled off the names of several players who had an impact tonight for Braham. The most important thing now, she stated, is that they have to be completely focused and ready for Providence Academy. It's a match-up that she's personally looking forward to as these two teams have quite a history already; not to mention the vastly contrasting styles these two teams have as well.
The Bombers, after being rudely bounced in the first round at Target Center last year by New Richland-H-E-G, stumbled a bit initially but eventually put distance between themselves and BOLD, Olivia as they built a 12-5 lead by the 11:20 mark without Dahlman having to shoulder much of the load. Making matters worse for the Warriors was that junior Baylie Kubesh picked up her third foul by the 10:00 mark. The Warriors, however, had reason for hope when junior Carly Sigurdson was able to connect on consecutive lay-ups (one being after she picked Dahlman's pocket) that cut the Braham lead down to 17-10. It appeared that Braham had once again found themselves as a drive and finish by Dahlman with 5:39 left and then another foray into the paint by the lanky senior who is Vanderbilt-bound off of an inbounds pass had the Bombers up by double digits again. However, a late flurry by BOLD, Olivia; highlighted by a "3" from Sigurdson with :40 seconds left cut the Braham lead down to 27-21 and only a jumper before the buzzer by senior forward Dani Braund allowed Braham to take a 29-21 lead into the locker room. From a BOLD, Olivia standpoint, there was a lot to be positive about at this point.
Braham still wasn't able to completely shake the Warriors in the opening minutes of the second half as they clung to a relatively unsafe 39-30 lead by the 13:36 mark. Slowly but surely, the Bombers began to put the necessary distance between themselves and their opponent as they embarked on a 12-0 run in a stretch of two minutes that changed the whole complexion of the game. And Dahlman was simply breathtaking during this stretch - a "3" at the 12:20 mark followed by a jumper at the 11:46 mark and then a brilliant reverse lay-up at the 11:10 mark - made it 52-30 and had BOLD, Olivia Head Coach Brian Kingery calling a halt to the action with a timeout. Moreover, Dahlman was quickly closing in on the 5,000-point scoring benchmark as Braham stepped on the gas to go on another run of 12-8 that expanded the Bomber lead to 64-38. At the 5:35 mark, Dahlman got that ubiquitous mark on a transition lay-up to a standing ovation from the Target Center crowd. Braham eventualled rolled to an easy 79-42 win that saw Dahlman score an astounding 40 points after a relatively quiet first half. Sigurdson led BOLD, Olivia with 16 points.
Afterward, Dahlman was humble about her accomplishment; stating that the most important aspect of tonight's win was that "We played like a team" as she rattled off the names of several players who had an impact tonight for Braham. The most important thing now, she stated, is that they have to be completely focused and ready for Providence Academy. It's a match-up that she's personally looking forward to as these two teams have quite a history already; not to mention the vastly contrasting styles these two teams have as well.
Class AA Quarterfinal Recap - Providence Academy vs Pine Island 3-13-13 6:00 P.M.
Wednesday night brought Class AA into action with two games over at Williams Arena (Washburn vs Sauk Centre and New Richland-H-E-G vs Pelican Rapids) and the other two quarterfinals here at Target Center - the first one featuring perennial powerhouse (and defending state champion) Providence Academy sporting a shining 24-4 record going up against Pine Island with a record of 26-5. The Pine Island community and student section were in full force for this one so you knew they would be raucous with their vocal support. Providence Academy made up for the heartbreak of 2011 by taking the whole ball of wax last year and now had to guard against complacency.
It would be Pine Island that would get off to a good start in this one thanks to treys from both sophomore Noelle Langworthy and junior Sam Hereen as the Panthers streaked to a 10-4 lead with 8:34 left and had Providence Head Coach Ray Finley calling for a timeout to get his team regrouped. But this is a disciplined and patient Providence Academy team that waits for the right moment to strike and, when they do, it can feel like you've been bitten by a King Cobra. Senior guard Leah Szabla nailed a "3" at the 5:58 mark that got her fouled in the process that tied things at 10-all and another "3" by Szabla a bit later put the Lions up 13-10. Then it was fellow senior Taylor Finley knocking down a "3" that suddenly had Providence up 16-10 with 3:00 left. A late score by senior Cede Finstuen brought Pine Island to within four but a controversial foul called on Finstuen as she made contact with Szabla as she was attempting a long heave right before the buzzer sent Szabla to the charity stripe where she knocked down to freebies to extend the Providence lead to 18-12 at the break.
The scoring would continue to come at a premium once the second half got underway as well as Providence Academy continued to be incredibly patient on offense to the chants of "BORING! BORING!" by the Pine Island student section. Senior guard Allison Newton did hit a "3" at the 14:50 mark to cut into the deficit but again, Pine Island's opportunities with the ball were limited in the early stages of the second half as the Lions maintained a slim advantage. The frustration continued to mount for the Panthers as they trailed 23-15 with apparent "no-calls" but the officials did nail Hereen with a flagrant foul (inadvertent?) with the elbow; much to the chagrin of Pine Island Head Coach Rick Canton. Facing the prospect of having few opportunities to make a significant dent in the Providence Academy advantage, Canton knew he had to roll the dice some; particularly when shots simply wouldn't fall. They began utilizing pressure defense and trapping on the Lions but with only limited success. A "3" by Finstuen with 1:20 left cut the Providence Academy lead down to 28-22 but they would also have to foul to get more chances to score. And, with Providence Academy already being in the double bonus, it spelled certain doom. The Lions hit the free throws down the stretch to claim an excruciating 33-22 victory to move on to the semifinals on Friday night against the winner of the Braham - BOLD, Olivia contest. Szabla led all scorers with 19 of her team's 33 points while balance scoring was the rule for Pine Island. Mattie Shelton led the Panthers with 6 points while senior point guard Alison Newton netted 5 points.
Afterward, a disappointed Rick Canton lamented that the physical aspect of play was clearly the difference in this one. "They're just more physical than we are". Moreover, he felt that they had to compromise somewhat on defense as he stated that "if you extend on defense they'll get easy lay-ups and you can't play zone either because you'll lose their shooters." "We also had trouble making interior passes to our post players" he said. He did feel that his young squad has a very good chance of getting back to the State Tournament.
It would be Pine Island that would get off to a good start in this one thanks to treys from both sophomore Noelle Langworthy and junior Sam Hereen as the Panthers streaked to a 10-4 lead with 8:34 left and had Providence Head Coach Ray Finley calling for a timeout to get his team regrouped. But this is a disciplined and patient Providence Academy team that waits for the right moment to strike and, when they do, it can feel like you've been bitten by a King Cobra. Senior guard Leah Szabla nailed a "3" at the 5:58 mark that got her fouled in the process that tied things at 10-all and another "3" by Szabla a bit later put the Lions up 13-10. Then it was fellow senior Taylor Finley knocking down a "3" that suddenly had Providence up 16-10 with 3:00 left. A late score by senior Cede Finstuen brought Pine Island to within four but a controversial foul called on Finstuen as she made contact with Szabla as she was attempting a long heave right before the buzzer sent Szabla to the charity stripe where she knocked down to freebies to extend the Providence lead to 18-12 at the break.
The scoring would continue to come at a premium once the second half got underway as well as Providence Academy continued to be incredibly patient on offense to the chants of "BORING! BORING!" by the Pine Island student section. Senior guard Allison Newton did hit a "3" at the 14:50 mark to cut into the deficit but again, Pine Island's opportunities with the ball were limited in the early stages of the second half as the Lions maintained a slim advantage. The frustration continued to mount for the Panthers as they trailed 23-15 with apparent "no-calls" but the officials did nail Hereen with a flagrant foul (inadvertent?) with the elbow; much to the chagrin of Pine Island Head Coach Rick Canton. Facing the prospect of having few opportunities to make a significant dent in the Providence Academy advantage, Canton knew he had to roll the dice some; particularly when shots simply wouldn't fall. They began utilizing pressure defense and trapping on the Lions but with only limited success. A "3" by Finstuen with 1:20 left cut the Providence Academy lead down to 28-22 but they would also have to foul to get more chances to score. And, with Providence Academy already being in the double bonus, it spelled certain doom. The Lions hit the free throws down the stretch to claim an excruciating 33-22 victory to move on to the semifinals on Friday night against the winner of the Braham - BOLD, Olivia contest. Szabla led all scorers with 19 of her team's 33 points while balance scoring was the rule for Pine Island. Mattie Shelton led the Panthers with 6 points while senior point guard Alison Newton netted 5 points.
Afterward, a disappointed Rick Canton lamented that the physical aspect of play was clearly the difference in this one. "They're just more physical than we are". Moreover, he felt that they had to compromise somewhat on defense as he stated that "if you extend on defense they'll get easy lay-ups and you can't play zone either because you'll lose their shooters." "We also had trouble making interior passes to our post players" he said. He did feel that his young squad has a very good chance of getting back to the State Tournament.
Class AAAA Quarterfinal Recap - Rochester Mayo vs Eastview 3-13-13 4:00 P.M.
The last Class AAAA quarterfinal of the day featured a familiar face - #3 seed Eastview against unseeded Rochester Mayo which made a big splash upsetting heavily-favored Lakeville North in the Section 1AAAA final. But this Eastview team, sporting a sparkling 27-2 record has been a dark-horse favorite among many girls high school basketball observers and they have been on the cusp of hoisting the trophy more than once in the recent past.
The Spartans of Rochester Mayo gave their large student contingent at Target Center a lot to cheer about in the early going as they bolted to a quick 4-0 lead. But the Lightning would eventually close in on the Spartans and knot the issue at 10-all by the 10:30 mark thanks to a "3" by sophomore Madison Guebert and a steal and transition opportunity that got her fouled and resulted in a trip to the charity stripe. Eastview would then go on a three-point shooting barrage that enabled them to open up a 19-13 lead with 8:00 left and by the 5:15 mark the Lightning expanded that lead to 23-13 with aggressive offensive rebounding and a transition opportunity and had Rochester Mayo Head Coach Rich Decker calling a thirty-second timeout to fan the flames a bit. Another problem for Rochester Mayo was that lanky 6'1 senior post Rachel Doll picked up her second foul with just under four minutes left and she would have to be careful the rest of the first half. Meanwhile, Eastview kept lighting things up from behind the arc whenever they got good looks (particularly Guebert) as the Lightning took a cozy 32-14 lead into the locker room at the half and appeared to be in firm control of things. Sophomore sharpshooter Hana Metoxen led all scorers with 13 first half points while Guebert was right behind with 12 points. Doll led the way for Rochester Mayo with seven points. Rebounds were the big telling point in the first half as Eastview had a total of 21 while Rochester Mayo could only snare 12. Unfortunately for Rochester Mayo, the only category they did lead in was turnovers with 13 in the first half. That HAD to change if the Spartans were to get back into this thing.
But Eastview had absolutely no intentions of letting Rochester Mayo get close again as Guebert simply went on a tear for the Lightning; putting on a clinic from three-point land and cashing in on several transition opportunities that had Eastview up 40-22 with 13:25 left. Making matters worse for Rochester Mayo, Doll, freshman Anna Winter, and senior Katrina Ruedinger all had three fouls tagged on them by the midway point and the Spartans would need a miracle of 1969 New York Mets proportions to climb back into this one. With 8:08 left, Eastview expanded their already comfortable double-digit lead to 48-24 after Guebert drained yet another one from behind the arc. The Spartans, to their credit, did make a late push that cut into the Eastview lead somewhat but the Lightning had things in cruise control as they claimed a convincing 54-40 victory that sends them into tomorrow night's semifinal against Bloomington Kennedy which should be a great one.
Afterward, Eastview Head Coach Melissa Guebert; sporting a somewhat hoarse voice, stressed that aggressive defense was one of the keys coming into this match-up with Rochester Mayo and that aggressive defense obviously paid huge dividends in the second half. Although she does feel that ner squad needs to execute better offensively, she was pleased with her team's focus on the floor. "We need to keep the focus" she said; "whether it's on the perimeter or on the free throw line". Certainly if they can do that, they will be an incredibly tough team to knock off. It was Madison Guebert leading all scorers with 27 points in this one while Hana Metoxen chipped in with 14. Doll led the way for Rochester Mayo with her 15 points in a losing effort.
The Spartans of Rochester Mayo gave their large student contingent at Target Center a lot to cheer about in the early going as they bolted to a quick 4-0 lead. But the Lightning would eventually close in on the Spartans and knot the issue at 10-all by the 10:30 mark thanks to a "3" by sophomore Madison Guebert and a steal and transition opportunity that got her fouled and resulted in a trip to the charity stripe. Eastview would then go on a three-point shooting barrage that enabled them to open up a 19-13 lead with 8:00 left and by the 5:15 mark the Lightning expanded that lead to 23-13 with aggressive offensive rebounding and a transition opportunity and had Rochester Mayo Head Coach Rich Decker calling a thirty-second timeout to fan the flames a bit. Another problem for Rochester Mayo was that lanky 6'1 senior post Rachel Doll picked up her second foul with just under four minutes left and she would have to be careful the rest of the first half. Meanwhile, Eastview kept lighting things up from behind the arc whenever they got good looks (particularly Guebert) as the Lightning took a cozy 32-14 lead into the locker room at the half and appeared to be in firm control of things. Sophomore sharpshooter Hana Metoxen led all scorers with 13 first half points while Guebert was right behind with 12 points. Doll led the way for Rochester Mayo with seven points. Rebounds were the big telling point in the first half as Eastview had a total of 21 while Rochester Mayo could only snare 12. Unfortunately for Rochester Mayo, the only category they did lead in was turnovers with 13 in the first half. That HAD to change if the Spartans were to get back into this thing.
But Eastview had absolutely no intentions of letting Rochester Mayo get close again as Guebert simply went on a tear for the Lightning; putting on a clinic from three-point land and cashing in on several transition opportunities that had Eastview up 40-22 with 13:25 left. Making matters worse for Rochester Mayo, Doll, freshman Anna Winter, and senior Katrina Ruedinger all had three fouls tagged on them by the midway point and the Spartans would need a miracle of 1969 New York Mets proportions to climb back into this one. With 8:08 left, Eastview expanded their already comfortable double-digit lead to 48-24 after Guebert drained yet another one from behind the arc. The Spartans, to their credit, did make a late push that cut into the Eastview lead somewhat but the Lightning had things in cruise control as they claimed a convincing 54-40 victory that sends them into tomorrow night's semifinal against Bloomington Kennedy which should be a great one.
Afterward, Eastview Head Coach Melissa Guebert; sporting a somewhat hoarse voice, stressed that aggressive defense was one of the keys coming into this match-up with Rochester Mayo and that aggressive defense obviously paid huge dividends in the second half. Although she does feel that ner squad needs to execute better offensively, she was pleased with her team's focus on the floor. "We need to keep the focus" she said; "whether it's on the perimeter or on the free throw line". Certainly if they can do that, they will be an incredibly tough team to knock off. It was Madison Guebert leading all scorers with 27 points in this one while Hana Metoxen chipped in with 14. Doll led the way for Rochester Mayo with her 15 points in a losing effort.
Class AAAA Quarterfinal Recap - Anoka vs Bloomington Kennedy 3-13-13 2:00 P.M.
The third game of the day also had its share of storylines as well. The Anoka - Bloomington Kennedy quarterfinal match-up featured the Cinderella of two years ago (Anoka) against a proven squad looking to recapture its glory days from back in 2005 and 2006 (Bloomington Kennedy) when players such as Tasha Mrosak, Heather MacPhie and Jenna Smith were wearing the Navy Blue and Yellow for the Eagles. But this Anoka team was not the two-win team that caught lightning in a bottle late - James Fassett's squad fashioned a very good 20-9 regular season and as Fassett told me earlier in the morning, "We're ready and we're not here to go one and done."
And the Tornadoes certainly didn't seemed fazed by the second-seeded Bloomington Kennedy team despite the decided advantage in speed, height, and athleticism that new Head Coach Quintin Johnson's team possessed. Anoka and Bloomington Kennedy would be very tight but two treys by freshman Kiara Russell and a couple of transition opportunities the Eagles made good on enabed Bloomington Kennedy to open up an 18-10 lead midway through the first half and they would hold this cushion going into the late stages of the first half and take a 33-21 lead into the locker room at the half. Still, being down by eleven would not faze this Anoka squad which is an interesting mix of experienced seniors led by Claire Lundberg and transfer senior Abby Torgerson out of Maranatha Christian. Still, they had to close the holes in the 2-3 zone that they had been employing in the first half and shore up on some missed opportunities on the offensive end that kept them from closing the gap. Leading the way for Bloomington Kennedy in the first half was 8th grader Jasmyn Martin with 10 points while Lundberg not surprisingly was leading all Anoka scorers with fourteen points.
Bloomington Kennedy looked to consolidate on the lead they held at the break but Anoka had vastly different ideas. a "3" by senior Hailee Gifford with 16:00 left and then an offensive rebound by junior Kyrah Fredenburg and putback that got her fouled plus a jumper by Torgerson at the 14:25 mark suddenly drew the Tornadoes to within one at 32-31. But key missed finishes by the Tornadoes as well as a steady diet of Jasmyn and older sister, senior Jade Martin, Isieoma Odor and freshman Kiara Russell with her three-point prowess forged another surge by the Eagles as they opened up a 47-36 lead with 7:50 left. With 5:55 left, junior Kenisha Bell put on a move for a lay-up that had the rowdy Bloomington Kennedy student section roaring and had the Eagles up 53-38 as well. In the closing stretch, Bloomington Kennedy was putting on a show for the crowd at Target Center with dazzling transition scoring and Anoka simply did not have the firepower to counter as the Eagles cruised to a 66-48 win.
Afterward, as a sad but proud Anoka team began filing out of the locker room, Fassett emphasized his squad was not overwhelmed at all this time around. When asked about the key stretch where the Tornadoes had drawn to within one at 32-31, Fassett pointed out that they became "undisciplined" and "we lost our poise afterward". A missed shot here and a turnover there helped fuel Bloomington Kennedy's decisive run from his standpoint. Lundberg echoed Fassett's sentiments afterward as well saying that "we simply lost it" from that critical point. /Bloomington Kennedy, to their credit, had incredibly balanced scoring. Jade Martin led the way with 14 points while both Kenisha Bell and Kiara Russel poured in 13 and 8th grader Jasmyn Martin finished with 10. Lundberg led the way for Anoka with 16 points while Kyrah Fredenburg finished with 9 points.
And the Tornadoes certainly didn't seemed fazed by the second-seeded Bloomington Kennedy team despite the decided advantage in speed, height, and athleticism that new Head Coach Quintin Johnson's team possessed. Anoka and Bloomington Kennedy would be very tight but two treys by freshman Kiara Russell and a couple of transition opportunities the Eagles made good on enabed Bloomington Kennedy to open up an 18-10 lead midway through the first half and they would hold this cushion going into the late stages of the first half and take a 33-21 lead into the locker room at the half. Still, being down by eleven would not faze this Anoka squad which is an interesting mix of experienced seniors led by Claire Lundberg and transfer senior Abby Torgerson out of Maranatha Christian. Still, they had to close the holes in the 2-3 zone that they had been employing in the first half and shore up on some missed opportunities on the offensive end that kept them from closing the gap. Leading the way for Bloomington Kennedy in the first half was 8th grader Jasmyn Martin with 10 points while Lundberg not surprisingly was leading all Anoka scorers with fourteen points.
Bloomington Kennedy looked to consolidate on the lead they held at the break but Anoka had vastly different ideas. a "3" by senior Hailee Gifford with 16:00 left and then an offensive rebound by junior Kyrah Fredenburg and putback that got her fouled plus a jumper by Torgerson at the 14:25 mark suddenly drew the Tornadoes to within one at 32-31. But key missed finishes by the Tornadoes as well as a steady diet of Jasmyn and older sister, senior Jade Martin, Isieoma Odor and freshman Kiara Russell with her three-point prowess forged another surge by the Eagles as they opened up a 47-36 lead with 7:50 left. With 5:55 left, junior Kenisha Bell put on a move for a lay-up that had the rowdy Bloomington Kennedy student section roaring and had the Eagles up 53-38 as well. In the closing stretch, Bloomington Kennedy was putting on a show for the crowd at Target Center with dazzling transition scoring and Anoka simply did not have the firepower to counter as the Eagles cruised to a 66-48 win.
Afterward, as a sad but proud Anoka team began filing out of the locker room, Fassett emphasized his squad was not overwhelmed at all this time around. When asked about the key stretch where the Tornadoes had drawn to within one at 32-31, Fassett pointed out that they became "undisciplined" and "we lost our poise afterward". A missed shot here and a turnover there helped fuel Bloomington Kennedy's decisive run from his standpoint. Lundberg echoed Fassett's sentiments afterward as well saying that "we simply lost it" from that critical point. /Bloomington Kennedy, to their credit, had incredibly balanced scoring. Jade Martin led the way with 14 points while both Kenisha Bell and Kiara Russel poured in 13 and 8th grader Jasmyn Martin finished with 10. Lundberg led the way for Anoka with 16 points while Kyrah Fredenburg finished with 9 points.
Class AAAA Quarterfinal Recap St. Paul Central vs Osseo 3-13-13 12 Noon
From my perspective, the most intriguing match-up of the day had to be the 12 noon contest featuring #5 seed St. Paul Central against #4 seed Osseo. The Orioles, the state runner-up in Class AAAA last year were back ready to do the Northwest Suburban Conference proud while St. Paul Central was looking to recapture the glory days from 2007 and 2008 when they repeated as state champs. This would be an emotional State Tournament for the Minutemen, however, as Head Coach Willie Taylor announced just days before that he was stepping down from the post to pursue other opportunities and you knew his team would leave everything on the floor to try and give him just one more crown.
Osseo had built a 5-2 lead but that advantage quickly evaporated as Central soon took control going on a 13-2 run to build a 15-5 lead of their own. Senior point guard Betsy MacDonald, who has been itching to show her stuff on the Big Stage at Target Center along with fellow senior Sade Chatman were doing a lot of damage early on in this one. Even more worrisome for Osseo was when senior Janay Morton went down after she slipped and appeared to have perhaps tweaked her ankle a bit. She was able to get up, however (much to the relief of Head Coach John Rieser) and her team responded by closing the gap to a much more manageable four point deficit by the 4:45 mark at 24-20. A "3" by junior point guard Madi Malone from the left wing tied the game at 27-all with a little over 1:30 left and a steal by the Orioles and a subsequent lay-up in transition by senior Phillis Webb enabled with scant ticks left on the clock before halftime enabled Osseo to take a slim 29-27 lead into the locker room at the half; avoiding what could have been a total disaster early on. Not surprisingly, both Webb and Malone led the way for Osseo with ten points a piece while Rayna Sherow and MacDonald each had seven points a piece for St. Paul Central. Both teams had 18 rebounds and each had nine turnovers - which is what you'd expect in a close game such as this.
The second half had things staying close as neither team could gain any noticeable advantage. Osseo was getting a lot done in the paint with strong junior post Ayo Porte doing damage in the paint while St. Paul Central senior Tamera Curtis was getting holes in the lanes for lay-ups. With Osseo holding a slim two point advantage, they finally opened up a bit of a cushion thanks to a "3" from an unlikely source on this grand stage; freshman Ari Jones that helped propel the Orioles to a 36-27 advantage with 9:27 left. Even more worrisome for Willie Taylor was when junior guard Jada Jones went down with what appeared to be a turned ankle with 8:44 left. But Taylor and his St. Paul Central squads have been in this pressure-cooker before and they cooly responded. They closed the gap and a "3" by junior guard Lyric Williams at the 6:42 mark put St. Paul Central up by one at 49-48. Now it was Osseo's turn to respond - and respond they did as the young one, Jones, again buried a "3" - this one from the right wing with 4:57 left that helped Osseo get back into the lead. The Minutemen would tie it up again one more time but key missed shots coming down the stretch plus a couple of turnovers eventually did in St. Paul Central. A key offensive rebound and putback by Webb that drew a foul and sent her to the charity stripe to sink the obligatory freebie with 1:35 left enabled Osseo to record a tough 63-56 win.
Afterward, Osseo Head Coach John Rieser was again quick to credit his team with hanging tough when things were in the balance late. Being aggressive on defense, creating turnovers and taking care of the ball helped make the difference in his mind. Now comes the daunting step for the Orioles - a rematch with Hopkins - this time in the semifinals on Thursday night. Osseo lost to Hopkins back in late December decisively by a score of 88-42 but as Rieser was quick to point out, "We take things one game at a time...."We have to keep doing the same things that we're doing, only a LOT better."
Osseo had built a 5-2 lead but that advantage quickly evaporated as Central soon took control going on a 13-2 run to build a 15-5 lead of their own. Senior point guard Betsy MacDonald, who has been itching to show her stuff on the Big Stage at Target Center along with fellow senior Sade Chatman were doing a lot of damage early on in this one. Even more worrisome for Osseo was when senior Janay Morton went down after she slipped and appeared to have perhaps tweaked her ankle a bit. She was able to get up, however (much to the relief of Head Coach John Rieser) and her team responded by closing the gap to a much more manageable four point deficit by the 4:45 mark at 24-20. A "3" by junior point guard Madi Malone from the left wing tied the game at 27-all with a little over 1:30 left and a steal by the Orioles and a subsequent lay-up in transition by senior Phillis Webb enabled with scant ticks left on the clock before halftime enabled Osseo to take a slim 29-27 lead into the locker room at the half; avoiding what could have been a total disaster early on. Not surprisingly, both Webb and Malone led the way for Osseo with ten points a piece while Rayna Sherow and MacDonald each had seven points a piece for St. Paul Central. Both teams had 18 rebounds and each had nine turnovers - which is what you'd expect in a close game such as this.
The second half had things staying close as neither team could gain any noticeable advantage. Osseo was getting a lot done in the paint with strong junior post Ayo Porte doing damage in the paint while St. Paul Central senior Tamera Curtis was getting holes in the lanes for lay-ups. With Osseo holding a slim two point advantage, they finally opened up a bit of a cushion thanks to a "3" from an unlikely source on this grand stage; freshman Ari Jones that helped propel the Orioles to a 36-27 advantage with 9:27 left. Even more worrisome for Willie Taylor was when junior guard Jada Jones went down with what appeared to be a turned ankle with 8:44 left. But Taylor and his St. Paul Central squads have been in this pressure-cooker before and they cooly responded. They closed the gap and a "3" by junior guard Lyric Williams at the 6:42 mark put St. Paul Central up by one at 49-48. Now it was Osseo's turn to respond - and respond they did as the young one, Jones, again buried a "3" - this one from the right wing with 4:57 left that helped Osseo get back into the lead. The Minutemen would tie it up again one more time but key missed shots coming down the stretch plus a couple of turnovers eventually did in St. Paul Central. A key offensive rebound and putback by Webb that drew a foul and sent her to the charity stripe to sink the obligatory freebie with 1:35 left enabled Osseo to record a tough 63-56 win.
Afterward, Osseo Head Coach John Rieser was again quick to credit his team with hanging tough when things were in the balance late. Being aggressive on defense, creating turnovers and taking care of the ball helped make the difference in his mind. Now comes the daunting step for the Orioles - a rematch with Hopkins - this time in the semifinals on Thursday night. Osseo lost to Hopkins back in late December decisively by a score of 88-42 but as Rieser was quick to point out, "We take things one game at a time...."We have to keep doing the same things that we're doing, only a LOT better."
Class AAAA Quarterfinal Recap - STMA vs Hopkins 3-13-13 10:00 A.M.
The breakfast match-up at Target Center featured upstart and unseeded STMA (St. Michael-Albertville) against #1 seed and two-time defending state champ Hopkins. On paper, this appeared to be a mismatch but the scrappy Knights had every intention of showing that they belong on the big stage and in the early going they gave the Royals fits. Maybe it was the 10;00 A.M. start that had Hopkins shaking off some of the early morning cobwebs (as a tennis player, I HATE those 8:00 A.M. starts at tournaments!). In any event, both teams struggled with shooting in the early going which was one of the reasons STMA was able to stay close. Gradually, however, the Royals started pulling away. With the game tied at 4-all, Hopkins embarked on 26-4 run that had them up 30-8 with 4:00 left in the first half that, for all intents and purposes, was the game. Hopkins began getting easy transition opportunities that both seniors Nia Coffey and Mikaala Shackelford cashed in on. The Royals suffocating defense also caused a multitude of problems for STMA on offense as the Knights had considerable difficulty driving inside or getting good looks on the perimeter. As a result, they missed several opportunities on short- and medium-range shots that could have at least closed the gap a bit. As it was, STMA was staring at a 40-22 deficit at the half. But the score only told part of the story. The other startling difference was on the boards where Hopkins simply dominated; getting 31 total first half rebounds (13 offensive and 18 defensive) compared to STMA's 19 rebounds (6 offensive and 13 defensive). Not surprisingly, Nia Coffey led the way for Hopkins in the first half with 13 first half points followed by fellow senior Taylor Anderson's 8 points. STMA surprisingly was led by freshman Sydney Tracy's 7 points. An icy 23.1% FG shooting (including a downright frigid 11.1% 1-9 from behind the arc) doomed the Knights.
The Hopkins juggernaut kept right on rolling in the second half as they maintained the twenty-point cushion they had built up in the first half. STMA, however, had no intentions of just folding up the tent and going back home early as they kept right on scrapping and clawing away at every opportunity they could find. With 5:00 left, the only fly in the ointment for Hopkins was that senior post Erin O'Toole had picked up her fourth foul but that did not scutter the path to ultimate victory for the Royals. The Knights, despite facing an insurmountable deficit, kept flinging away from behind the arc whenever they got a good look and it finally began paying some dividends for Head Coach Kent Hamre's squad in the latter stretches of the second half. Senior Jordan Hansen had an exceptional second half for STMA after struggling somewhat from a scoring standpoint in the first half; netting twelve second-half points for a game total of 15. The only other scorer in double figures for STMA was Tracy as she netted only three second half points. Hopkins would cruise to a 77-58 win to advance to tomorrow's semifinals where they'll get the winner of the St. Paul Central - Osseo game. The Royals were led by Coffey's outstanding performance which included 22 points and 9 rebounds. Also scoring in double figures for the Royals were Anderson and fellow senior TT Starks.
The Hopkins juggernaut kept right on rolling in the second half as they maintained the twenty-point cushion they had built up in the first half. STMA, however, had no intentions of just folding up the tent and going back home early as they kept right on scrapping and clawing away at every opportunity they could find. With 5:00 left, the only fly in the ointment for Hopkins was that senior post Erin O'Toole had picked up her fourth foul but that did not scutter the path to ultimate victory for the Royals. The Knights, despite facing an insurmountable deficit, kept flinging away from behind the arc whenever they got a good look and it finally began paying some dividends for Head Coach Kent Hamre's squad in the latter stretches of the second half. Senior Jordan Hansen had an exceptional second half for STMA after struggling somewhat from a scoring standpoint in the first half; netting twelve second-half points for a game total of 15. The only other scorer in double figures for STMA was Tracy as she netted only three second half points. Hopkins would cruise to a 77-58 win to advance to tomorrow's semifinals where they'll get the winner of the St. Paul Central - Osseo game. The Royals were led by Coffey's outstanding performance which included 22 points and 9 rebounds. Also scoring in double figures for the Royals were Anderson and fellow senior TT Starks.
Tuesday, March 12, 2013
Getting Ready For The Girls State Tournament!
Well, tomorrow (Wednesday 3-13-13) the Minnesota Girls State Tournament gets underway and I am incredibly excited to let you know that I'll be providing updates on games from Target Center. While I have been at the Tournament for several years now, this is my first foray into providing updates on my blog during the tournament so this is a new venture for me. And I am definitely looking forward to it.
So how do the four classes stack up this year? Let's take a quick look:
Class A - Would have to guess that, unless there's just some huge upset somewhere along the way, Maranatha Christian will repeat as state champs here - even if they have to do it without my favorite player, Josie Taggatz-Ott.
Class AA - Likely the most unpredictable class here....We're just going to have to see how things unfold here. I've been burned more than once making dumb predictions.
Class AAA - DeLaSalle appears to be the favorite here again. I honestly thought Park Center was at least READY to seriously challenge DeLaSalle in the Section 3AAA brackets but the Championship Game up in Anoka this last Friday night clearly showed that DeLaSalle isn't ready to give up the top spot just yet. Would imagine here that Richfield, led by Jessica January, would be the strongest challenger.
Class AAAA - No question as to who's the favorite here. Hopkins steamrolled their way to the title last year and they are looking incredibly tough right now. The only team that COULD give them a rough time, if they play their cards right, would be Kennedy. The darkhorses would be both Eastview and Osseo.
Let's get this going!
So how do the four classes stack up this year? Let's take a quick look:
Class A - Would have to guess that, unless there's just some huge upset somewhere along the way, Maranatha Christian will repeat as state champs here - even if they have to do it without my favorite player, Josie Taggatz-Ott.
Class AA - Likely the most unpredictable class here....We're just going to have to see how things unfold here. I've been burned more than once making dumb predictions.
Class AAA - DeLaSalle appears to be the favorite here again. I honestly thought Park Center was at least READY to seriously challenge DeLaSalle in the Section 3AAA brackets but the Championship Game up in Anoka this last Friday night clearly showed that DeLaSalle isn't ready to give up the top spot just yet. Would imagine here that Richfield, led by Jessica January, would be the strongest challenger.
Class AAAA - No question as to who's the favorite here. Hopkins steamrolled their way to the title last year and they are looking incredibly tough right now. The only team that COULD give them a rough time, if they play their cards right, would be Kennedy. The darkhorses would be both Eastview and Osseo.
Let's get this going!
Sunday, March 10, 2013
One Last Hurrah For The MIAC - And Looking Ahead For Anoka-Ramsey
Well, it had to happen somewhere down the road and it did - UST went down to Hope College on Friday night at UW-Whitewater by a final count of 71-61 in the Round of Sixteen. While a return trip to the Final Four may have been a bridge too far for this year's UST squad, you have to send out major props to this team for representing the MIAC incredibly well after they were just treading water back in mid-January. They found a way to flip on the switch and run roughshod over the rest of the conference enroute to their second consecutive MIAC Tournament title and their third in four years. Obviously it will be difficult to replace a great leader in senior Kellie Ring but this UST team has a bevy of great underclassmen ready to step up and grab the mantle and the Tommies future looks incredibly bright. Also want to send out props to Concordia despite the fact that they lost a tough first-round game a week ago against UW-Stevens Point. The Cobbers, who were regular season champs, hung tough all the way and took the lead at one point in the second half only to have it slip away late. They showed that they definitely belonged in the Dance. Losing seniors Emily Thesing (MIAC POY) and Tricia Sorensen will hurt; that leadership they had that was developed in their salad days at Concordia when Erica Nord and Lindsey Schultz were leading the way is impossible to replace but never count a Jessica Rahman-coached team out. They will find a way to get back to the top of the heap again.
Meanwhile, Anoka-Ramsey finds themselves in a familiar position; in the NJCAA Division III National Tournament held in Rochester beginning Thursday (I WISH so much I could be down there for it but will be at the Girls State Tournament at Target Center beginning Wednesday). As the fourth seed, the Golden Rams should presumably get past their first game against #5 seed Montgomery (Maryland) but the next leg in the semifinals would be a daunting task - against #1 and top-seeded Rock Valley College (Illinois). I would never count out a David DeWitt-coached team; they can simply suffocate you on defense and, when the three-point tries are clicking; they can be unstoppable. At the same time, everything will have to go right for Anoka-Ramsey to get over this big hurdle if they want to lay claim to another national championship. But, it is doable for them.
Meanwhile, Anoka-Ramsey finds themselves in a familiar position; in the NJCAA Division III National Tournament held in Rochester beginning Thursday (I WISH so much I could be down there for it but will be at the Girls State Tournament at Target Center beginning Wednesday). As the fourth seed, the Golden Rams should presumably get past their first game against #5 seed Montgomery (Maryland) but the next leg in the semifinals would be a daunting task - against #1 and top-seeded Rock Valley College (Illinois). I would never count out a David DeWitt-coached team; they can simply suffocate you on defense and, when the three-point tries are clicking; they can be unstoppable. At the same time, everything will have to go right for Anoka-Ramsey to get over this big hurdle if they want to lay claim to another national championship. But, it is doable for them.
Saturday, March 9, 2013
Section 5AAAA Championship Game Osseo vs Roseville 3-8-13
The nightcap up at Anoka High School on this evening was the match-up in the Section 5AAAA title game featuring second-seeded Osseo (which won this section last year) and #1 seed Roseville which was looking to recapture the glory days from six or seven years ago when Allison Nash-Gerlach was patrolling the paint area for the black-clad Raiders. But this Roseville program is definitely on the upswing again and they were ready to steal the show on this night with a nice blend of experience and youth (not to mention height as well) that has meshed nicely and Head Coach Jeff Crosby's team is definitely headed in the right direction. I was also lucky in a sense to have some great people sitting in the area with me that provided me with their thoughts on this contest as well - Maple Grove senior standout Angie Davison who was there to take in the action along with Eastview Head Coach Melissa Guebert; fresh off of her team's big win the night before against Park, who was taking notes on both teams as well as the Lightning prepare for their chances in Target Center this next week.
The Orioles would get off to a decent start in this one and hold a slight edge throughout the first half but they never could completely shake Roseville as the Raiders managed to stay within striking distance. After a free throw by senior standout Phillis Webb, fellow senior Belinda Barfknecht grabbed the rebound of the second freebie that was missed by Webb for a putback that had Osseo up 3-0 at the 17:31 mark. Roseville senior guard Jacqlyn Poss countered with a jumper at the 15:29 mark but a score in the paint by the athletic Webb plus a score off the glass by equally athletic senior Janay Morton upped the Osseo lead to 7-2. A drive and finish by Barfknecht at the 12:39 mark along with a "3' by Morton at the 12:10 mark had Osseo up 12-6 but the Raiders battled right back as senior guard Emma Schaefer made good on a lay-up at the 11:17 mark and reserve senior forward Emily Christiansen connected with a jumper along the right baseline that cut the Osseo lead down to 12-10 with 9:17 left.
Poss would knock down a "3" from the right corner with 7:42 left and then senior guard Allison Cordes made a drive into the paint for a finish with 7:10 left that gave Roseville a brief (and, its only) lead at 15-14 but it was here that Osseo went on a 9-0 run that allowed them to hold the advantage at halftime. Morton knocked down a "3" from the left wing with 6:49 left and then a drive along the left baseline and finish with 6:12 left had Osseo back up again at 19-15. Then it was Webb doing damage as she scored in the lane with 5:46 left and then also knocked down two free throws with 5:24 left after being fouled in transition to complete this key run. The Raiders cut into this gap a bit with a score inside by Christiansen with 5:08 left and freebies by Schaefer at the 3:40 and 2:26 marks but Morton would connect with a "3" from the left top area with 1:10 left that allowed Osseo to take a touchdown lead into the locker room at halftime by a score of 28-21. The Raiders were still well within striking distance and, if not for a few missed shots here and there and a turnover here and there, they likely would have been much closer. Little did they know that, at this point, this would be the story of the game for them.
The Raiders obviously hoped to keep that window of opportunity well-open at the beginning of the second half but the Orioles had other ideas as they threatened to put Roseville in a hole early on. Barfknecht made good on a lay-up in transition with 16:38 left and then knocked down two shots from the charity stripe after being fouled at the 15:52 mark that had Osseo up 32-23. Reserve senior Annie Schoeben then knocked down a "3" from the right corner at the 14:40 mark that suddenly had Osseo up double-digits at 35-23 and Crosby knew he had to call a timeout before the Raiders were put in a position of no return. Still, the Orioles were able to maintain this double-digit cushion with a couple exceptions for the next several minutes. A lay-up in transition by strong junior post Ayo Porte at the 14:08 mark along with a "3" by junior point guard Madi Malone at the 10:58 mark plus a drive and finish by the wiry junior with 8:19 left kept the cushion at ten at 44-34. The only fly in the ointment for Osseo at this point was that Morton had picked up her third foul by the 12:33 mark and she would have to be careful the rest of the way. Still, however, no reason for the Orioles and Head Coach John Rieser to panic - yet anyway.
As much as Roseville had struggled all game long to establish their height advantage inside, they slowly and craftily whittled and chipped away at the Osseo advantage. Lanky sophomore forward Monica Burich finally got untracked with a lay-up with 8:03 left that began the comeback. Schaefer also cut through the Oriole defense with 6:46 left that got the Raiders back to within single digits at 46-38. It was Poss, however, that really got the Raiders - and the rowdy Roseville student section and band - rocking as she knocked down two treys from the left wing area - one with 3:52 left and another one with 3:29 left that pulled Roseville to within five at 49-44. At the same time, however, there were missed opportunities and key turnovers that prevented Roseville from drawing even closer. Two easy missed shots by Cordes around the 5:30 mark hurt but didn't faze the upstart Raiders as they were determined to stay the course. Porte did connect with a lay-up in transition that got her fouled in the process and allowed her to knock down the obligatory freebie that momentarily halted the Roseville Express but right back came the wily Poss who knocked down yet another "3" from the left corner with 2:04 left that brought Roseville back to within five again at 52-47. Cordes and Burich came so agonizingly close to bringing the whole house down on the next three possessions with forays into the paint that drew a foul and had shots just hanging by a thread on the rim before falling off to the side into gravity's power. Still, they both managed to knock down enough free throws that cut the deficit to a scant single point at 52-51 with one minute left and you knew anything could happen.
After Morton powered her way into the paint for a score with :45 left to up the Osseo lead to 54-51, Rieser called a timeout just to calm his team down and keep them on the same page. The Raiders, however, were not finished yet and with :21 left senior post Larissa Graham who had struggled all game long to establish herself down low made good on a shot in the paint that once again brought Roseville to within one at 54-53. But it was just one of those deals where the Raiders just.......couldn't......quite..... get over the hump. Crosby called a timeout after Graham's score to discuss defensive strategy for his squad but Osseo countered with a long baseball pass on the ensuing inbounds to Porte. Porte couldn't connect on what should have been an easy lay-up but Barfknecht was there to save the evening for the Orioles as she used her slender 5'9" frame to snare the rebound to score in the paint to once again put Osseo up by three at 56-53. Crosby called one last timeout to set up another play as the Raiders still had a chance to send this thing into overtime. Roseville took the ball downcourt and, with just two ticks left, they set a screen that gave Poss one more look from behind the arc. Her attempt this time, however, missed its mark and Malone was there for the Orioles to snare the rebound. She was quickly fouled and with :01.3 left, she sank one freebie that sealed the deal for Osseo as the Orioles claimed a breath-taking 57-53 win over a heart-broken Roseville squad and punched their ticket for a second consecutive trip to Target Center for the State Tournament. Afterward, Rieser was quick to credit his experienced squad for not breaking out the proverbial panic button in those frantic few final minutes when everything could have gone kablooey for Osseo. During the timeout he called with :45 left, he stressed to his team to stay calm, take care of the ball and play solid defense; just the basics to help his team keep their cool - and it worked. And I think the Orioles have a decent shot to make some noise at Target Center this next week if they play their cards right.
Obviously, from a Roseville standpoint, they'll have some lingering nightmares over the missed opportunities in this game for a while. A missed shot here, a turnover there, a failure to finish at key moments that might have enabled things to turn out differently for them. Still, as painful as it is for seniors such as Cordes, Schaefer, Poss, and Graham to bow out after coming so agonizingly close, the future appears to be bright for this Roseville program and it wouldn't surprise me one bit to see this team in the thick of things again in the coming years.
The Orioles would get off to a decent start in this one and hold a slight edge throughout the first half but they never could completely shake Roseville as the Raiders managed to stay within striking distance. After a free throw by senior standout Phillis Webb, fellow senior Belinda Barfknecht grabbed the rebound of the second freebie that was missed by Webb for a putback that had Osseo up 3-0 at the 17:31 mark. Roseville senior guard Jacqlyn Poss countered with a jumper at the 15:29 mark but a score in the paint by the athletic Webb plus a score off the glass by equally athletic senior Janay Morton upped the Osseo lead to 7-2. A drive and finish by Barfknecht at the 12:39 mark along with a "3' by Morton at the 12:10 mark had Osseo up 12-6 but the Raiders battled right back as senior guard Emma Schaefer made good on a lay-up at the 11:17 mark and reserve senior forward Emily Christiansen connected with a jumper along the right baseline that cut the Osseo lead down to 12-10 with 9:17 left.
Poss would knock down a "3" from the right corner with 7:42 left and then senior guard Allison Cordes made a drive into the paint for a finish with 7:10 left that gave Roseville a brief (and, its only) lead at 15-14 but it was here that Osseo went on a 9-0 run that allowed them to hold the advantage at halftime. Morton knocked down a "3" from the left wing with 6:49 left and then a drive along the left baseline and finish with 6:12 left had Osseo back up again at 19-15. Then it was Webb doing damage as she scored in the lane with 5:46 left and then also knocked down two free throws with 5:24 left after being fouled in transition to complete this key run. The Raiders cut into this gap a bit with a score inside by Christiansen with 5:08 left and freebies by Schaefer at the 3:40 and 2:26 marks but Morton would connect with a "3" from the left top area with 1:10 left that allowed Osseo to take a touchdown lead into the locker room at halftime by a score of 28-21. The Raiders were still well within striking distance and, if not for a few missed shots here and there and a turnover here and there, they likely would have been much closer. Little did they know that, at this point, this would be the story of the game for them.
The Raiders obviously hoped to keep that window of opportunity well-open at the beginning of the second half but the Orioles had other ideas as they threatened to put Roseville in a hole early on. Barfknecht made good on a lay-up in transition with 16:38 left and then knocked down two shots from the charity stripe after being fouled at the 15:52 mark that had Osseo up 32-23. Reserve senior Annie Schoeben then knocked down a "3" from the right corner at the 14:40 mark that suddenly had Osseo up double-digits at 35-23 and Crosby knew he had to call a timeout before the Raiders were put in a position of no return. Still, the Orioles were able to maintain this double-digit cushion with a couple exceptions for the next several minutes. A lay-up in transition by strong junior post Ayo Porte at the 14:08 mark along with a "3" by junior point guard Madi Malone at the 10:58 mark plus a drive and finish by the wiry junior with 8:19 left kept the cushion at ten at 44-34. The only fly in the ointment for Osseo at this point was that Morton had picked up her third foul by the 12:33 mark and she would have to be careful the rest of the way. Still, however, no reason for the Orioles and Head Coach John Rieser to panic - yet anyway.
As much as Roseville had struggled all game long to establish their height advantage inside, they slowly and craftily whittled and chipped away at the Osseo advantage. Lanky sophomore forward Monica Burich finally got untracked with a lay-up with 8:03 left that began the comeback. Schaefer also cut through the Oriole defense with 6:46 left that got the Raiders back to within single digits at 46-38. It was Poss, however, that really got the Raiders - and the rowdy Roseville student section and band - rocking as she knocked down two treys from the left wing area - one with 3:52 left and another one with 3:29 left that pulled Roseville to within five at 49-44. At the same time, however, there were missed opportunities and key turnovers that prevented Roseville from drawing even closer. Two easy missed shots by Cordes around the 5:30 mark hurt but didn't faze the upstart Raiders as they were determined to stay the course. Porte did connect with a lay-up in transition that got her fouled in the process and allowed her to knock down the obligatory freebie that momentarily halted the Roseville Express but right back came the wily Poss who knocked down yet another "3" from the left corner with 2:04 left that brought Roseville back to within five again at 52-47. Cordes and Burich came so agonizingly close to bringing the whole house down on the next three possessions with forays into the paint that drew a foul and had shots just hanging by a thread on the rim before falling off to the side into gravity's power. Still, they both managed to knock down enough free throws that cut the deficit to a scant single point at 52-51 with one minute left and you knew anything could happen.
After Morton powered her way into the paint for a score with :45 left to up the Osseo lead to 54-51, Rieser called a timeout just to calm his team down and keep them on the same page. The Raiders, however, were not finished yet and with :21 left senior post Larissa Graham who had struggled all game long to establish herself down low made good on a shot in the paint that once again brought Roseville to within one at 54-53. But it was just one of those deals where the Raiders just.......couldn't......quite..... get over the hump. Crosby called a timeout after Graham's score to discuss defensive strategy for his squad but Osseo countered with a long baseball pass on the ensuing inbounds to Porte. Porte couldn't connect on what should have been an easy lay-up but Barfknecht was there to save the evening for the Orioles as she used her slender 5'9" frame to snare the rebound to score in the paint to once again put Osseo up by three at 56-53. Crosby called one last timeout to set up another play as the Raiders still had a chance to send this thing into overtime. Roseville took the ball downcourt and, with just two ticks left, they set a screen that gave Poss one more look from behind the arc. Her attempt this time, however, missed its mark and Malone was there for the Orioles to snare the rebound. She was quickly fouled and with :01.3 left, she sank one freebie that sealed the deal for Osseo as the Orioles claimed a breath-taking 57-53 win over a heart-broken Roseville squad and punched their ticket for a second consecutive trip to Target Center for the State Tournament. Afterward, Rieser was quick to credit his experienced squad for not breaking out the proverbial panic button in those frantic few final minutes when everything could have gone kablooey for Osseo. During the timeout he called with :45 left, he stressed to his team to stay calm, take care of the ball and play solid defense; just the basics to help his team keep their cool - and it worked. And I think the Orioles have a decent shot to make some noise at Target Center this next week if they play their cards right.
Obviously, from a Roseville standpoint, they'll have some lingering nightmares over the missed opportunities in this game for a while. A missed shot here, a turnover there, a failure to finish at key moments that might have enabled things to turn out differently for them. Still, as painful as it is for seniors such as Cordes, Schaefer, Poss, and Graham to bow out after coming so agonizingly close, the future appears to be bright for this Roseville program and it wouldn't surprise me one bit to see this team in the thick of things again in the coming years.
Section 3AAA Championship Game Park Center vs DeLaSalle 3-8-13
Made my annual pilgrammage up to Anoka High School to take in both the Section 3AAA and Section 5AAAA Championship Games on this Friday night. The first game was the Section 3AAA final featuring the third go-around between challenger and #2 seed Park Center against defending champion and #1 seed DeLaSalle. In last year's game, the Pirates got off to a great start and built a double-digit lead on the Islanders only to have it all evaporate in the second half as the Islanders cruised to victory and a berth in the State Tournament. This year's Park Center squad looked to be at least ready to seriously challenge DeLaSalle; certainly more experienced this time around but, at the same time, knowing that they'd have to get out to another great start and then likely have to hold on for dear life.
When Park Center junior sensation Cayla McMorris banged home a "3" from the left corner at the 17:12 mark for a 3-0 Pirate lead, it initially appeared that they were going to get that great start they had hoped for. What they couldn't have known, however, was that, on this night, DeLaSalle simply would be on fire and untouchable. The Islander's sensational strong 5'10" senior Allina Starr got things going as she drained a "3" from the right corner at the 16:38 mark that tied the game. Fellow senior forward Claire Thomas snared an offensive rebound for a putback at the 15:37 mark and then it was Starr again connecting from behind the arc from the right top area that upped the Islander lead to 8-3. McMorris cut the lead to 8-6 when she made good on a drive and finish that got her fouled in the process and the ensuing freebie was made as well. However, a score in the paint by Starr at the 14:17 mark and a lay-up by fellow senior sensation Tyseanna Johnson (who was JUST getting started) at the 13:38 mark made it a 12-6 game and Park Center Head Coach Patty Sorensen called a thirty second timeout just to get her team on the same page. No cause for panic - yet.
But you could see subtle signs that this simply was not going to be Park Center's time to shine on this night. To their credit, however, the Pirates stayed within striking distance even as DeLaSalle gradually extended their lead. Senior Hollie Sorensen drained a "3" from the right wing at the 11:57 mark and after DeLaSalle upped their ante to a double-digit advantage at 23-9 with 9:43 left sophomore McKenna DuBois was able to get a lay-up in transition with 9:03 left and then fellow sophomore guard Hannah Schaub drained a "3" from the right top area with 8:35 left that briefly cut the deficit back into single digits at 23-14. But from that point on, any Park Center inroad was met by more unbelievable baskets from the Islanders. Johnson knocked down a "3" from the right wing at the 7:38 mark and then sophomore Patiance Griffin banged home a "3" from the left corner with 6:41 left that increased the Islander's lead to 30-14. McMorris tried to stem the Islander tide with her own jumper with 6:30 left but it was here that Johnson really shined for the Islanders coming down the stretch of the first half. A score in the paint with 6:09 left, a "3" from the right wing with 5:41 left, a lay-up in transition with 4:40 left plus a "3" from the right top area with 1:54 left all helped to not only increase the DeLaSalle lead to 48-23 but effectively ended any remote hope that Park Center may have had about pulling off the unthinkable. It was just one of those situations where everything DeLaSalle was throwing up was going in and this was punctuated even more when the 5'10" Thomas manged to connect with a jumper just before the buzzer that allowed DeLaSalle to take a prohibitive 53-23 lead going into the locker room.
A white-hot Islander team picked up right where they left off when the second half got underway as the Park Center frustrations continued (it frighteningly reminded me of the 1975 NFC Championship Game where my LA Rams got creamed at home by Dallas in the Coliseum 37-7; yeah, it was THAT bad) and Johnson continued to bask in the spotlight. A drive and finish at the 15:20 mark and another foray into the paint for a finish that got her fouled and allowed her to sink the obligatory freebie at the 11:31 mark upped DeLaSalle's lead to 61-28. A jumper by Thomas with 10:12 left and a score inside by sophomore reserve forward Taylor Toney with 9:19 left kept the margin in the thirty-point range and the game would have gone into "running time" by the 9:00 mark but this Park Center team has a lot of pride and senior Kylie Browen prevented that has she was able to hit a "3" from the right corner with 9:04 left that kept the deficit within thirty at 65-36.
There were a few other bright spots for the Pirates in the home stretch of this one. Schaub was able to hit a jumper in transition with 5:52 left and senior point guard Kate Simonet knocked down a "3" from the right wing with 4;24 left. McMorris, who obviously struggled on this night, got untracked somewhat when she was able to manuever into the paint for a score with 3:30 left but the Islanders were simply bigger, stronger, and speedier than their challengers on this night and they would not be denied. Free throws by Toney with 2:24 left and a score inside by the lanky 6'0" sophomore with 2:05 left made it a 76-46 game. The finishing touches on this resounding victory were put on my senior post Natalie Eull with a jumper from the right baseline area with 1:22 left and a score in the paint by sophomore reserve Anna Podewils with just four ticks left on the clock made the final margin 80-48 that was greeted by roars of approval from a rowdy DeLaSalle student contingent that was vocal all game long. Quite obviously when DeLaSalle brings their "A+ game" they're simply unstoppable and it's tough for me to imagine at this point anybody out there in the Class AAA section that is also making the trip to Target Center this next week having a legitimate chance to stop them.
When Park Center junior sensation Cayla McMorris banged home a "3" from the left corner at the 17:12 mark for a 3-0 Pirate lead, it initially appeared that they were going to get that great start they had hoped for. What they couldn't have known, however, was that, on this night, DeLaSalle simply would be on fire and untouchable. The Islander's sensational strong 5'10" senior Allina Starr got things going as she drained a "3" from the right corner at the 16:38 mark that tied the game. Fellow senior forward Claire Thomas snared an offensive rebound for a putback at the 15:37 mark and then it was Starr again connecting from behind the arc from the right top area that upped the Islander lead to 8-3. McMorris cut the lead to 8-6 when she made good on a drive and finish that got her fouled in the process and the ensuing freebie was made as well. However, a score in the paint by Starr at the 14:17 mark and a lay-up by fellow senior sensation Tyseanna Johnson (who was JUST getting started) at the 13:38 mark made it a 12-6 game and Park Center Head Coach Patty Sorensen called a thirty second timeout just to get her team on the same page. No cause for panic - yet.
But you could see subtle signs that this simply was not going to be Park Center's time to shine on this night. To their credit, however, the Pirates stayed within striking distance even as DeLaSalle gradually extended their lead. Senior Hollie Sorensen drained a "3" from the right wing at the 11:57 mark and after DeLaSalle upped their ante to a double-digit advantage at 23-9 with 9:43 left sophomore McKenna DuBois was able to get a lay-up in transition with 9:03 left and then fellow sophomore guard Hannah Schaub drained a "3" from the right top area with 8:35 left that briefly cut the deficit back into single digits at 23-14. But from that point on, any Park Center inroad was met by more unbelievable baskets from the Islanders. Johnson knocked down a "3" from the right wing at the 7:38 mark and then sophomore Patiance Griffin banged home a "3" from the left corner with 6:41 left that increased the Islander's lead to 30-14. McMorris tried to stem the Islander tide with her own jumper with 6:30 left but it was here that Johnson really shined for the Islanders coming down the stretch of the first half. A score in the paint with 6:09 left, a "3" from the right wing with 5:41 left, a lay-up in transition with 4:40 left plus a "3" from the right top area with 1:54 left all helped to not only increase the DeLaSalle lead to 48-23 but effectively ended any remote hope that Park Center may have had about pulling off the unthinkable. It was just one of those situations where everything DeLaSalle was throwing up was going in and this was punctuated even more when the 5'10" Thomas manged to connect with a jumper just before the buzzer that allowed DeLaSalle to take a prohibitive 53-23 lead going into the locker room.
A white-hot Islander team picked up right where they left off when the second half got underway as the Park Center frustrations continued (it frighteningly reminded me of the 1975 NFC Championship Game where my LA Rams got creamed at home by Dallas in the Coliseum 37-7; yeah, it was THAT bad) and Johnson continued to bask in the spotlight. A drive and finish at the 15:20 mark and another foray into the paint for a finish that got her fouled and allowed her to sink the obligatory freebie at the 11:31 mark upped DeLaSalle's lead to 61-28. A jumper by Thomas with 10:12 left and a score inside by sophomore reserve forward Taylor Toney with 9:19 left kept the margin in the thirty-point range and the game would have gone into "running time" by the 9:00 mark but this Park Center team has a lot of pride and senior Kylie Browen prevented that has she was able to hit a "3" from the right corner with 9:04 left that kept the deficit within thirty at 65-36.
There were a few other bright spots for the Pirates in the home stretch of this one. Schaub was able to hit a jumper in transition with 5:52 left and senior point guard Kate Simonet knocked down a "3" from the right wing with 4;24 left. McMorris, who obviously struggled on this night, got untracked somewhat when she was able to manuever into the paint for a score with 3:30 left but the Islanders were simply bigger, stronger, and speedier than their challengers on this night and they would not be denied. Free throws by Toney with 2:24 left and a score inside by the lanky 6'0" sophomore with 2:05 left made it a 76-46 game. The finishing touches on this resounding victory were put on my senior post Natalie Eull with a jumper from the right baseline area with 1:22 left and a score in the paint by sophomore reserve Anna Podewils with just four ticks left on the clock made the final margin 80-48 that was greeted by roars of approval from a rowdy DeLaSalle student contingent that was vocal all game long. Quite obviously when DeLaSalle brings their "A+ game" they're simply unstoppable and it's tough for me to imagine at this point anybody out there in the Class AAA section that is also making the trip to Target Center this next week having a legitimate chance to stop them.
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