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.
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