Here are the playoff results on the final night of the JCC Women's College Summer League:
5:30 P.M. Game
GAC Alumni + A Few - 62
GAC Gold - 45
Despite the fact that I arrived late on this night thanks to some untimely errands I had to run after I got off the bus from work, I could tell that the young GAC Gold squad had their work cut out for them against the bigger, more experienced GAC Alumni + A Few squad which forged a 35-24 halftime lead. Still, the gamey GAC Gold squad tried to get right back into the thick of things once the second half got underway as they managed to whittle the deficit down to single digits in the early going of the second half but their efforts soon faltered. The GAC Alumni + A Few squad rebuilt their lead to double digits and had a thirteen point cushion by the 11:50 mark at 47-34 that would soon grow to seventeen points at 53-36 with 9:25 left and the GAC Alumni + A Few team was able to cruise into Monday night's championship game with a relatively easy 62-45 victory.
6:20 P.M. Game
GAC Black - 54
Northern State - 45
The other semifinal on this night pitted the other young Gustie squad; the GAC Black team up against the team that most projected into the other slot of the championship game on this evening - Northern State. The young GAC Black team managed to keep things close in the early going but late in the second half Northern State was able to make a move. A jumper by freshman-to-be Jaycie Gerding out of Centennial with 4:35 left upped the Wolves lead to 19-14 and a 6-2 Northern State run shortly thereafter increased their lead to 25-16 with 2:00 minutes left in the first half. Northern State appeared to stick an early dagger into the heart of the GAC Black team right before the half when freshman-to-be Taylor Kane (who hit a huge game winner over at the Midtown YWCA Women's College Summer League recently) drilled a jumper from along the right baseline that gave the Wolves a 27-19 halftime lead. But this tricky underdog GAC Black squad slowly chipped and clawed their way right back into the game while a bigger and more athletic Northern State squad suddenly saw things go totally awry for them. With their lead cut down to a scant point at 40-39, the GAC Black squad suddenly took a 41-40 lead with 7:35 left and still held that one-point edge at 42-41 with 5:48 left. Northern State tried desperately to stem the GAC Black tide but they couldn't find a way to stop freshman-to-be Brooke Lemke out of Delano who was simply sensational down the stretch; hitting "3's" and masterfully running the offense and making things happen on defense as well. With time ticking away, Northern State's situation became more and more desperate as the GAC Black team built a four-point lead at 47-43 with 3:15 left which grew to a seven-point 52-45 lead with just 2:02 left. GAC Black pulled off the big upset on this night; claiming a 54-45 win over a shell-shocked Northern State team to advance to the championship game.
7:30 P.M. Championship Game
GAC Alumni + A Few - 53
GAC Black - 43
You had to wonder if the GAC Black team had anything left in the tank after their big upset win over Northern State. Still, the young, scrappy GAC Black team hung in there in the opening minutes; staying close with their older, bigger opponent. Down the stretch of the first half, however, the inevitable happened as the GAC Alumni + A Few team made a bit of a run fueled by former Gustie PG Bri Radtke and former Augsburg player Anne Skriba (the "A Few" part) that gave them a 20-14 lead with 8:15 left and they maintained that cushion for the rest of the first half as they built a 30-22 halftime lead. But this time there would be no spirited comeback for the GAC Black squad as their rested opponent seized control. Radtke played as though she could hold the point guard spot for her old school for the next ten years while Skriba was simply unstoppable at times. The GAC Black squad wasn't willing to fly the white flag as they made a late flurry to keep things reasonably close but the GAC Alumni + A Few team were the champions at the end with a 53-43 victory.
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