Made what seems to be the annual journey up to Anoka on this overcast and snowy Friday evening to take in the Section 5AAAA Championship Game between second-seeded Roseville and top-seeded Maple Grove - a rematch of last year's contest at this exact same venue. The Raiders were a respectable 13-5 in the rugged Suburban East Conference and 19-10 overall while the Crimson while the Crimson won the Northwest Suburban Conference going away this year being unblemished in conference play and sporting a sparkling 24-5 overall record that had many people feeling that this might possibly be their year on the Big Stage at Williams Arena - including yours truly. But, there's that old saying of "That's why the play the game" that certainly rang true last season when Roseville upended Maple Grove 60-50 in this same setting and the Crimson were certainly hoping to avoid that pitfall this time around. I arrived at Anoka High School early and got settled into my seat in plenty of time to watch both teams warm-up and mingle just a bit as well.
Maple Grove Head Coach Mark Cook likely couldn't have asked for a better start - at least initially anyway - from his team as they jumped out to a quick 5-0 lead. Star senior guard and future Minnesota Golden Gopher Kennedy Klick would snare the opening tip and race in for an uncontested lay-up at the 17:57 mark and freshman guard Kate Holmquist would drain a "3" from the right corner at the 17:31 mark to forge the aforementioned score but it soon became apparent to the Crimson faithful that Roseville junior point guard Kendall Barnes would quickly become a thorn in their sides all night long. Two scores by Barnes - a "3" from the top of the key at the 16:19 mark and then a steal and lay-up the other way that also drew a foul with the obligatory "and one" at the 16:02 mark - suddenly had the Raiders up 6-5. Maple Grove would get this contest leveled at seven a piece on an offensive rebound and putback by lanky junior guard Claire Stern at the 15:10 mark but slowing down this Roseville team was proving to be problematic as the Raiders would forge ahead again. Junior forward Lucy Sundberg would maneuver into the paint for one score at the 14:47 mark and a lay-up by senior forward Lily Peper at the 13:56 mark gave this underdog Roseville team an 11-8 advantage. The Crimson; despite the early difficulties that this athletic and quick Roseville team was posing for them, would keep things tight as scores in the paint - one by 6'2" senior forward/post Audrey Kormann at the 13:36 mark and another by slender sophomore guard Jordan Ode at the 12:18 mark - had Maple Grove in that one-point range down 13-12 and when Klick buried a "3" from the left top area at the 11:05 mark, this contest was tied up again at 15 and you might've been lulled into thinking that perhaps Maple Grove had settled down after some early jitters and were now poised to take control of this contest. But before the Crimson faithful could get too comfortable, Roseville erupted with another spurt. Lucy Sundberg would get a three-point play the old-fashioned way with a lay-up that drew a foul at the 10:51 mark along with the ensuing "and one" to put the Raiders back out in front 18-15 and when Barnes used her trademark burst of speed for a daring drive and lay-up at the 9:32 mark, Roseville now owned a five-point edge at 20-15.
The Crimson's problems would only mount when Roseville freshman guard Mirabelle Jackson banged home a "3" with 8:37 left to cap this key 8-0 run by the Raiders that gave them an eight-point cushion at 23-15. Maple Grove's Klick would finally stop some of this bleeding when Klick snared an offensive rebound and connected with a short jumper off the glass with 8:14 left but that was soon answered by Roseville as senior guard Drew Johnston drained a "3" from the left wing area with 7:30 left that now gave the Raiders their largest lead thus far at 26-17. Maple Grove now had the arduous task of trying to tighten things up again. Kormann would get one free throw to go down after getting fouled with 6:44 left and an Ode drive and finish with 4:32 left had the deficit slimmed down to six points at 26-20. Kormann would also snare an offensive rebound for a putback with 2:11 left and one Ode free throw after she was fouled with 1:32 left tightened things up a bit more with the Crimson down by five at 28-23. But Roseville had no intentions of letting its opponent stay within striking distance and two late scores allowed the Raiders to take a double-digit cushion into the locker room by the halftime break. Freshman reserve forward Maddie Sundberg would unleash a killer "3" from the right corner with 1:18 left and Barnes would wow the crowd inside Anoka Gymnasium before the halftime buzzer with a daring drive into the lane and a pretty one-handed finish with :13 left that had the Roseville team whooping it up with a 33-23 lead. Considering how Maple Grove had no answers thus far as to slowing down this quick Roseville team and how the Raiders were wreaking havoc with their defense on Maple Grove's half-court offensive sets, Roseville Head Coach Tanysha Scott's gameplan so far was working to a "T".
The Raiders would grow their lead to twelve not terribly long after the second half got underway. Barnes would blow by a Crimson defender at the 16:55 mark for a drive and finish to make it a 35-23 ballgame and two Peper free throws at the 14:59 mark after she was fouled helped maintain the twelve-point edge at 37-25. Compounding the problem for Maple Grove now was that Klick had picked up her second foul of the evening as well early on in this second half. The Crimson would cut the deficit to ten at 37-27 when Kormann muscled into the paint for a score at the 14:39 mark but then at the 13:44 mark, Kormann would collect her third foul of the night and Maple Grove's Cook had no choice but to yank her to the bench for preservation purposes. To be sure, the Crimson looked very vulnerable at this point yet it was here that they were able to cook up their first attempt at bringing this one back. Ode would use her 5'11" frame to snare an offensive rebound for a putback at the 13:23 mark and a Stern lay-up at the 12:34 mark had the deficit shaved to seven points at 38-31. Ode would strike again at the 12:06 mark with a pretty drive and finish to keep Maple Grove in that seven-point range and then less than a minute later, Kormann; riding those three fouls, got into the paint for a score at the 11:22 mark that finally had the Crimson back within striking distance again down just five at 40-35 and Cook would call a thirty-second timeout to perhaps give his squad a moment to catch their collective breaths and refocus on the task ahead. At the 10:36 mark, Klick would snare a long offensive rebound and get a lay-up out of it to keep Maple Grove in that five-point range down 42-37 so there definitely seemed to be optimism again on the Crimson side.
But hopes would dim shortly thereafter as the Raiders went on another push to widen their advantage. Barnes would quickly go back to work with back-to-back scores - a drive and finish at the 10:22 mark and a lay-up at the 9:21 mark - that gave Roseville more breathing room up nine at 46-37. A tough jumper along the left baseline by Lucy Sundberg with 7:49 left maintained the nine-point edge 48-39 and another Barnes lay-up with 6:49 left did the same keeping Roseville up 50-41. With 6:18 left, Maddie Sundberg put the Crimson in an even more precarious spot when she connected with a jumper along the left baseline that now gave the Raiders a double-digit cushion at 52-41 and one Barnes free throw after she was fouled with 6:02 left consolidated on that advantage to make it a 53-41 ballgame. Maple Grove would try and make a dent in this cushion with back-to-back scores. Kormann would muscle into the paint for one score with 5:29 left and then Ode would snare an offensive rebound for a putback with 4:54 left that also drew a foul and her ensuing "and one" perhaps had the Crimson seeing a bit of light at the end of the tunnel down 53-46. Kormann would add a lay-up with 4:29 left that kept Maple Grove in that seven-point range down 55-48 but the hopes that the Crimson had took a serious hit with 3:44 left when Kormann fouled out that effectively took away the big presence that Maple Grove wanted to establish in the paint. Now the Crimson had to find other ways to peck away at this deficit with time now becoming a factor as well. Ode would raise the hopes amongst the Maple Grove faithful when she buried a "3" from the right corner with 3:10 left that closed the gap to six points at 57-51 but the Raiders quickly re-established their earlier ten-point cushion as Barnes would connect with yet another lay-up with 2:41 left and two free throws by Peper with 2:02 left had Roseville up 61-51. Desperation was perhaps creeping in on the Crimson front but they would still launch another bid in a longshot attempt to try and bring this one back. With 1:48 left, Ode would slither into the paint for a score that would also draw a foul and the obligatory free throw had the deficit back down to seven again at 61-54. With 1:21 left, senior reserve guard Ally Misoi sneaked into the paint for a score that kept Maple Grove in that seven-point range down 63-56. And the Crimson were able to benefit by some shaky free throw shooting from Roseville as well that at least kept the proverbial door ajar down the home stretch. Klick would knock down a short jumper in the lane with 1:01 left that cut the deficit down to six at 64-58 and a Stern lay-up with :42 left had the deficit down to a tantalizing five points at 65-60. With :22.7 left, Stern would come through for Maple Grove again as she would snare an offensive rebound for a putback that finally, finally had the Crimson back to within a single possession again down just 65-62. Maple Grove's Cook would then call a timeout but the Crimson could get no closer. Roseville would get insurance free throws - two from Barnes with :19.4 left and one more from Peper with :08 left as the Raiders slammed that door shut and celebrated with a 68-62 victory to claim the Section 5AAAA crown and the right to advance to the State Tournament.
I look back on this game and, aside from how Roseville seemed to take charge early on this time around, I almost felt like I was watching a re-run of last year's final in this exact same venue where, once again, missed free throws proved fatal for Maple Grove. But this time around, the situation was even more pronounced as the Crimson made a late push to get things tightened up again and you can't help but wonder if the final outcome might have been altered had Maple Grove done a better job at the charity stripe. Whether it's at the college level or the high school level, it seems like at least twice a year (if not more) I have to harp on this particular subject and this game is certainly no exception. You HAVE to make free throws. It's just that simple. And once again, Maple Grove will be sitting at home for the State Tournament with its season ended because of this particular item. Now, to be sure, Roseville's free throw shooting down the stretch wasn't anything to write home about either but they were operating from the position of having the lead instead of having to fight like hell to try and bring things back like Maple Grove did so their margin for error was was arguably much bigger. One other thing that I felt that I needed to touch one was that the other big difference I noted between these two teams is that Roseville just has a considerable element of toughness about them and it really paid dividends for them on this night. They outworked and outhustled their opponent and frustrated them at times as well.
Roseville's Barnes wowed the crowd inside Anoka Gymnasium on this night on several occasions and little wonder as to why as her 31 points easily led all scorers. And Barnes got a lot of help on this night too - particularly from Peper as she would tally 12 points. Maple Grove would get a splendid effort from Ode as she led the way for the Crimson with her 20 points and Klick wasn't far behind as she tallied 18 points while Kormann would finish with 11 points before fouling out.
