Metro Stars Reiter vs Wisconsin Playground Elite 7-23-11

2011 NORTH TARTAN MELTDOWN

HOPKINS H.S.

7-23-11  5:20 P.M.

METRO STARS REITER vs WISCONSIN PLAYGROUND ELITE

1^ST Half

This was another intriguing matchup featuring one of the local AAU teams here in the Twin Cities; Metro Stars Reiter going up against a team I had not seen play yet – the Wisconsin Playground Elite team based out of Milwaukee.  This game would be a contrast of styles; the run and gun style of the Wisconsin team and the more deliberate, power-oriented Metro Stars team coached by former Blaine coach Steve Reiter and well- assisted by current Minnesota State (Mankato) player Sarah Wiens; a former Burnsville standout.

Wisconsin Playground Elite would show off their speed and athleticism early on as Terri Bender grabbed the opening tip and raced to the basket to get a quick lay-up and a 2-0 lead.  That lead increased to 5-0 when Dilonna Johnson drained a “3”at the 15:33 mark.  The Metro Stars team got on the scoreboard when Jackie Johnson out of state runner-up Eden Prairie was able to score inside and then Katybeth Biewen from Edina sliced Wisconsin’s lead to 5-4 with her lay-up at the 14:47 mark.  Johnson then gave Metro Stars a brief 6-5 lead when she scored off the glass at the 13:06 mark but then it was the Wisconsin Playground Elite’s turn to turn up the heat  as they used their speed and athleticism to help ignite an 11-2 run over the next few minutes that gave them a 16-8 run.  Wisconsin Playground Elite then upped things to 20-10 at the 8:56 mark on Eileen Van Horn’s lay-up at the 8:56 mark before Metro Stars Reiter was finally able to stop some of the bleeding.  Alexis Foley hit one “3” at the 8:36 mark and then another one at the 7:30 mark that cut the Wisconsin Playground Elite lead in half. 

Wisconsin Playground Elite was able to mount another charge soon thereafter that helped them to forge an eleven point lead by the 6:32 mark but again the Metro Stars team would not buckle.  Britney Scherber scored a lay-up with 5:13 left and then AnnMarie Healy  knocked down a shot of the glass with 4:07 left and the Wisconsin Playground Elite team’s lead was now only 28-21.  The Metro Stars kept chipping away at the Wisconsin Playground Elite team but perhaps, even more important was that Steve Reiter had his team go to a zone defense that effectively choked off the middle and really started to make things miserable for the Wisconsin Playground Elite team as they could not only get it down low to their big post but now they were forcing errant “3”s from behind the arc that would eventually catch up with them.     Still, the Wisconsin team managed to hold a lead coming down the stretch of the first half and held the advantage at the half 31-27.

2^nd Half

What advantage the Wisconsin Playground Elite team had in the first half evaporated in the second half.  Clogged up inside with the 2-3 zone defense the Metro Stars Reiter team employed on defense the Wisconsin Playground Elite team slowly wobbled into disaster.  The game was tied at 33-all when Scherber connected with a jumper at the 12:15 mark and Metro Stars Reiter took the lead for good at the 9:53 mark when Hannah Schonhardt put down two freebies.  The height and rebounding advantage of Metro Stars Reiter also took its toll on Wisconsin Playground Elite as the second half progressed.  Healy snared a rebound and got a bucket on a putback and Johnson was able to score as well at the 6:19 mark.  Johnson had another score at the 5:42 mark and then also knocked down an unlikely “3” with 5:01 left as Metro Stars Reiter enjoyed its biggest lead at 44-36.

But Wisconsin Playground Elite had one more run left in them to make this one a soul-tugger coming down the stretch.  Dilonna Johnson hit a “3” with 4:47 left  and then Mehryn Kraker who may be the best athlete on the team struck from behind the arc with her own “3” with 3:27 left that cut the Metro Stars Reiter lead to just 44-43.  Wisconsin Playground Elite actually grabbed the lead at the 2:16 mark and gave Steve Reiter and Sarah Weins just cause to hit the panic button but the Metro Stars Reiter team calmly responded with some key buckets and free throws.  Schonhardt’s freebie with just 2:04 left knotted things up at 45.  Despite another Kraker freebie that gave the Wisconsin Playground Elite team one more lead at 46-45 with just 1:16 left, it was then Biewen and Foley who came to the rescue for Metro Stars Reiter with just under a minute – Biewen’s improbable lay-up in traffic with :41 left and then Foley doing the same with only :04 left – that earned Metro Stars Reiter a hard-fought 49-46 win.

All Iowa Attack Mauro vs Team Iowa 7-23-11

2011 NORTH TARTAN MELTDOWN

HOPKINS H.S.

7-23-11

4:10 P.M.

ALL IOWA ATTACK MAURO vs TEAM IOWA

1^st Half

Was looking forward to covering the All Iowa Attack team in this tournament as this was the first time I’ve been able to watch them since their only other visit this year to the Twin Cities back in May.  While the All Iowa Attack faces looked familiar to me, their opponent, Team Iowa, was not a team I was familiar with at all and, on paper anyway, this was a game that All Iowa Attack should have won.  As ESPN’s Chris Berman would say, “That’s why they play the games.”

Not terribly surprisingly this game was close from the outset with All Iowa Attack Mauro holding a slim advantage.  Alyssa Johnson started things off for AIAM by scoring inside but that was quickly countered by Team Iowa’s Liz Skotowski’s “3” at the 14:23 mark.  With AIAM clinging to an 8-7 lead they finally made a move to open a little distance between themselves and their opponent.  A “3” at the 12:10 mark made it 11-7 and then Taylor Shull (best player on AIAM team, IMHO) knocked down a “3” at the 7:13 mark.  Then Johnson knocked down a “3” off the glass at the 6:50 mark and AIAM had some breathing room with a 17-9 lead. 

But Team Iowa would not fade into the night in this one.  Carly Pagel’s bucket at the 6:10 mark got the underdogs going again.  Courtney Strait was able to knock down two freebies from the charity stripe as well a bit later.  Trailing 19-14 at the 3:46 mark, Team Iowa’s #34 knocked down a “3” at the 2:54 mark that cut AIAM’s lead to a scant two points.  Still another three by Team Iowa’s #34 gave it it’s first lead  since the 14:23 mark.  The lead was short-lived, however, as AIAM’s Morgan Mauro drained a “3” of her own with 1:35 left.  Team Iowa would briefly regain the lead thanks to Pagel’s free throw with a little over a minute left but Shull was able to knock down a turnaround jumper with just under a minute left in the first half and AIAM held a 24-21 halftime lead. 

But Team Iowa made it clear early on in the second half that they were in this thing to win it.  Strait muscled her way inside at the 15:34 mark to score and was fouled in the process.  Her ensuing freebie tied things up again at 24-all.  Still, AIAM was not about to be intimidated by the challenge either.  McKenzie Piper drained a “3” to put the AIAM team back in front at the 15:11 mark.  AIAM would maintain this slim, slim advantage over the course of the next few minutes before Team Iowa was able to knot things up again at 31 all at the 7:52 mark and then went ahead on Alexis Lozano-Dobbs’ jumper with 5:58 left.

The lead would bob back and forth for a bit but it looked as if AIAM had finally regained control of this game with just 2:22 left when Mauro canned a “3” from the top and gave her team a 37-35 lead.  Unfortunately for AIAM, it would be the last lead they would enjoy in this contest.  Team Iowa’s Madison Baier scored inside at exactly the 2:00 minute mark to tie things up again at 37-all.  Then, with just :43 left on the clock Team Iowa’s Alyssa Jones drained a “3” that gave her team the lead for good at 40-37.  Team Iowa applied some pressure defense as well and it caused a costly, costly double-dribble error on AIAM’s Tember Schechinger.  Team Iowa was able to get the necessary trips to the charity stripe to salt things away and, in the end, came up with a somewhat improbable 43-39 victory.  

Mid-Town YWCA Women's College Basketball Summer League Results For Wednesday 7-20-11

5:00 P.M. Games

Team Gray - 63
UW-River Falls #2 - 59

Hamline - 59
SMU - 58  OT


5:55 P.M. Games

Team Bundle - 41
Hamline/St. Kate's/Bethany - 28

Old Tymers - 52
Augsburg - 27


6:50 P.M. Games

Concordia St. Paul - 69
UW-Eau Claire - 49

St. Olaf - 50
GAC Black - 26

Anoka-Ramsey - 54
GAC Gold - 43


7:45 Games

UST - 62
Rams - 41

UM-Crookston - 60
Anoka-Ramsey Gold - 47

GAC Gold - 65
UST Freshmen - 46


A very exciting game in the 5:00 P.M. slot as SMU saw their sizable lead in the first half gradually dwindle as a feisty Hamline squad had to come back from the brink of defeat twice and scored a lay-up at the buzzer to win it in overtime.  UST looks to me like the team to beat in the MIAC right now but am becoming more and more impressed with St. Olaf with each outing this summer.  They have, IMHO, the best PG in the conference in Mackenzie Wolter and perhaps one of the top two 1-2 punch tandems down low in Erin Haglund and Elise Raney.  Also, Kirstee Rotty and Eileen O'Donoghue compliment this group nicely.  St. Olaf could make a big statement this coming season.  

Mid-Town YWCA Women's College Basketball Summer League Results For Wednesday 7-13-11

5:00 P.M. Games

UST - 44
GAC Gold - 35

UM-Crookston - 62
GAC Black - 58


5:55 P.M. Games

Anoka-Ramsey Gold - 60
SMU - 37

SCSU - 64
UW-Eau Claire - 45

UST - 49
Hamline/St. Kate's/Bethany - 27


6:50 P.M. Games

Sweet Sensation - 67
GAC Alumni - 43

Northern St. - 57
UW-River Falls #1 - 44

Knight Train - 41
Augsburg - 31


7:45 P.M. Games

Concordia St. Paul - 49
Anoka-Ramsey - 46

Rams - 38
CSB - 36

Old Tymers - 61
Team Bundle - 58


Some very good, entertaining games again on this evening.  Both GAC teams in the early games were close but were unable to get over the hump.  Two VERY entertaining games in the 7:45 tilts as both Concordia St. Paul and the Anoka-Ramsey alumni team (Rams) had to hang on for dear life.  The Anoka-Ramsey alumni team DID get a little help from recent ARCC grad Mallory Cramer that probably helped some.  An unusual occurence happened right around 8:30 as the 7:45 games were in the home stretch.  I had just gone out to my car to retrieve my jacket (it was cold in there) and came back inside the building when the fire alarms had gone off which resulted in everybody having to vacate the facility for a good 10-15 minutes before order was restored.  I did get to watch the first half of the (delayed) 8:40 P.M. game between Winona State and St. Olaf and the Warriors were up 23-10 at the break.   

Mid-Town YWCA Women's College Basketball Summer League Results For Wednesday 7-6-11

5:00 P.M. Games

Sweet Sensation - 56
UW-River Falls #1 - 40

UW-Eau Claire - 55
GAC Alumni - 49


5:55 P.M. Games

Old Tymers - 57
UW-River Falls #2 - 32

Team Bundle - 25
Knight Train - 20

St. Olaf - 51
Augsburg - 35


6:50 P.M. Games

GAC Gold - 46
CSB - 40

UST - 64
Concordia St. Paul - 34

Team Gray/Augsburg - 42
Northwestern - 21


7:45 P.M. Games

Anoka-Ramsey Gold - 48
Hamline - 34

UM-Crookston - 71
Hamline/St. Kate's/Bethany - 34


The two 7:45 games were both pretty much bloodbaths but the real fun one to watch on this evening was the 5:00 P.M. game between the GAC Alumni and UW-Eau Claire.  The Gustie alumni missed several lay-ups on fast break opportunities that cost them in the end.  The game between Team Bundle and Knight Train was not one for offensive purists as the Team Bundle squad held a 7-6 lead at the half.  Former Carleton Knight Linnea Engel ('04) admitted afterward it was definitely not a great shooting event for either squad.  UST was incredibly impressive on this night as they thrashed Concordia St. Paul.  Three-point shooting queen Ali Johnson was lighting it up from behind the arc in this one.  St. Olaf continues to impress as well and I have to think that they'll be a factor this next season. 

I headed out midway through the 8:40 P.M. games.  In one game SMU was leading the GAC Black squad 31-14 behind hot-shooting Emily DeWitt and her pal, former CSB player Joelle Waytashek.  In the other game, St. Cloud St. was up on the Anoka-Ramsey team 26-9 at the half. 

Mid-Town YWCA Women's College Basketball Summer League Results For Wednesday 6-29-11

Here are the scores I was able to get from the action last night at the Mid-Town YWCA Summer League:

5:00 P.M. Games

Winona St. - 35
Team Bundle - 24

UW-Superior - 47
St. Olaf - 32


5:55 P.M. Games

Winona St. - 66
Old Tymers - 34

UW-River Falls #2 - 58
Augsburg - 46

UW-Superior - 59
Northwestern - 32


6:50 P.M. Games

UM-Crookston - 62
Team Gray - 48

Hamline - 56
GAC Black - 42

SMU - 65
Hamline/St. Kate's/Bethany - 45


7:45 P.M. Games

Anoka-Ramsey Gold - 42
Knight Train - 29

MN Jaguars - 43
Sweet Sensation - 29

Concordia St. Paul - 53
CSB - 37

Had to leave at the half of the 8:40 P.M. games that saw St. Cloud St. leading UST at the break and Minnesota St. leading GAC Gold at the half as well.  But the game I was intrigued with (and WISH I could have stayed the whole game for) was the contest between Anoka-Ramsey and the GAC Alumni team.  This one went back and forth for much of the first half before the Gustie Alumni began to gain an edge down the stretch.  True, they had some help from current Gusties Steph Comer and Colleen Ruane but the Alumni were holding their own with the younger Anoka-Ramsey squad and veterans such as Katie Layman, Kenzie Consoer, Molly Kelly, Erin Luemann, Lindsay Koldan, and Bailey Vendelanotte all made significant contributions in the first half. 

Also was good to see UW-Superior Coach Don Mulhern in attendance watching his team in action and former St. Kate's standout Ashley (Busch) Linsmeier who was there watching her younger sister Abby who plays for Winona St.

Mid-Town YWCA Women's College Basketball Summer League Results For Wednesday 6-22

Here are the results from the games I was able to catch last night at the Midtown YWCA Womens College Summer League:

5:00 P.M. Games

SCSU - 55
CSB - 41

UST - 44
GAC Alumni - 31


5:55 P.M. Games

Northern St. - 49
GAC Gold - 45

Hamline - 49
Hamline/St. Kate's/Bethany - 30

Team Gray - 57
SMU - 43


6:50 P.M. Games

St. Olaf - 50
GAC Black - 34

UM-Crookston - 65
Knight Train - 12

Team Bundle - 51
Augsburg - 23


7:45 P.M. Games

Anoka-Ramsey - 52
UW-River Falls 1 - 48

Sweet Sensation - 69
Rams - 49

UST Freshmen - 64
GAC Black - 51

Caught part of the 8:40 P.M. games before I had to head out.  At the half of those games, Anoka-Ramsey Gold led UW-River Falls #2 35-21 and in the other game going on the Old Tymers led Northwestern College 36-10.