State Tournament Update

I had a pretty good idea that I'd have to be writing this on the eve of the Girl's State Tournament - an event that I would much rather be preparing for and blogging for.  However, our wonderful friends at MSHSL have decided that bloggers such as myself are persona non grata and do not not meet the League's criteria for being credentialed media.

Not that I'm surprised at this one bit.  I anticipated this happening so I'm not surprised or disappointed.  Sadly, this is the current high school organization overseeing all of Minnesota high school sports, including girl's basketball.  Look, I've ranted on MSHSL before (and I'll do it again here in the not too distant el futuro to be sure) but this is what high school sports - including girl's basketball - is saddled with right now - an organization that stuck in 19th century thinking and has no interest whatsoever in promoting girl's basketball and does not want bloggers (such as myself and others) doing their part to promote it at THEIR state tournament.   

I do plan to attend some of the tournament this week and weekend when Iowa and/or UCLA isn't playing in the Big Dance.  But it'll be strictly as a fan and nothing more.   

Section 5AAAA Championship Game - Roseville vs Maple Grove

 Made what seems to be (almost) like the annual trek up to Anoka and Anoka High School for the Section 5AAAA Championship Game featuring Roseville out of the Suburban East Conference and perennial Northwest Suburban Conference powerhouse Maple Grove.  The second-seeded Raiders arguably had a much tougher road to the section title game; having to stave off a strong challenge from Park Center in a tight 64-62 win in the opening round and then getting by always-tricky Spring Lake Park in the semifinals on Tuesday night.  The top-seeded Crimson meanwhile breezed past Irondale in the first round and then earned a 52-40 win over conference rival Champlin Park on Tuesday night to get to this title game.  This would be my first look at Roseville this season so I was arguably coming in a bit "cold" on them but having covered a Maple Grove game earlier in the season with my good buddy Mike Peden, I knew what the Crimson brought to the table.  

Maple Grove Head Coach Mark Cook probably couldn't have asked for a better start to this contest as the Crimson built a 9-0 lead in a first half that saw the Raiders struggle mightily on the offensive end; missing opportunity after opportunity with turnovers galore.  Crimson freshman guard Jordan Ode got this going with a three-point play the old-fashioned way - a drive and finish that drew a foul with the obligatory "and one" at the 17:02 mark and a lay-up by speedy junior guard/forward Kennedy Klick at the 16:09 mark made it a 5-0 game.  Sophomore reserve guard Ava Cossette would build on that lead with a lay-up at the 10:12 mark and a bit later, Ode would make it a 9-0 game at the 9:41 mark with her short, one-handed jumper off the glass so while one could argue that perhaps the Crimson weren't exactly running away with this one just yet, you didn't exactly need an abacus to keep score in this one up to this juncture account the seeming futility of Roseville on the offensive end.

After what seemed like an eternity, the Raiders finally dusted off the cobwebs forming on their basket when senior forward Hannah Heffernan knocked down a jumper from the right wing area at the 9:19 mark and a lay-up in transition by sophomore guard Kendall Barnes with 8:50 left reduced the deficit to five but Roseville would still be fighting an uphill battle in this low-scoring affair as the Crimson kept a firm grip on things.  Senior guard Kyla Overskei would drain a "3" from the left top area with 8:33 left and a drive and pretty reverse lay-up by senior reserve guard Kara Hoag with 6:57 left had Maple Grove's cushion at ten at 14-4.  That lead would expand to thirteen when Ode buried a "3" of her own from the right wing area with 5:55 left to make it a 17-4 ballgame before the Raiders could get the deficit cut back to ten on a three-point bomb from the top of the key by senior guard Gabby Kopp with 5:46 left.  The Crimson still had full control of things at a seemingly "safe" 19-7 lead when lanky junior forward Audrey Kormann snared an offensive rebound for a putback with 5:07 left but Roseville; which had seemed out of sorts for so much of this first half on the offensive end, finally was able to tighten things up a bit down the stretch before intermission.  Senior forward Hattie DeVries would bang home a much-needed "3" from the right wing area with 4:50 left and one Barnes free throw after she was fouled with 3:31 left had the deficit down to eight at 19-11.  Then junior guard Drew Johnston finally got untracked as she would bury a "3" from the right wing area with 2:23 left that cut into the deficit even more at 19-14.  Perhaps a bit alarmed at this point, the Crimson were able to stretch out their lead again as Klick would connect on a lay-up with 2:05 left and a drive along the right baseline and finish by Cossette with 1:32 left had the lead back up to nine at 23-14.  But the Raiders were able to show another sign of their sudden rejuvenation as sophomore reserve forward Lucia Sundberg drained a "3" from the left wing area with just :07.8 left that cut the deficit down to six at 23-17.  It was arguably something of a glass half-full proposition for Maple Grove as they still had the lead and still had things going their way for the most part but at the same time they probably missed a golden opportunity to put Roseville behind the proverbial 8-ball early on and left the door open for them to close the gap.

And those nagging worries amongst the Crimson faithful only grew once the second half got underway as Maple Grove seemed to come out a bit flat while the Raiders seemed re-energized and ready to go.  And two quick scores by Roseville only reinforced that notion.  Heffernan would connect with a lay-up at the 17:29 mark and a score in the paint by DeVries at the 16:25 mark suddenly had the deficit down to two points at 23-21.  The Crimson's Kormann would come to her team's rescue when she muscled into the paint for a score at the 16:07 mark but then Roseville would finally get this game evened up when Kopp not only buried a three-point bomb from the left top area at the 15:29 mark but was also fouled in the process and her ensuing "and one" had this contest knotted at 25-all with the Roseville contingent roaring in applause.  A short jumper by Johnston at the 14:42 mark would get this contest tied again at 27 a piece and two free throws by Heffernan at the 14:09 mark after she was fouled would make it 29-all.  Complicating things even more for Maple Grove was that senior guard/forward Ari Gordon had also collected her third foul of the evening and Cook; not wanting to take any chances with one of his top players, yanked her to the bench for preservation purposes.  The Crimson's Ode would put her team ahead at 30-29 on one free throw after she was fouled at the 14:02 mark but the Raiders would finally take their first lead in this ballgame a bit later when DeVries connected with a lay-up at the 13:28 mark.  DeVries would get fouled at the 11:46 mark and got one freebie to go down to make it 32-30 and that lead would grow to four at 34-30 when Barnes connected with a lay-up at the 11:25 mark.  In full-alarm mode, Maple Grove had to turn on the switch.  Ode would knock down a pair of free throws after getting fouled at the 10:17 mark and a lay-up in transition by Overskei at the 9:58 mark leveled the game at 34.  Crimson fans may have breathed a bit of a sigh of relieft when Gordon got one free throw to go down after getting fouled at the 9:30 mark to push her team back out in front 35-34 but the safety net that Maple Grove had earlier in this contest was now long gone and they had to know by now that they were in a fight for survival.   

The Crimson would at least be able to incrementally grow their lead as Ode would get one free throw to go down with 8:50 left after getting fouled and Cossette would do the same after getting fouled with 8:22 left to give Maple Grove a 37-34 lead.  Klick would also connect on a pretty reverse lay-up with 7:05 left to maintain that three-point edge at 39-36 but then, inexplicably, the wheels started coming off for the Crimson ever...so...slowly.  Roseville's Johnston would get one free throw to go down after getting fouled with 6:44 left that cut the deficit to two points and then a bit later, Barnes would find a gap in Maple Grove's defense that allowed her to connect on a lay-up with 6:28 left that had this one tied again at 39 a piece.  The Crimson would grab the lead again when Ode slithered into the paint for a score with 6:13 left but it would disappear just as quickly when Roseville's Johnston unleashed a dagger "3" from the top of the key with 5:40 left as the Raiders claimed the lead at 42-41.  Maple Grove's Klick would slither into the paint for a score with 5:17 left as the Crimson took the lead right back at 43-42 but the killer sequence would come shortly thereafter as Roseville unleashed a game-changing 7-0 burst that not only gave them the lead for good but also took the wind out of the sails for the Crimson as well.  DeVries would strike twice for the Raiders - first with a lay-up with 4:30 left to push Roseville back out in front at 44-43 and then again with 3:18 left with a back-breaking "3" from the top of the key to make it a 47-43 ballgame.  The Roseville lead would then increase to six when Barnes made a daring drive into traffic for a finish with 2:21 left that made it 49-43 before the Crimson could launch a late-game comeback bid.  Ode would connect with a lay-up with 2:08 left and after getting a stop on the other end, Klick would use a burst of speed to connect on a lay-up of her own with 1:45 left that now had the deficit down to two at 49-47.  The Raiders' DeVries would get into the paint for a score with 1:25 left and senior reserve guard Makayla Holton would get one free throw to go down after getting fouled with 1:05 left to give Roseville a 52-47 advantage.  But Maple Grove still appeared to have life when Overskei was able to drain a "3" from the right corner with :43 left to bring the Crimson back to within a single possession down 52-50.  Maple Grove's Cook would call a timeout to set up defensive strategy but the Crimson could never get the one takeaway or score that might have changed things toward the end.  Roseville's Johnston would knock down a pair of free throws after getting fouled with :33.2 left and after a Maple Grove turnover on the other end, the Crimson were forced to foul the Raiders' Barnes who would respond with two more free throws that pushed Roseville's lead to 56-50.  Another foiled Crimson possession led to Johnston getting fouled with :17.4 left and she would pour in two more free throws to make it 58-50.  With :07.1 left, Johnston would respond again with two more insurance free throws after getting fouled as the Raiders pulled off a huge upset with a 60-50 victory to claim the Section 5AAAA title and advance to the State Tournament.

I was able to catch up with a distraught and disappointed Cook afterward and he could only offer that "We didn't do what we said we were going to do at halftime and we didn't make free throws."  Assistant Coach Bob DuBois also offered that "We didn't defend either."  During the game, I was sitting in the upper bleachers; not far from former Park Center standout and former UST player McKenna DuBois and I told her late in the game, "You've gotta make free throws!".  She could only concur.....I know I've harped on it several times during this season but you definitely DO have to make free throws and that aspect cost Maple Grove on this night - no doubt about it.  Going 9-17 from the charity stripe as the Crimson did on this night cost them.  The other thing that stands out in my mind is that I really thought that Maple Grove was the "better" team on the floor on this night in purely talent terms.  But Roseville was easily the tougher team when it counted and they came up with the big plays and shots when they needed to and didn't panic when they struggled early on.  A balanced scoring attack really helped the Raiders' cause on this night and what a night it was for the youngster; Johnston, as her 15 points led the way for Roseville and DeVries was right behind with 14 points.  Kopp had a solid night as well with her 10 points.  Maple Grove relied heavily on Ode on this night as her 20 points to lead all scorers would suggest while Klick finished with 10 points.      

Section 3AAAA Semifinal Game - Bloomington Jefferson vs Rosemount 3-5-22

Having been focused primarily on the MIACC Women's Basketball scene this season, I figured it was probably high time I get my rear end in action and start getting some Minnesota Girl's High School Basketball for a change now that Section play is in full swing.  During last year's State Tournament that I watched on TV, I said that one team that I wanted to watch play more than any was that Rosemount team that made it to the State Championship Game last season so I figured that this Saturday night matchup down at Rosemount High School against would be a good time to finally do just that.  The Jaguars, to be sure, are far removed from their glory years of the late 90s and early 2000s but they were good enough to garner the fourth seed in Section 3AAAA and took down a highly-regarded Eastview team on Wednesday night 52-41 in their opening section game.  The top-seeded Irish, meanwhile, had cruised past 8th-seeded Apple Valley on that same Wednesday night 61-20 and conventional wisdom anyway has suggested that the Irish should have little opposition in its way in its quest for another trip to the Big Stage at the State Tournament.  But, as we all know all too well, THAT's why you play the game.

Rosemount Head Coach Chris Orr had his team in a 1-2-2 zone defense to star the game with but that didn't seem to faze the visiting Jaguars - at least early on anyway.  After the Irish had taken a 2-0 lead on a short jumper in the lane by junior guard Nicole O'Neil at the 16:59 mark of this first half, Bloomington Jefferson surprised everyone inside Rosemount Gymnasium as junior post Angelina Chapple muscled into the paint for a score to tie the game at the 16:46 mark and then a "3" from the right top area by slender senior guard Emily Roach at the 16:08 mark to push the Jaguars ahead 5-2.  Another score in the paint by Chapple at the 14:16 mark extended that lead to 7-2 as Rosemount was struggling early on on the offensive end.  The Irish would get things tightened up when sophomore guard Ava Thompson drained a "3" from the right corner at the 12:42 mark but Bloomington Jefferson would respond with a three-point bomb of their own by junior forward Abigail Nelson at the 12:15 mark to make it a 10-5 game.  The Irish would again get back to within a single possession when O'Neil buried a "3" from the right corner off of an inbounds pass at the 11:47 mark but the Jaguars were still coming up with answers as Chapple was able to get into the paint off of an inbounds pass for another score at the 11:27 mark that gave Bloomington Jefferson a bit more breathing room at 12-8.  Rosemount again was able to cut the deficit down to a single possession as Thompson knocked down a pair of free throws after getting fouled at the 11:01 mark but the worries persisted for the Irish faithful on this night as the Jaguars responded with two three-point bombs - one by junior reserve guard Courtney Anderson from the right wing area at the 10:28 mark and another one by senior reserve guard Simone Clay from the top of the key at the 9:36 mark as Bloomington Jefferson assumed a surprising 18-10 advantage.

So while the Irish had sputtered and struggled offensively in the first ten minutes or so of this first half and left the Irish faithful in a bit of an apprehensive fit, it didn't take long for this incredibly talented and athletic Rosemount team to break out of this early funk and unleash a game-changing 13-0 run that changed the complexion of this contest for good.  Strong senior forward Tayah Leenderts; thus far quiet in this contest, finally broke her scoring drought with 8:56 left on one free throw after getting fouled and another O'Neil "3" - this one from the right corner with 8:24 left - narrowed the deficit to four at 18-14.  Then with 7:44 left, Leenderts would strike again down low with an offensive rebound for a putback that now had the Irish back to within a single possession down 18-16 and Bloomington Jefferson Head Coach Paul Roach; perhaps sensing danger at this juncture, called a timeout to get his squad calmed down.  But this Rosemount offensive would continue.  Leenderts would connect on a lay-up with 7:03 left to get the game evened up at 18 a piece and the Irish would finally assume the lead again with 6:19 left when Leenderts muscled her way into the paint for a score to make it 20-18.  O'Neil would cap this run with a three-point bomb from the left cormer that pushed the Rosemount lead to 23-18 before the Jaguars finally ended their extended scoring drought on a "3" by junior forward Caroline Hemann with 5:26 left.  Unfortunately for Bloomington Jefferson, however, staying within striking distance was going to prove to be a much more difficult row to hoe as the Irish unleashed another offensive.  Leenderts would get into the paint for another score with 5:03 left and a Leenderts "3" from the left wing area with 4:40 left pushed Rosemount's lead to seven at 28-21.  The Jaguars would tighten things up a bit when Chapple was able to maneuver into the paint for a score with 4:17 left but then the Irish would then get two three-point bombs to find their mark - one by senior guard Anna Tauer from the left corner with 3:19 left and another one from the very-reliable O'Neil from the left corner with 2:22 left - that now widened Rosemount's lead to eight at 34-26.  Bloomington Jefferson would get a bit of a reprieve when Hemann was sent to the charity stripe with 1:57 left where she would get two free throws to go down but with just :09.1 before the halftime break, Irish senior guard Alexa Ratzlaff; who had been quiet up to this point from a scoring standpoint, stole the spotlight when she snared a steal near midcourt and sped the other way for an easy lay-up that also drew a foul and her ensuing "and one" enabled Rosemount to take a 37-28 lead into the locker room at the halftime break. 

Down by nine to begin this second half, the Jaguars could ill-afford to let the deficit widen any further yet that's exactly what happened as Rosemount's sharp-shooting O'Neil buried yet another three-point bomb - this one coming from the left corner off of an inbounds pass at the 17:41 mark and a Thompson drive into the lane and finish at the 16:13 mark now had the Irish up 42-29.  Bloomington Jefferson's Emily Roach tried to ease some of the pain as she drilled a "3" from the left top area at the 15:54 mark but then Rosemount opened up things even more as O'Neil would unleash another dagger "3" - this one from the right top area at the 15:37 mark - and a Thompson three-point bomb from that same right top area at the 15:02 mark stretched the Irish lead to 48-32 and the Jaguars' Paul Roach had no recourse but to take a match to a timeout to get his squad calmed down and refocused again.  To their credit, the stoppage in play had a temporary positive effect for Bloomington Jefferson as Anderson would make a drive into the lane for a finish at the 14:39 mark and a short jumper off the glass by Chapple at the 14:05 mark had the deficit down to twelve at 48-36.  But making further inroads on this cushion quickly went out the window as Rosemount unleashed a 12-0 blitz that changed the course of this game for good.  Thompson would pick up right where she left off to start this run by connecting on a lay-up at the 13:48 mark and then Ratzlaff; who shined right before the half, would connect on two lay-ups - one at the 13:16 mark and then again with a burst of speed on a pretty give-and-go lay-up at the 11:49 mark - that now had the Irish up 54-36.  Then O'Neil would add more pain with yet another three-point bomb - this one from the left top area at the 11:12 mark and when Leenderts muscled into the paint for a score at the 9:41 mark to make it a 59-36 game, Bloomington Jefferson's Paul Roach was again clamoring for a timeout.  But this latest halt to the action would not stop Rosemount on this night.  Leenderts would cap this run with 8:33 left after getting fouled by knocking one free throw down to make it 60-36.

At this juncture, there was little that the Jaguars could do except make little dents here and there as the Irish kept running away with things.  Ratzlaff would connect on another lay-up with 8:03 left and then Leenderts would knock down a pair of free throws after getting fouled with 7:46 left to make it 64-37.  Ratzlaff would again connect on a lay-up with 7:08 left and when O'Neil did the same with 6:19 left to make it 68-38, it was now time for the MSHSL's "Mercy Rule" to kick in with running time.  The problem was that the Irish didn't seem to show a lot of way in terms of "mercy" as back-to-back three point bombs by Thompson - one from the right top area with 5:52 left and another from the left wing area with 5:23 left - ballooned Rosemount's lead to 74-38.  To their credit, the Jaguars decided to get in on the three-point shooting bonanza junior guard Emma Felt unleashed a bomb from the left wing area with 4:58 left junior reserve forward Hannah Bock would bang one home from the right wing area with 4:06 left.  But these would have little effect on the final outcome save for the final tally.  Both coaches would empty their benches with the contest all but decided.  Rosemount junior reserve forward Pearla Teko-Folly would get two free throws to go down after getting fouled with 3:27 left and eighth-grade reserve guard Riley Ang would make a drive into the lane for a finish with 2:29 left.  Freshman reserve guard Cora Grismer would also make a drive for a finish with :28 left as the Irish rolled into the Section 3AAAA Championship Game with a resounding 83-45 victory.  

It was indeed a very balanced scoring attack leading the way for Rosemount on this Saturday night as O'Neil, doing the bulk of her damage from downtown, easily led all scorers with 28 points.  Leenderts would tally 17 points on this night as well while Thompson wasn't far behind with her 15 points and Ratzlaff (who doesn't get the recognition she deserves, IMHO), finished with 11 points.  Bloomington Jefferson relied heavily on both Chapple who led with way with her 12 points and Emily Roach who finished with 10 points.    

The Fallacy Of Regional Rankings

 So, as a continuation as to what I had blogged about yesterday, I wanted to present to you the last Regional Rankings that came out yesterday shortly after the NCAA Tournament brackets were announced.  

1	Simpson	25-1	15-0
2	UW-Eau Claire	21-7	9-5
3	UW-Whitewater	23-4	12-2
4	UW-Oshkosh	19-6	7-4
5	Wartburg	21-5	13-3
6	Loras	19-8	12-4
7	Bethany Lutheran	19-8	13-1
8	Gustavus Adolphus	22-4	17-3
9	Northwestern (Minn.)	19-5	13-1

 

Oooookay, so, if you compare the latest release with what came out last week right before the various conference championship games, you'll notice that there's little change in the first seven spots; the only difference being UW-Eau Claire switching spots with UW-Whitewater as the former defeated the latter in the WIAC Championship Game.  Wartburg stayed solidly in the fifth spot despite losing to Simpson in the ARC Championship Game this last Saturday afternoon and Loras remained firmly entrenched in the sixth spot despite losing to said Wartburg team in the ARC semifinals last Thursday night.  So, despite the fact that the committee that puts this "thing" together and has an obvious bias for the WIAC and the ARC, I don't have that big of a problem - despite the bias - as to where these first six teams are.

Where I DO have a HUGE problem is with what comes after that.  Now, Bethany Lutheran, which was the overwhelming favorite to win the UMAC, got bounced on their home floor on Friday night by an unheralded UM-Morris team in one of the semifinal games of that conference.  If that wasn't enough, Northwestern; which seemed primed to slide on in as the obvious UMAC favorite, got absolutely destroyed at home by in-town rival North Central in the other semifinal game by thirty-one points.  Yes, you read that right.  Yet, the committee decided to conveniently disregard those utterly embarrassing and season-ending losses and reward them instead by keeping Bethany Lutheran entrenched in the seventh spot and merely sliding Northwestern down a notch from eighth to ninth.  Now, GAC; which absolutely hammered a very good Bethel team on Friday night in St. Peter and then finally put multiple years of frustration and heartache in the rearview mirror by taking down an excellent Augburg team on Sunday to win their very first MIAC Championship Game, had to fight, scratch and claw just to get back into the rankings at the eighth spot even with the MIAC AQ firmly and safely secured.  And Augsburg?  Oh well, gee.  I guess the committee found it fitting to severely punish the Auggies for fending off an incredibly gamey and athletic Hamline team on Friday night in the semis and then finally running out of gas against said GAC team on Sunday by dropping them completely out of the rankings and into oblivion.  

Look, first off, I get and fully understand the notion that not all regions are created equal nor does each region have the same amount of teams.  I get all that and understand that.  At the same time, doesn't some freaking common sense and knowledge about these involved teams EVER come into play?  I hope that MIAC coaches, ADs AND the MIAC office itself take a long, hard look at the above rankings because they need to.  This is just so bad and utterly embarrassing and a complete joke.  Here's the thing:  I can write and complain about all this until I'm blue in the face but the ONLY way this thing is going to get fixed is if the coaches, the ADs and the conference work together to fix this problem so that MIAC teams can get out there and play MORE non-conference games against other potentially regionally-ranked opponents so that they can strengthen their SOS and regional ranking.  I mean, if the committee itself is that biased against the MIAC to begin with, well, shame on them but just sticking your head in the sand and pretending there's nothing wrong is not going to fix this.

I don't know.....I'm just trying to lay this all out here and call it like it is.  Not long ago, a good friend of mine who knows a thing or two about MIAC women's hoops texted me and basically told me that the Regional Rankins are (expletive deleted).  And, after seeing this last release, I can really only concur with that notion.  Now, I've laid this all out here and I hope there's some coaches out there that really want to fix this problem for the good of the conference and I'd be more than happy to share some ideas with them.

The ball's in your court guys.   

Selection Monday Fallout - The MIAC Gets Hosed Again. Should We Be Surprised?

 Undoubtedly you've had an opportunity now to review the DIII NCAA Tournament brackets that were released earlier this afternoon.......I had held out a sliver of hope that somehow, someway, Augsburg might be able to slip through the cracks and into the Dance but, just like 2019 and 2020, there simply weren't any cracks to sneak through.  In retrospect, I suppose I shouldn't be that surprised when I take a look at the bigger picture.  Again, what really hurt the Auggies chances in this thing was the way they stumbled out of the gate back in November with losses to Bethany Lutheran, Chicago and then at UW-River Falls that likely killed their chances right then and there on the at-large front.  Their only avenue into this thing was to win the MIAC Championship Game and they simply weren't able to get the job done yesterday.  You wonder sometimes had they been able to get a win over a Bethany Lutheran or a Chicago early on if that might have upped their chances.  We'll never know now, of course, but when you have only three chances to play out of conference opponents because of the ridiculous round robin schedule that the MIAC has, you'd better make the most of your chances.  

GAC meanwhile is kind of a good news/bad news proposition.  The Gusties were safely in with the AQ so no issue there.  The problem isn't so much that they got shipped down to the Simpson pod at Indianola, IA as I expected that they would.  I just didn't expect them to get PAIRED UP against Simpson from the get-go.  Not necessarily a death sentence by any means and I wouldn't put it past this Gustie team to pull off a huge upset against one of the top teams in the nation.  

You look around the neighborhood and you'll see that the WIAC got three teams in (UW-Eau with the AQ, UW-Whitewater and UW-Oshkosh (b'gosh) while the ARC got in both said Simpson team (AQ) and Wartburg with the at-large.  Wartburg is a good example to look at.  They got to play a handful of out of conference games that gave them ample opportunity to strengthen their SOS and Regional Ranking capability while Augsburg did not.  UW-Whitewater is another example.  They had several out of conference games (against very good opponents, too) that again assured them of a strong SOS and Regional Ranking capability.  UW-Oshkosh also had several out of conference games with ample opportunities to build a strong SOS and Regional Ranking capability.  Had it not been for their win yesterday, GAC would have been left on the outside looking in.  

With that said, the MIAC has to do SOMETHING to change this, wouldn't you agree?  I'm sure you're familiar with the old saying about how insanity is defined as doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results, right?  Well, that seems to describe the MIAC right now and this predicament isn't going to change unless action is taken to remedy this problem.  I don't feel that the conference does a good enough job in marketing the women's basketball scene to begin with but that can be dealt with later.  In the meantime, it's going to be up to MIAC Commissioner Dan McKane, the ADs of the conference and the coaches to come up with a solution to this problem.  I do have some ideas that I'll be happy to share later on.

In the meantime, I want to raise a glass to toast the Gusties of Gustavus Adolphus for winning their very first MIAC Championship Game yesterday and wishing them the best of luck in the Big Dance.  GO GUSTIES!!!!! 

Will have more on their upcoming first round game versus Simpson later on this week.   

MIAC Championship Game - GAC vs Augsburg

 Polished off a good Sunday breakfast/brunch of steak, eggs and hash browns to get me fueled up for the MIAC Championship Game on this Sunday afternoon.  Made the relatively quick run over to Si Melby Hall on the campus of Augsburg University for this title bout between visiting GAC which had cruised past Bethel on Friday night against host Augsburg which came from thirteen down against Hamline to win in dramatic fashion on Friday night as well.  These two teams had split during the regular season with the Auggies winning at Si Melby Hall back in early December and the Gusties returning the favor at Lund Arena three weeks ago.  This game had so many different storylines revolving around it as well as this would be the first ever meeting between these two teams in the MIAC Playoffs with both teams seeking their first-ever MIAC Championship Game title but also the Pupil (Laurie Kelly of GAC) facing her old coach and mentor (Ted Riverso of Augsburg).  Then you had the stories behind these two teams and how each had to overcome an identity crisis and/or a plethora of injuries and defections to reach this point.  It didn't take long for Si Melby Hall to start filling up and both teams had their student sections on hand so this was obviously going to be one rowdy, crazy affair.

The Gusties certainly got off to the kind of start they wanted in this one; bolting out to a 5-0 lead on the strength of a three-point bomb by freshman point guard and former Maple Grove standout Kylie Baranick at the 9:15 mark of the opening period and a pretty lay-up in transition by slender sophomore guard Emma Kniefel at the 8:39 mark.  Augsburg would come right back, however, and get the contest leveled at five as a score in the paint by senior forward Jen Masello at the 8:02 mark and a three-point bomb by slender junior forward Jaley Coplin at the 6:23 mark had the Auggie student section rocking.  In what would kind of set the tone for this day, GAC would not be fazed and calmly stepped on the gas pedal.  Freshman reserve forward Morgan Kelly would come right back on the Gusties' ensuing possession with a score in the paint at the 6:11 mark and a lay-up in transition by sophomore reserve forward Izzy (Izzy Izzy, you're making me dizzy) Quick at the 5:49 mark had GAC up by four at 9-5 and a drive and finish by Kniefel with 4:54 left maintained that four-point edge at 11-7.  Less than a minute later, Kniefel; the former Medford standout, would strike again with 4:02 left to make it a 13-7 game.  The Auggies quickly narrowed the gap as sophomore reserve sensation forward Anja Smith got a three-point play the old-fashioned way on a drive and finish that drew a foul along with the ensuing "and one" with 3:38 left.  Then it would be Masello knocking down a jumper from the right elbow area off the glass with 3:07 left that had the Auggies down by only one at 13-12.  Smith would keep Augsburg in that one-point range with her jumper from the right elbow area with 1:17 left but the Gusties would make another bid to establish more breathing room.  Baranick would bury a "3" from the right wing area with :58 left and two free throws by Morgan Kelly after she was fouled with :39.9 left gave GAC a 20-14 lead but the Auggies would close back to within a single possession when senior point guard Selena Lor drained a "3" from the left top area with just :02.6 left that cut the Gustie lead to 20-17.  

The Augsburg student section came alive again at the 9:47 mark of the second period when senior reserve forward Kevin Boysen made a pretty drive along the right baseline for a finish that again closed the gap to just one point at 20-19.  But just like before, the Gusties responded quickly.  Senior forward Grace Benz would make a hard drive for a finish at the 9:20 mark and a short shot off the glass by Kniefel at the 7:47 mark gave GAC some more breathing room again up 24-19.  And Kniefel would come up big again for the Gusties as she drilled a heartbreaking three-point bomb from the left corner at the 6:24 mark to expand the GAC lead to 27-21.  So now it was the Auggies turn to close the gap again as a short, turnaround jumper in the lane off the glass by Smith at the 5:59 mark and a three-point bomb by junior guard Grace Eastman from the right wing area at the 5:25 mark had the gap closed to a scant point again down 27-26.  Just like before, the Gusties wasted little time in responding in widening the gap again.  Quick would connect on a lay-up at the 5:10 mark and then Baranick would make a quick dart drive and finish that also drew a foul and although she couldn't cash in on the obligatory "and one", GAC re-established a five-point advantage at 31-26.  Augsburg's Smith tried to bring her team right back with a spectacular drive along the left baseline for a finish with 3:07 left that brought the Auggies back to within a single possession down 31-28.  The Gusties weren't having any of it, however, as junior guard Anna Sanders connected on a short, turnaround jumper with 2:42 left and freshman forward/post Rachel Kawiecki would do likewise with 1:51 left to make it a 35-28 game.  With 1:04 left, Benz would knock down a short jumper off the glass with 1:04 left that gave GAC its largest lead at 37-28.  More importantly, the Gusties were able to keep Augsburg off the scorer's book for the last minute and took this nine-point edge into the locker room at the half.  A check of the first half box score indicates that GAC played a relatively "clean" first half as they enjoyed a 22-18 advantage on the boards and shot reasonably well from FG range going 16-35 for 45.7%.  Three-point shooting, on the other hand, wasn't much to write home about as the Gusties 3-11 for 27.3%.  But this aspect didn't bother GAC nearly as much as it did Augsburg as the Auggies were 12-31 from FG range for 38.7% and 3-19 from downtown for 15.8% and for a team that relies heavily on its three-point shooting prowess, this had to be a concern for Riverso and his staff.

Those worries that Riverso may have had and the Augsburg faithful in general were probably eased somewhat when the Auggies came out of the gate in the third period and launched an 8-0 run that once again had them right on the brink.  Coplin would unleash another one of her trademark dagger three-point bombs - this one from the left corner at the 9:41 mark and two Eastman free throws at the 9:03 mark after she was fouled had the deficit down to four at 37-33.  Then Masello, who was held in check for the second period, broke out of her slump with a tough score in the paint that drew a foul and the Darien, IL native cashed in on the obligatory "and one" that again brought Augsburg back to a single point down 37-36.  Making things worse for the Gusties is that Benz had collected her third foul of the afternoon and had to come out and GAC's Laurie Kelly wasted little time in calling a halt to the action to get her team calmed down.  It took a bit and some work but the Gusties were able to establish some more breathing room.  Sanders would connect with a jumper along the left baseline at the 7:33 mark and at the 6:36 mark Sanders would strike from downtown with a three-point bomb from the right top area to make it a 42-38 game and Baranick would add a free throw after getting fouled with 4:52 left to make it a 43-38 game.  Complicating things for the Auggies is that Masello was forced to retreat to the bench with her third foul during this GAC push but Coplin would come to the rescue for her squad with another three-point bomb - this one from the right top area with 4:42 left that had Augsburg right back in the thick of things down 43-41.  Now the Gusties had to go back to work.  Kawiecki would get a score in the paint with 4:28 left and one free throw by Quick after she was fouled with 3:52 left got the lead out to five again at 46-41.  Augsburg's Smith would get fouled with 3:32 left and her two free throws again had the Auggies right there down 46-43 and making things even more encouraging from an Augsburg standpoint was that they were now in the bonus as well.  But this didn't seem to faze the Gusties down the stretch of this third period.  Kniefel would make one of her quick trademark drives into the lane for a finish with 2:32 left and a Kawiecki lay-up with 1:55 left made it 50-43.  Morgan Kelly would add a lay-up of her own with 1:15 left and although Augsburg's Smith would drain a "3" from the left top area with :56 left, that would be offset as Benz would snare an offensive rebound for a putback with :21.2 left as GAC took a 54-47 lead into the fourth period.  

You had to figure that the one person to try and step up and save the Auggies on this day would be Smith and her short, turnaround jumper off the glass at the 9:39 mark of the fourth period got the Augsburg faithful hoping again but those hopes took at major hit a short time later at the 9:28 mark when Masello collected her fourth foul of the afternoon and Riverso was not going to take any chances with one of his top players and she was quickly yanked back to the bench for preservation purposes.  That opened a door for the Gusties to widen their lead again and they did just that as scores in the paint - one by Quick at the 7:53 mark and another one by Kawiecki at the 7:25 mark - pushed GAC's lead to 58-49.  But any euphoria on the Gustie side was likely tempered significantly when Benz was sent to the bench for the rest of the day after collecting her fifth foul at the 6:17 mark.  By this time, facing a nine-point deficit, Augsburg's Riverso decided to roll the dice and send Masello back into action again.  But it may have been a decision that Riverso would come to regret as Masello would be whistled for her fifth and final foul of the afternoon.  Still the Auggies would make another bid to try and get even again.  Smith would uncork a "3" from the top of the key with 4:31 left that cut the deficit to six at 58-52 and with 4:03 left, Smith would connect on a short, turnaround jumper that had the deficit down to five at 59-54.  Speedy sophomore guard Kalena Myers would get fouled with 3:22 left and she would get one free throw to go down as would Smith when she was fouled with 2:57 left that now had Augsburg back to within a single possession down 59-56 and you had to figure that this would be where the Auggies were going to have to make their move if they were going to repeat the miraculous comeback of Friday night.  But when the Auggies needed a big three-pointer to fall or a spectacular finish by Smith, it just wasn't there down the stretch.  That allowed GAC to put the finishing touches on this improbable run to the MIAC Championship.  Sophomore reserve guard Syd Hauger would knock down a pair of freebies after getting fouled with 2:25 left and a daring drive into the lane and finish by Sanders with 1:36 left pushed the Gustie lead to 63-56.  Kawiecki would add a pair of free throws for insurance herself after getting fouled with :26.4 left and finally, after multiple years of frustration and heartbreak, the Gustavus Adolphus Gusties claimed their first-ever MIAC Championship Game title with a 65-56 victory.

In the jubilation that follwed on the GAC side afterward, I had to congratulate Laurie Kelly on this win and right off the bat, I told her that what impressed me most about her team on this day was that every time that Augsburg threatened or got close, this team never flinched.  It stayed calm, determined and they played to their strengths to fend off a very good Augsburg team.  Now, consider for a second:  This is a team that lost two of its top players before October practice even began (Paige Richert and Caitlin Rorman) that figured to play big roles this season.  Then, three days into practice, sophomore guard Riley Queensland went down with an ACL injury.  Then you had other players fighting through other injuries and maladies and then another defection right after the first of the year (Maddy Rice).  This was a team that got beat at home by Bethel in January and then the real low point came early this month when they dropped a 67-64 decision to SMU in Winona.  I was probably not the only one who left the Gusties for dead after that debacle but what nobody knew is that the Gusties did NOT give up on themselves.  Instead, they showed resolve and quickly turned things around; winning their last nine games (including today's) by double-digits save for this one today.  And now they're going to put on their dancing shoes and head for the Big Show - the NCAA Tournament.  And they just may be crazy enough to throw caution to the wind and make a big run in the Dance.  Don't put it past this group.  Even Kelly told me afterward that "If someone would have told me back in December that we'd be 22-4 and dancing at this point, I'd have said 'You're smoking crack' ".  Well, it's definitely real.

I also managed a moment with a disappointed Riverso on the Augsburg side and it was admittedly hard to get a lot out of him but one item I did bring up was the rebounding front where the Gusties had a 42-36 advantage; maybe not as big as I initially thought but still.  "It's just a small piece" he replied.  He also sounded fatalistic on the Auggies chances for the NCAA Tournament stating that "If they didn't take us in 2019 or 2020, they're not going to take us now."  I can understand the disappointment and frustration on his end, don't think I don't.  I'm still trying to hold some hope that the Auggies might somehow get in even though realistically I know that those chances are quite slim.  But I do know that they definitely belong.

When I look at the final box score, I was surprised by a couple of things.  First, the fact that GAC suffered only 13 turnovers on this day and Augsburg was guilty of only 11 so not bad on either side on this particular front.  Also, that trademark pressure defense by the Auggies netted only six steals on this day and they didn't really have that big of an advantage on points off of turnovers either at 13-11.  What I do see is that GAC had a whopping 36-20 edge in points in the paint and a 13-5 edge in those all-important "second chance" points.  That's big.  Now, the Auggies did have a 31-16 edge in bench points but considering that Augsburg was 20-62 from FG range for 32.3% and 7-37 from downtown for 18.9%, that didn't mean much.  And that three-point shooting figure for a team that relies heavily on its three-point shooting was a killer - plain, pure and simple.  Then you have the free throw shooting aspect where Augsburg was 9-15 for 60%.  That's simply not good enough in a close game.  I can't completely absolve GAC of transgressions on this front as the Gusties were 9-18 for 50% but they got away with it this time around.  

Balanced scoring was key for the Gusties on this day and Kniefel paced the Gusties with her 13 points and Baranick had a solid day finishing with 11 points while Kawiecki made her presence felt down low as she tallied 10 points.  No surprise who led Augsburg and was also easily the leading scorer on this day.  It was Smith who poured in 29 points.   

A Look Ahead At Today's MIAC Championship Game And A Peek At Selection Monday

 In just a little over three hours from when I type this, the MIAC Championship Game between GAC and Augsburg over at Si Melby Hall will tip-off with the winner taking the AQ for the upcoming NCAA Tournament.  This game today is unique in many different ways and has a few storylines revolving around it.  First, it's the first ever playoff meeting between these two programs and both are seeking their first-ever MIAC Championship Game title.  This will be the Gusties sixth trip to this venture and logic would hold that one of these times, they're going to finally win it.  I'm wagering that today they'll finally do it.  But, they're going to be facing an incredibly athletic Augsburg team that can not only get up and down the floor but can make life a living hell with their pressure defense.  They know how to come after you in their own special way.  In an odd kind of way, they're kind of like that cat with nine lives but after they had that miraculous comeback against Hamline on Friday night, you wonder how many lives this team has left.  

Then you have another interesting angle to look at with this game - the Pupil (GAC Head Coach Laurie Kelly) taking on her former coach and mentor (Augsburg Head Coach Ted Riverso).  Kelly (then Laurie Trow) starred at UST back in the early 90s when Riverso coached there so that aspect obviously adds a lot of attention to this game today.  Both have tremendous admiration and respect for one another and how these two have seemingly resurrected their programs and brought them to this point is quite impressive.  You look at the rosters of these two squads and both have an interesting mix of youngsters and experienced seniors; especially on the Augsburg side who have been in this game before.  Still, I look at what GAC has done over these last two and a half weeks and how they've not only won games but have been winning by double-digits in the process.  Hammering that point home even further is how they absolutely dismantled a very good Bethel team by thirty-four points on Friday night.  This GAC team seems like it's on a mission and I think it's going to be awfully tough to deny them on this day.

With that said, now it's finally time to take a look at the bigger picture; nee, the NCAA Tournament.  The conventional train of thought - particularly going into this week anyway - was that the MIAC was going to be strictly a one-bid league with only the winner of the MIAC Championship Game getting in with the AQ status.  Considering how GAC was inexplicably dropped from the Regional Rankings this last Wednesday and replaced by Northwestern from the UMAC only seemed to substantiate that idea.  However, some things happened on Friday night over on the UMAC side that may have drastically changed this line of thinking.  Both Northwestern and Bethany Lutheran suffered upsets to North Central and UM-Morris, respectively.  It's safe to say that the UMAC was likely only going to be a one-bid league anyway so with both Northwestern and Bethany Lutheran falling on Friday night, it's entirely conceivable that both will be left out of the last round of Regional Rankings come Monday.  In essence, the winner of North Central - UM-Morris with everyone else left out in the cold and that could possibly allow the loser of the MIAC Championship Game today to perhaps find new life tomorrow.  Not a guarantee, of course, but a possibility nonetheless.  We'll see.

So let's take a look at some of the other neighboring conferences to see how things are shaping up there:

ARC - Simpson defeated Wartburg yesterday afternoon and Wartburg does appear to be in good shape for a bid.  Somewhat surprisingly, Loras now appears to be on the outside looking in.  

WIAC - UW-Eau Claire upset UW-Whitewater on Friday night to claim the AQ for the WIAC but UW-Whitewater appears to be in excellent shape for a bid and the guess here is that UW-Oshkosh (b'gosh) will get in as well.

NACC - Wisconsin Lutheran will face off with St. Norbert this afternoon as well and it's hard to say if the loser will get in or not.

Midwest Conference - This looks to be a one-bid league with champion Ripon getting in with the AQ.

So this is just what I'm seeing right now this A.M.  We'll just have to see how things shake out.  In the meantime, get your butt over to Si Melby Hall for the 2:00 P.M. tip off this afternoon.  Be there or be square.  Out.