#1 seed Chaska defeated #4 Shakopee 67-48 and Eden Prairie outlasted Minnetonka 79-72 to advance to next Friday night's Section 2AAAA final which, like Saturday's semi-finals, will be held at the remaining high seed, which is to say, Chaska.
The overwhelming impression of today's games was simply that if you like what you see in 2AAAA, just stick around, because it's just going to get better and better. In other words, 18 of today's 20 starters are not seniors. They're 8th and 9th graders, and sophomores and juniors. 5% of today's points were scored by 8th graders, 18% by freshmen, 35% by 10th graders, 28% by 11th graders and just 13% by seniors. The seniors, as it happens, played like seniors. They were Natalie Mazurek and Nneka Obiazor of Eden Prairie and they scored all of the senior's 34 points, and they are why Eden Prairie was one of the 2 winners.
But, as it also happens, sophomore Nia Holloway scored 16 points for EP with 9 rebounds and 5 steals and 2 blocks, and she is another reason why EP was one of the winners.
For the other winner, Chaska, freshman Kennedy Sanders was the day's top player with 23 points7 rebounds, 7 assists and 4 steals, while sophomore Mallory Heyer scored 16 points with 13 rebounds, and they are why Chaska was a winner. And, Sanders and Heyer not only accounted for 58% of Chaska's points, they also anchored a rock solid defense that gave fits to Shakopee's two leading scorers, the junior guards Natalie Holte and Kelley Brennan. Sanders guarded Holte all day and held her without a FG. Meanwhile, Brennan is a big 5-10 3-point bomber, but Heyer at 6-1 had plenty of length and mobility to get out on Brennan and prevent her from even thinking about shooting the 3. She scored 11 points, but she was 0-for-2 from long range.
So, the 5 best players on the day were 2 seniors, two sophomores and a freshman. The next 5 were Sophie Haydon, Minnetonka's 6-3 junior; Desiree Ware, Minnetonka sophomore guard; Destinee Bursch, EP junior guard; Kate Cordes, a sophomore who came off the bench for Shakopee and played well; and also off the bench, Chaska 9th grade guard Ashley Schuelke.
If you're wondering about Kaylee VanEps, Chaska's star junior, so am I. She did not take a single shot today, had one rebound, and 3 turnovers. She did have 2 blocked shots. Her minutes and rotations seemed normal.
Chaska is 24-4, EP is 17-11. But EP plays in the Lake Conference. Chaska would not be 24-4 in the Lake. So their final looks like a tossup to me. The 2 teams had 12 common opponents. Chaska did better against Edina, Minnetonka, Hopkins, St. Michael, Lakeville North and St. Louis Park. Eden Prairie did better against Wayzata, Maple Grove, Chan, Buffalo and Cooper. The 12th common opponent was each other. Chaska beat EP 70-57 at Chaska in December. OK, slight advantage Chaska, especially considering the section final is on their home court.
Or, look at it this way.
Center--Heyer is great (and 6-1). Mazurek is 6-4 and very good. Heyer had 16 points today on 5-of-12 shooting, 13 boards and 2 turnovers. And, a great defensive game. Mazurek had 19 points on 8-of-13 shooting, 10 rebounds and 2 blocks. Neither had a turnover. I don't see an advantage either way.
Power Forward--Kendall Karrmann of Chaska is a 6-foot sophomore, a good solid player. Nneka Obiazor of EP is 5-10 but players a lot bigger. She scored 15 today, Karrmann 7. Advantage EP.
Small Forward--Nia Holloway is gonna be fabulous. Sometimes she's fabulous now, in her sophomore year, like today she was fabulous. She scored 16 points of 5-of-9 shooting with 9 boards, 5 steals and 2 blocks. She dominated with her defense in the 2nd half. Kaylie VanEps of Chaska is very highly regarded but, as noted, did not take a shot today. Is she healthy? Under ordinary circumstances, you'd say advantage VanEps. But, right now, I'd say tossup and a big, big matchup that could decide the game if one of them really steps it up.
Point Guard--Kennedy Sanders and Destinee Bursch. Bursch had a very nice game today but Sanders was off the charts.
Shooting Guard--Kelsey Willems and Ashley Schuelke combined for 21 points today for Chaska, while Molly Lenz and Myra Moorjani combined for 15 for EP. This is another very key matchup.
So there's just one obvious positional advantage each way with 3 tossups. So who's gonna step up? Heyer or Mazurek? Holloway? In the end, I'm just gonna cop out and say, hey, Chaska is #1 and they're at home. But, that is no guarantee. Still, you read it here first. Chaska 70 Eden Prairie 63, though it will be a one-possession game inside of 2 minutes.
Saturday, February 29, 2020
Friday, February 28, 2020
Girls Section Preview Class A and AA
Time flies when you're having fun, and suddenly the Class A and AA sections are moving right along. Some of the favorites have already been sent home. Here's what's going to happen beginning tonight.
Class A
Section 1 It's already down to the #1 seed Blooming Prairie, #2 Fillmore Central, #4 Hayfield and #6 Grand Meadow. Grand Meadow was supposed to win this thing a year ago. They've still got Riley Queensland who has scored 23 points in 2 section games. Their game against Fillmore is a tossup. But, the section champ will come out of the other bracket and that's a tossup, too. The Blossoms beat Hayfield twice by 2 and 5 points. Three on a match? No, I like Blooming Prairie with Megan Oswald and Julia Worke.
Section 2 Here 8 teams remain. The upper bracket is tough. The #1 and #2 seeds could both lose. Of course, they could both win. But, I like #4 BOLD and #3 Buffalo Lake-Hector-Stewart. And that's just the upper bracket. I like #1 Waterville-Elysian-Morristown in the lower bracket. In the end, it's hard not to like BOLD despite their #4 seed. They've lost just twice to Class A opponents including Minneota and they are the defending section champ. Still, Waterville EM is very good, too.
Section 3 They're down to the semis with #1 Minneota vs. #2 Lakeview and #1 Hills Beaver Creek vs. #2 Southwest MN Christian. The second game is a tossup, the first one is not. If everybody is healthy, Minneota is not gonna lose.
Section 4 OK, here you've got 16 teams still playing including #1 Mayer Lutheran and #2 Heritage. Mayer started 15-2 and finished 6-3 but they've beaten Heritage and a bunch of AAs. Heritage is 19-7 with 10 straight wins after the Mayer loss until they finished with losses to Mt. Iron-Buhl and Cherry. This is a tossup with the final on a neutral court.
Section 5 Eight teams remain. Walker-Hack-Akeley is 25-2 with losses only to Roseau and Pine River-Backus, whom they beat by 2 in a rematch. PRB finished with 10 losses, as did Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa, but both are a threat. But WHA is certainly the fave.
Section 6 Tough, tough section. Toughest Class A section, so much so that perennial section champ Ada-Borup is 15-8 and seeded #4. They're a threat but not a favorite, not against #1 Henning in the semi, assuming both get there. In the lower bracket I like #3 Park Christian and Karley Motschenbacher but obviously somebody thinks that #2 Underwood is better. But, Henning is 24-2 and the obvious favorite.
Section 7 Can Cromwell or anybody finally beat Mt. Iron-Buhl after 9 straight MIB state tournaments? Cromwell has already done so, but they did it last year too and faltered in the section. And, Cherry is a threat. I like that #1 Cromwell has the easier path, but I'll still go with MIB beating Cherry and Cromwell.
Section 8 All 16 teams remain in what is the most wide open Class A section. In the north, Fosston is #1 and defending section champ Red Lake is #3. In the south, Warren-A-O is #1 while #2 Red Lake County Central and #3 Sacred Heart are a threat. Sacred Heart started 14-2 and finished 5-5. If everybody's healthy, I like Sacred Heart, but I don't think everybody's healthy. Red Lake started 4-8 and finished with 14 straight wins and a loss to Walker. Gotta like that if everybody's healthy and I think they are. They beat Pine River-Backus by 24. #1 Warren finished with 13 straight wins after losing to Sacred Heart by 20.
So, Red Lake, Sacred Heart or Warren. It's a tossup.
Summary of Picks and Seeds
1. Minneota beats Blooming Prairie
2. Henning beats BOLD
3. Walker beats Red Lake
4. Mayer Lutheran beats Mt. Iron
5. Mt. Iron-Buhl
X. Blooming Prairie
X. BOLD
X. Red Lake
In the semis, Minneota and Henning win and in the final Minneota repeats as Class A champion. All according to Hoyle.
Class AA
Section 1 Lake City and Winona Cotter have already been bounced, so its Rochester Lourdes vs. Stewartville and Goodhue vs. Dover-Eyota. Lourdes and Goodhue should advance and, then, like Goodhue and its always stout defense. They're unsung, they're new to AA, they're #3 but they're 23-3.
Section 2 There are a bunch of good teams in 2AA but Belle Plaine has the upside to be, well, very good. Gus Boyer did not play for Waseca in their 1st round game.
Section 3 New London Spicer is a heavy fave. Only #2N Eden Valley Watkins has much chance to derail the Wildcat Express.
Section 4 Concordia has been playing well though they're only #3. Still, they're the only team with a chance of knocking off perennial state tournament entry and defending state champ Minnehaha. They (Concordia) started 1-8, losing to Minnehaha by 9, and finished 16-1. But, Grace Pelzer did not play in the final regular season game. Minnehaha was up and down. But, they certainly have a history of rising to the occasion.
Section 5 is wide open. Providence is #1 and Watertown-Mayer #2 and, well, I guess it's not that wide open because one of them will win it. Providence beat WM easily but that was in November. WM finished 9-2, Prov 10-1 .
Section 6 Toughest AA section with Albany #1, Sauk Centre #2, Pine City #3, Royalton #4, Holdingford #5. #4-#5 is a tossup, the other 3 faves should advance, and Albany has the advantage of not playing 2 of the top 3, and Pine City just lost to Sauk at home. So it looks like a repeat of last year's semi-final in which Albany shocked Sauk 47-41. This time, I think Sauk will win.
Section 7 Another very tough section, at least at the top, with Proctor, Duluth Marshall and Mesabi East. They've also got some very top talent including Ava Hill of Mesabi, and Gianna Kneepkens and Grace Kirk of Marshall. But Proctor is the deepest team and so they're #1 in the north while Marshall and Mesabi are #2 and #3 to Esko's #1 in the south for some reason. The Marshall-Mesabi game, if it happens, will be in a section QF and will be the best game. But, Proctor has by far the easier path playing in the north, though they're located in the south. I don't get these brackets at all.
Section 8 Roseau will probably not return this year. Hawley and Fergus Falls have the #1 seeds while Roseau and unbeaten Pelican Rapids are #2.
Summary of Picks and Seeds
1. Sauk Centre beats Belle Plaine
2. Fergus Falls sneaks by Minnehaha
3. New London-Spicer beats Providence
4. Goodhue beats Proctor
5. Proctor
X. Belle Plaine
X. Minnehaha
X. Providence
I'm not sure Sauk Centre beats Goodhue, this would be a highly competitive game.
New London-Spicer beats Fergus.
Then in the final New London-Spicer surprises Sauk or Goodhue.
Class A
Section 1 It's already down to the #1 seed Blooming Prairie, #2 Fillmore Central, #4 Hayfield and #6 Grand Meadow. Grand Meadow was supposed to win this thing a year ago. They've still got Riley Queensland who has scored 23 points in 2 section games. Their game against Fillmore is a tossup. But, the section champ will come out of the other bracket and that's a tossup, too. The Blossoms beat Hayfield twice by 2 and 5 points. Three on a match? No, I like Blooming Prairie with Megan Oswald and Julia Worke.
Section 2 Here 8 teams remain. The upper bracket is tough. The #1 and #2 seeds could both lose. Of course, they could both win. But, I like #4 BOLD and #3 Buffalo Lake-Hector-Stewart. And that's just the upper bracket. I like #1 Waterville-Elysian-Morristown in the lower bracket. In the end, it's hard not to like BOLD despite their #4 seed. They've lost just twice to Class A opponents including Minneota and they are the defending section champ. Still, Waterville EM is very good, too.
Section 3 They're down to the semis with #1 Minneota vs. #2 Lakeview and #1 Hills Beaver Creek vs. #2 Southwest MN Christian. The second game is a tossup, the first one is not. If everybody is healthy, Minneota is not gonna lose.
Section 4 OK, here you've got 16 teams still playing including #1 Mayer Lutheran and #2 Heritage. Mayer started 15-2 and finished 6-3 but they've beaten Heritage and a bunch of AAs. Heritage is 19-7 with 10 straight wins after the Mayer loss until they finished with losses to Mt. Iron-Buhl and Cherry. This is a tossup with the final on a neutral court.
Section 5 Eight teams remain. Walker-Hack-Akeley is 25-2 with losses only to Roseau and Pine River-Backus, whom they beat by 2 in a rematch. PRB finished with 10 losses, as did Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa, but both are a threat. But WHA is certainly the fave.
Section 6 Tough, tough section. Toughest Class A section, so much so that perennial section champ Ada-Borup is 15-8 and seeded #4. They're a threat but not a favorite, not against #1 Henning in the semi, assuming both get there. In the lower bracket I like #3 Park Christian and Karley Motschenbacher but obviously somebody thinks that #2 Underwood is better. But, Henning is 24-2 and the obvious favorite.
Section 7 Can Cromwell or anybody finally beat Mt. Iron-Buhl after 9 straight MIB state tournaments? Cromwell has already done so, but they did it last year too and faltered in the section. And, Cherry is a threat. I like that #1 Cromwell has the easier path, but I'll still go with MIB beating Cherry and Cromwell.
Section 8 All 16 teams remain in what is the most wide open Class A section. In the north, Fosston is #1 and defending section champ Red Lake is #3. In the south, Warren-A-O is #1 while #2 Red Lake County Central and #3 Sacred Heart are a threat. Sacred Heart started 14-2 and finished 5-5. If everybody's healthy, I like Sacred Heart, but I don't think everybody's healthy. Red Lake started 4-8 and finished with 14 straight wins and a loss to Walker. Gotta like that if everybody's healthy and I think they are. They beat Pine River-Backus by 24. #1 Warren finished with 13 straight wins after losing to Sacred Heart by 20.
So, Red Lake, Sacred Heart or Warren. It's a tossup.
Summary of Picks and Seeds
1. Minneota beats Blooming Prairie
2. Henning beats BOLD
3. Walker beats Red Lake
4. Mayer Lutheran beats Mt. Iron
5. Mt. Iron-Buhl
X. Blooming Prairie
X. BOLD
X. Red Lake
In the semis, Minneota and Henning win and in the final Minneota repeats as Class A champion. All according to Hoyle.
Class AA
Section 1 Lake City and Winona Cotter have already been bounced, so its Rochester Lourdes vs. Stewartville and Goodhue vs. Dover-Eyota. Lourdes and Goodhue should advance and, then, like Goodhue and its always stout defense. They're unsung, they're new to AA, they're #3 but they're 23-3.
Section 2 There are a bunch of good teams in 2AA but Belle Plaine has the upside to be, well, very good. Gus Boyer did not play for Waseca in their 1st round game.
Section 3 New London Spicer is a heavy fave. Only #2N Eden Valley Watkins has much chance to derail the Wildcat Express.
Section 4 Concordia has been playing well though they're only #3. Still, they're the only team with a chance of knocking off perennial state tournament entry and defending state champ Minnehaha. They (Concordia) started 1-8, losing to Minnehaha by 9, and finished 16-1. But, Grace Pelzer did not play in the final regular season game. Minnehaha was up and down. But, they certainly have a history of rising to the occasion.
Section 5 is wide open. Providence is #1 and Watertown-Mayer #2 and, well, I guess it's not that wide open because one of them will win it. Providence beat WM easily but that was in November. WM finished 9-2, Prov 10-1 .
Section 6 Toughest AA section with Albany #1, Sauk Centre #2, Pine City #3, Royalton #4, Holdingford #5. #4-#5 is a tossup, the other 3 faves should advance, and Albany has the advantage of not playing 2 of the top 3, and Pine City just lost to Sauk at home. So it looks like a repeat of last year's semi-final in which Albany shocked Sauk 47-41. This time, I think Sauk will win.
Section 7 Another very tough section, at least at the top, with Proctor, Duluth Marshall and Mesabi East. They've also got some very top talent including Ava Hill of Mesabi, and Gianna Kneepkens and Grace Kirk of Marshall. But Proctor is the deepest team and so they're #1 in the north while Marshall and Mesabi are #2 and #3 to Esko's #1 in the south for some reason. The Marshall-Mesabi game, if it happens, will be in a section QF and will be the best game. But, Proctor has by far the easier path playing in the north, though they're located in the south. I don't get these brackets at all.
Section 8 Roseau will probably not return this year. Hawley and Fergus Falls have the #1 seeds while Roseau and unbeaten Pelican Rapids are #2.
Summary of Picks and Seeds
1. Sauk Centre beats Belle Plaine
2. Fergus Falls sneaks by Minnehaha
3. New London-Spicer beats Providence
4. Goodhue beats Proctor
5. Proctor
X. Belle Plaine
X. Minnehaha
X. Providence
I'm not sure Sauk Centre beats Goodhue, this would be a highly competitive game.
New London-Spicer beats Fergus.
Then in the final New London-Spicer surprises Sauk or Goodhue.
Wednesday, February 26, 2020
Apple Valley Knocks Out Eastview
Eastview has been to eight straight state tournaments, and they've been to state more than half of the seasons (12) since their founding 22 years ago. But, there will be no state tournament for Eastview in 2020. Apple Valley took out their crosstown rivals 57-43 in the first round of play in Section 3AAAA.
Apple Valley pulled away in the last 9:00 after opening both halves with a lengthy O-fer. In the 1st half, they missed their first 7 shots and fell behind 7-0 and 15-8 before righting the ship and taking a 30-25 halftime lead. They made 10-of-19 the rest of the way while Eastview was just 4-of-9 with 7 turnovers. Apple Valley outscored the Lightning 11-5 off turnovers in the 1st half.
In the 2nd half, the Eagles started 0-for-17. Eastview put a 12-4 run on the Eagles to take a 37-34 lead at 11:00. Madison Reed finally scored off the offensive glass and Apple Valley was on their way. After the terrible start, they made 6-of-12 FG including 3 off of 14 offensive rebounds. They shot so poorly to begin that the offensive boards didn't hardly matter, but eventually they were a big part of the difference. In the 2nd half, Apple Valley got off 30 shots to just 20 for Eastview, and now it was because of the O-boards.
In total, Apple Valley got off 14 more FG attempts and made ten more FT than Eastview, and won the battle of the turnovers and the offensive boards.
Eastview simply lacked the offensive firepower to win in the South Suburban this year. They scored in the 40s or less 17 times in 27 games. Today, Apple Valley played a lot of 2-3 zone, and the pass to the FT line was open all night long. But, nobody for Eastview really wanted to shoot it from 12 to 15 feet in the lane. Nobody wanted the shot the defense was giving. Finally, in the second half, Alexis Plitzkow hit three shots from there, but then she never took another shot from the spot where she had made three straight. Eastview shot 1-for-11 after taking that 37-34 lead on Plitzkow's shots.
Meanwhile, Apple Valley shot under 30 percent from the field, but made 16-of-18 FT.
Kalena Meyers saved the Eagles bacon with 16 1st half points. She shot just 5-of-13 but made 9-of-10 FT. Still, I thought Anna Mutch was the Eagles best player. She scored 11 points on 4-of-13 shooting, but had 13 rebounds, 3 assists and 5 steals.
#4 seed Apple Valley moves on to play at #1 Rosemount, to whom they've lost 60-43 and 81-50 already this year, in the section semis.
Apple Valley pulled away in the last 9:00 after opening both halves with a lengthy O-fer. In the 1st half, they missed their first 7 shots and fell behind 7-0 and 15-8 before righting the ship and taking a 30-25 halftime lead. They made 10-of-19 the rest of the way while Eastview was just 4-of-9 with 7 turnovers. Apple Valley outscored the Lightning 11-5 off turnovers in the 1st half.
In the 2nd half, the Eagles started 0-for-17. Eastview put a 12-4 run on the Eagles to take a 37-34 lead at 11:00. Madison Reed finally scored off the offensive glass and Apple Valley was on their way. After the terrible start, they made 6-of-12 FG including 3 off of 14 offensive rebounds. They shot so poorly to begin that the offensive boards didn't hardly matter, but eventually they were a big part of the difference. In the 2nd half, Apple Valley got off 30 shots to just 20 for Eastview, and now it was because of the O-boards.
In total, Apple Valley got off 14 more FG attempts and made ten more FT than Eastview, and won the battle of the turnovers and the offensive boards.
Eastview simply lacked the offensive firepower to win in the South Suburban this year. They scored in the 40s or less 17 times in 27 games. Today, Apple Valley played a lot of 2-3 zone, and the pass to the FT line was open all night long. But, nobody for Eastview really wanted to shoot it from 12 to 15 feet in the lane. Nobody wanted the shot the defense was giving. Finally, in the second half, Alexis Plitzkow hit three shots from there, but then she never took another shot from the spot where she had made three straight. Eastview shot 1-for-11 after taking that 37-34 lead on Plitzkow's shots.
Meanwhile, Apple Valley shot under 30 percent from the field, but made 16-of-18 FT.
Kalena Meyers saved the Eagles bacon with 16 1st half points. She shot just 5-of-13 but made 9-of-10 FT. Still, I thought Anna Mutch was the Eagles best player. She scored 11 points on 4-of-13 shooting, but had 13 rebounds, 3 assists and 5 steals.
#4 seed Apple Valley moves on to play at #1 Rosemount, to whom they've lost 60-43 and 81-50 already this year, in the section semis.
Sunday, February 23, 2020
Girls Section Preview Class AAAA and AAA
It seems like yesterday that I watched 15-20 games at Hamline and the Breakdown Tip-Off but, no, it wasn't yesterday. And, now, there are already girls teams that have packed up their uniforms and called it a year. But, for most, sections get underway this week. Here's what's gonna happen in Class AAAA and Class AAA.
Class AAAA
Section 1 Farmington (24-2) flubbed its big chance last year in the section final to Lakeville North. But, North has moved to Section 3, so now Rochester Mayo (21-4), probably the biggest surprise team in the state in any section, is the Tigers biggest challenger. Still, Farmington is a prohibitive favorite.
Section 2 looked to be wide open last fall but Chaska (22-4) has pulled away from Eden Prairie (15-11) as the obvious favorite. While it's hard to count EP out, Chaska should win.
Section 3 Rosemount (22-4), Lakeville North (15-10) and Eastview also looked pretty even last fall but a late-season 59-47 win over North makes Rosemount the favorite. Still, don't let North's record fool you. They had some injuries and played well down the stretch.
Section 4 Stillwater (20-5) is a heavy favorite here.
Section 5 This will be exciting. Park Center (22-4) is the #1 seed with Centennial (19-7) at #2. But, Spring Lake Park (19-7), who beat Park Center in the sections last year, beat the Pirates again last week. They're only seeded #4 but they've shown that anything can happen.
Section 6 Hopkins (25-0) would be favored in any event but with Jenna Johnson out, Wayzata's (22-4) hill got a lot steeper.
Section 7 QRF has Andover (16-10) #1, Blaine (17-9) #2 and Forest Lake (18-8) #3. That seems backwards.
Section 8 Here, QRF has Maple Grove (21-5) at #1 and St. Michael-Albertville (17-8) #2, but here it was a coach's vote and St. Michael got the nod based on a 58-38 win over the Crimson.
So in case we've been ambiguous, here are our predictions including seeds.
#1 Hopkins over Forest Lake
#2 Farmington avenges last year's section loss to Lakeville North
#3 Park Center vs. Stillwater--a great game, I like Stillwater
#4 Chaska beat #5 St. Michael-Albertville 3 weeks ago, two on a match?
Hopkins over St. Michael for the 3rd time
Farmington over Stillwater for the 2nd time
Hopkins over Farmington for the 2nd time
Class AAA
Section 1 Austin (20-6) has slipped a little bit with some injuries, and Red Wing (24-2) is a solid fave.
Section 2 Marshall (25-0), Mankato West (19-7) and Waconia (16-10) started out looking pretty even. Not anymore, though it's true that Waconia plays a killer schedule and Marshall only beat them 79-75 at home. And Jordyn Hilgemann didn't play against Waseca....
Section 3 Simley (24-2) has pulled ahead of St. Paul Como (20-4) as the fave. St. Croix Lutheran (19-7) lost Clara Avery and lacks the depth for an extended run.
Section 4 DeLaSalle (21-4) is a big favorite.
Section 5 Becker (24-2) is also a big favorite.
Section 6 And Holy Angels (19-6) is a solid fave, too.
Section 7 Hermantown (23-3) is another big favorite.
Section 8 Alexandria (19-7) will have to get by Bemidji (17-8).
And, so, the picks and seeds are:
#1 DeLaSalle over Alexandria
#2 Becker over Hermantown
#3 Marshall (if Hilgemann is healthy, otherwise Waconia who would not get a seed and Simley and Red Wing and Holy Angels would move up but for now Marshall) vs. Holy Angels is a repeat of a 2016 state tournament matchup in which Holy Angels upset Marshall, then went on to win a surprise state title. Here I'll take Holy Angels again.
#4 Simley over #5 Red Wing. Simley is a great defensive team.
Simley surprises DeLaSalle
Holy Angels surprises Becker
Simley defeats Holy Angels
Class AAAA
Section 1 Farmington (24-2) flubbed its big chance last year in the section final to Lakeville North. But, North has moved to Section 3, so now Rochester Mayo (21-4), probably the biggest surprise team in the state in any section, is the Tigers biggest challenger. Still, Farmington is a prohibitive favorite.
Section 2 looked to be wide open last fall but Chaska (22-4) has pulled away from Eden Prairie (15-11) as the obvious favorite. While it's hard to count EP out, Chaska should win.
Section 3 Rosemount (22-4), Lakeville North (15-10) and Eastview also looked pretty even last fall but a late-season 59-47 win over North makes Rosemount the favorite. Still, don't let North's record fool you. They had some injuries and played well down the stretch.
Section 4 Stillwater (20-5) is a heavy favorite here.
Section 5 This will be exciting. Park Center (22-4) is the #1 seed with Centennial (19-7) at #2. But, Spring Lake Park (19-7), who beat Park Center in the sections last year, beat the Pirates again last week. They're only seeded #4 but they've shown that anything can happen.
Section 6 Hopkins (25-0) would be favored in any event but with Jenna Johnson out, Wayzata's (22-4) hill got a lot steeper.
Section 7 QRF has Andover (16-10) #1, Blaine (17-9) #2 and Forest Lake (18-8) #3. That seems backwards.
Section 8 Here, QRF has Maple Grove (21-5) at #1 and St. Michael-Albertville (17-8) #2, but here it was a coach's vote and St. Michael got the nod based on a 58-38 win over the Crimson.
So in case we've been ambiguous, here are our predictions including seeds.
#1 Hopkins over Forest Lake
#2 Farmington avenges last year's section loss to Lakeville North
#3 Park Center vs. Stillwater--a great game, I like Stillwater
#4 Chaska beat #5 St. Michael-Albertville 3 weeks ago, two on a match?
Hopkins over St. Michael for the 3rd time
Farmington over Stillwater for the 2nd time
Hopkins over Farmington for the 2nd time
Class AAA
Section 1 Austin (20-6) has slipped a little bit with some injuries, and Red Wing (24-2) is a solid fave.
Section 2 Marshall (25-0), Mankato West (19-7) and Waconia (16-10) started out looking pretty even. Not anymore, though it's true that Waconia plays a killer schedule and Marshall only beat them 79-75 at home. And Jordyn Hilgemann didn't play against Waseca....
Section 3 Simley (24-2) has pulled ahead of St. Paul Como (20-4) as the fave. St. Croix Lutheran (19-7) lost Clara Avery and lacks the depth for an extended run.
Section 4 DeLaSalle (21-4) is a big favorite.
Section 5 Becker (24-2) is also a big favorite.
Section 6 And Holy Angels (19-6) is a solid fave, too.
Section 7 Hermantown (23-3) is another big favorite.
Section 8 Alexandria (19-7) will have to get by Bemidji (17-8).
And, so, the picks and seeds are:
#1 DeLaSalle over Alexandria
#2 Becker over Hermantown
#3 Marshall (if Hilgemann is healthy, otherwise Waconia who would not get a seed and Simley and Red Wing and Holy Angels would move up but for now Marshall) vs. Holy Angels is a repeat of a 2016 state tournament matchup in which Holy Angels upset Marshall, then went on to win a surprise state title. Here I'll take Holy Angels again.
#4 Simley over #5 Red Wing. Simley is a great defensive team.
Simley surprises DeLaSalle
Holy Angels surprises Becker
Simley defeats Holy Angels
St. Paul Como girls win a record 6th straight TC title
St. Paul Como held on to beat Mpls. South 68-61 Saturday afternoon at Como to win its 6th straight Twin City game and championship. The 6 consecutive TC game wins is a record for boys or girls. The Mpls. North boys won 4 straight from 1984 to 1987 and again from 1995-1998, while the North girls won 4 from 2001 to 2004. Como tied the record in 2018 with an 80-74 win over South, broke it last year beating South again 56-55, and now they've extended the record to 6. Yesterday's 7 point margin was the biggest margin in any of Como's 6 TC game wins; the average has been 3. They've now beaten South 4 in a row.
Como never trailed but they never quite put South away. It was 15-7 early as Ronnie Porter scored 8 points in the 1st 4 minutes. South got within 23-21 and 25-23 as Jade Hill and Camryn Benjamin scored 6 points and Angel Hill 4, but Como went on a 12-3 run and South never got closer than 56-51 and then 66-61 inside of one minute.
Chloe Dmytruk, who did not start, gave Como a spark in the 2nd half with 5 quick points after South had closed to 56-51 but South just didn't shoot it well enough to win. They made just 7-of-32 in the 1st half and 11-of-33 in the 2nd for a total of 28 percent. Jade Hill scored 28 for South but shot 9-of-30.
It was 3-on-3, sorta. Jade and Angel and Benjamin scored 57 points for South on 16-of-50 shooting, while Porter and Kaylynn Asbury and Dmytruk scored 49 on 17-of-40 for Como. But Como's big 3 got a lot more help with 19 points to just 4 for the rest of the South roster.
It was also a story of full court defenses. Como repeatedly beat South's full court defense. Typically, one long pass meant a 3-on-2 or 4-on-2 break and 2 points for Como. South preferred to dribble through Como's full court defense and that tactic was pretty easily defended. Two late steals and 4 points got South to within 66-61 inside of one minute, but until then Como had a 17-9 lead in points off turnovers. South stayed closed thanks to a 51-42 rebounding edge, 19 offensive boards and a 15-7 edge in 2nd chance points.
Gotta hand it to Jade and Angel Hill, who did most of the ball-handling for South and only turned it over 3 times between them. Their teammates turned it over 14 in relatively minor ball-handling roles. (Jade and Angel also had 25 rebounds between them.) Como pushed the pace and only turned it over 10 times. Como also had an 11-4 edge in assists.
Player of the game is Como's Dmytruk though she played relatively few minutes. But, when she did she was the most effective player on the court. She scored 14 points on 6-of-8 shooting. She was the only player on either side who made 50 percent-plus of her shots while taking more than 2 shots. She had 4 rebounds and 3 blocks, a big steal-and-2 when the game was close in the 1st half and a huge 3 when South had closed to within 56-51, followed by a putback to make it 63-53 at 2 minutes.
Como never trailed but they never quite put South away. It was 15-7 early as Ronnie Porter scored 8 points in the 1st 4 minutes. South got within 23-21 and 25-23 as Jade Hill and Camryn Benjamin scored 6 points and Angel Hill 4, but Como went on a 12-3 run and South never got closer than 56-51 and then 66-61 inside of one minute.
Chloe Dmytruk, who did not start, gave Como a spark in the 2nd half with 5 quick points after South had closed to 56-51 but South just didn't shoot it well enough to win. They made just 7-of-32 in the 1st half and 11-of-33 in the 2nd for a total of 28 percent. Jade Hill scored 28 for South but shot 9-of-30.
It was 3-on-3, sorta. Jade and Angel and Benjamin scored 57 points for South on 16-of-50 shooting, while Porter and Kaylynn Asbury and Dmytruk scored 49 on 17-of-40 for Como. But Como's big 3 got a lot more help with 19 points to just 4 for the rest of the South roster.
It was also a story of full court defenses. Como repeatedly beat South's full court defense. Typically, one long pass meant a 3-on-2 or 4-on-2 break and 2 points for Como. South preferred to dribble through Como's full court defense and that tactic was pretty easily defended. Two late steals and 4 points got South to within 66-61 inside of one minute, but until then Como had a 17-9 lead in points off turnovers. South stayed closed thanks to a 51-42 rebounding edge, 19 offensive boards and a 15-7 edge in 2nd chance points.
Gotta hand it to Jade and Angel Hill, who did most of the ball-handling for South and only turned it over 3 times between them. Their teammates turned it over 14 in relatively minor ball-handling roles. (Jade and Angel also had 25 rebounds between them.) Como pushed the pace and only turned it over 10 times. Como also had an 11-4 edge in assists.
Player of the game is Como's Dmytruk though she played relatively few minutes. But, when she did she was the most effective player on the court. She scored 14 points on 6-of-8 shooting. She was the only player on either side who made 50 percent-plus of her shots while taking more than 2 shots. She had 4 rebounds and 3 blocks, a big steal-and-2 when the game was close in the 1st half and a huge 3 when South had closed to within 56-51, followed by a putback to make it 63-53 at 2 minutes.
Saturday, February 22, 2020
Mountain Iron-Buhl pulls away from Heritage in a high-energy tuneup
Mountain Iron-Buhl traveled to Heritage Christian Academy in Maple Grove Friday night and came away with a 78-71 win. Bottom line: The Rangers played 10 girls, Heritage mostly 6. MIB wore Heritage down a little bit, pulled away to a 10-point halftime lead and maintained a 10-15 point lead through most of the second half.
8 of the 1st 11 scores resulted in a lead change and Heritage led 12-11 after just 4 minutes as Katie Smith and Kirsten Robbins each scored twice. At that point there were 5 FG and 9 turnovers. Heritage kept the pedal to the metal and now Kaitlin Jones scored twice and Heritage had their largest lead of the night at 23-16 at 9:30. Now there were 12 FG and 13 turnovers.
MIB tied it up at 27, but it was still 35-31 Heritage at 4 minutes. But, by this time MIB's starters had all had a blow or two, while Heritage's, well, not so much. And MIB closed the 1st half with a 14-0 run--actually with mostly its 2nd string on the floor--to lead 45-35. 5-8 junior Lauren Maki scored 3 times off the bench, twice in transition and once of the offensive glass. And, Hali Savela, a 5-7 8th grader, also coming off the bench, scored on a dribble drive and a 3. A 3 by 8th grader Jordan Zubich at about 20 seconds was the coup de grace.
At the half, MIB was shooting out the lights--16-of-29 and 5-of-9 3s--and they had scored 15 points off Heritage turnovers. Heritage shot 16-of-37 and won the battle off the glass 8-2 but there were those turnovers, They, too, had scored a dozen off MIB turnovers, but they were 0-for-7 from downtown.
In the 2nd half, Heritage got within 52-47, but MIB quickly ran it back up to 68-53. Heritage finally got within 76-71 but that was at 46 seconds. In the 2nd, MIB again shot well at 10-of-21 while for Heritage at 11-of-25 was better but not good enough to come back from 10 down. Heritage scored 13 2nd chance points, MIB 5, and the 2 teams scored 49 points off of turnovers. Both coaches lamented the turnovers after the game. Most of MIB's, I thought, came on careless passes, Heritage's came from trying to dribble the ball in traffic. MIB's busy hands got a bunch of deflections and steals, and also a lot of reaching fouls. The officials called it pretty close and neither team ever gave a though to adjusting their hand play as a result.
The star of the 1st half was Robbins, who made 4-of-9 shots and had 7 boards, 2 assists and 2 steals but also 6 turnovers. The star of the 2nd half was Jordan Allen, also of Heritage, with 7 points, 4 boards and an assist. Robbins finished with 20 points, 9 boards, 3 assists and 5 steals but 8 turnovers. Allen had 14 points, 6 boards and 3 assists. Guard Taylor Schuck finished with 21 points, many of them after Robbins had fouled out, with one rebound, one assist, 3 steals and 5 turnovers.
But, MIB overwhelmed Heritage with numbers. It had too many sets offhand and legs. In the 1st half, their top player was senior guard Miah Gellerstedt with 8 points, a rebound, 2 assists, a steal and a block. In the 2nd, I liked freshman guard Sage Ganyo with 6 points, 4 boards, an assist and a steal, but 4 turnovers. For the game, Sage Ganyo had 14 points, 5 boards. Sophomore Ava Butler had 14 points, 2 boards and 2 assists. The 8th grader Zubich had 13 and 2 boards. Gellerstedt had 10 points. Maki had 10 points and 4 boards.
So, let me get this straight. MIB got 18 points from the senior class, none from the juniors (there are no juniors on the roster), 28 from the sophomores, 14 from the freshmen and 18 from the 8th graders. This is going to be a total buzzsaw in a couple of years. You heard it here first.
8 of the 1st 11 scores resulted in a lead change and Heritage led 12-11 after just 4 minutes as Katie Smith and Kirsten Robbins each scored twice. At that point there were 5 FG and 9 turnovers. Heritage kept the pedal to the metal and now Kaitlin Jones scored twice and Heritage had their largest lead of the night at 23-16 at 9:30. Now there were 12 FG and 13 turnovers.
MIB tied it up at 27, but it was still 35-31 Heritage at 4 minutes. But, by this time MIB's starters had all had a blow or two, while Heritage's, well, not so much. And MIB closed the 1st half with a 14-0 run--actually with mostly its 2nd string on the floor--to lead 45-35. 5-8 junior Lauren Maki scored 3 times off the bench, twice in transition and once of the offensive glass. And, Hali Savela, a 5-7 8th grader, also coming off the bench, scored on a dribble drive and a 3. A 3 by 8th grader Jordan Zubich at about 20 seconds was the coup de grace.
At the half, MIB was shooting out the lights--16-of-29 and 5-of-9 3s--and they had scored 15 points off Heritage turnovers. Heritage shot 16-of-37 and won the battle off the glass 8-2 but there were those turnovers, They, too, had scored a dozen off MIB turnovers, but they were 0-for-7 from downtown.
In the 2nd half, Heritage got within 52-47, but MIB quickly ran it back up to 68-53. Heritage finally got within 76-71 but that was at 46 seconds. In the 2nd, MIB again shot well at 10-of-21 while for Heritage at 11-of-25 was better but not good enough to come back from 10 down. Heritage scored 13 2nd chance points, MIB 5, and the 2 teams scored 49 points off of turnovers. Both coaches lamented the turnovers after the game. Most of MIB's, I thought, came on careless passes, Heritage's came from trying to dribble the ball in traffic. MIB's busy hands got a bunch of deflections and steals, and also a lot of reaching fouls. The officials called it pretty close and neither team ever gave a though to adjusting their hand play as a result.
The star of the 1st half was Robbins, who made 4-of-9 shots and had 7 boards, 2 assists and 2 steals but also 6 turnovers. The star of the 2nd half was Jordan Allen, also of Heritage, with 7 points, 4 boards and an assist. Robbins finished with 20 points, 9 boards, 3 assists and 5 steals but 8 turnovers. Allen had 14 points, 6 boards and 3 assists. Guard Taylor Schuck finished with 21 points, many of them after Robbins had fouled out, with one rebound, one assist, 3 steals and 5 turnovers.
But, MIB overwhelmed Heritage with numbers. It had too many sets offhand and legs. In the 1st half, their top player was senior guard Miah Gellerstedt with 8 points, a rebound, 2 assists, a steal and a block. In the 2nd, I liked freshman guard Sage Ganyo with 6 points, 4 boards, an assist and a steal, but 4 turnovers. For the game, Sage Ganyo had 14 points, 5 boards. Sophomore Ava Butler had 14 points, 2 boards and 2 assists. The 8th grader Zubich had 13 and 2 boards. Gellerstedt had 10 points. Maki had 10 points and 4 boards.
So, let me get this straight. MIB got 18 points from the senior class, none from the juniors (there are no juniors on the roster), 28 from the sophomores, 14 from the freshmen and 18 from the 8th graders. This is going to be a total buzzsaw in a couple of years. You heard it here first.
Friday, February 7, 2020
Stillwater gets its revenge and then some
Last fall, Stillwater coach Willie Taylor said, "We're not going to lose 2 games this year." He was referred to last year, when his team lost 2 games and finished 2nd in the state. The Ponies have too tough a schedule for that he said. "We play Park Center, Farmington, Wayzata, Hopkins." He didn't mention White Bear Lake. But, sure enough, his arch-rivals from the Suburban East Conference took him down last month, 69-55, as his Ponies shot 18-of-47 from the field.
Well, tonight they shot 20-of-48. Oh, and that was the first half, which ended with Stillwater leading 50-6. That is not a typo, people. 50-6. White Bear was 2-for-12 with 19 turnovers.
So, now Stillwater is 16-4 and, well, that's not 18-2 but it's not bad. Now, it's also true that the Hopkins game got snowed out. So, coach Taylor was right. They're not gonna lose 2 games this year. They're not that good. But, after dropping into the lower reaches of the top 10, they're back up to #5 in the rankings. If they seeded the state according to the rankings, they'd draw Chaska. But, OK, they're #10 in the QRF and if they seeded the state by QRF then Stillwater would be drawing somebody like Hopkins, Park Center or Farmington. Still, I would pay money to see any of those games.
But, anyway, back to tonight, it's hard to really evaluate Stillwater in such a ridiculously easy win. They shot 30-for-74 and just 7-for-26 3s. So, no, that's not so impressive, really. But, they won all the energy categories--22 offensive rebounds to one, 22-1, and the scored 21 2nd chance points to just 3 for White Bear. And, they forced 30 turnovers and scored 32 points off of those, while giving up just 8 points off turnovers.
Liza Karlen led Stillwater in everything, scoring 28 on 12-of-20 shooting, including 4-of-6 3s, which means that her teammates made 2-of-21 3s. She also had 17 rebounds, 8 on the offensive board. Alexis Pratt was her energetic self and scored 13 points, but needed 15 shots to do it. But she also had 5 assists and just one turnover. The other starters, Amber Scalia, Gionna Carr and Grace Cote shot 8-of-20 with 13 rebounds, 6 assists, 11 steals and just 3 turnovers.
It is also hard to judge White Bear from this game. They were terrible. 30 turnovers, only 25FG attempts. Their ball had grease all over it. But, they're still around .500, they're playing a bunch of kids, and they beat Stillwater once. You can't take that back. They're still #3 in the section according to QRF, which means they would play St. Paul Central and then maybe East Ridge and then maybe Stillwater again. But, I'm pretty sure that White Bear coach Jeremy Post would be happy not to see the Ponies again until then.
Well, tonight they shot 20-of-48. Oh, and that was the first half, which ended with Stillwater leading 50-6. That is not a typo, people. 50-6. White Bear was 2-for-12 with 19 turnovers.
So, now Stillwater is 16-4 and, well, that's not 18-2 but it's not bad. Now, it's also true that the Hopkins game got snowed out. So, coach Taylor was right. They're not gonna lose 2 games this year. They're not that good. But, after dropping into the lower reaches of the top 10, they're back up to #5 in the rankings. If they seeded the state according to the rankings, they'd draw Chaska. But, OK, they're #10 in the QRF and if they seeded the state by QRF then Stillwater would be drawing somebody like Hopkins, Park Center or Farmington. Still, I would pay money to see any of those games.
But, anyway, back to tonight, it's hard to really evaluate Stillwater in such a ridiculously easy win. They shot 30-for-74 and just 7-for-26 3s. So, no, that's not so impressive, really. But, they won all the energy categories--22 offensive rebounds to one, 22-1, and the scored 21 2nd chance points to just 3 for White Bear. And, they forced 30 turnovers and scored 32 points off of those, while giving up just 8 points off turnovers.
Liza Karlen led Stillwater in everything, scoring 28 on 12-of-20 shooting, including 4-of-6 3s, which means that her teammates made 2-of-21 3s. She also had 17 rebounds, 8 on the offensive board. Alexis Pratt was her energetic self and scored 13 points, but needed 15 shots to do it. But she also had 5 assists and just one turnover. The other starters, Amber Scalia, Gionna Carr and Grace Cote shot 8-of-20 with 13 rebounds, 6 assists, 11 steals and just 3 turnovers.
It is also hard to judge White Bear from this game. They were terrible. 30 turnovers, only 25FG attempts. Their ball had grease all over it. But, they're still around .500, they're playing a bunch of kids, and they beat Stillwater once. You can't take that back. They're still #3 in the section according to QRF, which means they would play St. Paul Central and then maybe East Ridge and then maybe Stillwater again. But, I'm pretty sure that White Bear coach Jeremy Post would be happy not to see the Ponies again until then.
Saturday, February 1, 2020
Becker, Chaska are the biggest winners among Community Clash Girls
I saw parts or all of 5 girls games at the Community Clash at St. Micheal-Albertville today. I did not see Andover defeat Cambridge-Isanti 52-42 nor St. Louis Park hammer Waconia 86-58 as Kendall Coley and Reagan Alexander scored 18 and 17 for the Orioles.
Chaska 75 St. Michael-Albertville 67
I admit to having picked the home team to win this game, but that was before I learned that Kendal Cox is out with an ankle injury. Coach Kent Hamre expects her back and hopes she'll be back in about a week. In the meantime, it was 3-on-3. OK, that's not fair. There were others on both sides who contributed. But on the scoreboard it was mostly:
• Mallory Heyer, Kennedy Sanders and Kaylee Van Eps for Chaska, combining for 67 points on 23-of-45 shooting including 4-of-7 3s, 19-of-38 2s and 17-of-23 FT. Everybody else made 3-of-15 FG and didn't shoot at FT. Heyer had 11 of Chaska's 33 rebounds.
• Tessa Johnson, Kenzie Kramer and Emma Miller of St. Michael scored 57 points on 23-of-40 FG, including 9-of-16 3s and 14-of-24 FG but just 2-of-2 FT. Everybody else made 4-of-17 shots including 0-for-8 from long range. The Knights ran down 26 rebounds.
In a nutshell, St. Michael outscored Chaska on FG 63-58. But, Chaska got the ball inside a lot more and a lot better, resulting in 23 trips to the FT line (they made 17) while St. Michael made 4-of-5. Chaska won the battle for 2nd chance points 15-3. Chaska did a nice job defending Kramer who got off 12 shots and did not get to the FT line.
Meanwhile, Mallory Heyer had her way inside in the 1st half (11 points, 5-of-9, scored 4 times off the offensive glass) as St. Michael played a lot of zone. Note only that, but Chaska torched the zone with 5-of-9 3s. St. Michael defended both a little better in the 2nd half, going mostly man. Heyer scored 15 but that was due to a faster pace--she needed 15 shots to do it.
It was a game of runs. 1st 13-13. Then 15-0 Chaska for a 28-13 lead. Then status quo to the end of the half. Then 20-8 St. Michael to tie it up at 49-all. Then 14-2 Chaska, then 11-2 St. Michael to get back within 65-62 at around 3:30. They had the ball with the 3 point deficit twice but clanked a pair of 3s, and it was never a one-possession game after that. Then 10-5 Chaska to the buzzer.
Becker 71 St. Croix Lutheran 61
St. Croix Lutheran really stayed with Becker today. Julia Bengtson scored 19, Adeline Kent 16, and Courtney Nuest and Megan Gamble 15, and the Bulldogs made 8 3s and 16-of-20 FT, all of which sounds like a recipe for a Becker blowout. But, nobody else scored more than 2 for the Bulldogs.
Meanwhile, St. Croix got 21 and 17 from the Hauge sisters, Luci and Laura, and just enough help to stay close. It was 32-29 late in the 1st half when we're sorry to report that Clara Avery went down with what looked like an ACL. By half-time it was 38-29 but it was 58-53 at 5 minutes and 67-59 at 3 minutes.
A free throw late in the 2nd half was Courtney Nuest's 1,000th point.
Later yet, Becker ran some clock. Becker coach Dan Baird told me last fall that Becker doesn't have a stall, that we always keep attacking. Well....
Monticello 60 Minnehaha 50
The Minnehaha girls went to Caledonia Friday night and won easily. They then stayed to watch the 'Haha boys thrash the Warriors in front of the totally packed and frenzied house. They got home after midnight. Coach Matt Pryor hoped they would have find some energy today, maybe some adrenalin, after the big night out. Well, it didn't happen.
Mia Curtis was Mia Curtis with 23 points but she got called for a variety of carries and charges and different stuff and fouled out with about 5 minutes to go. At one point, Curtis slammed the ball to the floor after a foul call. It was on the far side of the court and I was in the top row of the far stands, and I could hear the referee yelling at Curtis to "pick it up. Bring me the ball." Coach Pryor came out to try to intervene and then I could hear the referee yelling at coach Pryor. I don't know if I've ever heard anything quite like that ever.
But, bottom line, Minnehaha just doesn't have the firepower to score enough points when Mia Curtis is not even more Mia Curtis than she was today. Kate Pryor was the second option with 14 points but spent considerable time going in and out of the game with a recurring bloody nose.
And, not to take anything away from Monticello, for whom Anna Olson was really Anna Olson at her very best today, scoring 28 points, almost all right down low, powering through double and triple teams, using two and three feints before going up, and all without traveling. She's strong and determined and has the footwork for the job. Meanwhile, guard Lauran Zwack, giving up 3-4-5 inches, harassed Curtis most of the way. And, Morgynn Spears, who didn't even score, nevertheless came off the bench in the first half when the Magic were struggling and gave them some energy with her defense, ball-handling, rebounding and you name it.
Still, passing and ball-handling were in fairly short supply in this one, but Monticello just had a little bit more.
Big Lake 67 Osseo 63
I saw the 1st half here as Big Lake took a 39-25 lead. I was surprised it ended up as close as it did. Big Lake's 1-3-1 zone with 6-foot Caela Tighe at the top badgered Osseo during the first half, though the Orioles must have made some adjustments. In addition to her defensive role, Tighe scored 20 and guard Mia Huberty 21 for the Hornets. Jaiden Kline scored 23 for Osseo, mostly in the first half on a series of dipsy-doo drives into the lane from the top of the key.
Rockford 79 Holy Family 72
Finally, I saw the 2nd half of this one. Rockford was ahead all the way but never comfortably. They don't play to protect their lead, nor do they have the ball-handling or passing skill to run the clock. So they attack and, even near the end, kept putting up quick shots. So, Holy Family was never out of it. Sydney Manthana scored 23 for Rockford, while 5-11 9th grader Sophia Hall scored the same for Holy Family, several of them on breakaways. She is really, really quick and is one of those kids with a knack for disappearing and leaking out for that easy basket. She can really motor.
Community Clash Girls All-Stars 5 games
Center Anna Olson, Monticello, 6-3, senior, 28 points
Forward Mallory Heyer, Chaska, 6-2, sophomore, 26 points
Point Guard Kennedy Sanders, Chaska, 5-7, freshman, 22 points
Combo Guard Tessa Johnson, St. Michael-A., 5-10, freshman, 28 points
Shooting Guard Mia Curtis, Minnehaha, 5-10, senior, 23 points
2nd Team
Forward Kaylee Van Eps, Chaska, 6-0, junior, 19 points
Forward Caela Tighe, Big Lake, 6-0, junior, 20 points
Point Guard Julia Bengtson, Becker, 5-9, junior, 19 points
Combo Guard Kenzie Kramer, St. Michael-A., 5-10, senior, 15 points
Shooting Guard Sophia Hall, Holy Family, 5-11, freshman, 23 points
3rd Team
Forward Luci Hauge, St. Croix Lutheran, 6-0, senior, 21 points
Forward Jaiden Kline, Osseo, 5-11, senior, 23 points
Forward Megan Gamble, Becker, 5-11, junior, 15 points
Point Guard Mia Huberty, Big Lake, 5-8, junior, guard, 21 points
Combo Guard Adeline Kent, Becker, 5-8, sophomore, 16 points
Chaska 75 St. Michael-Albertville 67
I admit to having picked the home team to win this game, but that was before I learned that Kendal Cox is out with an ankle injury. Coach Kent Hamre expects her back and hopes she'll be back in about a week. In the meantime, it was 3-on-3. OK, that's not fair. There were others on both sides who contributed. But on the scoreboard it was mostly:
• Mallory Heyer, Kennedy Sanders and Kaylee Van Eps for Chaska, combining for 67 points on 23-of-45 shooting including 4-of-7 3s, 19-of-38 2s and 17-of-23 FT. Everybody else made 3-of-15 FG and didn't shoot at FT. Heyer had 11 of Chaska's 33 rebounds.
• Tessa Johnson, Kenzie Kramer and Emma Miller of St. Michael scored 57 points on 23-of-40 FG, including 9-of-16 3s and 14-of-24 FG but just 2-of-2 FT. Everybody else made 4-of-17 shots including 0-for-8 from long range. The Knights ran down 26 rebounds.
In a nutshell, St. Michael outscored Chaska on FG 63-58. But, Chaska got the ball inside a lot more and a lot better, resulting in 23 trips to the FT line (they made 17) while St. Michael made 4-of-5. Chaska won the battle for 2nd chance points 15-3. Chaska did a nice job defending Kramer who got off 12 shots and did not get to the FT line.
Meanwhile, Mallory Heyer had her way inside in the 1st half (11 points, 5-of-9, scored 4 times off the offensive glass) as St. Michael played a lot of zone. Note only that, but Chaska torched the zone with 5-of-9 3s. St. Michael defended both a little better in the 2nd half, going mostly man. Heyer scored 15 but that was due to a faster pace--she needed 15 shots to do it.
It was a game of runs. 1st 13-13. Then 15-0 Chaska for a 28-13 lead. Then status quo to the end of the half. Then 20-8 St. Michael to tie it up at 49-all. Then 14-2 Chaska, then 11-2 St. Michael to get back within 65-62 at around 3:30. They had the ball with the 3 point deficit twice but clanked a pair of 3s, and it was never a one-possession game after that. Then 10-5 Chaska to the buzzer.
Becker 71 St. Croix Lutheran 61
St. Croix Lutheran really stayed with Becker today. Julia Bengtson scored 19, Adeline Kent 16, and Courtney Nuest and Megan Gamble 15, and the Bulldogs made 8 3s and 16-of-20 FT, all of which sounds like a recipe for a Becker blowout. But, nobody else scored more than 2 for the Bulldogs.
Meanwhile, St. Croix got 21 and 17 from the Hauge sisters, Luci and Laura, and just enough help to stay close. It was 32-29 late in the 1st half when we're sorry to report that Clara Avery went down with what looked like an ACL. By half-time it was 38-29 but it was 58-53 at 5 minutes and 67-59 at 3 minutes.
A free throw late in the 2nd half was Courtney Nuest's 1,000th point.
Later yet, Becker ran some clock. Becker coach Dan Baird told me last fall that Becker doesn't have a stall, that we always keep attacking. Well....
Monticello 60 Minnehaha 50
The Minnehaha girls went to Caledonia Friday night and won easily. They then stayed to watch the 'Haha boys thrash the Warriors in front of the totally packed and frenzied house. They got home after midnight. Coach Matt Pryor hoped they would have find some energy today, maybe some adrenalin, after the big night out. Well, it didn't happen.
Mia Curtis was Mia Curtis with 23 points but she got called for a variety of carries and charges and different stuff and fouled out with about 5 minutes to go. At one point, Curtis slammed the ball to the floor after a foul call. It was on the far side of the court and I was in the top row of the far stands, and I could hear the referee yelling at Curtis to "pick it up. Bring me the ball." Coach Pryor came out to try to intervene and then I could hear the referee yelling at coach Pryor. I don't know if I've ever heard anything quite like that ever.
But, bottom line, Minnehaha just doesn't have the firepower to score enough points when Mia Curtis is not even more Mia Curtis than she was today. Kate Pryor was the second option with 14 points but spent considerable time going in and out of the game with a recurring bloody nose.
And, not to take anything away from Monticello, for whom Anna Olson was really Anna Olson at her very best today, scoring 28 points, almost all right down low, powering through double and triple teams, using two and three feints before going up, and all without traveling. She's strong and determined and has the footwork for the job. Meanwhile, guard Lauran Zwack, giving up 3-4-5 inches, harassed Curtis most of the way. And, Morgynn Spears, who didn't even score, nevertheless came off the bench in the first half when the Magic were struggling and gave them some energy with her defense, ball-handling, rebounding and you name it.
Still, passing and ball-handling were in fairly short supply in this one, but Monticello just had a little bit more.
Big Lake 67 Osseo 63
I saw the 1st half here as Big Lake took a 39-25 lead. I was surprised it ended up as close as it did. Big Lake's 1-3-1 zone with 6-foot Caela Tighe at the top badgered Osseo during the first half, though the Orioles must have made some adjustments. In addition to her defensive role, Tighe scored 20 and guard Mia Huberty 21 for the Hornets. Jaiden Kline scored 23 for Osseo, mostly in the first half on a series of dipsy-doo drives into the lane from the top of the key.
Rockford 79 Holy Family 72
Finally, I saw the 2nd half of this one. Rockford was ahead all the way but never comfortably. They don't play to protect their lead, nor do they have the ball-handling or passing skill to run the clock. So they attack and, even near the end, kept putting up quick shots. So, Holy Family was never out of it. Sydney Manthana scored 23 for Rockford, while 5-11 9th grader Sophia Hall scored the same for Holy Family, several of them on breakaways. She is really, really quick and is one of those kids with a knack for disappearing and leaking out for that easy basket. She can really motor.
Community Clash Girls All-Stars 5 games
Center Anna Olson, Monticello, 6-3, senior, 28 points
Forward Mallory Heyer, Chaska, 6-2, sophomore, 26 points
Point Guard Kennedy Sanders, Chaska, 5-7, freshman, 22 points
Combo Guard Tessa Johnson, St. Michael-A., 5-10, freshman, 28 points
Shooting Guard Mia Curtis, Minnehaha, 5-10, senior, 23 points
2nd Team
Forward Kaylee Van Eps, Chaska, 6-0, junior, 19 points
Forward Caela Tighe, Big Lake, 6-0, junior, 20 points
Point Guard Julia Bengtson, Becker, 5-9, junior, 19 points
Combo Guard Kenzie Kramer, St. Michael-A., 5-10, senior, 15 points
Shooting Guard Sophia Hall, Holy Family, 5-11, freshman, 23 points
3rd Team
Forward Luci Hauge, St. Croix Lutheran, 6-0, senior, 21 points
Forward Jaiden Kline, Osseo, 5-11, senior, 23 points
Forward Megan Gamble, Becker, 5-11, junior, 15 points
Point Guard Mia Huberty, Big Lake, 5-8, junior, guard, 21 points
Combo Guard Adeline Kent, Becker, 5-8, sophomore, 16 points
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