Hey, I'm a high school basketball fan, mostly. I like college ball, don't get me wrong. But during the state tournament? Who's got the time.... Still, there's a couple days here to at least get caught up on what's been happening. And, you know about the Gopher men and women, so I'm going to get right to the stuff you might not know about.
Division 2 Men
Mankato State--er, Minnesota State Mankato--and Winona State are 2 of 4 NSIC teams invited to the D2 dance. They plus Augustana and Upper Iowa all played in the Central Region tournament at Mankato. Mankato and Winona are still playing.
Mankato beat Arkansas Tech 81-65 and Harding 86-65 over the weekend. Meanwhile, Augustana took out Upper Iowa 79-65 while Winona beat Northeastern State 70-57, then Winona knocked out Augustana 77-65.
As a result, Mankato and Winona play tonight at Mankato to advance to the D2 Elite Eight.
Jarvis Williams scored 19 and 16 points in Mankato's 2 wins, and the Mavericks shot 50 and 57 percent in the 2 games. Clayton Vette scored 18 for Winona in its 1st win, Taylor Cameron a career high 25 in the 2nd. Against Augustana, Winona shot 70 percent in the 1st half to take a lead of as many as 22 points.
Mankato is 28-4, Winona 26-7 going into tonight's region final.
Division 2 Women
Minnesota women fared less well but Augustana of the NSIC won 3 games, eliminating Concordia (St. Paul) along the way, to advance to the Elite 8. Augie defeated CSP 78-66 though the Golden Bears shot 45 percent from the floor. It was the 1st time all year that Augustana has allowed a team to shoot better than 40 percent. Augie used a 17-0 streak late in the 1st half to take control.
Mankato lost to Emporia State 69-67 to finish at 26-6, then Augustana defeated Emporia 75-74. Augie will play Clayton State next weekend in the Elite 8.
Division 3
Meanwhile, St. Thomas stayed alive in its effort to repeat its national D3 title of 2 years ago. The Tommies had to survive a substantial threat from Calvin, winning 63-62 as Calvin missed a potential game-winner with about 5 seconds left to play. St. Thomas, the nation's top D3 shooting team at .527, shot .524 against the nation's #2 FG defense (.364), but made only 9-of-22 FT.
The #1 ranked Tommies move on the the Elite 8 where they will play #8 Williams on Friday. 4 Friday winners will play again on Saturday, and those winners will play for the D3 title on April 7. This is the tommies 3rd trip to the Elite 8 in 5 years (2009, 2011).
Earlier the St. Thomas women also defeated Calvin (at Calvin) by 2 points in an NCAA D3 game, and the Tommie women also defeated Calvin for the D3 volleyball title last fall.
Showing posts with label D2 Women. Show all posts
Showing posts with label D2 Women. Show all posts
Monday, March 18, 2013
Saturday, March 2, 2013
The Big Game March 2: South is better
I said it. South is better. But I never expected this. The Northern Sun, I mean. The Southern Division has now taken 7 of 8 slots in the 2 Final Four tournaments, men's and women's, in Rochester next weekend.
Among the men:
Upper Iowa #S4 vs. Bemidji State #N3
Mankato State #S1 vs. Augustana #S3
The big shockers were of course Upper Iowa winning at #N1 St. Cloud State 73-55, and Bemidji winning at #S2 Winona State 74-72.
Among the women:
Winona State #4S vs. #2S Mankato State
Concordia-St. Paul #1S vs. Augustana #3S
Winona knocking off #N1 St. Cloud 47-45 was the closest thing to a surprise, though Augustana also won on the road.
Player of the Day: Mason Walters, Bemidji State 21 pts, 18 boards at Winona
Coach of the Day: Mike Boschee, Bemidji State men
Among the men:
Upper Iowa #S4 vs. Bemidji State #N3
Mankato State #S1 vs. Augustana #S3
The big shockers were of course Upper Iowa winning at #N1 St. Cloud State 73-55, and Bemidji winning at #S2 Winona State 74-72.
Among the women:
Winona State #4S vs. #2S Mankato State
Concordia-St. Paul #1S vs. Augustana #3S
Winona knocking off #N1 St. Cloud 47-45 was the closest thing to a surprise, though Augustana also won on the road.
Player of the Day: Mason Walters, Bemidji State 21 pts, 18 boards at Winona
Coach of the Day: Mike Boschee, Bemidji State men
Sunday, February 24, 2013
NSIC Playoff Preview
The NSIC finished regular season play Saturday night with the Mankato State men and Concordia (St. Paul) women claiming Southern Division titles, and St. Cloud State on top in both men's and women's play. Before my friends from St. Cloud get too carried away, however, it should be pointed out if the Huskies were in the South that they'd be tied for 3rd (the men) and in 4th (the women). Still, they did what they had to do to get home ice for 2 rounds of playoffs.
This blog being called Minnesota Hoops, I must hasten to point out that all 4 division titles went to Minnesota teams but then, of course, so did all 4 of the last-place finishes which were claimed by the Minnesota-Crookston and Concordia men and the Crookston and Southwest State women.
Unlike the MIAC, everybody makes these playoffs, though for most if not all of your 7th and 8th seeds the thrill will give way to agony most swiftly. Here are the playoff match ups (those involving at least 1 Minnesota team). Playoffs commence Wednesday night (Feb. 27) at the higher seeds.
Men
#8S Concordia (9-17) at #1N St. Cloud State (19-7)
#7N Mary (4-22) at #2S Winona State (23-6)
#6S Wayne State (17-11) at #3N Bemidji State (15-11)
#8N UM-Crookston (4-22) at #1S Mankato State (22-4)
#5S SW Minnesota State (16-13) at #4N Moorhead (MN) (18-10)
#6N UMD (8-18) at #3S Augustana (19-7)
Women
#8S SW State (4-24) at #1N St. Cloud State (18-8)
#5N UMD (14-12) at #4S Winona State (19-10)
#7N Bemidji State (11-15) at #2S Mankato State (22-4)
#6S Sioux Falls (12-14) at Moorhead State (15-11)
#8N UM-Crookston (8-18) at #1S Concordia (21-5)
In theory, the home teams should all win. They're at home! And in theory, they're at home because they proved themselves to be better teams over the course of 22 conference games. But, not so. What's been proven is that the South is a lot tougher than the North, and probably always will be. The new Southern Division includes perennial powers Augustana, Mankato and Winona (both genders) and the Concordia women. The North includes only St. Cloud and UMD. And with UMD down this year, no amount of over-achieving at Moorhead or Bemidji can make up for that.
So, in fact, most of the #5 and #6 seeds from the South will probably win on the road.
But no matter what happens in the 1st round of the playoffs, the big surprises have already happened. Sure, if a #5 or below wins 2 road games to get to the semi-finals in Rochester, then we'll stop the presses. But for now, the big surprises have already happened.
Surprise! Surprise!
The biggest is just how poorly the coaches did in prognosticating their conference. Not a single one of the 4 teams they picked to win their division did so, and in fact the 4 of them finished on average about third-and-a-half. The 4 that did win were picked on average to finish just a hair above 3rd place. Let the record show that I at least got the St. Cloud men right, and picked the Concordia women for 3rd versus the coaches picking them all the way down in 5th. (Of course, I had the St. Cloud women 6th, so....)
The big surprises, team by team, were of course the 4 winners--the St. Cloud and Mankato men, and the St. Cloud and Concordia women. But seriously, is it really ever a surprise when these teams win? Not really. So even bigger surprises were:
• Bemidji men, picked 5th or 6th, finished 3rd
• Upper Iowa men, picked 7th, finished 4th
• Minot State women, picked 8th, finished 6th
The big disappointments are:
• Moorhead men, picked 1st or 2nd, finished 4th
• Southwest State men, picked 1st or 2nd, finished 5th
• Concordia men, picked 5th or 6th, finished 8th
• UMD women, picked 1st or 2nd, finished 4th (tie)
• UM-Crookston women, picked 4th and 6th, finished 8th
• Augustana women, picked 1st, finished 3rd
So there were lots of surprises. Second was the performance of the players picked as pre-season Players of the Year for their respective divisions--Alex Feeney, Katrina Newman, Alex Novak and Clayton Vette. Not to say they performed poorly, and that a couple of them might be post-season PoY as well. But overall they came up a bit short of expectations. Well, excepting Vette.
Feeney, for example, dropped from 16 ppg a year ago to 15 this year, and of course her team came in 3rd after being predicted to win the division title. More to the point, Ali Wilkinson of Mankato, the division champ, has the look of the South MVP. Katrina Newman of UMD increased her production from 14 ppg to 16, but her team slumped from a predicted 1st place finish to a 4th place tie. Newman might still be the top player but Jessica Benson of St. Cloud and Ali Collins of Mary deserve consideration as well. Novak increased his production from 12 to 13 ppg but his team, picked for 1st, also slumped to 4th place. I kind of like Shaun Jensen of St. Cloud as PoY.
Vette, on the other hand, increased his scoring from 17 ppg to 21 but his team, picked 1st, finished 2nd. He's the MVP in the South.
All-Conference Men
C- Clayton Vette, Winona State, 6-9, senior, 21 pts, 8 reb
F- Alex Novak, Moorhead State, 60-8, senior, 13 pts, 9 reb, 2 blk
F- Colin Pryor, Northern, 6-5, senior, 16 pts, 8 reb
G- Shaun Jensen, St. Cloud State, 6-4, senior, 14 pts, 5 assists
G- Cameron McCaffrey, Augustana, 6-1, senior, 21 pts, 4 assists
Second Team
C- Assem Marei, Mankato State, 6-8, junior, 13 pts, 7 reb
F- Brett Ervin, Minnesota-Duluth, 6-7, senior, 16 pts
F- Theo Rothstein, St. Cloud State, 6-5, senior, 17 pts, 2 stl
G- Zack Monaghan, Mankato State, 6-2, sophomore, 12 pts, 6 asts, 3 stl
G- Anthony Tucker, Moorhead State, 6-5, senior, 20 pts, 4 asts
All-Conference Women
C- Carly Boag, Minot, 6-2, junior, 18 pts, 12 reb
PF- Ali Wilkinson, Mankato State, 6-0, junior, 17.5 pts, 8 reb
SF- Anika Whiting, Concordia, 6-2, sophomore, 18 pts
PG- Rachel Hansen, Concordia, 6-0, junior, 11 pts, 5 asts
SG-Whitney Kieffer, Upper Iowa, 5-9, sophomore, 19 pts, 7 reb, 3 asts
Second Team
C- Megan Strese, Moorhead State, 6-0, junior, 15 pts, 10 reb
PF- Alex Feeney, Augustana, 6-0, senior, 15 pts
SF- Katrina Newman, UMD, 5-11, junior, 16 pts, 8 reb, 3 asts
PG- Ali Collins, Mary, 5-9, senior, 15 pts, 5 asts
SG- Laura Johnson, Sioux Falls, 6-0, junior, 13 pts
Summary
There's probably not a national championship contender here this year like the Winona State men of 2006-2007-2008 and the Mankato State women of 2009, but there's a lot of great talent. I expect the Mankato men and the Concordia women to win the NSIC playoffs and to go a fer piece in the D2 playoffs, probably somewhere around the Final 8, probably not Final 4.
This blog being called Minnesota Hoops, I must hasten to point out that all 4 division titles went to Minnesota teams but then, of course, so did all 4 of the last-place finishes which were claimed by the Minnesota-Crookston and Concordia men and the Crookston and Southwest State women.
Unlike the MIAC, everybody makes these playoffs, though for most if not all of your 7th and 8th seeds the thrill will give way to agony most swiftly. Here are the playoff match ups (those involving at least 1 Minnesota team). Playoffs commence Wednesday night (Feb. 27) at the higher seeds.
Men
#8S Concordia (9-17) at #1N St. Cloud State (19-7)
#7N Mary (4-22) at #2S Winona State (23-6)
#6S Wayne State (17-11) at #3N Bemidji State (15-11)
#8N UM-Crookston (4-22) at #1S Mankato State (22-4)
#5S SW Minnesota State (16-13) at #4N Moorhead (MN) (18-10)
#6N UMD (8-18) at #3S Augustana (19-7)
Women
#8S SW State (4-24) at #1N St. Cloud State (18-8)
#5N UMD (14-12) at #4S Winona State (19-10)
#7N Bemidji State (11-15) at #2S Mankato State (22-4)
#6S Sioux Falls (12-14) at Moorhead State (15-11)
#8N UM-Crookston (8-18) at #1S Concordia (21-5)
In theory, the home teams should all win. They're at home! And in theory, they're at home because they proved themselves to be better teams over the course of 22 conference games. But, not so. What's been proven is that the South is a lot tougher than the North, and probably always will be. The new Southern Division includes perennial powers Augustana, Mankato and Winona (both genders) and the Concordia women. The North includes only St. Cloud and UMD. And with UMD down this year, no amount of over-achieving at Moorhead or Bemidji can make up for that.
So, in fact, most of the #5 and #6 seeds from the South will probably win on the road.
But no matter what happens in the 1st round of the playoffs, the big surprises have already happened. Sure, if a #5 or below wins 2 road games to get to the semi-finals in Rochester, then we'll stop the presses. But for now, the big surprises have already happened.
Surprise! Surprise!
The biggest is just how poorly the coaches did in prognosticating their conference. Not a single one of the 4 teams they picked to win their division did so, and in fact the 4 of them finished on average about third-and-a-half. The 4 that did win were picked on average to finish just a hair above 3rd place. Let the record show that I at least got the St. Cloud men right, and picked the Concordia women for 3rd versus the coaches picking them all the way down in 5th. (Of course, I had the St. Cloud women 6th, so....)
The big surprises, team by team, were of course the 4 winners--the St. Cloud and Mankato men, and the St. Cloud and Concordia women. But seriously, is it really ever a surprise when these teams win? Not really. So even bigger surprises were:
• Bemidji men, picked 5th or 6th, finished 3rd
• Upper Iowa men, picked 7th, finished 4th
• Minot State women, picked 8th, finished 6th
The big disappointments are:
• Moorhead men, picked 1st or 2nd, finished 4th
• Southwest State men, picked 1st or 2nd, finished 5th
• Concordia men, picked 5th or 6th, finished 8th
• UMD women, picked 1st or 2nd, finished 4th (tie)
• UM-Crookston women, picked 4th and 6th, finished 8th
• Augustana women, picked 1st, finished 3rd
So there were lots of surprises. Second was the performance of the players picked as pre-season Players of the Year for their respective divisions--Alex Feeney, Katrina Newman, Alex Novak and Clayton Vette. Not to say they performed poorly, and that a couple of them might be post-season PoY as well. But overall they came up a bit short of expectations. Well, excepting Vette.
Feeney, for example, dropped from 16 ppg a year ago to 15 this year, and of course her team came in 3rd after being predicted to win the division title. More to the point, Ali Wilkinson of Mankato, the division champ, has the look of the South MVP. Katrina Newman of UMD increased her production from 14 ppg to 16, but her team slumped from a predicted 1st place finish to a 4th place tie. Newman might still be the top player but Jessica Benson of St. Cloud and Ali Collins of Mary deserve consideration as well. Novak increased his production from 12 to 13 ppg but his team, picked for 1st, also slumped to 4th place. I kind of like Shaun Jensen of St. Cloud as PoY.
Vette, on the other hand, increased his scoring from 17 ppg to 21 but his team, picked 1st, finished 2nd. He's the MVP in the South.
All-Conference Men
C- Clayton Vette, Winona State, 6-9, senior, 21 pts, 8 reb
F- Alex Novak, Moorhead State, 60-8, senior, 13 pts, 9 reb, 2 blk
F- Colin Pryor, Northern, 6-5, senior, 16 pts, 8 reb
G- Shaun Jensen, St. Cloud State, 6-4, senior, 14 pts, 5 assists
G- Cameron McCaffrey, Augustana, 6-1, senior, 21 pts, 4 assists
Second Team
C- Assem Marei, Mankato State, 6-8, junior, 13 pts, 7 reb
F- Brett Ervin, Minnesota-Duluth, 6-7, senior, 16 pts
F- Theo Rothstein, St. Cloud State, 6-5, senior, 17 pts, 2 stl
G- Zack Monaghan, Mankato State, 6-2, sophomore, 12 pts, 6 asts, 3 stl
G- Anthony Tucker, Moorhead State, 6-5, senior, 20 pts, 4 asts
All-Conference Women
C- Carly Boag, Minot, 6-2, junior, 18 pts, 12 reb
PF- Ali Wilkinson, Mankato State, 6-0, junior, 17.5 pts, 8 reb
SF- Anika Whiting, Concordia, 6-2, sophomore, 18 pts
PG- Rachel Hansen, Concordia, 6-0, junior, 11 pts, 5 asts
SG-Whitney Kieffer, Upper Iowa, 5-9, sophomore, 19 pts, 7 reb, 3 asts
Second Team
C- Megan Strese, Moorhead State, 6-0, junior, 15 pts, 10 reb
PF- Alex Feeney, Augustana, 6-0, senior, 15 pts
SF- Katrina Newman, UMD, 5-11, junior, 16 pts, 8 reb, 3 asts
PG- Ali Collins, Mary, 5-9, senior, 15 pts, 5 asts
SG- Laura Johnson, Sioux Falls, 6-0, junior, 13 pts
Summary
There's probably not a national championship contender here this year like the Winona State men of 2006-2007-2008 and the Mankato State women of 2009, but there's a lot of great talent. I expect the Mankato men and the Concordia women to win the NSIC playoffs and to go a fer piece in the D2 playoffs, probably somewhere around the Final 8, probably not Final 4.
Friday, January 25, 2013
The Big Game Jan. 25: Concordia (St. Paul) women 59 Augustana 47
The Concordia (St. Paul) women won their 5th straight game to gain a tie for 1st place in the NSIC South. The victim today was Augustana, which drops to 10-3 as the Bears move up to 10-3 with the win. The Bears led 39-21 at the half and Augie never got inside of double digits. Anika Whiting led Concordia with 14 points and 7 boards.
But the Player of the Day is Tyus Jones, who seems to have recovered from his injuries. He scored 35 points with 7 assists as Apple Valley beat Prior Lake 81-67.
Coach of the Day is Paul Fessler of the Concordia women.
But the Player of the Day is Tyus Jones, who seems to have recovered from his injuries. He scored 35 points with 7 assists as Apple Valley beat Prior Lake 81-67.
Coach of the Day is Paul Fessler of the Concordia women.
Friday, January 18, 2013
The Big Game Jan. 18--Concordia Sweeps UMD
The Golden Bears of Concordia (St. Paul) travelled to UMD and came away with 2 wins. The main significance of this is that for the men, it is their 1st NSIC win after 10 losses. The women move into sole possession of 2nd place in the NSIC South at 8-3.
The men led most of the way but needed OT to beat the Bulldogs 76-73. Terez Van Pelt scored 18 with 7 assists while Brett Ervin scored 27 for UMD (2-9).
The women had 24 turnovers and gave up 18 offensive rebounds. And won, 66-53, as UMD made just 23-of-81 FG, 28 percent, and Concordia made 25-of-29 FT. Rachel Hansen had 19 points and 7 assists, but half of the Bears' turnovers.
Player of the Day: For the 2nd time in 3 nights, it is Taylor Thunstedt of the New London-Spicer girls. She scored 50 the other night. Tonight, only 40 (of her team's 53) as the Wildcats fell to Waconia 58-53.
Coach of the Day: Lori Fish, St. Cloud State women, who beat Mankato State 69-65.
The men led most of the way but needed OT to beat the Bulldogs 76-73. Terez Van Pelt scored 18 with 7 assists while Brett Ervin scored 27 for UMD (2-9).
The women had 24 turnovers and gave up 18 offensive rebounds. And won, 66-53, as UMD made just 23-of-81 FG, 28 percent, and Concordia made 25-of-29 FT. Rachel Hansen had 19 points and 7 assists, but half of the Bears' turnovers.
Player of the Day: For the 2nd time in 3 nights, it is Taylor Thunstedt of the New London-Spicer girls. She scored 50 the other night. Tonight, only 40 (of her team's 53) as the Wildcats fell to Waconia 58-53.
Coach of the Day: Lori Fish, St. Cloud State women, who beat Mankato State 69-65.
Wednesday, January 16, 2013
The Big Game Jan. 15--Apple Valley and Delano boys win
With all due respect to the fine Concordia vs. Mankato women's game that I saw, the best games of the day had to be a couple of boys' games. Apple Valley and Tyus Jones overcame Lakeville North and J.P. Macura's 31 points to win 79-75 in OT. And Delano defeated Waconia 65-62, using a 20-4 run to end the 1st half to build a 41-28 lead.
Player of the Day: Oops. Changer of plans. Some of you may have seen MC McGrory as my PoD, but now I see that Taylor Thunstedt of New London-Spicer scored 50 last night, leading the Wildcats to a 73-59 win over Glencoe-Silver Lake.
Still, I won't delete the following: McGrory, a Creighton recruit, scored 29 points and outplayed Gopher recruit Joanna Hedstrom (9 points) as Edina surprised host Minnetonka 60-50
Coach of the Day: As much as I'd like to pick Delano boys' coach Terry Teachem, I gotta go with the wiley Annette Wiles of the UMD women, who reversed a 20-point loss to St. Cloud earlier this year.
Player of the Day: Oops. Changer of plans. Some of you may have seen MC McGrory as my PoD, but now I see that Taylor Thunstedt of New London-Spicer scored 50 last night, leading the Wildcats to a 73-59 win over Glencoe-Silver Lake.
Still, I won't delete the following: McGrory, a Creighton recruit, scored 29 points and outplayed Gopher recruit Joanna Hedstrom (9 points) as Edina surprised host Minnetonka 60-50
Coach of the Day: As much as I'd like to pick Delano boys' coach Terry Teachem, I gotta go with the wiley Annette Wiles of the UMD women, who reversed a 20-point loss to St. Cloud earlier this year.
Friday, January 4, 2013
The Big Game January 4, 2012--The Northern Sun
249 high school games, but 2 NSIC games beat all. Concordia (St. Paul) 56 Wayne State 46, ending a 52-game home winning streak for Wayne. And, then, Mankato State pulled out an improbable win at previously unbeaten Augustana 80-79 on 2 FT (at 0:45) then a layup (at :06) both by Ali Wilkinson.
For the record, the home teams won the big high school games. The Red Wing girls beat Chaska 62-55, and the Dover-Eyota girls beat Caledonia 69-61 in a battle of unbeatens.
Player of the Day: Wilkinson scored 35 points with 11 boards for Mankato. Coach of the Day: Paul Fessler, Concordia (St. Paul).
For the record, the home teams won the big high school games. The Red Wing girls beat Chaska 62-55, and the Dover-Eyota girls beat Caledonia 69-61 in a battle of unbeatens.
Player of the Day: Wilkinson scored 35 points with 11 boards for Mankato. Coach of the Day: Paul Fessler, Concordia (St. Paul).
Monday, December 24, 2012
Northern Sun at Holiday Break
The Northern Sun Conference is on holiday. About 1/4 of the way through the conference season one might say that:
• The men's race is wide open with 7 teams at 4-1and 2 more at 3-2.
• Upper Iowa is the big surprise among the men. Forecast to finish in 7th place in the South, UI is tied for the lead at 4-1.
• The Augustana women are the only undefeated team at 5-0 and are the only team with the potential of having a dominant type of season. And they're doing it with balance. Not a single Augie woman is among the league leaders in any statistical category.
• St. Cloud is the big surprise among the women, Minnesota-Crookston the big disappointment so far.
The Men
North
Moorhead and St. Cloud were picked at 1-2 in the North and they are, but tied also with Bemidji and Northern.
• Moorhead is led by pre-season PoY pick Alex Novak with 13.5 ppg and 90 boards, and by "newcomer" Anthony Tucker. Tucker, the former Minnetonka, Iowa and Winona State star, is leading the league in scoring at 21.5 and minutes at 36, while adding 4.5 assists.
• St. Cloud is led by Theo Rothstein at 18.5 ppg and Shaun Jensen at 16 with 6 assists.
• Bemidji is led by Dermaine Crockrell with 16 ppg.
• Bemidji is at Moorhead on Jan. 5 while South 1st place (tied) Mankato State is at St. Cloud on the Jan. 18.
• Top players to date have been Novak, Tucker, Jensen, Rothsten, and Alex Dorr of Mary.
South
Mankato and Augustana are 4-1, along with surprising Upper Iowa.
• Perennial doormat Upper Iowa is led by Tucker Wettstein with 14 ppg.
• Augustana is led by Cameron McCaffrey, who leads the South with 21 ppg.
• Mankato is led by newcomers Jarvis Williams, a senior guard and transfer from UW-Green Bay (14 ppg), Assem Marei, a 6-9 sophomore forward from Cairo, Egypt (14 ppg) and Zach Monaghan, a senior guard and transfer from South Dakota State (14 ppgs, 6 assists, 2 steals).
• Mankato is at Augustana on Jan. 4.
• Top players are Monaghan, McCaffrey, Wettstein, Isaiah Thomas and Claytion Vette, pre-season PoY who has 18 points and 9 boards per game.
The Women
North
• St. Cloud State has returned to its former prominence, sitting alone in 1st place in the North at 4-1. Sophomore forward Jessica Benson from Grand Meadow, MN, has been the key, increasing her output from 10 ppg to 16t, while guards Sam Price, Nicole Anderson, Amanda Wagner and Rachel Moen come after you in waves.
• Pre-seasoin favorites Mary and UMD are not out of it at 3-2, but Mary's front line has not been as dominant as expected and pre-seaon PoY Katrina Newman has gotten off to a slow start (14 points, 3 steals).
• Top players have been Price, Hannah Rutten of UMD, guard Ali Collins of Mary, Carly Boag of Minot State, and Megan Strese of Moorhead.
South
• Augustana is 5-0 despite not having anyone among the league leaders in any categotry. Guard Alex Feeney, pre-season PoY, leads the team in scoring at 14.
• Like the Mankato men, the women have returned to prominence at 4-1. Junior forward Ali Wilkinson is doing everything from scoring 19 ppg to grabbing 9 boards and 3 steals per game.
• Along with Feeney and Wilkinson, top players include Becca Friestleben and Katie Wolff of Winona,
Annika Whiting of Concordia, and Whitney Kieffer of Upper Iowa.
• Wayne (3-2) also has nice balance with a league-high 5 players among the league leaders.
PoY Candidates
Here I'm talking about Minnesota Hoops' year-end awards. Who from the NSIC has a shot?
• Novak and Tucker of Moorhead, and Monaghan of Mankato.
• Wilkinson of Mankato among the women..
ToY Candidates
Whoever wins, including the post- as well as the season. Right now Augustana is the most dominant but they, of course, are not a Minnesota team. So how about the Mankato men and women, both who are having breakout seasons after a secretive near-.500 year in 2012.
CoY Candidates
Right now it's Mankato coaches Matt Marganhaler and Emilee Thiessen.
Thursday, October 18, 2012
Hail Mary among Northern Sun Women
The Northern Sun expands to 16 teams with the addition of Minot State and Sioux Falls. At the same time, recently successful women's programs such as Northern, Wayne State and Winona State will be coping with significant losses to graduation. It should make for an interesting year. In a nutshell,
• Bemidji State, Mary and UMD all look solid in the North
• Augustana could run away with the South, unless Concordia or Mankato matures quickly. Each has some good-looking talent but not enough of it and it's young.
Overall, hail Mary! Augustana is the only NSIC team rated in the pre-season D2 Top 25, but I like Mary overall ahead of Augustana.
North
1. Mary. One of the newer members of the NSIC themselves, they' accumulated great inside talent in 6-2 senior forward Linda Murray, 6-1 junior forward Kaitleen Haag and 5-11 senior forward Shauna Knife, who among them will score more than 30 points, and grab almost 20 boards, and block about 4 shots per game.They'll shoot over 45 percent from the floor. Meanwhile guards Alli Collins, 5-9 and Laura Peterson, a 5-10, will held heir own.
2. Minnesota-Duluth. The secret weapon is probably the 2nd best player in the conference, Katrina Newman, the 5-11 junior forward-guard-do everything from Barnum. She is #2 returning scorer in the conference at 14 ppg with 8 boards and 44% shooting. 5-8 senior guard Courtney Doucette is Plan B at 13 ppg plus 3 assists. The supporting cast isn't quite what coach Annette Wiles is used to, but the top 2 can carry this team a long, long way.
3. Bemidji State. Improving rapidly under coach Mike Curfman, the Beavers bring back 6-2 junior post Kate Warmack and guards Morgan Lee and Shannon Thompson. Lee, a 5-7 junior, scored 13 ppg while the 5-7 senior Thompson contributes 3 assists and 2 steals. Warmack and senior Emily Kaus will give Bemidji a size advantage against many opponents.
4. Minnesota-Crookston. Senior guard Brittani Wiese will be another of the NSIC's top players. She scored 15 ppg with 2 assists and 39 percent shooting on 3-pointers. Senior center Laurie Tyson and sophomore guard Ashley Martell will help.
5. Moorhead State. Junior center Morgan Zabel, junior forward Megan Strese and senior guard Marissa Yernatich lead the way.
6. St. Cloud State. Sophomore forward Jessica Benson is a rising star, scoring 10 points with 6 rebounds a a freshman. Guards Nicole Anderson and Amanda Wagner, both seniors, and Rachel Moen, a junior, try to create chaos and turnovers in the backcourt.
7. Northern State. Junior Alison Kusler will lead the way, having scored 11 ppg as a sophomore while shooting 38 percent from 3-point territory.
8. Minot State. One of the conference's 2 new members.
South
1. Augustana. Top 10 rated nationally, mostly due to 6-0 senior forward Alex Feeney who is the leading returning corer with 16 ppg, and among the top 10 in boards with 7, shooting (44% from the field, 85% from the line, and 40% on 3-pointers), and blocks with 2. A deep but largely unproven roster backs Feeney up and at least 2 or 3 from among Lydia Nelson, Shaunteva Ashley, Emily Schulte, Emily Bose and Andrea Whiting seems likely to emerge.
2. Concordia-St. Paul. Not as deep as the North. CSP is rebuilding but that might be good enough for 2nd in the South. Annika Whiting leads the way, she scored 11 points with 6 boards and 43% shooting as a frosh. Guards Carissa Wolyniec and Rachel Hansen add more than 20 points between them, and Hansen adds 3 assists and 2 steals.
3. Mankato State. Ditto. Rebuilding but fast enough in the South. Guard Aubrey Davis and forward Jamie Bresnahan are a long-term nucleus but just sophomores and it's not clear where additional production will come from.
4. Wayne State loses conference MVP Ashley Arlen, but the cupboard is far from bare. But nobody looks like a go-to like Arlen; Ellen Hanson is the top returning scorer at just 6 ppg. Could finish anywhere from #2 to #7.
5. Winona State. Ditto Wayne. Guard Katie Wolff is the conference's top returning point guard with 4 assists and about 2 assists per turnover. But who along with Wolff is gonna put the ball in the hole.
6. Upper Iowa. Perennial doormat now has sophomore Whitney Kieffer leading the way. She scored 16 ppg with 7 boards and 2 steals last year. It's not clear if the supporting cast is up to it, however.
7. Southwest MN State. Looks to be in trouble. Bree Holleman is one of the league's best guards, but there doesn't appear to be any help.
Post-Season
Not sure what the format is, but let's say the semi-finalists are seeded 1) Mary, 2) Augustana, 3) UMD, 4) Concordia, 5) Bemidji, 6) Mankato, 7) UMC, 8) Wayne.
Mary defeats Wayne, Augie defeats UMC, UMD defeats Mankato, and we'll pick one upset Bemidji over Concordia. In the semi's it's Mary over Bemidji, and UMD surprises Augie. In the final, Mary over UMD.
Pre-Season All-Conference
Alex Feeney, Augustana, F, Player of the Year
Katrina Newman, UMD, F-G
Brittani Wiese, UMC, G
Linda Murray, Mary, F
Annika Whiting, Concordia-St. Paul, F
Coach of the Year
1. Mike Curfman, Bemidji State
2. Mike Roysland, UMC
3. Annette Wiles, UMD
2nd Team
Courtney Doucette, UMD, G
Rachel Hansen, Concordia-St. Paul, G
Whitney Kieffer, Upper Iowa, F
Kate Warmack, Bemidji State, C
Aubrey Davis, Mankato State, G
3rd Team
Shauna Knife, Mary, F
Katie Wolff, Winona State, G
Alison Kusler, Northern, G
Megan Strese, Moorhead State, F
Jamie Bresnahan, Mankato State, F
4th Team
Jessica Benson, St. Cloud State, F
Bree Holleman, Southwest State, G
Liz Collin, Mary, G
Lydia Nelson, Augustana, F
Morgan Lee, Bemidji State, G
• Bemidji State, Mary and UMD all look solid in the North
• Augustana could run away with the South, unless Concordia or Mankato matures quickly. Each has some good-looking talent but not enough of it and it's young.
Overall, hail Mary! Augustana is the only NSIC team rated in the pre-season D2 Top 25, but I like Mary overall ahead of Augustana.
North
1. Mary. One of the newer members of the NSIC themselves, they' accumulated great inside talent in 6-2 senior forward Linda Murray, 6-1 junior forward Kaitleen Haag and 5-11 senior forward Shauna Knife, who among them will score more than 30 points, and grab almost 20 boards, and block about 4 shots per game.They'll shoot over 45 percent from the floor. Meanwhile guards Alli Collins, 5-9 and Laura Peterson, a 5-10, will held heir own.
2. Minnesota-Duluth. The secret weapon is probably the 2nd best player in the conference, Katrina Newman, the 5-11 junior forward-guard-do everything from Barnum. She is #2 returning scorer in the conference at 14 ppg with 8 boards and 44% shooting. 5-8 senior guard Courtney Doucette is Plan B at 13 ppg plus 3 assists. The supporting cast isn't quite what coach Annette Wiles is used to, but the top 2 can carry this team a long, long way.
3. Bemidji State. Improving rapidly under coach Mike Curfman, the Beavers bring back 6-2 junior post Kate Warmack and guards Morgan Lee and Shannon Thompson. Lee, a 5-7 junior, scored 13 ppg while the 5-7 senior Thompson contributes 3 assists and 2 steals. Warmack and senior Emily Kaus will give Bemidji a size advantage against many opponents.
4. Minnesota-Crookston. Senior guard Brittani Wiese will be another of the NSIC's top players. She scored 15 ppg with 2 assists and 39 percent shooting on 3-pointers. Senior center Laurie Tyson and sophomore guard Ashley Martell will help.
5. Moorhead State. Junior center Morgan Zabel, junior forward Megan Strese and senior guard Marissa Yernatich lead the way.
6. St. Cloud State. Sophomore forward Jessica Benson is a rising star, scoring 10 points with 6 rebounds a a freshman. Guards Nicole Anderson and Amanda Wagner, both seniors, and Rachel Moen, a junior, try to create chaos and turnovers in the backcourt.
7. Northern State. Junior Alison Kusler will lead the way, having scored 11 ppg as a sophomore while shooting 38 percent from 3-point territory.
8. Minot State. One of the conference's 2 new members.
South
1. Augustana. Top 10 rated nationally, mostly due to 6-0 senior forward Alex Feeney who is the leading returning corer with 16 ppg, and among the top 10 in boards with 7, shooting (44% from the field, 85% from the line, and 40% on 3-pointers), and blocks with 2. A deep but largely unproven roster backs Feeney up and at least 2 or 3 from among Lydia Nelson, Shaunteva Ashley, Emily Schulte, Emily Bose and Andrea Whiting seems likely to emerge.
2. Concordia-St. Paul. Not as deep as the North. CSP is rebuilding but that might be good enough for 2nd in the South. Annika Whiting leads the way, she scored 11 points with 6 boards and 43% shooting as a frosh. Guards Carissa Wolyniec and Rachel Hansen add more than 20 points between them, and Hansen adds 3 assists and 2 steals.
3. Mankato State. Ditto. Rebuilding but fast enough in the South. Guard Aubrey Davis and forward Jamie Bresnahan are a long-term nucleus but just sophomores and it's not clear where additional production will come from.
4. Wayne State loses conference MVP Ashley Arlen, but the cupboard is far from bare. But nobody looks like a go-to like Arlen; Ellen Hanson is the top returning scorer at just 6 ppg. Could finish anywhere from #2 to #7.
5. Winona State. Ditto Wayne. Guard Katie Wolff is the conference's top returning point guard with 4 assists and about 2 assists per turnover. But who along with Wolff is gonna put the ball in the hole.
6. Upper Iowa. Perennial doormat now has sophomore Whitney Kieffer leading the way. She scored 16 ppg with 7 boards and 2 steals last year. It's not clear if the supporting cast is up to it, however.
7. Southwest MN State. Looks to be in trouble. Bree Holleman is one of the league's best guards, but there doesn't appear to be any help.
Post-Season
Not sure what the format is, but let's say the semi-finalists are seeded 1) Mary, 2) Augustana, 3) UMD, 4) Concordia, 5) Bemidji, 6) Mankato, 7) UMC, 8) Wayne.
Mary defeats Wayne, Augie defeats UMC, UMD defeats Mankato, and we'll pick one upset Bemidji over Concordia. In the semi's it's Mary over Bemidji, and UMD surprises Augie. In the final, Mary over UMD.
Pre-Season All-Conference
Alex Feeney, Augustana, F, Player of the Year
Katrina Newman, UMD, F-G
Brittani Wiese, UMC, G
Linda Murray, Mary, F
Annika Whiting, Concordia-St. Paul, F
Coach of the Year
1. Mike Curfman, Bemidji State
2. Mike Roysland, UMC
3. Annette Wiles, UMD
2nd Team
Courtney Doucette, UMD, G
Rachel Hansen, Concordia-St. Paul, G
Whitney Kieffer, Upper Iowa, F
Kate Warmack, Bemidji State, C
Aubrey Davis, Mankato State, G
3rd Team
Shauna Knife, Mary, F
Katie Wolff, Winona State, G
Alison Kusler, Northern, G
Megan Strese, Moorhead State, F
Jamie Bresnahan, Mankato State, F
4th Team
Jessica Benson, St. Cloud State, F
Bree Holleman, Southwest State, G
Liz Collin, Mary, G
Lydia Nelson, Augustana, F
Morgan Lee, Bemidji State, G
Sunday, March 4, 2012
The Big Game 3-4-12: South Who? What West?
South. West. Southwest. Southwest State. Southwest Minnesota State. You know, the NSIC men's basketball playoff champion. Southwest State.
Oh! OK, I get it now. Southwest State. But, they what? They...champion...what?
Men's basketball playoff champion!? I did not see that coming. Picked for 8th place in the pre-season coach's poll, the Mustangs won 9 of 10 down the stretch to sneak into the #3, er, ah, make that #2 seed in the NSIC. But the #2 seemed a little bit tainted. I mean, they were really #3 but bumped up a slot due to the penalties to Winona State that dropped the Warriors from #1 to #6.
Not to mention that in a topsy turvy NSIC race, Bemidji State and Moorhead State were making moves at the same time as Southwest State. Bemidji won 10 of 12 from the middle of January to steal the #1 seed, and Moorhead won 5 in a row in the 1st 2 weeks of February to move up in the ranks.
So I totally missed South...ah, who? But indeed they won 9 of 10 including wins at Mankato State and St. Cloud State and there they were, #2. But, it's gotta be said, nobody with anywhere near a 1st team all-conference resume. Juniors Jordan Miller and Nick Smith are the leading scorers with 14 and 12 ppg. Smith gets 5 rebounds and sophomore Vinard Birch 3 assists. But, wait, here's something. Smith is #3 with 1.6 blocks, and Birch is #4 in assist-turnover ratio, also at 1.6.
But nobody is indispensible, or so it seems. Miller leads the team in minutes at 28 per game, ranked just #30 in the conference.
But there it is. #2. And with that comes a winnable 1st round game vs. #7 UMD at home, and indeed a 99-92 win. UMD led 81-77 with 6:22 remaining but a 7-0 run gave SMSU a lead that it never relinquished. Matt Zager and Lavione West scored career-highs of 21 and 19 points.
SMSU was expected to bow out gracefully in round 2 against #1/#6 Winona State, who had already beaten the Mustangs twice. But you know what they say, and Southwest prevailed in a 69-64 shocker. The Mustangs again trailed for long parts of the game, but this time they took the lead for good at 41-40 with 14 minutes to go. West scored 17 points including 7-of-7 FTs. Miller and Smith added 13 and 11.
So, in today's final SMSU faced Moorhead State, another team whom the Mustangs had failed to defeat during the regular season. No matter. Trailing 59-48 with 10 minutes remaining, Southwest went on a 24-4 rampage which it extended to 40-18 over 16 minutes. Smith scored 13 points with 6 boards during the big run, en route to his 1st career double-double with 21 points and 10 boards. West, named tournament MVP, added 16 points and 5 boards.
NCAA D2 Pairings
The NCAA D2 pairings were announced tonight. 4 Minnesota men's teams advance, though they'll be down to 2 lickity split. Southwest State will face Moorhead again and Bemidji will play St. Cloud, both at Golden, CO. Augustana of the NSIC is in Golden as well, along with 3 teams from the Rocky Mountain Conference. Colorado Mines is the #1 seed and host for this pod.
Winona State, for its part, ended up being treated like a #6 seed and not a #1 seed. They, in short, were left out despite winning the regular season NSIC title.
I'm picking 2 upsets with Moorhead and St. Cloud making it to the regional final, and St. Cloud to take it all.
And Among the Women
Well, you'll recall that schools outside of Minnesota dominated both the regular season and the playoffs among the NSIC women. And so it's a bit of a surprise that Minnesota teams Mankato State and UMD both got invited to the Wayne, NE, pod. #8 Mankato gets #1 and host and NSIC champion Wayne State, while #7 UMD gets #2 seed Metro State. These 2 have a very very tough row to hoe.
Oh! OK, I get it now. Southwest State. But, they what? They...champion...what?
Men's basketball playoff champion!? I did not see that coming. Picked for 8th place in the pre-season coach's poll, the Mustangs won 9 of 10 down the stretch to sneak into the #3, er, ah, make that #2 seed in the NSIC. But the #2 seemed a little bit tainted. I mean, they were really #3 but bumped up a slot due to the penalties to Winona State that dropped the Warriors from #1 to #6.
Not to mention that in a topsy turvy NSIC race, Bemidji State and Moorhead State were making moves at the same time as Southwest State. Bemidji won 10 of 12 from the middle of January to steal the #1 seed, and Moorhead won 5 in a row in the 1st 2 weeks of February to move up in the ranks.
So I totally missed South...ah, who? But indeed they won 9 of 10 including wins at Mankato State and St. Cloud State and there they were, #2. But, it's gotta be said, nobody with anywhere near a 1st team all-conference resume. Juniors Jordan Miller and Nick Smith are the leading scorers with 14 and 12 ppg. Smith gets 5 rebounds and sophomore Vinard Birch 3 assists. But, wait, here's something. Smith is #3 with 1.6 blocks, and Birch is #4 in assist-turnover ratio, also at 1.6.
But nobody is indispensible, or so it seems. Miller leads the team in minutes at 28 per game, ranked just #30 in the conference.
But there it is. #2. And with that comes a winnable 1st round game vs. #7 UMD at home, and indeed a 99-92 win. UMD led 81-77 with 6:22 remaining but a 7-0 run gave SMSU a lead that it never relinquished. Matt Zager and Lavione West scored career-highs of 21 and 19 points.
SMSU was expected to bow out gracefully in round 2 against #1/#6 Winona State, who had already beaten the Mustangs twice. But you know what they say, and Southwest prevailed in a 69-64 shocker. The Mustangs again trailed for long parts of the game, but this time they took the lead for good at 41-40 with 14 minutes to go. West scored 17 points including 7-of-7 FTs. Miller and Smith added 13 and 11.
So, in today's final SMSU faced Moorhead State, another team whom the Mustangs had failed to defeat during the regular season. No matter. Trailing 59-48 with 10 minutes remaining, Southwest went on a 24-4 rampage which it extended to 40-18 over 16 minutes. Smith scored 13 points with 6 boards during the big run, en route to his 1st career double-double with 21 points and 10 boards. West, named tournament MVP, added 16 points and 5 boards.
NCAA D2 Pairings
The NCAA D2 pairings were announced tonight. 4 Minnesota men's teams advance, though they'll be down to 2 lickity split. Southwest State will face Moorhead again and Bemidji will play St. Cloud, both at Golden, CO. Augustana of the NSIC is in Golden as well, along with 3 teams from the Rocky Mountain Conference. Colorado Mines is the #1 seed and host for this pod.
Winona State, for its part, ended up being treated like a #6 seed and not a #1 seed. They, in short, were left out despite winning the regular season NSIC title.
I'm picking 2 upsets with Moorhead and St. Cloud making it to the regional final, and St. Cloud to take it all.
And Among the Women
Well, you'll recall that schools outside of Minnesota dominated both the regular season and the playoffs among the NSIC women. And so it's a bit of a surprise that Minnesota teams Mankato State and UMD both got invited to the Wayne, NE, pod. #8 Mankato gets #1 and host and NSIC champion Wayne State, while #7 UMD gets #2 seed Metro State. These 2 have a very very tough row to hoe.
Thursday, March 1, 2012
The Big Game 2-29-12: Winona State men leap forward
Apropos of leap day, the Winona State men leaped past a formidable challenge in St. Cloud State to open the NSIC playoffs. Winona is of course the best team in the NSIC with a 19-3 regular season record. But because the Warriors used an ineligible player, they were penalized by being knocked down to a #6 seed. Ergo, the trip to St. Cloud.
But frankly, this works more like a penalty for St. Cloud. After busting their hump all season long and coming up with the #3 seed, they ended up playing #1 instead of a real #6 seed. Hopefully, they get some dispensation from somebody when it comes time to evaluate their season and to determine who gets a bid to the NCAAs.
The final was Winona State 64 St. Cloud State 53. Winona closed the game on a 19-5 run to erase a St. Cloud advantage of 48-45. Clayton Vetter had 22 points and 11 boards for the Warriors.
Elsewhere in the NSIC the top seeds all won: Among the men, #1 Bemidji State, #2 Southwest State, #4 Moorhead State. Among the women, #1 Wayne State, #2 Augustana, #3 Mary. #4 and 5, Moorhead and Augustana, play tomorrow night.
Player of the Day
Tia Elbert, Tartan girls, 37 points in upset win over Stillwater.
Coach of the Day
Charlita Williamson, Tartan girls. Hey, I saw her out-coach the other side and beat a team that had better talent from #2 through #10. She knows what she is doing.
But frankly, this works more like a penalty for St. Cloud. After busting their hump all season long and coming up with the #3 seed, they ended up playing #1 instead of a real #6 seed. Hopefully, they get some dispensation from somebody when it comes time to evaluate their season and to determine who gets a bid to the NCAAs.
The final was Winona State 64 St. Cloud State 53. Winona closed the game on a 19-5 run to erase a St. Cloud advantage of 48-45. Clayton Vetter had 22 points and 11 boards for the Warriors.
Elsewhere in the NSIC the top seeds all won: Among the men, #1 Bemidji State, #2 Southwest State, #4 Moorhead State. Among the women, #1 Wayne State, #2 Augustana, #3 Mary. #4 and 5, Moorhead and Augustana, play tomorrow night.
Player of the Day
Tia Elbert, Tartan girls, 37 points in upset win over Stillwater.
Coach of the Day
Charlita Williamson, Tartan girls. Hey, I saw her out-coach the other side and beat a team that had better talent from #2 through #10. She knows what she is doing.
Saturday, February 11, 2012
The Big Game 2-11-12: The Rookie Point Guards
Who'da thought that the eyes of the basketball world would all be focused on a rookie point guard at the Target Center tonight--and it wouldn't be Ricky Rubio? No, suddenly, the fickle basketball world has found a new darlin', a new hero. His name is Jeremy Lin, and a week ago nobody had ever heard of the guy. He was averaging 4 points per game as a back-up point for the New York Knicks.
But the Knicks were mired in an unexpected rut. I mean, these guys paid billions for Carmelo Anthony, and they were supposed to be on their way back to respectability. But it wasn't happening. They were 7-15, but more to the point, they'd lost 11 of their last 13 and were going nowhere with another rookie, Iman Shumpert from Georgia Tech, at the point.
So, in went Lin. And now, less than a week later, he's a folk hero, the 4th most searched term on Google--not sports term, but search term of any kind. And the Knicks are now 5-0 with him in the starting lineup after tonight's 100-98 win over the Timberwolves.
The Wolves led most of the way, or to put it another way, the Knicks led 4-2 and 38-37, and that was it, until taking a 95-94 lead on a Shumpert FG at 1:21. Kevin Love put the Wolves back on top with 2 FT after an offensive board, and then Rubio made it a 3-point game with a driving lay-up. Steve Novak hit a 3 to tie it up at :36. Rubio, who had 0 turnovers to that point, then turned it over on 2 consecutive possessions, and the Knicks hit 1-of-2 FT each time. Minnesota got the ball back with less than 2 seconds remaining, and that was all she wrote.
For the night, Lin scored 20 points, but needed 24 FGA (he was 8/24 or 33 percent) to do it, and added 8 assists and 3 steals. Rubio matched the 8 assists and 3 steals, as well as the 33 FG percentage, but scored just 12 points. On the other hand, Rubio had just 2 turnovers while Lin had 6 turnovers and 4 blocked shots against. Still, meeting #1 goes to Lin.
For the season, it's hard to compare as Rubio has been playing regularly since game #5 or 6, while Lin has started, how, 5 games. But, be that as it may, the season records look like this.
Lin 11 points, 4 assists, 2 turnovers, 2 rebounds, 1 steal, 54 FG percent, 20 percent on 3s
Rubio 11 points, 9 assists, 5 rebounds, 3 turnovers. 3 steals, 37 FG percentage, 33 percent on 3s
And so the Player of the Day is...
Reid Travis of DeLaSalle scored 36 points in a 71-62 win over Minnehaha.
Coach of the Day...
is shared by Moorhead State coaches Chad Walthall of the men and Karla Nelson of the women, each of whom won at Bemidji State in a total of 4 OT. The men won 84-77 in a single OT, while the women won 95-93 in 3OT for their 7th straight win.
But the Knicks were mired in an unexpected rut. I mean, these guys paid billions for Carmelo Anthony, and they were supposed to be on their way back to respectability. But it wasn't happening. They were 7-15, but more to the point, they'd lost 11 of their last 13 and were going nowhere with another rookie, Iman Shumpert from Georgia Tech, at the point.
So, in went Lin. And now, less than a week later, he's a folk hero, the 4th most searched term on Google--not sports term, but search term of any kind. And the Knicks are now 5-0 with him in the starting lineup after tonight's 100-98 win over the Timberwolves.
The Wolves led most of the way, or to put it another way, the Knicks led 4-2 and 38-37, and that was it, until taking a 95-94 lead on a Shumpert FG at 1:21. Kevin Love put the Wolves back on top with 2 FT after an offensive board, and then Rubio made it a 3-point game with a driving lay-up. Steve Novak hit a 3 to tie it up at :36. Rubio, who had 0 turnovers to that point, then turned it over on 2 consecutive possessions, and the Knicks hit 1-of-2 FT each time. Minnesota got the ball back with less than 2 seconds remaining, and that was all she wrote.
For the night, Lin scored 20 points, but needed 24 FGA (he was 8/24 or 33 percent) to do it, and added 8 assists and 3 steals. Rubio matched the 8 assists and 3 steals, as well as the 33 FG percentage, but scored just 12 points. On the other hand, Rubio had just 2 turnovers while Lin had 6 turnovers and 4 blocked shots against. Still, meeting #1 goes to Lin.
For the season, it's hard to compare as Rubio has been playing regularly since game #5 or 6, while Lin has started, how, 5 games. But, be that as it may, the season records look like this.
Lin 11 points, 4 assists, 2 turnovers, 2 rebounds, 1 steal, 54 FG percent, 20 percent on 3s
Rubio 11 points, 9 assists, 5 rebounds, 3 turnovers. 3 steals, 37 FG percentage, 33 percent on 3s
And so the Player of the Day is...
Reid Travis of DeLaSalle scored 36 points in a 71-62 win over Minnehaha.
Coach of the Day...
is shared by Moorhead State coaches Chad Walthall of the men and Karla Nelson of the women, each of whom won at Bemidji State in a total of 4 OT. The men won 84-77 in a single OT, while the women won 95-93 in 3OT for their 7th straight win.
The Big Game 2-10-12: Lakeville North surprises Eastview
Some of you have already read my report re. the Moorhead State women and their 6th straight win. But I just discovered that the #3 Lakeville North boys surprised #1 Eastview (at Eastview, no less), 57-56, giving the Lightning their 1st loss of the season.
Junior guard Grant Erickson scored his only 2 points of the night on a driving lay-up with 2.7 seconds remaining to win it. Lakeville had led by 9 at the half, but Eastview led 56-51 before the Panthers scored the last 6 point of the game to win.
I had said in an earlier report that I hoped Eastview would lose 1 in the regular season. I think most teams are more relaxed in the post-season that way, but time will tell. But if the Lightning was going to lose, Lakeville North would be among the few candidates to beat 'em. Tyler Flack is one of the few kids down thataway who can match up to Joey King, and he did so for the most part though King ended up with an 18-12 advantage.
For the moment, I imagine that Eastview will fall all the way to #3 in the ratings. Hopkins, with 1 loss, will be #1 and Lakeville North, also with 1 loss, will be #2.
Moorhead State women 84 UMD 77
Left for dead a month ago, the Moorhead State women continued an unexpected resurgence last night, winning 84-77 at Minnesota-Duluth. They've gone from 3-8 and near the bottom of the Northern Sun to 9-8 and back in the playoff picture in 6th place.
UMD led most of the way last night--25-18 early on, 40-36 at the half, and by as much as 6 in the 2nd half at 42-36 and 58-52. Moorhead only took the lead for good at 66-65 with 3:28 on the clock on a free throw by Megan Strese. Strese quickly made 2 more throws, Morgan Zabel and Marissa Yernatich a pair of 3s and Zabel a pair of throws to close out a 13-0 run for a 76-65 lead at 1:12.
Yernatich came off the bench to score 19 points for the Dragons, Haley Thomforde did the same and scored 17. Angie Jetvig added 16 and 9 boards, 4 assists and 3 blocks. Yernatich, grew up 2 miles from the Romano Field House on the UMD campus where the game was played.
Last summer I tabbed the Dragons to contend for the NSIC title when it was announced that Angela Christianson would be coming from Drake to Moorhead. She was hurt early, then played very little as the Dragons struggled mightily to find some chemistry. Now Christianson has not appeared in a game since January 3 and Moorhead, 4-8 at that time, is 8-2 since. And, Christianson is no longer listed among the team roster on their Web site.
Player of the Day
Meanwhile, among the NSIC men, St. Cloud State won a 64-63 thriller over Mankato State on a Tim Bergstrasser put-back at the buzzer. Guard Brett Putz of the Huskies scored 22 points on 60-of-11 3-pointers, giving him a career total of 228 3s, 3rd on St. Cloud's all-time list.
But now that I have the high school results, I guess I am going to have to go with Thomas Sjoberg of St. Thomas as Player of the Day. He scored 36 points in the Tommies 61-47 win over Mahtomedi.
Coach of the Day
Karla Nelson, Moorhead State women, who kept her team together through some very very tough going.
And now I also have to recognize John Oxton of Lakeville North on his big upset last night.
Junior guard Grant Erickson scored his only 2 points of the night on a driving lay-up with 2.7 seconds remaining to win it. Lakeville had led by 9 at the half, but Eastview led 56-51 before the Panthers scored the last 6 point of the game to win.
I had said in an earlier report that I hoped Eastview would lose 1 in the regular season. I think most teams are more relaxed in the post-season that way, but time will tell. But if the Lightning was going to lose, Lakeville North would be among the few candidates to beat 'em. Tyler Flack is one of the few kids down thataway who can match up to Joey King, and he did so for the most part though King ended up with an 18-12 advantage.
For the moment, I imagine that Eastview will fall all the way to #3 in the ratings. Hopkins, with 1 loss, will be #1 and Lakeville North, also with 1 loss, will be #2.
Moorhead State women 84 UMD 77
Left for dead a month ago, the Moorhead State women continued an unexpected resurgence last night, winning 84-77 at Minnesota-Duluth. They've gone from 3-8 and near the bottom of the Northern Sun to 9-8 and back in the playoff picture in 6th place.
UMD led most of the way last night--25-18 early on, 40-36 at the half, and by as much as 6 in the 2nd half at 42-36 and 58-52. Moorhead only took the lead for good at 66-65 with 3:28 on the clock on a free throw by Megan Strese. Strese quickly made 2 more throws, Morgan Zabel and Marissa Yernatich a pair of 3s and Zabel a pair of throws to close out a 13-0 run for a 76-65 lead at 1:12.
Yernatich came off the bench to score 19 points for the Dragons, Haley Thomforde did the same and scored 17. Angie Jetvig added 16 and 9 boards, 4 assists and 3 blocks. Yernatich, grew up 2 miles from the Romano Field House on the UMD campus where the game was played.
Last summer I tabbed the Dragons to contend for the NSIC title when it was announced that Angela Christianson would be coming from Drake to Moorhead. She was hurt early, then played very little as the Dragons struggled mightily to find some chemistry. Now Christianson has not appeared in a game since January 3 and Moorhead, 4-8 at that time, is 8-2 since. And, Christianson is no longer listed among the team roster on their Web site.
Player of the Day
Meanwhile, among the NSIC men, St. Cloud State won a 64-63 thriller over Mankato State on a Tim Bergstrasser put-back at the buzzer. Guard Brett Putz of the Huskies scored 22 points on 60-of-11 3-pointers, giving him a career total of 228 3s, 3rd on St. Cloud's all-time list.
But now that I have the high school results, I guess I am going to have to go with Thomas Sjoberg of St. Thomas as Player of the Day. He scored 36 points in the Tommies 61-47 win over Mahtomedi.
Coach of the Day
Karla Nelson, Moorhead State women, who kept her team together through some very very tough going.
And now I also have to recognize John Oxton of Lakeville North on his big upset last night.
Saturday, January 28, 2012
The Big Game 1-28-12: St. Thomas at Gustavus Doubleheader
St. Thomas and Gustavus split the big MIAC doubleheader in St. Peter. The Tommies women stayed unbeaten at 15-0 in the conference with an eye-popping 20 point win, while the Gustavus men finally put the Tommies away in the last seconds of OT to gain a tie for 1st place in the conference.
St. Thomas Women 72 Gustavus 52
If #1 beats #2, and does it on the road, no less, and if #1 further wins by a ridiculous wide margin, then who in the world is going to beat #1?
If you haven't guessed, #1 is shorthand for the unbeaten 15-0 St. Thomas women, who massacreed 2nd place Gustavus today in St. Peter 72-52. Gustavus led 3-2, but Taylor Young gave the Tommies the lead for good at 4-3 with a layup at 16:28. Shortly, it was 14-3. And, though Gustavus got back within 16-13 and, in the 2nd half, 51-47, St. Thomas had all the answers it needed this day.
At 16-13 the Tommies got a 3 from Ali Johnson, then a pair of throws and a jumper by Maggie Weiers. By half-time it was 37-26.
In the 2nd half the Gusties got within 4, but Kellie Ring responded with a 3 and Sarah Smith with a steal and a feed to Taylor Young for a layup. A Kelly Brandenburg throw got the margin back into double figures, and the closest Gustavus ever got was 8 points.
The bottom line is Gustavus shot 30 percent from the field, 10 percent from beyond the arc. Whether that was just bad luck or "one of those nights," or whether the Tommies defense had something to do with it, you decide. But I saw St. Thomas hold Hamline to a 35 FG percentage the other night, and the Tommies defense had everything to do with that. The St. Thomas guards successfully pressured Hamline's ball handlers at the 10 second line, disrupting things and forcing Hamline to take shots other than the ones they wanted and/or as the shot clock was winding down.
Of course, the Pipers do not have an elite pair of guards, Gustavus does in Molly Geske and Colleen Ruane. Well, I didn't see exactly what St. Thomas was doing on defense today, but Geske, as it turns out, shot 1-for-13. Check and mate, as they say.
Here, for those of you keeping score at home, is the Tommies' rotation today:
C- Maggie Weiers 29 minutes 21 pts 8 reb; Sarah Smith 11 min 12 points 6 mine
PF- Sarah Smith 19 min; Haley Loesch 7 min 2 reb; Anna Smith 9 min 4 pts 2 reb; Taylor Young 5 min 2 pts
SF- Taylor Young 31 min 15 pts; Kelly Brandenburg 9 min 3 pts
PG- Carolyn Dienhart 23 min 4 pts 2 asts; Kellie Ring 17 min 3 pts
SG- Ali Johnson 25 min 3 pts; Brandenburg 15 min 4 pts
Gustavus Men 82 St. Thomas 77 (OT)
The Tommies men appear to be nowhere near as unbeatable as the women, but that could hardly be construed as a criticism. I mean, here are the defending national champions, having lost their three-guard offense and defense in Teddy Archer, Alex Healy and Tyler Nicolai to graduation, coach Steve Fritz to retirement, and now senior post Tommy Hannon to injury. Despite all of that, here they are in 1st place in the MIAC--tied, now, with Gustavus at 10-3, to be sure--but in 1st place.
Gustavus led by as many as 9 at 41-32 at 17:16 of the 2nd half before St. Thomas rallied to lead by 5 at 63-58 11 minutes later. Gustavus scored 6 straight to retake the lead at 64-63 at 3:52 and neither team led by more than 2 until the Gusties scored 3 of the 1st 4 buckets of OT. Will DeBerg hit a 3 to tie it up at 75, and a Noah Kaiser dunk brought the Tommies within 78-77 at 1:22 of OT.
At that point Paul Blacklock rescued Seth Anderson and the Gusties. Anderson, the MIAC's leading scorer and the leading scorer in this game with 26 points, missed 3-of-4 FT down the stretch, but Blacklock grabbed the rebound and 30 seconds later Ben Biewen hit 2 throws to make it 80-77. Blacklock then blocked DeBerg's shot and Biewen then hit 2 more throws for the final score.
Blacklock scored just 9 points but led both teams with 7 boards and 2 blocks. Biewen added 15 points and 6 assists for the winners. John Nance scored 21 and DeBerg 20 for the Tommies. Nance had 4 assists while both had 2 steals apiece.
The bottom line, again, was FG shooting. Gustavus shot 60 percent, the Tommies 44.
So, the plot thickens in the MIAC. St. Thomas and Gustavus are 10-3, Augsburg and St. Olaf, both winners today, are 9-4. Hamline, idle today, remains at 8-5. While it's true that "on any given day," these would nevertheless be the games to watch for:
Wednesday Feb. 1--St. Olaf at Gustavus
Saturday Feb. 4--St. Thomas at Augsburg
Monday Feb. 13--St. Olaf at Augsburg
St. Thomas Women 72 Gustavus 52
If #1 beats #2, and does it on the road, no less, and if #1 further wins by a ridiculous wide margin, then who in the world is going to beat #1?
If you haven't guessed, #1 is shorthand for the unbeaten 15-0 St. Thomas women, who massacreed 2nd place Gustavus today in St. Peter 72-52. Gustavus led 3-2, but Taylor Young gave the Tommies the lead for good at 4-3 with a layup at 16:28. Shortly, it was 14-3. And, though Gustavus got back within 16-13 and, in the 2nd half, 51-47, St. Thomas had all the answers it needed this day.
At 16-13 the Tommies got a 3 from Ali Johnson, then a pair of throws and a jumper by Maggie Weiers. By half-time it was 37-26.
In the 2nd half the Gusties got within 4, but Kellie Ring responded with a 3 and Sarah Smith with a steal and a feed to Taylor Young for a layup. A Kelly Brandenburg throw got the margin back into double figures, and the closest Gustavus ever got was 8 points.
The bottom line is Gustavus shot 30 percent from the field, 10 percent from beyond the arc. Whether that was just bad luck or "one of those nights," or whether the Tommies defense had something to do with it, you decide. But I saw St. Thomas hold Hamline to a 35 FG percentage the other night, and the Tommies defense had everything to do with that. The St. Thomas guards successfully pressured Hamline's ball handlers at the 10 second line, disrupting things and forcing Hamline to take shots other than the ones they wanted and/or as the shot clock was winding down.
Of course, the Pipers do not have an elite pair of guards, Gustavus does in Molly Geske and Colleen Ruane. Well, I didn't see exactly what St. Thomas was doing on defense today, but Geske, as it turns out, shot 1-for-13. Check and mate, as they say.
Here, for those of you keeping score at home, is the Tommies' rotation today:
C- Maggie Weiers 29 minutes 21 pts 8 reb; Sarah Smith 11 min 12 points 6 mine
PF- Sarah Smith 19 min; Haley Loesch 7 min 2 reb; Anna Smith 9 min 4 pts 2 reb; Taylor Young 5 min 2 pts
SF- Taylor Young 31 min 15 pts; Kelly Brandenburg 9 min 3 pts
PG- Carolyn Dienhart 23 min 4 pts 2 asts; Kellie Ring 17 min 3 pts
SG- Ali Johnson 25 min 3 pts; Brandenburg 15 min 4 pts
This has the look of a rotation that is going to finish 22-0 in the MIAC. I mean, like I said, if they can win in St. Peter, are they going to lose at St. Ben's or Augsburg, or at home to Macalester, St. Kate's, Concordia, Bethel or St. Mary's? I didn't think so.
Gustavus Men 82 St. Thomas 77 (OT)
The Tommies men appear to be nowhere near as unbeatable as the women, but that could hardly be construed as a criticism. I mean, here are the defending national champions, having lost their three-guard offense and defense in Teddy Archer, Alex Healy and Tyler Nicolai to graduation, coach Steve Fritz to retirement, and now senior post Tommy Hannon to injury. Despite all of that, here they are in 1st place in the MIAC--tied, now, with Gustavus at 10-3, to be sure--but in 1st place.
Gustavus led by as many as 9 at 41-32 at 17:16 of the 2nd half before St. Thomas rallied to lead by 5 at 63-58 11 minutes later. Gustavus scored 6 straight to retake the lead at 64-63 at 3:52 and neither team led by more than 2 until the Gusties scored 3 of the 1st 4 buckets of OT. Will DeBerg hit a 3 to tie it up at 75, and a Noah Kaiser dunk brought the Tommies within 78-77 at 1:22 of OT.
At that point Paul Blacklock rescued Seth Anderson and the Gusties. Anderson, the MIAC's leading scorer and the leading scorer in this game with 26 points, missed 3-of-4 FT down the stretch, but Blacklock grabbed the rebound and 30 seconds later Ben Biewen hit 2 throws to make it 80-77. Blacklock then blocked DeBerg's shot and Biewen then hit 2 more throws for the final score.
Blacklock scored just 9 points but led both teams with 7 boards and 2 blocks. Biewen added 15 points and 6 assists for the winners. John Nance scored 21 and DeBerg 20 for the Tommies. Nance had 4 assists while both had 2 steals apiece.
The bottom line, again, was FG shooting. Gustavus shot 60 percent, the Tommies 44.
So, the plot thickens in the MIAC. St. Thomas and Gustavus are 10-3, Augsburg and St. Olaf, both winners today, are 9-4. Hamline, idle today, remains at 8-5. While it's true that "on any given day," these would nevertheless be the games to watch for:
Wednesday Feb. 1--St. Olaf at Gustavus
Saturday Feb. 4--St. Thomas at Augsburg
Monday Feb. 13--St. Olaf at Augsburg
Saturday, January 14, 2012
The Big Game 1-14-12: Eastview 64 Madison Memorial 37
Final: Eastview boys 64 Madison Memorial 37
The Eastview Lightning boys manhandled the #1 rated, undefeated, defending Wisconsin big school champions from Madison Memorial in what a blogger for the LaCrosse Tribune understated as "an impressive showing by the top team in Minnesota." Ben Oberfeld scored 16 for the Lightning. Chris Narum opened the game with a 3, opened the 2nd half with a pair of 3s to make it 37-19 and finished with 5 3s and 15 points overall. Joey King added 11.
Eastview led all the way: 11-4 early and 15-10 at the end of the 1st quarter. Yes, the still play quarters in Wisconsin. How quaint. It was 21-10, then 31-19 at the half, and 45-33 after 3.
Thank goodness for Eastview, by the way. The other 4 Minnesota teams all went down to defeat.
GET 49 Austin 34
Onalaska 54 Owatona 36
Whitefish Bay Dominican 78 St. Paul Johnson 46
Milwaukee Riverside 47 Roseville 45
See preview below.
Player of the Day
Taylor Sheley of the Bethel women scored 24 points with 13 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals, and hit 6-of-6 FT inside of the final minute as Bethel edged Hamline 60-58 in the MIAC.
Coach of the Day
One more time: Mark Gerber, Eastview. Has any MN high school team ever had a week like this, beating #4 and #3 on the road, then #1 in a neighboring state (technically a neutral court)? I doubt it.
Preview: North or South?
If I were able to undertake a road trip, which I'm not by the way, but if I were, it would be tough to decide which direction to go. North to Moorhead, where one can see 4 1st place college teams in action? Or south to LaCrosse, where there are 6 high school games, 5 of them featuring a Minnesota vs. Wisconsin theme, including #1AAAA Eastview vs. undefeated and defending Wisconsin big school champion Madison Memorial.
Moorhead
1 p.m.--1st place St. Thomas women (9-0, 11-1) vs. Concordia (Moorhead) (6-3, 8-4)
3 p.m.--1st place St. Thomas men (6-1, 9-3) vs. Concordia (Moorhead) (3-5, 5-8)
4 p.m.--Winona State women (5-5, 10-6) vs. Moorhead State (3-7, 6-8)
6 p.m.--Winona State men (9-1, 14-2) vs. Moorhead State (9-1, 13-1)--the 2 teams being tied with one another for 1st place a pretty much the coup de grace for the day
LaCrosse
The Eastview Lightning boys manhandled the #1 rated, undefeated, defending Wisconsin big school champions from Madison Memorial in what a blogger for the LaCrosse Tribune understated as "an impressive showing by the top team in Minnesota." Ben Oberfeld scored 16 for the Lightning. Chris Narum opened the game with a 3, opened the 2nd half with a pair of 3s to make it 37-19 and finished with 5 3s and 15 points overall. Joey King added 11.
Eastview led all the way: 11-4 early and 15-10 at the end of the 1st quarter. Yes, the still play quarters in Wisconsin. How quaint. It was 21-10, then 31-19 at the half, and 45-33 after 3.
Thank goodness for Eastview, by the way. The other 4 Minnesota teams all went down to defeat.
GET 49 Austin 34
Onalaska 54 Owatona 36
Whitefish Bay Dominican 78 St. Paul Johnson 46
Milwaukee Riverside 47 Roseville 45
See preview below.
Player of the Day
Taylor Sheley of the Bethel women scored 24 points with 13 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals, and hit 6-of-6 FT inside of the final minute as Bethel edged Hamline 60-58 in the MIAC.
Coach of the Day
One more time: Mark Gerber, Eastview. Has any MN high school team ever had a week like this, beating #4 and #3 on the road, then #1 in a neighboring state (technically a neutral court)? I doubt it.
Preview: North or South?
If I were able to undertake a road trip, which I'm not by the way, but if I were, it would be tough to decide which direction to go. North to Moorhead, where one can see 4 1st place college teams in action? Or south to LaCrosse, where there are 6 high school games, 5 of them featuring a Minnesota vs. Wisconsin theme, including #1AAAA Eastview vs. undefeated and defending Wisconsin big school champion Madison Memorial.
Moorhead
1 p.m.--1st place St. Thomas women (9-0, 11-1) vs. Concordia (Moorhead) (6-3, 8-4)
3 p.m.--1st place St. Thomas men (6-1, 9-3) vs. Concordia (Moorhead) (3-5, 5-8)
4 p.m.--Winona State women (5-5, 10-6) vs. Moorhead State (3-7, 6-8)
6 p.m.--Winona State men (9-1, 14-2) vs. Moorhead State (9-1, 13-1)--the 2 teams being tied with one another for 1st place a pretty much the coup de grace for the day
LaCrosse
Midwest Players Tournament at LaCrosse Center
10:45 a.m. Gale-Ettrick-Trempeleau (WI) vs. Austin (MN)
12:30 p.m. Milwaukee Riverside vs. St. Paul Johnson
2:15 Whitefish Bay Dominican vs. Owatonna
4 Roseville (MN) vs. Onalaska
5:45 Madison Memorial vs. Eastview--MN's #1AAAA vs. WI's unbeaten, defending large school champ
7:30 LaCrosse Aquinas vs. Kaukana
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
The Big Game 1-3-12: Braham girls, Duluth Denfeld boys win a pair of thrillers
The Duluth area was the center of the Minnesota basketball universe last night with classic games among both the boys and the girls.
Duluth Denfeld boys 100 Duluth East 99 (OT)
Denfeld prevailed in this high-scoring, overtime match-up despite 45 points by East guard Taylor Stafford. Stafford, small but quick-on-quick with great offensive instincts, has stepped up big time in the absence of the Greyhounds' Johnny Woodward. Denfeld was led by Andrew Laughlin with 31 points, Robinson Jodeston 27 and Derek Meger 25. Shaq Coleman added 24 for East.
Robinson hit the game-winner, a 3 as time expired in OT. Stafford's lay-up had forced OT at 88-all. Laughlin's 3-pointer in OT gave the Hunters a 97-96 lead, but Rell Ladd's 4th 3-pointer of the game put the Greyhounds back in front 99-97.
Denfeld is 6-2, East a deceptive 2-7 with losses to 4 top 10 metro Class AAAA teams--#1 Eastview, #2 Hopkins, #5 Eden Prairie and #9 Minnetonka. It was Denfeld's 1st win over East after 8 straight losses since January 2007.
Braham girls 56 Esko 54
Here it was #2AA and defending state champion Braham (10-1) squeezing by host Esko (#4AA, 8-1) 56-54. Rebekah Dahlman scored 40 points, 29 in the 2nd half. Esko was led by 6-8 Savanna Trapp with 26 points and 16 rebounds.
Player of the Day
Taylor Stafford, Duluth East boys and Rebekah Dahlman, Braham girls
Coach of the Day
Annette Wiles, UMD women, who won at Bemidji State 74-54 to stay within 1 game of 1st place in the NSIC at 5-2. Katrina Newman scored a career high 30 points for the Bulldogs, and added 8 boards.
Duluth Denfeld boys 100 Duluth East 99 (OT)
Denfeld prevailed in this high-scoring, overtime match-up despite 45 points by East guard Taylor Stafford. Stafford, small but quick-on-quick with great offensive instincts, has stepped up big time in the absence of the Greyhounds' Johnny Woodward. Denfeld was led by Andrew Laughlin with 31 points, Robinson Jodeston 27 and Derek Meger 25. Shaq Coleman added 24 for East.
Robinson hit the game-winner, a 3 as time expired in OT. Stafford's lay-up had forced OT at 88-all. Laughlin's 3-pointer in OT gave the Hunters a 97-96 lead, but Rell Ladd's 4th 3-pointer of the game put the Greyhounds back in front 99-97.
Denfeld is 6-2, East a deceptive 2-7 with losses to 4 top 10 metro Class AAAA teams--#1 Eastview, #2 Hopkins, #5 Eden Prairie and #9 Minnetonka. It was Denfeld's 1st win over East after 8 straight losses since January 2007.
Braham girls 56 Esko 54
Here it was #2AA and defending state champion Braham (10-1) squeezing by host Esko (#4AA, 8-1) 56-54. Rebekah Dahlman scored 40 points, 29 in the 2nd half. Esko was led by 6-8 Savanna Trapp with 26 points and 16 rebounds.
Player of the Day
Taylor Stafford, Duluth East boys and Rebekah Dahlman, Braham girls
Coach of the Day
Annette Wiles, UMD women, who won at Bemidji State 74-54 to stay within 1 game of 1st place in the NSIC at 5-2. Katrina Newman scored a career high 30 points for the Bulldogs, and added 8 boards.
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