Thursday, November 30, 2006

A Day in the Life of a Scout, Knight Principles

#6 posting 11.30.2006
your daily dose of girls basketball news & information

A SCOUTS LIFE
There is a good article in the USA Today paper about the life of a scout and what they are looking for in players. The article follows a football scout, but the same lessons could be applied to basketball or any sport.
SOUL OF A CHAMPION
Also this past week in USA Today they ran the last of the Soul of a Champion with Coach Bob Knight and his principle he believes in.

COLLEGE REPORT

SIGNINGS (in other sports)
A pair of basketball players recently signed with South Dakota State for Track & Field:
Kelsey Aune, East Grand Forks, starts for EGF.
Jessica Tetzlaff, Watertown, SD, was all conference last season in the ESD.

D1 ACTION
Big 10
The Gophers face a team where coach Pam Borton began her coaching journey---Vermont. From the StarTribune and MN Daily.

Michigan State rode Rhode Island to a 67-40 victory. 6-9 freshman Alyssa DeHaan checked in with 28 points. Mpls North's Mia Johnson had 7 for MSU.

Illinois beat St. Louis 84-75 on the road. Johnston, IA native Lori Bjork had 25 for the Illini. Bloomington Kennedy's Jenna Smith chipped in with 8.

Northwestern beat Illinois Chicago 72-57. In a way this was a battle of MN Millers--Melissa of Breck (NW) had a lucky 13 in points and rebounds, while Jessie, Holy Angels (UIC) now in the starting line up had 9 points. Eastview's Cassie Johnson had 16 off the bench for UIC.

DePaul just edged UW Green Bay 71-70. UWGB was up one with 3.6 seconds left. DePaul's Caprice Smith hit the game winner with 0.3 left. UWGB trailed by 15 in the second half. From the GB Press Gazette.

Kentucky powered past Detroit 79-44. Benilde's Chanica Hall didn't score in this contest for Detroit.

Bowling Green chopped down Oakland 89-58

Marquette beat city rival UW Milwaukee 74-63

Pittsburgh zapped Akron 74-55. Mandy Holzer from Jordan started for Akron and had one point. Teammate Allison Schoff, of Bloomington Kennedy had 7.

St. Joseph's outpointed Princeton 81-69. Apple Valley's Ali Pritchard had 8, Jillian Schurle, Hopkins had 5 for Princeton.

PREVIEW
Bragging rights are on the line tonight as Iowa State travels to Iowa. The rivalry reviewed at the Des Moines Register.

D2
Mary is suffering from injuries to their team: Brittany Geffre is out with a knee again; Sonny Schulz has mono. From the Bismarck Tribune.

Karla Beck of North Dakota is emerging as a floor leader according to the GF Herald.

D3
Carleton downed Augsburg 74-57

Gustavus topped Macalester 46-30 in a low scoring affair. At half it was 12-11 Gustavus. The Mankato Free Press also has more.

St. Benedict beat Concordia Moorhead 72-54

St. Catherine knocked off Bethel 74-65

St. Thomas rolled St. Mary's 86-35

UW LaCrosse beat UW Whitewater 65-61. also from the LaCrosse Tribune.

UW River Falls was more than UW Superior 75-33

UW Stevens Point took out UW Oshkosh 57-41. Also from the Oshkosh Northwestern.

UW Eau Claire upset #4 UW Stout 59-44. From the Spectator the UWEC paper.

Defending national D3 champ Hope is headed for a game against Carthage on Friday and more on Saturday. From the Grand Rapids Press.

NAIA
Mount Marty downed Dakota Wesleyan 71-62. From the Yankton Press & Dakotan.

Morningside beat Dordt 87-69. Morningside is now 7-3. From the Sioux City Journal.

Mel Shidell's free throws in overtime gave Briar Cliff a 75-74 win over Dana. Shidell went to Andover HS in MN. From the SC Journal.

Northwestern IA beat Sioux Falls 87-77

Indiana Wesleyan beat Spring Arbor 62-48. From the Jackson Citizen Patriot.

Mayville State won their fourth game in a row Monday night 81-48 at UM Morris. The Comets were led in scoring by Laura Big Crow who scored a game high 24 points and grabbed 9 rebounds. Mayville State improves to 8-2 overall this season, and will play the University of North Dakota this Saturday afternoon at 3:00 pm.

JUCO
St. Clair County Community College beat Wayne County CC 60-47. From the Port Huron Times-Herald

NDSCS pounded Ridgewater 75-50. From the West Central Tribune.

CONFERENCE NEWS
The North Central Conference will no longer exist after next year. From the Fargo Forum.

South Dakota is making the move starting next year (07-08). From the Sioux Falls Argus Leader.

Next up: later tonight with another Out & About

Appleton PC Five Star Preview Edition

#2 posting 11.30.2006
your daily dose of girls basketball news & information

WISCONSIN REPORTS
LATE RESULTS
Afton Glander, Alma may only be 5-1, but she was huge on Tuesday exploding for 35 points in a 56-39 win over Blair-Taylor. From the Winona Daily News.

Lakeland came from 17 down to beat Rhinelander 48-46. From the Rhinelander Daily News.

Watertown beat Fort Atkinson 46-33. From the Watertown Daily Times.

Mercer downed Drummond 56-28. From the Ironwood Daily Globe.

Boyceville chopped down Elmwood 68-30. From the Pierce County Herald.

PREVIEWS
Ripon College grads and first year head coaches will tangle tonight with Oshkosh West (Niki Sutter) facing Kaukauna (Molly Mauer). From the Oshkosh Northwestern.

The Appleton Post Crescent has a huge preview today.
Including the Terrific 10; five girls and five boys.
You can watch video of the Fox Valley Lutheran Girls. It is a little over 2 minutes of your time.
All in all 26 teams are showcased and you can go and figure out which one you want to read. Maybe all 26.
I give this site Five stars

LaCrosse Tribune also has previews of their teams Central, and Logan. Opposing coaches list why LaCrosse Logan is the team to beat.

Union Grove Christian's season is previewed, both boys and girls. Skip the front, go to the end of the article in the Racine Journal Times.

Thanks to the readers 10,000 times for all the help they have given to make this the place to be.

Next up: College report and later on tonight: out & about

BCIG Bolts Sioux City West

#4 posting 11.30.2006
your daily dose of girls basketball news & information

IOWA
LATE REPORTS
4A
Ottumwa bumped off Fairfield 42-38. From the Ottumwa Courier.

2A
Kelsey Bolte and Battle Creek-Ida Grove rolled in their 94-33 smoke of Sioux City West. From the Sioux City Journal.

ILLINOIS
The Rock Island Rocks and had a rough time with injuries at the Quincy tournament against some fierce competition and at 3-2 the Rocks are feeling pretty good. From the Quad City (Davenport IA) Times.

Again 10,000 thanks to the viewers of this site that help out everyday.

Next up: Wisconsin Tales, and College report. Later, much much later Out & About.

Snikkers Class B POY

#2 posting 11.30.2006
your daily dose of girls basketball news & information

MICHIGAN REPORTS
A

Brighton was done in by pressure according to the Ann Arbor News.

B
Unity Christian Coach Scott Soodsma is pulling double duty coaching the girls in the B semis, and, when he can, getting the boys ready for their season.

Detroit Country Day will face Unity Christian in a battle between #1 and #2 in the semis on Friday. from the Detroit News. 6-6 Madison Williams will battle 6-2 Carrie Snikkers.

C
Saginaw Nouvel's overtime win over Detroit Community is recounted again in the Saginaw News. (we haven't heard from their perspective yet).

Napoleon is the underdog in the final four teams in C. They have more losses than the other three teams combined. They are going after a 55-50 win over Cassopolis. From the Jackson Citizen-Patriot.

D
Traditional powers Lansing Christian and Portland St. Patrick will tussle in the semis today. From the Lansing State Journal.
PSP is looking to get the championship after three years of seconds. From the Ionia Sentinel-Standard.

Miss Basketball Brenna Bankston delivered 25 points as Frankfort crunched Bay City All Saints in the quarters 55-33. From the Traverse City Record Eagle and Bay City Times.

Rapid River was a speed bump for the Bessemer Speed Girls. Bessemer was up 10 when RR's Lauren Marshall went to work. Fromt the Marquette Mining Journal and Ironwood Daily Globe.

AWARDS
AP CLASS B ALL STATE
Carrie Snikkers, Unity Christian, was named Class B POY by the AP. Story from the Grand Rapids Press.

Kellie Watson, even though she missed the last nine games due to a shoulder injury, was named to the Class B all state team for the third time. from the Lansing State Journal.

AP CLASS C ALL STATE
Lakeisha Mosley, Detroit Community was selected as C player of the year. From the Muskegon Chronicle.

Two Flint Hamady players made their mark on the team: Brandie Baker and Tara Johnson. From the Flint Journal.

RECAPS
Cranbrook-Kingswood's season ended up 18-5.

Mount Clemens Battling Bathers won the MAC Gold crown.

It was a year ago Southfield-Lathrup won the A title. From the C&G.

Novi's 21-2 season is reviewed in the Novi News.

Next up: Iowa, Wisconsin, College reports

Fargo/Grand Forks Area Previews

#x posting 11.30.2006
your daily dose of girls basketball news & information

NORTH DAKOTA REPORTS
PREVIEWS
Minnesota isn't the only state with 18 minute halves. ND will be using 18 minute halves for A teams. From the Fargo Forum.

Also in the Forum today is the preview of the Fargo area teams.

The Grand Forks Herald also previews life at Central without Alys Seay. Plus capsules of the two GF teams.

Our Redeemer's in Minot is going to adjust to life after Jenny Strand. Who will step up? Check out the article from the Minot Daily News.

TOURNAMENT ALERT
Wishek will hold their 6th East-West Classic from Dec 14-16. Games start at 2:45. The field is mostly ND Class B teams. Norman County West will be there from MN. From the Aberdeen American News.

Next up: Michigan Semis finals previews; Iowa; Wisconsin; and College reports

10,000 Hits, 10,000 Thanks from the Land of 10,000 Lakes

#1 posting 11.30.2006
your daily dose of girls basketball news & information

Last night this site went over the 10,000 mark for the month for the first time. From the Land of 10,000 Lakes, 10,000 Thanks. Your input has made this the place to go.

I have added a link to Minneapolis South's site and updated Rochester JM's. I also took down the Apple Valley link since nothing was coming up for me. If they have a new site let me know.

I have added TV links recently too. If you know any others let me know & I will get the links up.

MINNESOTA REPORTS
LATE RESULTS

AAAA
You read about St. Cloud Tech's win over Brainerd from the SCT side. Here is the Brainerd Dispatch with the Warriors Side.

AAA
Albert Lea beat New Ulm 60-43. From the Albert Lea Tribune.

Red Wing was scrappy which later on made them happy in a 58-44 win over Ellsworth, WI. Ellsworth led by 9 in the second half early 36-27. RW finished with a 31-8 run. From the Red Wing Republican Eagle.

AA
The Crookston Times recounts the Crookston win from Tuesday night over Bemidji.

Cannon Falls, the defending AA champ, put a chomp on Faribault 67-57. From the Red Wing Republican Eagle.

St. James was upset on a last second shot put back by Jackson County Central 58-56. From the St. James News.

Kasson-Mantorville edged Blooming Prairie 42-40 in overtime. BP missed 14 free throws (14/29), KM missed 8 (21/29). From the Austin Daily Herald

Pequot Lakes beat Staples-Motley 55-52 in Mid State conference action. PL trailed by 7 at half and rode Mindy Howard's four 3s in the second half to victory. This game & more in the Brainerd Dispatch.

A
Parkers Prairie is one of the teams involved in the 10 am game in the Breakdown's Saturday event at Rogers. They were beat in their first game by Osakis 52-49. From the Fergus Falls Daily Journal.

Littlefork-Big Falls took a measure of revenge against Orr, the team that knocked them out of the playoffs last March, 57-49.
Ely downed International Falls 56-52 with missed free throws haunting IF.
both from the Internatinal Falls Daily Journal.

Edgerton beat the newly combined Lincoln HI-Lake Benton team 75-45.

Alden-Conger downed Glenville-Emmons 46-38. From the Albert Lea Tribune.

Small schools and big packages: Cannon Valley Lutheran won their first game of the year thanks to 6-3 freshman Megan Quiram. She had a triple double against Lyle-Pacelli, 20 pts, 13 reb, 12 blocks. From the Austin Daily Herald.

PREVIEWS
Bemidji's game with Thief River Falls is previewed in the Bemidji Pioneer. The LumberJills are searching for win #1.

Moorhead, DGF and Park Christian are previewed in the Fargo Forum. They are at the bottom of the Fargo area previews.

Marshall took some hits to their line up with moves, and Amanda Beekman deciding to forgo her final year. But Macie Michelson is in the house. That means other teams have to deal with a ball of fire. From the Marshall Independent.

Laporte lost quite a few players from a year ago. Walker-Hackensack-Akeley is looking to contend for the Northwoods Title. Both from the Walker Pilot Independent.

Spring Grove's chances this year are reviewed in the Spring Grove Herald.

Next up: North Dakota Action, with Iowa, Wisconsin, Michigan and College reports, not to mention more out & abouts later, later tonight.

Wednesday, November 29, 2006

Out & About: De La Salle/Totino Grace

#7 posting 11.29.2006

DE LA SALLE islanders 51, TOTINO GRACE eagles 45

New De La Salle coach Brian Frye had a successful debut with a hard fought win at Totino-Grace. With 7 minutes to go, TG led 36-31. Then Anna Kovalchuk scored two 3s, one from the left wing, and one from the top of the key to start a 14-0 run and propel the Islanders to a 51-45 first game win.

Neither team really had any major advantage early in the game. Both opened defensively in man. DLS was having success with the high/low game and also they were in foul trouble. That forced them into the zone. DLS did shake free and led 22-16 after a Kovalchuk three with 4:52 to go in the half. Totino Grace turned it around with a 8-2 run to finish the half. TG beat DLS down court, and would beat the defense with back cuts. DLS was stuck in a 1/10 finish with six turnovers. The score at half was 24 all.

TG came out aggressive and attacking the basket in the second half. They pulled ahead 28-24. On DLS's 9th possssion they struck points and Rachel Booth scored her first points of the game on a put back and one. So DLS was 1/18 over two periods of play. TG went on a quick burst with lay ups and back cuts to take a 36-31 lead. Then DLS, counter intuitively took their own sweet time to get the shot they wanted. That halted the momentum TG was building DLS had the ball for over 1:30. Now they took some shots in that sequence, but TG let DLS get shots four different times on that one possession. In fact DLS didn't even score on the possession, but the big mo TG was building was now deflated. Instead of the aggressive attacking action, they were more tenative, and not getting the back cuts they were previously. TG started an unlucky 13 possession string of which 10 were turnovers. Kovalchuk started the DLS comeback with 8 points on four possessions with back to back 3s and a transition lay up off the DLS pressure D. At this point the TG players lost their composure and had turnovers with out any real pressure on them. DLS built a 45-36 lead. TG started their own mini rally with a 7-0 run capped by Jessica Meyer's only basket of the night, a trey from the right corner. That closed the DLS lead to 45-43 with under a minute left. Kovalchuk answered on the next DLS possession with a lay up off the press. DLS finished the game at the line and walked out of the gym 51-45.

NUMBERS EXPLAINED
player, points, possessions, pp100, floor %

DE LA SALLE
STARTERS
Aneshia Starks
5, 8, 62.5, .375 point guard. would like to do the pull up jumper. kept composure when DLS was in danger of getting blown out. drew a key charge. likes transition game. RF: a bit off balance on that manuevere.
Akilah Hersia, 3, 7, 42.9, .143 aggressive on the offensive board, stripped a rebound, RF: defensively was beat many times on the back cut as she lost track of her player. offensively footwork when pressured.
Rachel Booth 9, 11, 81.8, .364 is more physical and plays better defense than last year. scored when needed in the second half. scored of her 9 points 7 came off put backs. RF: foot work, ball handling, decision making in the open court need polishing. Needs to score in the half court initial offense.
Anna Kovalchuk 22, 16, 137.5, .563 best outside shooter four on the night from different spots. moved better in the full and half court. More aggressive too. RF: passing needs to be stronger, quicker. Needs to be lower on defense when guarding the ball. reaching fouls
Aaryn Booker 4, 11, 36.4, .273 will drive from the high post. strong physical battler. hard hat type. works the high low game well. seals well. RF: needs to use both hands to get possession. camped in the lane at times. needs to work on free throws since she will be shooting more.
BENCH
Frances Wehrwein, 4, 5, 80.0, .400 scrappy, gets after loose balls. RF: threw ball off balance when trapped.
Jamelia Hersia, 2, 9, 22.2, .111 RF: pressure ball handling skills need polish. not balanced on shot. exposes ball. ran away from ball when other players being trapped.
Carissa Wolyniec, 2, 3, 66.7, .333
Alex Bledsoe, 0, 1, 0.0, .000
Michelle Harris, 0, 3, 0.0, .000

TOTINO-GRACE
STARTERS
Ellie Becker, 2, 8, 25.0, .250 beat players on back cuts. RF: needs to finish
Veronica Scott, 5, 11, 45.5, .273 speed and aggressive. RF: passing execution needs improvement. forced passes that didn't exist. shot off the back rim--hold follow through longer.
Lizzi Naumann, 9, 9, 100.0, .444 big force, RF: too many fouls put her on the pine. didn't use glass when opportunity presented itself.
Sasha McHale, 11, 10, 110.0, .600 Former Celtic and current TWolf GM Kevin McHale's daughter. in position on offensive boards. long arms. RF: need to improve at the line.
Jessica Meyer, 3, 9, 33.3, .111 point guard. penetrated and dished early with Naumann. RF: had no angle on a pass another time
BENCH
Caroline Haik, 12, 15, 80.0, .400 broke totally free on a missed defensive assignment. RF: picked up a charge by spinning and backing into the defense.
Samantha Laventure, 3, 11, 27.3, .091 lefty. RF: passing too far; pressure situations need work.
Laura Hentges, 0, 2, 0.0, .000

TRENCH PLAYER
Anna Kovalchuck

BY THE NUMBERS
De La Salle 51, 74, 68.9, .329
Totino-Grace 46, 75, 61.3, .307

DLS kept their composure, TG didn't during pressured situations. Both teams had their share of turnovers when pressured. DLS has to improve on their defense with players losing track of players. Unfortunately, neither team was able to play with consistency on offense.

This closed the trio of games looking at rookie coaches on the road. CH and AV both lost their openers, DLS was the one to break the cycle.

The crowd was a nice size, but it was the OGIT. They got to see a competitive game with many twists and turns.

next up: tomorrow morning

Three Paraders in North Dakota

#6 posting 11.29.2006
your daily dose of girls basketball news & informaiton

NORTH DAKOTA REPORT
A brief, brief, brief, posting

POINT PARADE
B

Kristen Killoran, Maple Valley 26 vs North Sargent 66-40
Samantha Baldwin, Drayton-St. Thomas 23 vs Stephen-Argyle, MN 76-44
Bailey Benson, Steele-Dawson 24 vs Kulm 91-43

Thanks to those that provide me and feed me with information. If you have information, go to my profile & email me.

Next up: out & about later on tonight.

Bloody Big 10 Noses

#5 posting 11.29.2006
your daily dose of girls basketball news & information

COLLEGE REPORT
D1 ACTION
Breanna Salley of the Gophers has returned to the practice floor on a limited basis. From the Pioneer Press.

The Big 10 had two bloody noses yesterday.
UC Riverside shocked Wisconsin 52-50. Two free throws with 7.2 seconds ended Wisconsin's undefeated start.

St. Francis PA upset Penn State 74-69

Michigan had to rally from down 7 to beat Central Michigan 52-47

Tennessee beat Louisiana Tech 71-50

UConn had no problems with Boston U 84-51

Texas A&M beat Arizona 64-44

INJURY UPDATE
Inger Hodgson, North Dakota State (Barneveld, WI) is down with a stretched MCL and may miss two to four weeks. From the Fargo Forum.

D2 ACTION
D2 poll: North Dakota is 5th from what I can tell in the latest D2 poll. The headline disagrees with me. Northern State is #22 and the Aberdeen American News looks at what NSU has done so far.
MSU Moorhead got back on the winning track with a 70-40 win over Jamestown. Also the Fargo Forum has the take on MSU Moorhead getting their groove back.

#8 St. Cloud State edged Concordia St. Paul 59-57. CSP has had the "close, but no cigar" three games in a row.

Grand Valley State has targets on their back as conference play begins. From the Grand Rapids Press.

FEATURES/PREVIEW
Carolin Becker, Northern State has a feature on her and her all out play in the Aberdeen American News. The upcoming Northern Sun season is disected too.

D3 ACTION

Hamline beat St. Olaf 70-57

Central IA downed Cornell IA 62-53.

Carroll won an abnormally low scoring game against Lakeland 40-26. From the Sheboygan Press.

Lawrence beat Milwaukee Engineering thanks to freshmen 64-45. From the Appleton Post-Crescent.

Hope topped St. Mary's in the Michigan conference opener 67-42. From the Grand Rapids Press.

FEATURES
Mac is Back. Macalester is back in action in the MIAC after a two year hiatus. Here is the StarTribune report.

Sara Swanson is making an impact at Waldorf. From the Forest City Summit.

NAIA
LATE REPORT
Valley City State beat UM Crookston on Monday 64-50.

JUCO
MN West beat Northwestern IA JV 69-65

Thanks for the help from the best readers in all of the blogosphere.

Next up: later tonight with yet another out & about.

West vs North, West vs East, West Wins Both

#4 posting 11.29.2006
your daily dose of girls basketball news & information

WISCONSIN REPORTS
Chippewa Falls smushed Medford 68-24.

Chippewa Falls McDonell didn't have the same kind of luck as they lost to Eau Claire Regis 67-58. Other area games included here.
both From the Chippewa Falls Herald.

Freshman Kaitlyn Thill had a double double for Ozaukee in a 52-38 win over Sheboygan Christian. From the Sheboygan Press.

Lomira stopped Manitowoc 39-30.
Manitowoc Lutheran edged Valders 41-38 despite being trailing by 14 in the 3rd quarter.
both From the Manitowoc Herald Times.

West had no problems against North 56-25 in the battle of Oshkosh. From the Oshkosh Northwestern.

Again it was West, but it was East the victim in the battle of Appleton 48-39.
Wrightstown dumped Hilbert 59-52. This game & more
Both in the Appleton Post Crescent.

Neenah rallied for a narrow 37-36 win over Fond du Lac. Other games too. From the FDL Reporter.

Waunakee buried Baraboo 54-32. From the Baraboo News Republic.

Greenfield's 48-47 win over West Allis Central leads the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel's highlights of Tuesday's action.

LATE RESULTS
A slow start ruined Butternut-Glidden's opener as they lost to Washburn 47-36. From the Park Falls Herald.

PREVIEWS
The Green Bay Press Gazette continues their previews of area conferences. Today's stop is the Fox River Valley Conference. GB East's Kristin Zimmerman is the featured player.

POINT PARADE
1
Stephanie Running, Oak Creek 28 vs Campbellsport 83-74
Lanae Rash, Milw Bradley Tech 27 vs Oconoto Falls 36-60
Mercedes Clayton, Milw Riverside 24 vs Racine Horlick 75-53
Claire Steffen, De Pere 24 vs Shawano 62-26
2
Taylor Wurtz, Ripon 29 vs Fox Valley Lutheran 73-63
Lindsay Schwoerer, Luxemburg-Casco 27 vs Southern Door 66-47
Sarah Eichler, Grafton 25 vs Milw Pulaski 72-29
Katie Toellner, Mayville 24 vs Waupun 59-54 ot
Kelsie Seibel, Bloomer 23 vs Cameron 54-51
Alyssa McGray, Campbellsport 23 vs Oak Creek 74-83 (7 3s)
Brynn Larsen, Oconto Falls 23 vs Milw Bradley Tech 60-36
Steffani Stoeger, Fox Valley Lutheran, 22 vs Ripon 63-73
Liz Anderson, Whitewater 22 vs Beloit Turner 73-43
Sierra Spaude, Sturgeon Bay 22 vs Oconto 53-25
Becky Grzesiak, Mosinee 22 vs Owen-Withee 43-48
3
Kiah Simon, Algoma 25 vs NEW Lutheran 60-41
4
Afton Glander, Alma 35 vs Blair-Taylor 56-39
Lois Stevens, Oneida Nation 26 vs Lena 36-39
Nicole Johnson, Gilman 24 vs Cadott 45-63

If someone is missing from this list let me know & I will add them. Go to my profile and email me.
Also I will put the scoring on this page from the games of Nov 28. You can check back periodically.

Thanks for the help from the best readers on the internet.

Next up: college report

Schartner Wins 500

#3 posting 11.29.2006
your daily dose of girls basketball news & information

IOWA REPORTS
MILESTONE WIN

Jerry Schartner, coach of Des Moines Lincoln, won #500 with a 63-52 win over Fort Dodge. He is the 26th coach to hit the mark.

Waukee beat Urbandale 50-43 and Des Moines East rolled over Johnston 58-37, with more game recaps.
all in the Des Moines Register.

#13 3A Centerville beat Albia 50-38 to lead the coverage in the Ottumwa Courier.

Also Ottuwma's 63-50 win over Indianola gets it's own treatment.

LATE RESULTS
Burlington Notre Dame beat Mediapolis 39-36 on Monday to open SEIC. From the Burlington Hawkeye

ILLINOIS
It looks as if the two class system is going out in Illinois. The four class format will be up and running in 2007-08. From the Quad City Times.

POINT PARADE
4A
Kristin Turk, Des Moines Lincoln 30 vs Fort Dodge 63-52
Jamie Elbert, Indianola 29 vs Ottumwa 50-63
Mikayla Sims, Waterloo East 29 vs CR Prairie 45-54
MyKenya Johnson, Des Moines Roosevelt 28 vs Ames 65-43
Kayla Riley, Burlington 23 vs Keokuk 40-41
3A
Christa Stewart, Glenwood 26 vs CB Lincoln 65-67 ot
Ally Jensen, Ballard 22 vs Carlisle 80-46
2A
Nikala Earlywine, Logan-Magnolia 30 vs Tri-Center 75-48
Kelsey Bolte, Battle Creek-Ida Grove 25 vs Sioux City West 94-33
Taylor Hjerleid, Wapello 24 vs Waco 51-21
Ashley Arlen, Cascade 22 vs Bellevue 56-27
Ashley Miller, Tipton 22 vs West Liberty 53-44
1A
Nelia Olson, IKM 32 vs Audubon 90-42
Megan Schrock, Iowa Mennonite 30 vs Lone Tree 45-70
Hilary Woltermath, Hamburg 29 vs Clarinda Academy 81-23
Melanie McCreight, Winfield-Mt. Union 26 vs Louisa-Muscatine 52-30
Kami Kuhlmann, Charter Oak-Ute 22 vs Exira 40-66

ILLINOIS
T. Ortigiesen, Dixon Faith Christian 24 vs East Dubuque 51-22
Mayberry, Rock Island 23 vs Springfield Lamphier 80-47
Barnes, Quincy 22 vs Rock Island 52-63

If someone is missing from this list let me know & I will add them.Also I will put the scoring on this page from the games of Nov 28. You can check back periodically.

Thanks to the readers for help and information. You drive this site to the top of the information superhighway.

Next up: Wisconsin action, College reports, and another in the out & about seriers.

Quarterfinals Results, Detroit News Awards

#2 posting 11.29.2006
your daily dose of girls basketball news & information

MICHIGAN REPORT
QUARTERFINAL RESULTS

Catch the video clips from ABC12. They lead with the Saginaw Arthur Hill/Brighton game and move on to the Saginaw Nouvel and Detroit Community game in C. Plus others. Wow. You can spend 3:38 to watch.

A
Traditional power Detroit King stopped newcomer Dearborn Edsel Ford's undefeated season 45-35. It is Kings 7th straight semifinal. From the Detroit News. and the Detroit Free Press.

Fraser beat Rochester 45-40 because they could handle the young guards could handle the pressure according to the Detroit News. Tania Schatow, Fraser's 6-4 center denied Rochester from doing any damage in the paint late with swats here & there. story also from the Detroit Free Press.

Lowell beat a hot East Lansing team 59-46 to advance to the Breslin Center. Demanding Lowell Coach Dee Crowley's methods are also dissected in the GR Press. From the Grand Rapids Press. and Lansing State Journal.

The top team still left in A #5 Brighton went down to Saginaw Arthur Hill in a tight 48-45 game. A strong second half helped SAG from a six point deficit. From the Livingston Press & Argus. and Detroit Free Press.

B
East Grand Rapids coughed the ball up too many times against Cheboygan in a 59-47. From the Grand Rapids Press.

Detroit Country Day returns to the semis with a 54-33 revenge match against Detroit Renaissance. Renaissance beat Country Day last year and went on to win the state title. Last year DCD didn't have a 6-6 blocking machine in the middle in the name of Madison Williams. From the Detroit News. And Detroit Free Press.

St. Clair had too much depth for Portland in a 39-22 win. From the Lansing State Journal.

C
In the game of the day, Saginaw Nouvel, #1 edged out Detroit Community, #2 in overtime 55-54. Ashley Albito's two free throws with 16 seconds left in OT gave SN a 55-52 lead. From the Detroit News and Detroit Free Press.

D
Portland St. Patrick is in the hunt for trophy #8 as they beat Auburn Hills Oakland Christian 52-35. It is PSP's 4th straight semifinal. From the Detroit Free Press. From the Lansing State Journal.

Lansing Christian could make an argument for the game of the day as they beat St. Joseph Lake Michigan Catholic 38-33 come from behind overtime win. From the Lansing State Journal.

AWARDS & HONORS
CLASS C ALL STATE

The AP Class C team has been named.
Kristi Boehm, Kent City has been named for the 3rd time. From the Grand Rapids Press.

Britta Kuiper, Olivet made the team. From the Lansing State Journal.

DETROIT NEWS AWARDS
The Detroit News has listed their all area teams this year. Starting with the All Detroit team; All East team; All North team; and All West team.

Mary Calhoun, Posen has been named POY for the Alpena News.

The Mid-State Activities Conference has listed their all conference players. From the Greenville Daily News.

POINT PARADE
B
Amanda Blaskowski, Cheboygan 25 vs East Grand Rapids 47-59
Amber Moore, Detroit Country Day 23 vs Detroit Renaissance 54-33
D
Lauren Marshall, Rapid River 40 vs Bessemer 60-57
Brenna Banktson, Frankfort 25 vs Bay City All Saints 55-33

Thanks to the readers for making this the place to be.

Next up: Dakotas, Iowa, Wisconsin, Colleges and another out & about later tonight.

Hoganson, Theisen Reach 1000

#1 posting 11.29.2006
your daily dose of girls basketball news & information

MINNESOTA REPORTS
1000 MILESTONE

Hallie Hoganson, Detroit Lakes reached the 1000 point mark with 13 points in the 63-59 overtime win over DGF.
Jenny Theisen, Champlin Park reached the 1000 point mark with 14 points in a 58-43 win over Forest Lake. Theisen made the milestone in two years and two games, missing her sophomore year with knee problems.

AAAA
St. Cloud Apollo flew above Sauk Rapids in a 70-59 Central Lakes win. From the St. Cloud Times.

St. Cloud Tech doused Brainerd 63-46 in another CLC win. Plus other games in the SCT.

AAA
Rogers ran roughshod over Spring Lake Park 64-31.
Maple Lake took out Zimmerman 60-51.
Both from the Elk River Star News.

Becker suffocated Fridley 66-10. Future Gopher Brianna Mastey had 14 to lead Becker which led 38-7 at half.

Detroit Lakes beat DGF 63-59 in overtime. Hallie Hoganson hit a game tieing shot for DL to send it to the extra session.

HILL-MURRAY/ARMSTRONG SPECIAL REPORT.
HM jumped out early as Armstrong had trouble getting their motor started like last season. HM playing their non stop pressure D led at half 27-13. In the second half Armstrong closed to five points half way through the second half, but HM went on a burst and slowly increased the lead again.

ARMSTRONG
Steph Loobeek was frustrated during the night by Taylor Cross. Cross was quicker, a good leaper and eventually Loobeek fouled out.
Amanda Viehauser is a good athlete, runs the floor and can jump, but has to think for a split second taking away her advantages.

Alyssa Marschner came off the bench and has good instincts.

Nikki Brown played physical, but picked up too many fouls.

HILL MURRAY
Laura Hanzalick handled Amanda Viehauser even though she gave away four inches. She stuck to her like glue, and was more physical moving her around.

Kritie Holm constantly moving putting her in the action 90% of the time. Her teammates look to her. She is a leader.

Stay tuned: Next good guard: 7th grader 5-9 point guard on HM JV. Tessa Cichy is the name. keep an eye on he. The prediction she will be full time varsity next year. reminds one of Angel Robinson.

AA
#1 AA Crookston zoomed by Bemidji 69-51. From the Grand Forks Herald and Bemidji Pioneer.

MVL, which is supposed to be rebuilding, beat #10 A Nicollet 72-56. From the New Ulm Journal.

Gale-Ettrick-Trempealeau, WI edged out Wabasha-Kellogg 44-42. this & more in the Winona Daily News.

Norwood-Young America halted New London-Spicer 52-36. From the West Central Tribune.

Lac Qui Parle Valley beat Renville County West plus other contests are also found in the WCT.

A
Dawson-Boyd won a battle with MACCRAY 46-38. Others too in the WCT.

Hancock drilled 10 3s in a 68-33 win over Central Christian. Of course there are more games in the WCT roundup.

#1 A Fulda beat AAA Worthington 74-63 with Kaitlyn Kramer ripping the nets for 42 points. From the Worthington Daily Globe.

Minneota, fresh off a volleyball A championship, beat Yellow Medicine East 54-40. From the Marshall Independent.

Verndale edged Park Christian 48-44. From the Fargo Forum.

Ashby ripped Wheaton-Herman-Norcross 76-46. That plus others from the Fergus Falls Daily Journal.

New Ulm Cathedral punished Madelia 65-16.

Cedar Mountain-Comfrey doubled St. Clair 72-36 plus more.
Both from New Ulm Journal.

Cleveland, which won its first game of the year last year on February 17, didn't waste any time picking up a 79-21 win over MN Deaf. Cleveland had 49 at half which is better than the 33.78 ppg they averaged as a team last year. Cleveland pressured MN Deaf into over 30 turnovers resulting in lay ups.
"It really feels good to get a win the first game of the year. The girls have worked extremely hard for the last 2 weeks," said coach Dan Krause, "We played with high intensity for most of the game and won the game as an entire team. We still have a lot of work to do, but will use this game as a steping stone for a successful season."

PREVIEWS
The Minneapolis StarTribune has their previews today with the focus on the team across the river--St. Paul Central. They also have players to watch and their top 10 metro teams.

The StarTrib also has a south of the river paper with some ideas on what to expect in that neighborhood.

Redwood Valley is previewed in the Redwood Falls Gazette.

The Elk River Star News zeros in on Reed Caouette's first season with Elk River.

Brainerd is covered by the Brainerd Dispatch of course. Plus you get area schedules. You get area capsules of the teams on with this link.

SW Star hopes to spoil Fulda's chances in the Red Rock. from the Worthington Daily Globe.

LATE RESULTS
Red Wing beat River Falls in dramatic fashion 38-37. RF led by four with three seconds left. From the Red Wing Republican Eagle.

POINT PARADE
AAAA

Andrea Hagberg, St. Cloud Apollo 32 vs Sauk Rapids 70-59
Melissa Fitz, Mpls Southwest 29 vs St. Paul Como Park 103-25
Jaime Zelinsky, Park Center 28 vs Cooper 64-29
Britta Syverson, Mpls Southwest 26 vs St. P. Como Park 103-25
AAA
Casey Mann, Rogers 33 vs Spring Lake Park 64-31
Janessa Wolff, Park Rapids 30 vs Pine River-Backus 44-33
AA
Leah Dietel, Jordan 31 vs New Prague 68-57
Jenny Ostrom, St. Anthony 27 vs Trinity 68-40
Hailey Haukos, Glencoe-Silver Lake 25 vs BOLD 76-31
Courtney Kallis, Frazee 25 vs Wadena-Deer Creek 54-51
A
Kaitlyn Kramer, Fulda 42 vs Worthington 74-63
Colleen McKay, Barnum 25 vs Hinckley-Finlayson 58-48
Barb Klun, Ely 25 vs International Falls 56-52
Ashley Petrson, Underwood 25 vs Henning 53-45
Kelsi Kiecker, Win-E-Mac 25 vs Waubun 77-17

If someone is missing from this list let me know & I will add them.
Also I will put the scoring on this page from the games of Nov 28. You can check back periodically.

Thanks for all the help and information that the fans of this site provide. Many stories were either sent to me or I was pointed in the right direction.

Next up: Michigan Quarterfinals, Iowa, Wisconsin action, plus college reports.

Out & About: Lakeville North/Apple Valley

#5 posting 11.28.2006
your daily dose of girls basketball news & information

LAKEVILLE NORTH panthers 58, APPLE VALLEY eagles 46

#9 AAAA Lakeville North ruined Apple Valley's new coach Lynn Dahled's debut with a 58-46 Lake Conference victory at LN. The towering presence of Cassie Rochel impacted both ends of the floor. AV was stymied with LN's inside game. "Nails (Sygulla) & the Rail (Rochel)" put LN in the driver's seat.

AV started off the game with a 7-0 lead. Two of those possessions resulted in three points, one behind the arc from Shannon Thompson, the other was an old fashioned three on a lay up & one from Kale Johnson. LN started off the night with a seven possession drought. Passing execution, usually too high, and clangers led off for LN. AV last lead came at 13-11 on another steal and layup this time by Cassie Hubler. Then AV shut down for 11 possessions, seven of the possessions ended up in missed shots. LN didn't really exploit the situation with as they were stuck in an 8 possession drought, five of which were turnovers However they did take the lead on Cassie Rochel shot from 8 feet out. AV never fully recovered from the drought. In their last 25 possessions they only scored three times. LN outscored them during the stretch 20-5 and led 27-16.

AV did have better flow in the second half cutting the lead to 31-27 after a four possession scoring burst, a 7-0 run on a steal and lay up by a Thompson steal & lay up. LN took an immediate time out and righted itself with a Rachel Banham trey from the top of the key. The lead soon climbed back to ten points. AV had one more gasp as they closed to 41-37 on a Hubler triple. LN scored three possessions in a row with a pair of free throws by Kaiya Sygulla and four points from Rochel. The rest of the night LN maintained the lead. After the 3:20 mark LN scored on four of their six possessions, all at the line, all by Sygulla. LN picked up the Lake conference win 58-46.

NUMBERS EXPLAINED
player, points, possessions, pp100, floor %

LAKEVILLE NORTH
STARTERS
Cassie Crego, 0, 5, 0.0, .000 in for defense RF: not aware, not an offensive concern, no follow through on shot. also fouled out. reached on defense too much.
Casey Radcliffe, 6, 14, 42.9, .214 aggressive to the basket, has a decent hesitation dribble, was in Hubler's face all night. RF: offensively passes a bit too far, too high (except for Rochel)
Jamie Montgomery 0, 2, 0.0, .000 RF: not much to report
Kaiya Sygulla, 18, 21, 85.7, .429 point guard, tough aggressive kid, "nails" delivered late at the line. initiates contact. strong competitor. good defender. RF: shot goes off the back rim, and a couple of times didn't hit iron. had no angle to pass into post, passes richocet off the lights, body careens out of control, forces issues into traffic. square pegs in round holes. but still a gamer and needs to be on the floor.
Cassie Rochel, 16, 13, 123.1, .692 big time player. "rail" still improving, inside presence intimidated Steele. Good feet, great hands, nice touch. good blocking instincts. doesn't foul as I have seen others do. smart on how to block. can score in transition. RF: needs to get stronger and will.
BENCH
Ashley Prather 0, 5, 0.0, .000 strong frame. good rebounder. RF: needs to work at the free throw shot.
Rachel Banham 10, 9, 111.1, .444 thin diaper dandy (class of 2011). made big shots, has feel for the game. good vision when dribbling, crisp passing, not afraid of contact. RF: needs to increase strength.
Kristi Levin, 0, 1, 0.0, .000
Michaela Goris, 8, 5, 160.0, .600 canned two 3s, including one with an and one, RF: weak on skip passes and passing technique in general

APPLE VALLEY
STARTERS
Shannon Thompson 6, 13, 46.2, .231 point guard. RF: needs to take over fully. not aware of time score at the end of the half. exposes the ball.
Kale Johnson, 9, 10, 90.0, .400 anticipates on defense. likes the short corner on her shot. RF: needs to improve ball handling/passing decisions. gain strength. play with authority
Cassie Hubler, 10, 19, 52.6, .263 a good shooter if open. RF: is forced to do more this year, including guarding Sygulla. All this takes its toll on her shot. She never was free & clear, and she has to expend energy helping to bring the ball up, her passes tended to sail. defensively she needs to be low, and Sygulla gets real low. picked up too many fouls as a result and fouled out.
Woodson, 5, 12, 41.7, .167 RF: shoots first, asks questions later. without keeping follow through.
Christina Steele, 8, 14, 57.1, .357 post player, good strong frame, passes well out of post. RF: faded from contact with Rochel. too many fouls; when swarmed traveled. passed to a player not paying attention.
BENCH
Erica Gress, 8, 7, 114.3, .714 in the right spot in the blocks, uses her body to protect the ball, not afraid of contacts. RF: Needs to finish at the line. she could have had four more points. needs to work on speed/quickness.
Teresa Lesch, 0, 0, 0.0, .000

TRENCH PLAYER
Cassie Rochel, easily

BY THE NUMBERS
Lakeville North
58, 75, 77.3, .373
Apple Valley 46, 75, 61.3, .320
3s: LN 3, AV 2
FT made: LN 19, AV 14

Both teams had much better second halves. LN checked in with 69.5 pp100 in the first half and 85.0 in the second half. AV zoomed from 39.0 pp100 to 88.2.

AV was playing its first game and the jitters and nerves did come through in the first half. AV has new leadership on the perimeter and they didn't really like the pressure. LN's defense was tight in the half court limiting AV to only three field goals in the first half, four in the second half off their initial defense. AV never really shook LN. With Rochel in the middle the inside game evaporated.

AV was trying to pass too long, players were going away from the ball on the press, not coming to the ball. AV also needs to be stronger with the ball.

TEAM CASSIE
LN started three Cassie/Casey derivitives. Throw in AV's Cassie and four on the floor had the Cassie/Casey moniker.

INJURY
The game was delayed when a LN cheerleader hurt her knee. She was in the corner doing a cheer during a time out in the first half, but collapsed. No word on her status.

Next up: tomorrow morning.

Tuesday, November 28, 2006

Quigley, Peterson Players of the Week

#4 posting 11.28.2006
your daily dose of girls basketball news & information

SIGNINGS
Anna Patritto, Howell, MI signed with Oakland recently. Here is her story from the Livingston Press & Argus.
Also Sierra Moeller, Pierre signed with Boise State. She is a 6-1 anywhere type player.

COLLEGE REPORT
D1
Freshman Brittany McCoy of the Gophers is featured in the StarTribune.

The Wisconsin Badgers are one of 8 Big 10 teams either receiving votes or ranked in the latest AP poll. Frolmthe Capital Times.

Florida State beat Tulsa 60-43

LSU beat New Orleans 65-45 in an instate battle.

Missouri State beat Arkansas Little Rock 54-48

D2
Ericka Quigley, St. Cloud State picked up the POW award in the North Central.

Stephanie Peterson, Bemidji State won POW honors in the Northern Sun.

North Dakota has found it's mojo and crunched St. Martin's 94-54

Northwood crippled Grace Bible 90-30

Upper Iowa beat Waldorf 79-74

Valley City State knocked of UM Crookston 64-50

Wayne State pummelled Chadron State 91-68 to move to 4-0.

Winona State edged Edgewood 77-63

JUCO
Ridgewater fell to Gustavus JV 52-45.

In a late game from Saturday the MSCTC Fergus Falls team beat Rainy River 73-59. From the Fergus Falls Daily Journal and the International Falls Daily Journal.

I have updated more of the JUCO ratings last night. found in the links on the right.

Thanks to all the readers that help dig up stories, you folks are gems and make this site a gold mine of information.

Next up: later tonight with an out & about.

Bay Conference Preview

#4 posting 11.28.2006
your daily dose of girls basketball news & information

WISCONSIN REPORTS

PREVIEWS
The Green Bay Press Gazette has a preview of the Bay Conference, plus a feature on Ashwaubenon's Erin Baganz.

Staci Dieringer, Random Lake is profiled in the Sheboygan Press.

The Oconomowoc Focus does focus in on the Little Ten conference with Oconomowoc and Wisconsin Lutheran among the teams to beat.

Baraboo's chances are covered by of all things the Baraboo News Republic.

LATE ACTION
Brown Deer knocked off Waupun for the Milwaukee Custer tournament title 40-36.

Black Hawk beat Fall River 69-49 after Fall River's Crystal Kennedy went down with a hyperextended knee.
From the Beaver Dam Daily Citizen.

If you haven't noticed I have added a link to Wisconsin Hoops Network which has a lot of information on their site. It rates four stars in my book.

POINT PARADE
4
Katlin Lee, Goodman-Pembine 32 vs Marinette St. Thomas 59-28
Kim Wellnitz, Black Hawk 25 vs Fall River 69-49

Next up: College reports, plus an out & about later tonight.

SC East Wins Hwy 75 Tourney

#3 posting 11.28.2006
your daily dose of girls basketball news & information

IOWA REPORTS (and some Illinois border towns)
Fog cancelled some games in Northern Iowa last night. From the Mason City Globe Gazette.

PREVIEWS
The Sacajawea National Invitational Girls Basketball Tournament will be held on Dec 14-16 at the Tyson Events Center in Sioux City. Keep your calendar open. From the SC Journal.

LATE REPORTS
Sioux City East won the Highway 75 tournament with a 62-57 win over Hinton.

Sioux City North lost to Cedar Falls 60-59. The night before SCN beat Waterloo East 66-56. The Waterloo Cedar Falls paper had their turn, now it comes from the SCN perspective.
Both from the Sioux City Journal.

#9 1A Clinton Prince of Peace opened with a win on Friday over Preston 39-30.

Northeast downed Fulton, IL 48-37.
Both from the Clinton Herald.

Fairfield split over the weekend with a 49-29 loss to Burlington Friday and a 49-30 win over Fort Madison on Saturday. From the Fairfield Ledger.

SE Polk dropped Ottumwa in a defensive or lack of offensive struggle 38-33. From the Ottumwa Courier.

POINT PARADE
ILLINOIS
Miller, Princeton 37 vs St. Bede 55-42

Next up: Wisconsin, College reports & an out & about later tonight.

Bankston Michigan Miss Basketball

#2 posting 11.28.2006
your daily dose of girls basketball news & information

MICHIGAN REPORT
MISS BASKETBALL
Brenna Banktson, Frankfort, a Class D team, won the closest race in the history of Miss Basketball for Michigan. Bankston is headed to Western Michigan. From the Detroit Free Press.

ALL STATE D TEAM
The Lansing State Journal runs down their area contributions to the All State D team.

The Kalamazoo Gazette focuses on Climax-Scott's Michelle Barkley a D team member.

The Battle Creek Enquirer has more on the team.

Here is the standard Listing from the AP on the MLive site.

QUARTERFINAL DAY
Here is where to find the results on the MHSAA matchups.

PREVIEWS
The Saginaw News looks at the rough and tumble match ups for Saginaw Arthur Hill, Saginaw Nouvel, and New Lothrop.

The Detroit News some story lines for tonight along with betting lines if you have a pool. There take Brighton vs Saginaw Arthur Hill in A; East Grand Rapids vs Cheboygan in B; Saginaw Nouvel vs Detroit Community in C; and Lake Michigan Catholic vs Lansing Christian in D are the best bets for close games.

In B
Will East Grand Rapids be headed to East Lansing? The GR Press looks at their chances. EGR faces Cheboygan in Cedar Springs. Also from the Cheboygan Tribune.

Portland is making a trip to the state for the first time since 1973. They will be facing St. Clair. From the Port Huron Times-Herald as a print friendly link.

In C
Napoleon will see Cassopolis a team similar to their style. From the Jackson Citizen-Patriot.

Kingsley takes on defending champ Houghton at Petoskey and the Petoskey News Review does preview the action.

In D
Bessemer Speedgirls will try to zip by Rapid River when they meet at Marquette tonight. From the Ironwood Daily Globe.

ALL CONFERENCE TEAMS
The Lakes 8 has named their teams. From the Greenville Daily News.

Straits Area Conference team is highlighted in the Cheboygan Tribune.

REAR VIEW MIRROR
Ottawa Hill's 21-4 season is summarized in the GR Press.

SALUTES
Sheray Brown, Detroit Consortium and Joi Jennings, Waterford Christian get salutes in the Detroit News.

Next up: Iowa, Wisconsin, and College reports

Fulda, Crookston Gearing Up

#1 posting 11.28.2006
your daily dose of girls basketball news & information

MINNESOTA REPORT
Any time I can find video it gets first billing. And KTTC Rochester has video of a couple games from Saturday Rochester JM vs Rosemount and Mayo vs Lakeville North. Click on the video camera above the photo. If you want to read script you can do that too.

The season seriously gets underway tonight. Here are some of the recent newspaper previews:
The Marshall Independent features the local scene with 13 teams. If you are looking for Marshall HS you will need to wait. That is coming later in the week according to the paper.

Fulda is looking for a repeat of their A Championship. From the Worthington Daily Globe.

While Crookston is looking to take one more spot higher in AA. From the Crookston Times.

New Ulm Cathedral pounded JWP 64-34. From the Mankato Free Press.

Cherry beat Floodwood 71-58 thanks to 30 points from Kaci Johnson. From the Duluth News Tribune.

POINT PARADE
A
Kaci Johnson, Cherry 30 vs Floodwood 71-58
Brooke DeWall, SW Star 26, vs Harris-Lake Park, IA 66-32
Abbey Bentley, Norman County East 25 vs Climax-Fisher 64-69

next up: Michigan, Iowa, Wisconsin, and College reports with another out & about later tonight.

Monday, November 27, 2006

Out & About: Meadow Creek/Columbia Heights

#3 posting 11.27.2006
your daily dose of girls basketball news & information

MEADOW CREEK saints 50, COLUMBIA HEIGHTS hylanders 37

Meadow Creek won the first game for both these teams, but the game was marred by missed layups for MC, and turnovers for CH. This game marked the coaching debut at CH for Chris Buerman and the energy level was high. Three time state A entrant Meadow Creek was adjusting to life after Abby Thom, Liz Woerle and Laura Skog.

Columbia Heights scored on their first possession with a three by Allison Snell and then knocked down another triple by Rachael Jovaro to go up 6-4. Then CH went on a 10 possession drought after that. CH must have seen Happy Feet this weekend because they had 8 traveling calls on the night. I don't know what movie MC saw but it must have been a horror movie as they missed 9 fast break lay ups. MC led 12-8 when Bethany Garroutte hit two consecutive 3s from the right side of the floor. MC called time after Garroutte tied it up at 14. MC went on a 1/10 possession sequence, but CH was only 2/10 and didn't seize advantage. CH did take the lead at 20-18 for the first time on the night. Their last lead came at 25-24. CH was doing this with back up point guards. Their first point, Jasmine Harden picked up foul #3 and sat. Rachael Jovaro took over but had too many balls stripped. Things settled down when Snell took over. She was the scored two free throws, had an assist to Sam Schultz as she penetrated the lane, and then scored on a low-high feed from Schultz for the 25th point. MC took the lead before half on a free throw by Rebecca Scheil, but she missed the second. MC was aggressive on the boards all night and they got a second chance for more points. Callie Tiegen delivered to make it 27-25 at half.

MC had a 7-2 run to make the game a bit more comfortable for them. CH went on another long stretch of limited scoring: a 1/17 sequence. By the time CH scored again it was 43-29. 13 of the 17 possessions ended in turnovers. MC scored 8 points off these missed turnovers. CH did have a last gasp where they cut the MC lead to 10 with another Jovero triple to make it 45-35 with 4:05 left. MC then went into their delay game nipping any momentum CH was building. MC scored three points on one possession the hard way with three different players made one free throw. MC would make the first toss, but got the rebound off the second missed shot twice. It finally stopped when Analey Skog missed her first, and made her second. MC had 21 players touch the ball on their next to last possession showing their delay game in action. MC won 50-37.

NUMBERS EXPLAINED
player, points, possessions, pp100, floor %

For both teams, and probably all teams, I can say in a universal: needs to get stronger.
MEADOW CREEK
STARTERS
Casey Fregeau, 2, 6, 33.3, .167 point guard. sets the table, a true guard that gets team involved. decent anticipation on defense had at least five steals. RF: not a big threat shooting
Rebecca Scheil, 15, 18, 83.3, .333 RF: Spins too much, passes slow and thrown above head advertising where the ball was going.
Callie Tiegen, 12, 13, 92.3, .462 favorite spot about a step inside the 3 line in the free throw circle. also was aware on defense. RF: needs to be consistent on shot. short on shot, needs more legs.
Analey Skog, 11, 20, 55.0, .300 strong defense on ball. picked CH all night. RF; needs to finish steals with two points.
Justina Rudzitis, 6, 10, 60.0, .300 made shots from the corner and in the paint. RF: passing execution.
BENCH
Lauren Sutherland, 4, 3, 133.3, .667 post sub.
Julie Vaala, 0, 2, 0.0, .000
Brianna Coffland, 0, 3, 0.0, .000

COLUMBIA HEIGHTS
STARTERS
Jasmine Harden, 0, 6, 0.0, .000 point guard. small, quick. RF: picked up too many fouls usually because position was too tight to the player. These refs were calling things pretty tight and hand checking was a favorite. Fouled out with 12:55 left in the game.
Rachael Jovero, 7, 11, 63.6, .273 made a couple of treys. RF: ball handling, too many times stripped. exposes the ball. stops her dribble too high
Allison Snell, 11, 13, 84.6, .385 had good instincts. pull up jumper, has range. RF: too high defensively when guarding ball. passed to a kid that wasn't paying attention.
Sam Schultz, 5, 11, 45.5, .182 inside player. RF: needs to get more rebounds. needs to use the glass.
Machelle Mogriff, 4, 13, 30.8, .154 RF: needs to hold follow through; jump stopping needs improving
BENCH
Bethany Garroutte, 6, 11, 54.5, .182 drilled two 3s in a row. RF: after MC took that away didn't get another point. Ball handling again a problem. needs to work on jump stops
Shaquise Marcelin, 2, 9, 22.2, .111 RF: ball control
Laura Craig, 2, 2, 100.0, .500
Lauren Gulley, 0, 2, 0.0, .000 RF: unaware that she was open.

TRENCH PLAYER
Callie Tiegen

BY THE NUMBERS
Meadow Creek 50, 75, 66.7, .320
Columbia Heights 37, 73, 50.7, .219

Another factor: free throws. MC made 15 as CH went on a fouling spree early. CH only made four on the night. CH wasn't as aggressive in attacking the basket.
3s: CH had better perimeter shooting with four 3s on the night. MC cashed in one.

As you can see this is a low, low pp100 game. MC had the lowest game winning #s so far this season. First game problems for both teams, in a month they should both be better. CH has more energy and didn't pack it in when given the chance. Once they are strong with the ball and get their foot work down they will be fine. On offense they worked both sides of the floor and get everyone involved. MC needs to have players step up on offense now that the 2006s are gone, and improve their fast break execution. Their basic defense will get them through many games.

Next up: tomorrow morning

Gonta, Wilson Sign, College Reports

#2 posting 11.27.2006
your daily dose of girls basketball news & information

SIGNINGS
Northwood signed two players recently: Megan Gonta, Brighton whose sister is attending Northwood already, and Pam Wilson from Grand Blanc. From the Midland Daily News.

D1 ACTION
#17 Michigan State beat Houston 68-55. Mia Johnson, Mpls North did not start this game and only finished with one point.

Michigan State's paper the State News lists 10 things they have learned so far about the MSU team. Among them #3 Mia Johnson is a dynamic player.

Iowa beat Creighton in what the Daily Iowan called an ugly win over Creighton 75-69. The Des Moines Register focused on the free throw shooting in their story. Creighton's Michele Kaus from Eastview had 14 points to lead the Bluejays.

#2 North Carolina beat Arkansas 94-69 in the Rainbow Wahine Classic.

#4 Tennessee beat Middle Tennessee State 88-64

#8 Georgia downed #11 Stanford 74-69

Texas Tech upset #21 UCLA 75-60 in the 5th place game in the Rainbow Wahine Classic.

#24 Louisville crunched Northern Colorado 82-52

Minnesota's weekend in Northern Arizona is recapped in the MN Daily.

NC State coach Kay Yow is fighting breast cancer. Best wishes on battling the disease.

The Arizona State/Rutgers game was called off due to the death of ASU's Aubrey Johnson's 13 year old brother in

D2
MSU Mankato beat Caldwell 73-62 with strong bench play in Omaha

#1 Grand Valley State was edged at home 64-62 by Bellarmine.

D3
Chicago beat UW Whitewater 82-72

UW River Falls beat St. Thomas 58-48. UWRF's Megan Lindman (Rochester Mayo) had 27 to lead both teams.

#11 UW Stout defeated Northland 82-62

Simpson beat UW LaCrosse 77-73

Carroll stopped Milwaukee Engineering 69-50

Hillsdale ripped Ohio Valley 79-61. Hilldale is now 4-0.

NAIA
Briar Cliff picked up a win over Purdue Calumet 60-45. BC lost to St. Francis of Illinois on Saturday 70-52. From the Sioux City Journal.

POINT PARADE
D1
Chrissy Givens, Middle Tennessee State 26 vs Tennessee 64-88
D3
Megan Lindman, UW River Falls 27 vs St. Thomas 58-48
JUCO
Brittany Gladis, Rochester 29 vs Gogebic 58-55

Thanks to all the readers that help make this site the must see spot on the internet superhighway. Your suggestions and information are appreciated.

Next up: Later tonight with yet another out & about

Michgan Quarters Preview

#1 posting 11.27.2006
your daily dose of girls basketball news & information

MICHIGAN
Michigan wraps up their season this week with four tournament champions. In class A Rochester is living the dream after bumping off #1A Auburn Hills Avondale. The other higher seed slayer East Lansing gets some attention too. From the Detroit Free Press.

Brighton is in the A tournament. One of their assistant coaches is a recent grad Megan Razavi, 2003 grad. More on her path back home after her college career ended. From the Livingston Daily.

Tuesday the Quarterfinals in all classes begin around the State. Top teams left standing: A: #5 Brighton; B: #1 Birmingham Detroit Country Day; C: #1 Saginaw Nouvel; D: #1 Portland St. Patrick. The A tournament should be wide open.
Best match ups:
A #5 Brighton vs Saginaw Arthur Hill @ Saginaw Heritage
B #5 St. Clair vs #6 Portland @ DeWitt
C #1 Saginaw Nouvel vs #2 Detroit Community @ Chippewa Valley in Clintondale
D #1 Portland St. Patrick vs #2 Auburn Hills Oakland Christian @ Imlay City
As you can see seeding the state would make sense.

MINNESOTA
Willmar's perimeter game provided the lift in a 48-40 win over Bemidji. This time the story is from the West Central Tribune.

The Dakotas are ready to roll with their games. Here are the first reports from those states.
SOUTH DAKOTA
Aberdeen Roncalli look to use speed & quickness this season.

ADDED LINKS
I have added links to the Eastern Dakota Conference of North Dakota, Out & Abouts for this season so you don't have to try to scramble back and find a game, and Thorpe on a Soap Box. Rumorama is there may be some more postings soon.

If you missed the recap of last week, which I put up last night, go back & read.

Thanks to the readers that help make this site zoom. Two game reports give it more pop. I can't be everywhere at once.

Next up: college report

Sunday, November 26, 2006

The Week That Was #1

#4 posting 11.26.2006
your daily dose of girls basketball news & information

THE WEEK THAT WAS

8 games in 6 days. Three times into Wisconsin, since they had the OGIT (only games in town or area in this case).

TRENDS
With the pp100 and floor % we can peer into the what really is happening and even though both states do not play the same time frame we can gage how they are playing. We also can compare that to last year's totals.
Right now the pp100 is down as you would expect early season ball to be. The average last year was 82.91 and .404 and that had Iowa and Minnesota state tournament teams involved. In fact I wasn't using this system until after the first of the year (go back and check the old postings). So last year I have no idea what the pp100s and such were in November.
This year I have not been watching two heavy weights each time out. I have seen teams that will struggle to get four wins this year, teams that are middle of the pack, plus the heavy hitters.
After a week the pp100 is 74.17 and .367 for Minnesota teams. Wisconsin teams are slightly under that at 68.54 and .339.
Hopkins, the AAAA state champ last year averaged 97.69 and .493 in the multitude of their games I saw. Defensively they came in at 78.41 and .364.
The top pp100 and floor % is the same team Bloomington Kennedy (111.4, and .544) but their opposition was not of the powerful variety.

Let us discuss the team of the week: It has to be strictly based on numbers, and opposition. With that second criteria layed down The first team of the week is, trumpets please---
CENTENNIAL
They moved very well and executed against a Minneapolis North team that will be north of 15 wins this year. They also pushed #1 St. Paul Central to the max on Saturday. They also were above 100 pp100 until the deep bench entered the contest. Even so they were 100 pp100 and the second best floor % at .478.

Here goes my first players of the week based on what I saw during that week and any other games that the player had. For example Nipe had a solid performance on Friday but blew up Saturday. I don't think she had 35 possessions, it was probably closer to 20 so that would make her pp100 175.0. Plus she is doing this against teams, that in my opinion, will win more than they lose this year. That is why she is the inaugural player of the week.

All these teams are measured by is PERFORMANCE. Make the numbers dance and you are there. So what does it take? I saw 8 games to start the season. That makes 16 teams. I think at a minimum a player needs to have a +100 pp100, they also have to be +.500 in floor %. In order to clip out some players a minimum of 10 possessions in the game I saw qualify. That is why Kesha Brown did not make it. She had 7 possessions, but I felt deserved special mention.

Some names didn't make the list, because sub 100 pp100 and sub 500 floor% are not golden.

PLAYER OF THE WEEK:
Megan Nipe, Centennial
PERFORMERS OF THE WEEK:
First Team
Maggie Demulling, New Richmond, WI
Bailey Franklin, River Falls, WI
Ani Johnson, Minnehaha
Megan Nipe, Centennial
Tara Steinbauer, Bloomington Kennedy
Second Team
Anna Cole, Mondovi, WI
Amy Frye, Hudson, WI
Kassie Kunz, New Richmond, WI
Lindsey Lindstrom, Superior, WI
Kellie Schuneman, Centennial
Special Mention
Kesha Brown, Bloomington Kennedy

SUPERLATIVES
Top pp100: Ani Johnson, Minnehaha 154.5 with 5 3s in the Hudson game
Best floor %: Bailey Franklin, River Falls .750

definitions: I name a trench player after each game. So what does that exactly mean?. It means I think I would want that player in the trenchs if I was in battle. I would figure that player is a warrior, would be smart, tough, calm, resourceful, and not try anything that would get me killed. They should have the ability to take over a game, to inject their will and change the outcome, again without trying to get me killed.

It does not mean trench players would be my first draft choice if I was forming an expansion WNBA team. However I would consider the trench players. Forming an WNBA team I would also look at athletic potential as well--body size, strength, quickness.

THE WEEK TO COME

There will be some big games this week. The biggest will take place in Rogers on Saturday with six games starting at 10 am with all A list programs. Here is their press release on the event.

What: The Breakdown Tipoff Classic -- 12 of the state's top teams playing five games in one day in one gym.
When: 10 a.m., Saturday, Dec. 2
Where: Rogers High School
Tickets: Available at the Door
Cost: 10$ Adults, 8$ Students

Ten of the state's top girls basketball teams will playfive games in one day for what expects to be an impressive start to the2006-07 season.

The Breakdown Tipoff Classic features 6 games this year and moves toRogers High School. The first game starts at 10AM with the final gamestarting at 8 p.m. Several Division I future college players along withdefending state champions will be on hand for what should prove to be anexciting way to start the basketball season. Here is the schedule for theGirls Tipoff Classic: Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted vs Parkers Prairie 10 AM; #1 A Fulda vs. #5 AAAA Minneapolis South, noon; #3 AA Barnesville vs. Cretin-Derham Hall, 2 p.m.; No. #2 AA Winona Cotter vs. No. #2 AAAA Champlin Park, 4 p.m.; #3 AAA Rogers vs. #10 AAA Fergus Falls, 6 p.m.; #2 AAA Becker vs. #3 AAAA Hopkins, 8 p.m.

* Parkers Prairie's Sari Noga is one of the state's top freshmen who average 22.2 points per game last season. Head coach John Noga has won more than 300 games in his career. Parkers Prairie faces a Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted team that was dangerous in last year's section tournament and expected to be strong again. This game has the potential to be a high scoring game.

* Fulda is the defending Class A state champion with everyone back in an attempt to make a repeat. Can they do it again? The Kramers--Kaitlyn (off to Dakota State) and Laura (off to SW MN State) -- lead Fulda. Tayler Hill of Minneapolis South is a top 10 national recruit and is electrifying to watch.

* Erica Nord is a four-year starter for Barnesville. Cretin's Alyssa Karel is a Wisconsin signee and one of the best point guards in the state. Barnesville runs the floor and is coming off a one-loss sason. Cretin is a ball-control team that plays in one of the state's top sections.

* Winona Cotter has a couple standout players in Jenny Gilbertson and Devin Bowlin. The Ramblers run an up-tempo style and they can score in bunches. Champlin Park is led by Jenny Theisen, a Minnesota State-Moorhead recruit, along with Winona State recruit Natalie Gigler. Champlin Park is coached by Carl Pierson, who is in his first year at the school.

* Hannah Draxten, Fergus Falls, has verbally committed to Iowa and is one of the state's top players. Will she get enough support to get the Otters to the state tournament? This is the only matchup of the day between teams in the same class.

* Hopkins is the defending Class AAAA champion and Becker has won more than 60 games the past three seasons. This game features four Division I recruits in Caitlynn Rowland (undecided) and Jackie Hiebert (OhioUniversity) of Hopkins and the Mastey sisters -- Brianna and Nicole. The Bulldgos are young and talented.

OTHER GAMES OF NOTE
TUESDAY
Minnehaha, fresh off their two wins in Winsconsin, will face a stiff test in defending AAA state champ Benilde-St. Margaret on BSM's floor.
The Lake Conference, the best in the state, opens conference play.
THURSDAY
The Tartan tournament opens with Mpls Roosevelt, Tartan, Woodbury, and Park-Cottage Grove. their finals are on Friday
FRIDAY
The Stillwater tournament opens with Edina, Maple Grove, Park Center, and Stillwater, their finals are on Saturday.
SATURDAY
I already explained that to you.

Next up: tomorrow morning