The Week That Was #16: Section Finals

#7 posting 3.11.2007
your daily dose of girls basketball news & information

THE WEEK THAT WAS #16: Section Finals
9 games, 6 days, 2 upsets

Tournament play wrapped up with games all the way up through Friday night. I zeroed in on the AAAA games (when they were playing) and on different sections each night. It made for some late nights with 2 AM the final quitting time at least twice. We had planned on going to Duluth on Wednesday, but I am starting to get run down, and felt the 4A games at Fridley would get me home quicker, and finished quicker.

Also this week I spent time watching games from the Iowa and South Dakota tournaments. At times I was watching four games. You can still look at the SD games from SDPB site. I was disappointed in the Iowa site because I couldn't get the 4A finals last night. I got the 3A finals in a freeze frame fashion. The SD games were much more smoother.

We saw two upsets during the week. Both involved teams very familiar with each other---New Ulm Cathedral beat Cedar Mountain-Comfrey in a tight contest, while Blaine surprised Centennial in "Black Tuesday" for AAAA #1 seeds. In Centennial's case they came out cold their first four possessions, Blaine hit their shots and that gave them confidence the rest of the way. Upsets usually happen when the underdogs come out and hit some shots and think "hey we can play with this team." Great teams have to establish right from the start they will not be trifled with.

My worst moment of the week was on Monday when we left the Gustavus gym. We spent more time wandering around the lot looking for my car than we spent watching the New Ulm Cathedral/Cedar Mt.-Comfrey game. It was a bad episode of "Dude where's my car?"

TRENDS
Here is how the pp100s and floor% for the AVERAGE team have stacked up through the months:
November 70.16, .346
December 75.23, .367
January 80.84, .394
February 81.07, .394
March 84.25, .409
So, as one would expect, teams get better as the year moves on, but now at least you can see the flow of the season. I find it interesting Jan & Feb are almost the same. It ratchets up a notch in March. Are defenses getting worse as the year goes on?

As far as the classes go:
AAAA 83.40 .406
AAA 72.12, .349
AA 78.04, .381
A 72.74, .358
This bothered me because the AAA numbers dipped so much. So I took the top 10 games in each class and measured them.
AAAA 110.16, .530
AAA 99.7, .473
AA 96.18, .453
A 91.55, .437
This makes better sense to me. But there is a clear distinction between AAAA and the rest.

However I am still waiting for some team to cross the 120 mark this year. Four teams did it last season. I am also waiting for a team to cross over the .600 mark. Two did so last year. The top numbers this year are 119 pp100 for Barnum and .597 for Benilde-St. Margaret's.

Today we have a guest columnist Tim Teas. He goes to these games all year with me and helps me chart what is happening. We have discussed and debated the merits of player A over player B. What bugs us, what thrills us. Today is his first go at a column I will call
EXPERT TEAS

Congratulation! to those coaches, teams, fans, parents, and all at schools who made it to the state tournament. To some getting here is not new, to others it has never happened and will be remembered as something very special for a long long time. What a thought!... winning a state championship is now a real possibility. The task once thought of as just a dream is closer than you might think. Others may have reduced the field so you may not have to face a team with matchups you hate. Win your first game this week and before you know it you may find yourself in a title game. This week it really is one game at a time. Don't be too surprised if you find yourself playing for a state title.
Good luck to all, it has been a lot of fun watching girls hoops this season. The state tournament will be a wonderful conclusion. Working with Kevin this past winter seeing over a hundred games has been a lot of fun.

Tim Teas

TEAM OF THE WEEK:
For the third time this year, and the second time in two weeks it has to be St. Paul Central. SPC is the only three time winner of the award. The Central Juggernaut marched through 3AAAA like Sherman through Georgia. Woodbury and Cretin-Derham Hall are no pushovers and SPC went through them like a hot knife through butter. Woodbury averages 39.9 ppg against them. SPC hit for 80. CDH is at 57.8 ppg against, SPC topped off at 97. When I said Central had the easiest path to state in AAAA I wasn't speaking of the opposition. I was speaking of Central's overwhelming talent and ability. They are really stroking on all cylinders now. They could easily be the first team to crack the 120 pp100 mark this year. In the four games I have watched this year they have moved from 69-94-110-115 pp100. It is a straight line progression. Same with the floor % it goes from .317 -.446-.520-.540.

PLAYER OF THE WEEK:
Matching the progression of her team Angel Robinson gets the nod again for the player of the week, just as she did last week. This is her 2nd time as PotW. She has also been the trench player in three of the four games I have seen this year which also puts her in lonely company. Take a look at her progression in the four games (first pp100 and then floor%) 74.2-90.1-122.7-153.8; .323-.455-.591-.692. Again peaking at the right time. Now the biggest stage awaits, and the history book is open.

As for the rest of the team. With so many quality performances this week I am going with 3 teams.
You know the drill: #1 I need to see you during the week. #2 10 possession minimum; #3 + 100 pp100; and +.500 floor %.

FIRST TEAM
Ashlynn Fuller, Champlin Park
Tayler Hill, Minneapolis South
Megan Howard, St. Paul Central
Angel Robinson, St. Paul Central
Theairra Taylor, St. Paul Central
SECOND TEAM
Ephesia Holmes, Minneapolis South
Megan Nipe, Centennial
Sarah Palenschat, CHOF
Alex Suda, Blaine
Lauren Young, Edina
THIRD TEAM
Alyssa Hames, Blaine
Jenna Higgins, Maranatha
Brittnye McSperron, Eastview
Kristen Prunty, New Ulm Cathedral
Krystle Schwanke, Springfield

PAST TEAMS & PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
1 Centennial---- Megan Nipe, Centennial
2 Mpls South---- Alyssa Karel, Cretin-Derham Hall
3 Osseo----Janessa Wolff, Park Rapids
4 St. Paul Central----Kachine Alexander, Benilde-St. Margaret's
5 Wayzata----Cassie Rochel, Lakeville North
6 Champlin Park----Kachine Alexander, Benilde-St. Margaret's
7 Bloomington Kennedy---Shakila Boler, Bloomington Kennedy
8 Albany----Sam Larsen, Albany
9 Braham----Bri Zabel, Northfield
10 Champlin Park----Jenny Theisen, Champlin Park
11 Mpls North-----Maurika Hickman, Mpls North
12 Mpls South----Tayler Hill, Mpls South
13 Winona Cotter----Brianna Mastey, Becker
14 St. Paul Central---Angel Robinson, St. Paul Central
15 Holy Angels----Tara Steinbauer, Bloomington Kennedy
It wasn't a good week for my two selections last week. DeLaSalle rallied from 10 down to beat Holy Angels. Tara Steinbauer's season ended in overtime to Eastview in the 6AAAA semifinals.

DEFENSIVE TEAM OF THE WEEK
Again this is measured by wraps. I am not measuring denials, how many times a kid helped on a drive. In other words these kids get the ball.
Alissa Domeier, Springfield
Megan Nipe, Centennial
Sarah Palenschat, CHOF
Angel Robinson, St. Paul Central
Tyisha Smith, Minneapolis South

THE WEEK TO COME
Minnesota is the only area state left standing. All the other states have finished and here are their champs.
IOWA
4A: Sioux City North
3A: Cedar Rapids Xavier
2A: North Butler
1A: Graettinger-Terril

NORTH DAKOTA
A: Mandan
B: Bottineau

SOUTH DAKOTA
AA: Watertown
A: Vermillion
B: Sully Buttes

WISCONSIN
D1: Milwaukee Vincent
D2: Grafton
D3: Cuba City
D4: Flambeau

The MN tournament starts on Wednesday at two sites: AAA games and two A quarters are at the Target Center. AAAA games and two A quarters are at the Pavillion. The AA quarterfinals are at the Pavillion on Thursday.

Next week we will wrap up the the week that was series. The following week I will do a recap of the entire season--The Season that Was with awards galore. It will be like the oscars without the papparazzi, or statues.

Next up: tomorrow morning with the parade of states, and later tomorrow my AAAA and AAA analysis. Tuesday I will go through the AA and A side of things.