Out & About: Rails/IBCA Select Blue

#4 posting 3.31.2008
your daily dose of girls basketball news & information

This game took place on Sunday, March 30
IOWA STATE AAU TOURNAMENT
Des Moines Hoover JUNIOR ELIGIBLE D2 CHAMPIONSHIP
RAILS 70, IBCA SELECT BLUE 56

This game featured the school based Des Moines Lincoln Rails and the younger, much younger IBCA Select Blue multi-school team. Blue is primarily 9th and 8th graders. They were up against a team that knows each other inside and out and the Rails featured Sara Wagner, a first team CIML Metro player, and Kelsie Reeves, a second team member. The Rails built big leads, then held on as the Blues rallied. The Rails made 15 free throws in the fourth quarter for a 70-56 championship win for the Rails.

The Blues grabbed the early lead with a trey from Al Oney on the second possession. The Rails answered with a Wagner basket from the left corner, but didn't take the lead until the 5:46 mark with a &1 by Amber Streyffler on a transition basket. That started a five straight scoring string by the Rails and a 9/11 sequence the rest of the half on a 19-6 run. Streyffler had 11 of the 21 first quarter points for the Rails. The young Blues had two droughts of 4 and 5 in the quarter. The Rails led 21-9 at the quarter.

Neither team had much success at the start of the second quarter with only one score by Oney of the Blues in the first 9 combined possessions. Then the Rails caught fire again. They had an 8/10 offensive sequence and a 17-6 run. It was a 38-19 lead for the Rails at half.

That Rail lead ballooned out to 47-24 lead with 5 minutes left in the third quarter. The Blues started clicking at that point. It was the Rails catching fire in the last five minutes in the first half. The Baby Blues had a 16-6 run to finish the third quarter. The Blues had five straight scores. 7 different Blues scored in the quarter. The quarter ended on a Taylor Shull basket to make it 51-40.

The Rails used 15 made free throws to hold off the Blues in the fourth quarter. The Rails only made two field goals in the final frame. The Blues were able to cut the margin to single digits at 54-45 with 5:02 left. That was as close as it was going to get. The Rails were deadly at the line and the Blues could never gain traction. Reeves was in control with the ball and at the line. She ended up with 20 point, 12 in this quarter.

photos: #1 Taylor Shull of IBCA Blue launches a three with Sara Wagner watching. #2 8 arms, 1 ball. photos by Teas.

key: player (school) points, possessions, pp100, floor %
RAILS
all the Rails go to Des Moines Lincoln
STARTERS
Amber Streyffler 19, 15, 126.7, .600 jump started the Rails with 11 points in the first quarter. decent shot. runs the floor.
Sara Wagner 5, 10, 50.0, .300 didn't score as much as in the semis, but provided a strong presence on defense.
Kelsie Reeves 20, 16, 125.0, .625 in command again. did not miss at the line 10/10. runs the floor. good vision. drew two charges.
Caitlin Wilson 9, 6, 150.0, .667 post player.
Kailie O'Conner 6, 5, 120.0, .600
BENCH
Nategia Cameron 2, 3, 66.7, .333 post. more defensive oriented.
Jessica Baxter 4, 3, 133.3, .667
Kassidy Simmons 5, 5, 100.0, .400 back up point
Haley Wood 0, 1, 0.0, .000
Laurie Tremain 0, 1, 0.0, .000 post
April Magnuson 0, 1, 0.0, .000

IBCA SELECT BLUE
STARTERS
Al Oney (Cedar Rapids Washington) 13, 10, 130.0, .500 smaller sister of Kaitlin. Has the same aggressive attacking attitude. made two 3s, and added an old fashioned three point play. As a sign of respect Wagner defended her.
Ashley Zobel (Battle Creek-Ida Grove) 7, 10, 70.0, .300 has long limbs, perimeter. has 3 range.
Mackenzie Piper (Keokuk) 2, 5, 40.0, .200 perimeter. fouled out.
Danielle Herdliska (Solon) 1, 4, 25.0, .250 point guard. needs to keep vision up.
Aimee Osborne (Sidney) 5, 6, 83.3, .500 post type. led Blues with defensive rebounds. gets off the floor. needs to use legs in free throws. was 1/4 at the line.
BENCH
Taylor Shull (Mt. Pleasant) 13, 13, 100.0, .462 guard, has a good change of pace, made a two 3s. on defense needs to keep balance, not lunge.
Jessie Pauley (Battle Creek-Ida Grove) 8, 6, 133.3, .667 can score in and out. tweener.
Amber Paden (North Iowa) 4, 6, 66.7, .333 post player.
Whitney Van Wyk (SE Polk) 3, 4, 75.0, .250 perimeter. made a 3.
Liz Skotowski (Mt. Vernon) 2, 4, 50.0, .250 perimeter

TRENCH PLAYER
Amber Streyffler

BY THE NUMBERS
Rails 70, 66, 106.1, .515
IBCA Blue 56, 68, 85.3, .309
made 3s: IBCA Blue 6, Rails 1
ftm/fta-ft%: Rails 21/24-.875; IBCA Blue 6/11-.545
bench: IBCA Blue 28, Rails 11
Free throws were a big factor in the contest with the Rails making about double the attempts of IBCA Blue.
The Rails had 12 points in transition, while the Blues had 2.

DEFENSIVE WRAPS
RAILS
Sara Wagner 10
Caitlin Wilson 9
Amber Streyffler 5
Kelsie Reeves 4
Kailie O'Connoer 4
Nategia Cameron 2
totals: 34

IBCA BLUE
Aimee Osborne 6
Jessie Pauley 4.5
Mackenzie Piper 3
Amber Paden 3
Whitney Van Wyk 3
Ashley Zobel 2
Danielle Herdliska 2
Taylor Shull 1
Liz Skotowski 1
totals: 27

Next up: tomorrow morning

Out & About: Rails/Cardinals

#3 posting 3.31.2008
your daily dose of girls basketball news & information

This game took place on Sunday, March 30
IOWA STATE AAU TOURNAMENT
Des Moines Hoover
JUNIOR ELIGIBLE D2 SEMIFINALS
RAILS 77, CARDINALS 51

Since it is the summer I usually stock up on games on the weekend and then report on the games the rest of the week.
This is the D2 level. Most teams at this level were single school teams. There were only two multiple school teams in the field of six at this division. The Rails are from Des Moines Lincoln (Railsplitters) and the Cardinals are from Central Decatur. There were two players from other schools on their roster so technically they are a multiple school team. Another thing to keep in mind was these games were timed with 8 minute quarters.

Right off the bat the Rails scored with Sara Wagner converting on an old fashioned three point play. The Cardinals answered right back with a drive by Courtney Ray. They tied it up three possessions later before falling into a seven possession drought. The Rails steamed along with a 13-0 run and a 6/7 offensive sequence, the last five straight scores. Six of those points came via the transition game with two baskets off turnovers, and one off a missed shot. Point Guard Kelsie Reeves had 7 points for the Rails in the run. The Cardinals scored three straight times to make the score 16-10. The first quarter ended with Rails up 18-10.

The second quarter was a faster paced. Both teams looked to push the ball. The Cardinals were more aggressive to the basket as evidenced by the 8 trips to the line. They ended up with 9 points at the line that quarter. The Rails led 33-22 after another Wagner &1 chance with 1:58 left. The Cardinals finished the half with a 10-0 run on a 4/5 offensive sequence to make it a 33-32 game at the break. There was better balance for the Cardinals with six of the seven players scoring. While the Rails relied on the big two of Reeves and Wagner for 11 of their 15 second quarter points and 23 of their 33 half time points.

The Rails scored on their first three possessions and led 39-35. They only failed to score three times, but in that narrow window the Cardinals took the lead on a Taylor Smith transition lay up. She missed the &1 chance, but the Cardinals were in front 40-39. The Rails then rattled off three straight scores of their own, and for the rest of the quarter outscored the Cardinals 15-3. Caitlin Wilson came to life for the Rails this quarter with 8 points, all in the paint on post ups or transition.

The Rails didn't have a lot of problems in the fourth quarter. Even the bench contributed and built on the lead. The Cardinals were only able to muster up two field goals for the quarter and 7 points total.

photos: #1 Sara Wagner throws a no look pass. #2 Kelsie Reeves goes in for a lay up for the Rails. Photos by Teas.

key: player (school) points, possessions, pp100, floor %

RAILS
all players are from Des Moines Lincoln
STARTERS
Sara Wagner 16, 16, 100.0, .438 strong, aggressive wing player. converted twice on &1 chances. was a force on defense with blocks and rebounds. likes baseline corner shots. was not stopped on out of bounds plays.
Caitlin Wilson 10, 7, 142.9, .714 post player, a force in the third quarter.
Kailie O'Connor 4, 7, 57.1, .286
Kelsie Reeves 22, 13, 169.2, .769 point guard. in command. had 8 points off transition. runs the floor, made three 3s. 7/8 at the line.
Amber Streyffler 5, 8, 62.5, .375 led team with 7 defensive rebounds. also crashed the offensive boards.
BENCH
Jessica Baxter 10, 8, 125.0, .625 runs the floor.
Nategia Cameron 0, 2, 0.0, .000
Morgan Mauro 2, 2, 100.0, .500 hit a corner shot
Kaitlyn Brichetto 0, 1, 0.0, .000
Kassidy Simmons 6, 6, 100.0, .500 a point guard in waiting. was in control in the 4th quarter.
Anneshia Watson 0, 4, 0.0, .000
Haley Wood 2, 2, 100.0, .500
April Magnuson 0, 1, 0.0, .000
Laurie Tremain 0, 0, 0.0, .000

CARDINALS
Courtney Ray (Gallatin) 10, 15, 66.7, .333 guard. sacrifices her body in almost a kamikaze like way when she is in transition. has 3 ability
Taylor Smith (Central Decatur) 11, 12, 91.7, .500 good athlete. faces the basket. looks to penetrate. runs the floor. led both teams in defensive rebounds.
Claire Gwinn (Mormon Trail) 9, 11, 81.8, .364 inside player. athletic. free throw footwork is messed up with wrong foot forward. only 3/7 at the line.
Sami Stogdill (Central Decatur) 6, 12, 50.0, .250 handled the point most of the time. has 3 range.
Megan Kelso (Central Decatur) 8, 8, 100.0, .500 perimeter. another 3 shooter.
BENCH
Julia Ibba (Central Decatur) 3, 6, 50.0, .333 post player. needs to get faster to keep up with the transition game.
Shelby Wood (Central Decatur) 3, 11, 27.3, .091 perimeter. can hit a three. needs to take care of the ball and make stronger quicker moves.

TRENCH PLAYER
Kelsie Reeves

BY THE NUMBERS
Rails 77, 77, 100.0, .481
Cardinals 51, 75, 68.0, .333
made 3s: Rails 4, Cardinals 4
ftm/fta-ft%: Rails 17/20-.850; Cardinals 14/26-.538
bench: Rails 20, Cardinals 6

DEFENSIVE WRAPS
RAILS
Amber Streyffler 11
Sara Wagner 9.5
Haley Wood 5
Caitlin Wilson 4
Kailie O'Connor 2
Kelsie Reeves 2
Nategia Cameron 1
Kaitlyn Brichetto 1
Kassidy Simmons 1
Laurie Tremain 1
Totals: 39

CARDINALS
Taylor Smith 10.5
Courtney Ray 5
Sami Stogdill 5
Megan Kelso 3
Claire Gwinn 2.5
Julia Ibba 2
Shelby Wood 1
totals: 29

Next up: Iowa State AAU D2 championship

Michigan State, Marquette in WNIT Final 4, Ellis 40

#2 posting 3.31.2008
your daily dose of girls basketball news & information

COLLEGE REPORTS
D1
WNIT
Michigan State beat Michigan 45-40 in overtime. Alyssa DeHaan (Grandville, MI) had 13 for MSU. Mia Johnson (Mpls North) added 2. Krista Clement (St. Ignace) had 2 for Michigan.

Michigan had a 10 point lead in the middle of the second half. The Grand Rapids Press has more. The Michigan Daily looks at the scoring drought that struck the Wolverines. The State News (the Michigan State campus paper) uses the phrase MSU "barely skidding through".

Marquette beat Kentucky 69-64. Krystal Ellis (Racine St. Catherine) had a career high 40 for Marquette. Angel Robinson (St. Paul Central) had 13 also for Marquette. Samantha Mahoney (West Bloomfield, MI) had 15 for Kentucky.

Colorado beat TCU 96-90 in overtime. Hannah Skildum (Mounds View) had 2 for Colorado.

COACHING NEWS
Women's basketball Coach Dana Eickenberg at Southern Illinois is under review for verbal abuse as players have left the program. From the Daily Egyptian (the Southern Illinois campus paper).

HIGH FIVE
WISCONSIN--43
Krystal Ellis, Marquette (Racine St. Catherine) 40 vs Kentucky 69-64
Erin Monfre, Marquette (Waukesha South) 3 vs Kentucky 69-64

MICHIGAN--39
Samantha Mahoney, Kentucky (West Bloomfield) 15 vs Marquette 64-69
Alyssa DeHaan, Michigan State (Grandville) 13 vs Michigan 45-40
Jenelle Harris, Marquette (Detroit Renaissance) 4 vs Kentucky 69-64
Chante Bowman, Kentucky (Detroit Cass Tech) 4 vs Marquette 64-69
Svetlana Kovalenko, Marquette (Houghton) 3 vs Kentucky 69-64

MINNESOTA--15
Angel Robinson, Marquette (St. Paul Central) 13 vs Kentucky 69-64
Hannah Skildum, Colorado (Mounds View) 2 vs TCU 96-90 OT

VERBAL
Becky Christofferson of Summit, SD has made a verbal to Sioux Falls. She is the 6th SD player to head to an NAIA school, and 12th overall from the 2008 class. From the Aberdeen American News.

next up: later today with a pair of out & abouts from the Iowa State AAU tournament.

Five for Five

#1 posting 3.31.2008
your daily dose of girls basketball news

MINNESOTA REPORTS
ALL STAR GAME
The Polar League All Star Game will be at Barnum tonight. The girls go early (my guess close to 6 pm) and the boys later.

WISCONSIN REPORTS
MORE RACINE ALL AREA
In my rush to head to Des Moines yesterday I inadvertently omitted the Racine Journal Times all area teams. If you just want the list of players, here it is.

ODD FACT: Five for Five
I want to congratulate the Ellsworth Panthers on their back to back boys state tournament championship. I got my start as the head boys coach there in 1983-84. On the Ellsworth 2008 team there are players who are the sons of players I coached. That puts things in perspective.
The odd fact is that every school I drew a paycheck from made the boys or girls state tournament:
After Ellsworth I went to Mpls South as the head girls basketball coach (they finished second in the girls AAAA tournament.
After South I went to Osseo as a girls assistant and eventually head girls basketball coach (they made the AAAA tournament).
I also have coached at Cooper and Mpls Henry in volleyball and both those teams made the boys basketball tournament.
The lesson----hire me and your school will be in the tournament 20 years later.

Next up: college reports, and then the first two out & abouts from the Iowa AAU state tournament

Iowa State AAU Tournament

#3 posting 3.30.2008
your daily dose of girls basketball news & information

IOWA STATE AAU TOURNAMENT
Today Coach Teas & I traveled down I35 to Des Moines Hoover for the first big event on the spring AAU calendar--The Iowa State AAU Tournament. IBCA Select Red won the Junior eligible division while the Rails (Des Moines Lincoln) won division 2.

We left before the crack of dawn and motored 4 hours south to DMH. We made it in time for the start of the second quarterfinal game in the D1 bracket. We saw five games, seven if you count the pair of boys games (not charted by the way).

Here are the trends---
1. Roster shifts. There is plenty of musical chairs going on with who is wearing what uniform this year compared to last. I will give the run down when the game reports are due, but there has been team hopping.
2. D1 players. There were two players that have already made commitments playing. Both were on IBCA Select Red--Jamie Printy to Iowa, and Jessica McDowell to Northern Iowa
3. Injuries. We were sad to find that Jade Rogers, player of the year in the Mississippi Valley Conference was injured Saturday and on crutches. She will be tested for an ACL during the upcoming week. Rogers plays with All Iowa Attack 17s this season.
4. Playing up: younger teams were playing, sometimes two years up: Team Iowa was 9th and 10th graders, Iowa Select Blue 8th & 9th graders.
5. Lower Numbers: They needed those teams as the D1 tournament only had 10 teams this year. Last year there were 19 teams. Even if you add in the D2 teams, that is three less this year.
6. Fans. There are folks that read the blog and coach Teas & I had a good time meeting and greeting some readers.

I will give out full reports with numbers, story and photos during the week.
Monday:
Rails vs Central Decatur D2 semis
Rails vs IBCA Select Blue D2 Championship
Tuesday:
All Iowa Attack 17s vs Iowa Lightning Scarlet D1 quarters
IBCA Select Red vs All Iowa Attack 17s D1 semis
Wednesday:
IBCA Select Red vs Team Iowa D1 championship
Friday:
The week that was #1 Spring 08

Here are the results
DIVISION 2
Pool A
Rails 52, Denver 47
Rails 62, IA Lightning White 35
Denver 49, IA Lightning White 33
Pool B
Iowa Select Blue 42, Hoover 40
Central Decatur 51, Hoover 42
Iowa Select Blue 55, Central Decatur 50
Bracket Play
Quarterfinals
Hoover 53, Denver 42
Central Decatur 41, IA Lightning White 31
Semifinals
Iowa Select Blue 51, Hoover 37
Rails 77, Central Decatur 51
3rd Place
Hoover over Central Decatur
Championship
Rails 70, Iowa Select Blue 58

DIVISION 1
Pool A
Iowa Lightning Black 56, Iowa Select White 42
All Iowa Attack 17 55, Iowa Select White 43
All Iowa Attack 17 66, Iowa Lightning Black 59
Pool B
All Iowa Attack 9th 69, Iowa Lightning Silver 34
Iowa Elite 74, Iowa Lightning Silver 55
All Iowa Attack 9th 57, Iowa Elite 42
Pool C
Iowa Select Red 79, Iowa Lightning Scarlet 34
Team Iowa 60, All Iowa Attack 16 41
All Iowa Attack 16 64, Iowa Lightning Scarlet 56
Iowa Select Red 63, Team Iowa 49
Bracket play
play in
All Iowa Attack 16 55, Iowa Select White 40
Iowa Lightning Scarlet 66, Iowa Lightning Silver 62
Quarterfinals
Team Iowa 69, Iowa Lightning Black 65
All Iowa Attack 9th 49, All Iowa Attack 16 33
All Iowa Attack 17 93, Iowa Lightning Scarlet 45
Iowa Select Red 65, Iowa Elite 30
Semifinals
Team Iowa 47, All Iowa Attack 9th 46
Iowa Select Red 75, All Iowa Attack 17 39
3rd place
All Iowa Attack 17 over All Iowa Attack 9th
Championship
Iowa Select Red 61, Team Iowa 44

ALL TOURNAMENT TEAMS
Selected by tournament officials
D2
Sara Wagner, Rails
Taylor Smith, Central Decatur
Ericka Hussman, Hoover
Ashley Zobel, IBCA Select Blue
Kelsey Reese, Rails MVP

D1
Ally Jensen, All Iowa Attack 17
Markisha Wright, All Iowa Attack 9th
Jaime Printy, IBCA Select Red
Lindsey Smith, Team Iowa
Trisha Nesbit, IBCA Select Red

Next up: Tomorrow morning

South Dakota #2 in D2

#1 posting 3.30.2008
your daily dose of girls basketball news & information

D2 CHAMPIONSHIP
Northern Kentucky beat South Dakota for the NCAA D2 championship 63-58. It was a run to remember says the Sioux Falls Argus Leader. USD had a lead 9 point lead with under 6 minutes to go. Jeana Hoffman (Mitchell, SD) had 19 for USD.

ALL AMERICAN
North Dakota's Ashley Langen (Kittson Central) was named to the Daktronics All American First Team.

D1
NCAA TOURNAMENT
North Carolina beat Louisville 78-74. Brandie Radde (Niles, MI) had 7 for Louisville.

HIGH FIVE
MICHIGAN
Brandie Radde, Louisville (Niles) 7 vs North Carolina 78-74

Next up: Later tonight when I get back from the Iowa State AAU tournament in Des Moines.

Four All Area Teams

#1 posting 3.30.2008
your daily dose of girls basketball news & information

MINNESOTA REPORTS
ALL AREA
Meghan Myhre of Barnum is the Duluth News Tribune's player of the year, plus the rest of the all area first & second teams. There is also video of Myhre.

ALL STAR
Alex Montgomery of Cannon Falls has been named to the AA All Star team. Those two games will be on April 19 and 20 at St. Thomas in St. Paul. Last paragraph in the Gary Limbeck column in the Rochester Post Bulletin.

SEASON RECAPS
Nevis and Park Rapids seasons are reviewed in the Park Rapids Enterprise.

IOWA REPORTS
Hallie Christofferson of Exira is the Council Bluffs Daily Nonpareil's player of the year.

WISCONSIN REPORTS
The Racine Jounal Times has released their All Area Team. Jaleesa Trussel of Racine Case is their player of the year.

MICHIGAN REPORTS
Kelsey DeNoyelles of Mt. Pleasant Sacred Heart has been named player of the year by the Mt. Pleasant Morning Sun.

Next up: College Reports

Out & About: Southern MN Heat 14s/MS Farview 12s

#3 posting 3.29.2008
your daily dose of girls basketball news & information

SOUTHERN MN HEAT 14s 33
MN STARS FARVIEW 12s 21

The summer season has begun and today I traveled to Maple Grove to see the first contests in the MYAS format. The top level was 8th grade/14s and some teams played up. Southern MN Heat 14s beat MN Stars Farview 12s 33-21.

This was the highest age division game today which is one reason I chose this contest. Earlier in the day both teams won: SMH beat Purple Crush (Albany) 30-21; while MSF beat Andover 33-24. The MYAS rules are 20 minute running time halves with stop time the last two minutes of each half.

MN Stars Farview was playing up two age levels so experience was a factor. MSF does have size however with two players listed at 6-2. SMH had players that were listed, and some that played, on varsity squads during the past winter. You could see the defensive stance and positioning for SMH was solid.

In the game action itself MSF scored first with a second free throw by Iyanna Turner. That was to be the only score for MSF until another free throw with 50.6 seconds left in the half made by Jenny Chamberlain. That meant MSF had a massive 21 possession drought. Part of the problem came at the free throw line. MSF was getting the ball inside, but could not convert at the line. They were 2/12 at the line for the half. On the other side of the court SMH was able to score at the line. They were 8/12 in the same time frame. Also second shots helped SMH with at least 7 points coming on second chancers. At the break it was 19-4 for SMH.

The second half opened with 11 possession drought by SMH. That opened the door for MSF and they made a comeback led by an inside attack and second shots. MSF had a 10-0 run to open the half closing to 19-14 after a basket by Crystal Sutherland. The momentum shifted toward SMH with a 6-0 run with some timely thefts and transition baskets with Natalie Kalmes notching four straight points. With 4:22 left MSF came as close as 25-17. After that SMH finished with an 8-4 run. Again SMH had 8 made free throws in the second half. MSF gained some needed experience playing up and will use those lessons on the 12s later in the year.

photos: #1 Brooke Schilling is fouled on a shot. #2 Crystal Sutherlan shoots from the mid lane. photos by kja

key: player, school, points, possessions, pp100, floor %
SOUTHERN MN HEAT 14s
STARTERS
Becky Murry, Byron 0, 5, 0.0, .000 guard, looks to penetrate
Morgan Burke, Plainview-Elgin-Millville 0, 5, 0.0, .000 post player
Erica McRoberts, Byron 8, 10, 80.0, .500 post. went to the line three time. had four on second chancers.
Brooke Schilling, Lewiston-Altura 11, 12, 91.7, .417 moved her feet on defense. hit a three. had 8 steals for the game. communicates. heady. good hands.
McKenzie Marzolf, Kingsland 1, 5, 20.0, .200 guard.
BENCH
Mercedes Baker, Dover-Eyota 0, 3, 0.0, .000 good footwork on defense, stays low on the ball defense.
Natalie Kalmes, Lewiston-Altura 11, 8, 137.5, .750 runs the floor. went to the line three times 5/6.
Myra Rowe, Dover-Eyota 2, 1, 200.0, 1.000 two free throws.
Courtney Schwartz, Plainview-Elgin-Millville 0, 2, 0.0, .000 guard

MN STARS FARVIEW 12s
keep in mind at 12 their are many things to work on.
STARTERS
Iyanna Turner, Minneapolis 1, 4, 25.0, .250 guard
Ifeoma Odor, Bloomington 4, 6, 66.7, .333 her free throws pulled left
Anna Schoeben, Brooklyn Park 0, 5, 0.0, .000 guard, active
Crystal Sutherland, Orono 8, 6, 133.3, .667 6-2 size, had 6 second chance points. free throws pulled left. needs to improve stamina.
Eugenia Chamberlin, Ham Lake 2, 9, 22.2, .222 small point guard.
BENCH
Adrianna Papagiannaopoulos, unknown 2, 5, 40.0, .200 long arms
Ta’Kendra Elbert, St. Paul 0, 2, 0.0, .000 her free throws pulled to the right
Janise Martin, Brooklyn Park 0, 3, 0.0, .000 guard
Janay Morton, unknown 3, 8, 37.5, .125 guard. hit a three. needs to keep vision up.
Breeyana Brittain, Oak Grove, 1, 4, 25.0, .250 the other 6-2 listed. Will be spending a lot of time at the line. needs to work on the aspect. Went to the line four times.

TRENCH PLAYER
Natalie Kalmes

BY THE NUMBERS
Southern MN Heat 33, 51, 64.7, .353
MN Stars Farview 21, 52, 40.4, .231
made 3s: SMH 1, MSF 1
ftm/fta-ft%: SMH 16/25-.640; MSF 4/22-.182
bench: SMH 13, MSF 6

DEFENSIVE WRAPS
SOUTHERN MN HEAT
Brooke Schilling 9
Natalie Kalmes 6
Erica McRoberts 3.5
Morgan Burke 3
Courtney Schwartz 3
Mercedes Baker 2
McKenzie Marzolf 2
Becky Murry 1.5
Myra Rowe 1
totals: 31

MN STARS FARVIEW
Anna Schoeben 4.5
Breeyana Brittain 4
Crystal Sutherland 3.5
Ifeoma Odor 3
Adrianna Papagiannaopoulos 3
Ta’Kendra Elbert 2
Janay Morton 2
Eugenia Chamberlin 2
Iyanna Turner 1
totals: 25

next up: tomorrow morning

South Dakota's Final D2 Game Today

#1 posting 3.29.2008
your daily dose of girls basketball news & information

COLLEGE REPORTS
D2 CHAMPIONSHIP
South Dakota hopes to leave D2 in style with a win in the championship game over Northern Kentucky. From the Rapid City Journal.

USD Coach Chad Lavin has one game left in his coaching career. From the Yankton Press & Dakotan.

Here are the facts & figures on the title bout. From the Yankton Press & Dakotan.

TRANSFER
Marlayna Graff, a 6-1 Post who played at North Branch (06) and then attended Anoka Ramsey Community College in 2007 during their national championship season. She transferred to St. Cloud State January 2008 and plans to play for St. Cloud State next year as a walk on with three years eligibility left.

D1
Both Iowa and Iowa State expect to be dancing again next March. From the Des Moines Register.

Next up: later today with an out & about. Yes spring is here and AAU is upon us. Or technically speaking MYAS is upon us.

Full Player of the Year, Nebraska All State

#1 posting 3.29.2008
your daily dose of girls basketball news & information

MINNESOTA
ALL AREA
The Marshall Independent has named their all area team. Anna Full of Marshall was named player of the year.

ALL CONFERENCE
The Northfield News lists the Missota all conference teams (but only the Northfield angle) for all winter sports.

HALL OF FAME
Terry Nelson of Austin Pacelli will join their Hall of Fame this June. Nelson had 500 wins in his girls basketball coaching carrer there. He already is a member of the Minnesota Girls basketball coaches hall of fame.

IOWA
ALL METRO
The Sioux City Journal now has photos of their All Metro team.

COACHING NEWS
Casey Bryant of Western Dubuque has been named coach of the year for the region and will be eligible for the state honor. Bryant has since resigned. From the Dubuque Telegraph Herald.

NEBRASKA
ALL STATE
Here is the Nebraska AP All State teams. From NTV.

MICHIGAN
ALL CONFERENCE
The Northwest Conference has released their All Conference list. From the Leelanau Enterprise.

COACHING NEWS
Greg Blomgren has resigned as girls basketball coach at Dowagiac. He coached both boys and girls this year. Blomgren was 41-27 in three years. The Dowagiac Daily News says it is a sad day.

AAU
The Glen Lake 13u AAU team won the Michigan State AAU tournament. From the Leelanau Enterprise.

Next up: College Reports

Transfer & ACL, Michigan State & Michigan Advance in WNIT

#2 posting 3.28.2008
your daily dose of girls basketball news & information

COLLEGE REPORTS
TRANSFER & ACL
St. Cloud State's Abby Rittenhouse (Burnsville) is transferring to Valley City State.
Also Rachel Booth (DeLaSalle) tore her ACL in early March and will be down for a while.

WNIT TOURNAMENT
Michigan State beat Kansas 58-54. Alyssa DeHaan (Grandville, MI) had 16 for Michigan State. Kelly Kohn (Adrian, MI) did not score for Kansas.

Michigan beat Southern Mississippi 59-45. Janelle Cooper (Detroit Renaissance) had 10 for Michigan. Liz Biland (Racine Prairie, WI) had 8 for Southern Miss.

Now Michigan travels to Michigan State for the WNIT quarterfinals on Sunday.

Colorado beat Villanova 64-58. Hannah Skildum (Mounds View) had 2 for Colorado.

COACHING NEWS
UW Green Bay assistant women's basketball coach Kris Johnson is leaving. This is the second assistant to leave this week. Autumn Rademacher has been named head coach at Detroit. From the Green Bay Press Gazette.

SEASON EVALUATION
The UWGB season is reviewed in the Green Bay Press Gazette. The paper looks at the lack of depth as one reason for the fade. Coach Matt Bolant gives his take on the season.

HIGH FIVE
MICHIGAN--48
Alyssa DeHaan, Michigan State (Grandville) 16 vs Kansas 58-54
Janelle Cooper, Michigan (Detroit Renaissance) 10 vs Southern Miss 59-45
Lauren Aitch, Michigan State (Lansing Waverly) 9 vs Kansas 58-54
Ashley Jones, Michigan (Detroit King) 8 vs Southern Miss 59-45
Krista Clement, Michigan (St. Ignace) 5 vs Southern Miss 59-45

WISCONSIN--8
Liz Biland, Southern Miss (Racine Prairie) 8 vs Michigan 45-59

MINNESOTA--4
Mia Johnson, Michigan State (Mpls North) 2 vs Kansas 58-54
Hannah Skildum, Colorado (Mounds View) 2 vs Villanova 64-58

D2 TOURNAMENT
Northern Kentucky beat Alaska Anchorage 57-54. Rebecca Kielpinski (Mandan, ND) had 16 for UAA.

#3 South Dakota beat #1 Delta State. 66-58. Jeana Hoffman (Mitchell, SD) had 19 for USD.

Next up: Tomorrow morning

Spring Basketball Starts This Weekend, More All Area Teams

#1 posting 3.28.2008
your daily dose of girls basketball news & information

MINNESOTA
SPRING BASKETBALL START
The spring/summer season will get underway tomorrow. The first MYAS tournaments begin on Saturday at Maple Grove HS, and Farmington MS. Both involve 14u/8th grade teams.
On Sunday there will be games at Highview MS in New Brighton (16u) plus Farmington MS.

I have also moved the AAU rosters/websites up and moved the winter/high school seasons down on the links on the right.

SEASON WRAPS
Mabel-Canton has their season wrapped up in the Mabel-Harmony News Record.

IOWA
The big event this weekend is the Iowa State AAU tournament at Des Moines Hoover.
ALL STATE
The Iowa Girls Basketball Coaches have released their All State teams. From the Marshalltown Times Republican.

ALL METRO
The Sioux City Journal has listed their girls basketball All Metro Team.

MICHIGAN
ALL COUNTY
Morgan Albert, a Brighton, Michigan junior, was named player of the year in the Livingston Daily Press & Argus.

WISCONSIN
ALL CONFERENCE
The Southern Trailways has released their girls basketball All conference team. Junior Shyla Kuehl of Hustisford has been named player of the year. From the Beaver Dam Daily Citizen.

SOUTH DAKOTA
ALL STAR GAME
Kristi Ryan of Highmore was the MVP in the Northeast All Star game. From the Aberdeen American News.

Next up: college reports

Grab Bag: Michigan Verbal; Mississippi 8 All Conference

#3 posting 3.27.2008
your daily dose of girls basketball news & information

GRAB BAG
VERBAL
Rachel Sheffer, a 6-1 2009er from Watervliet, Michigan has verballed the Michigan Wolverines. Watervliet was 20-1 this past year.
Sheffer is the 2nd 2009 player in Michigan to verbal Michigan. The other was Jenny Ryan of Saginaw Nouvel.

ALL CONFERENCE
The Mississippi 8 has released their all conference list
Brianna Mastey, Sr. Post, Becker
Shelly Stemper, Sr. Guard, Becker
Jessie Ahltoff, Jr. Post, Becker
Reyan Robinson, Jr. Guard, Becker
Miranda Speckel, Jr. Guard, Buffalo
Marie Hanson, Sr. Guard, Cambridge-Isanti
Tess Milczark, Sr. Post Cambridge-Isanti
Katie Loberg, Jr. Post, Princeton
Nicole Dehn, Sr. Guard, Princeton
Casey Mann, Sr. Guard, Rogers
Amanda Chesness, Sr. Post Rogers
Camille Loughlin, Sr. Post, Rogers
Jennifer Dowd, Jr. Guard, Rogers
Stacy Hegland, Sr. Guard, STMA
Lauren Kessler, Sr. Post, STMA
Brittani Wiese, Jr. Guard, STMA
Kaitlyn Houser, Sr. Guard, Zimmerman
Mississippi 8 Conference Most Valuable Player
Brianna Mastey, Sr. Post, Becker

Final conference standings
Rogers Royals 16-0
Becker Bulldogs 14-2
St. Michael-Albertville Knights 10-6
Princeton Tigers 9-7
Buffalo Bison 8-8
Cambridge-Isanti Bluejackets 7-9
Big Lake Hornets 4-12
Zimmerman Thunder 4-12
Monticello Magic 0-16

The Harlan Tribune has three all conference lists: Western Iowa; Rolling Hills; and Boyer Valley. On top of that the Hawkeye 10 has their own post.

ALL AREA
The Hillsdale Daily News has released their all area team. (Michigan)

Here is the Quad City Times All Area team covering Iowa and Illinois.

SEASON RECAPS
There are two MVPs at Cannon Falls. From the Cannon Falls Beacon.

Southeast Polk had their first winning year since 2001. From the Des Moines Register.

Oshkosh West and Ripon's seasons are reviewed in the Oshkosh Northwestern.

DID YOU KNOW?
That Indiana is in the top 10 fan favorite college programs?

Next up: Tomorrow morning.

Marquette Ends Illinois' Season, South Dakota Survives

#2 posting 3.27.2008
your daily dose of girls basketball news & information

COLLEGE REPORTS
D1
WNIT
Marquette beat Illinois 72-64. Krystal Ellis (Racine St. Catherine) had 25 for Marquette. Angel Robinson (St. Paul Central) had 16 for Marquette. Lori Bjork (Johnston) had 19 for Illinois. Jenna Smith (Bloomington Kennedy) added 14. Marquette trailed at half. From the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

Michigan has been concentrating on shooting in the last few weeks. From the Ann Arbor News.

Jessica Minnifield of Michigan is a physical point guard. From the Michigan Daily.

TRANSITION OVER
South Dakota State is finished with their transtion to D1. They were 88-29 during the last four years. From the Sioux Falls Argus Leader.

COACHING
The Livingston Daily Press & Argus believe Detroit made a mistake in not keeping Lee Piepho.

Here is more on the coaching change at Colorado State with Kristen Holt taking over for Jen Warden. They switch came after a talk with the AD. From the Ft. Collins Coloradoan and Denver Post.

HIGH FIVE
WISCONSIN--33
Krystal Ellis, Marquette (Racine St. Catherine) 25 vs Illinois 72-64
Kelly Lam, Marquette (Brookfield Central) 5 vs Illinois 72-64
Erin Monfre, Marquette (Waukesha South) 3 vs Illinois 72-64
MINNESOTA--30
Angel Robinson, Marquette (St. Paul Central) 16 vs Illinois 72-64
Jenna Smith, Illinois (Bloomington Kennedy) 14 vs Marquette 64-72
IOWA--19
Lori Bjork, Illinois (Johnston) 19 vs Marquette 64-72
MICHIGAN--11
Svetlana Kovalenko, Marquette (Houghton) 8 vs Illinois 72-64
Janelle Harris, Marquette (Detroit Renaissance) 3 vs Illinois 72-64

D2 TOURNAMENT-working overtime
Alaska Anchorage moves on with a 71-65 overtime win over Franklin Pierce in the quarterfinals. Rebecca Kielpinski (Mandan, ND) had 28 points. From the Bismarck Tribune.

South Dakota beat Washburn in double overtime 85-80. Jeana Hoffman (Mitchell, SD) had 27 for USD.

Next up: later today with the grab bag.

South Central All Conference, South Central All Star Game

#1 posting 3.27.2008
your daily dose of girls basketball news & information

MINNESOTA REPORTS
The South Central Conference has released their Girls Basketball All Conference list. From the New Ulm Journal.

ALL STAR GAME
The South Central High School Basketball All Star Games will take place at Concordia-St. Paul University on Sunday, April 6. The Girls game takes place at 3:30 pm.
Here are the rosters
South Central Maroon 1
Head Coach: Kris Gustin, Mayer Lutheran
Assistant Coach: Anne Winter, Mayer Lutheran
Courtney Kelzer, Mayer Lutheran
Julianne Mitchell, Minneapolis Edison
Megan Corradi, Chisago Lakes
Trisha Boese, Cannon Valley Lutheran
Katie Christian, Sauk Rapids-Rice
Haylie Darrington, Blue Earth Area
Carolyn Smith, Redwood Valley
Jessica Ulrich, Minneapolis South
AunDrea Aune, Minneapolis Roosevelt

South Central Gold 1
Head Coach: Ahmil Jihad, Minneapolis South
Assistant Coach: Steve Sutton, Minneapolis South
Taquoia Hammick, Minneapolis South
Becca Adams, Pine City
Brittney Lodermeier, Goodhue
Kaitlyn Houser, Zimmerman
Amanda Edmison, Watertown-Mayer
Hannah Wenaas, Montevideo
Jordan Willette, Pine City
Karia Strickland, Minneapolis Roosevelt

NORTH DAKOTA REPORTS
Cliff Keplin has resigned as girls basketball coach at St. John.

IOWA REPORTS
Briar Cliff hosts a girls basketball all star game April 13 between the Sioux City all stars vs the Siouxland all stars. From the Sioux City Journal.

MICHIGAN REPORTS
The MHSAA is facing a rival in AAAM for control of the high school sports. Some of the big changes would be all-star game availabilty and no prohibition teams on teams from traveling more than 300 miles. From the Detroit News.

MCDONALD'S ALL AMERICAN GAME
Even though there were no area players on the McDonald's All American team, the West beat the East 80-64. From WTMJ.

Next up: College reports

Grab Bag: Colorado State, Wichita State Change, Central MN All Conference

#4 posting 3.26.2008
your daily dose of girls basketball news & information

GRAB BAG:
SIGNINGS
Antoinette Brown of Detroit Northwestern and Schoolcraft CC, Livonia, MI has signed with Tulsa. She is the 2nd CC player from Michigan to go off to a D1 school in the 2008 year.

Jessica Racine of Ishpeming Westwood is headed to Michigan Tech. Racine was named ABC girls basketball player of the year in the UP in Michigan

Jenna Bolstad of Miles Community College has signed with Black Hills State. From the Rapid City Journal.

TRANSFER
Liz Grider of Chaska is transferring from SW MN State to Briar Cliff. From the Marshall Independent.

COACHING NEWS
Jen Warden will be replaced as women's basketball coach at Colorado State by Kristen Holt. The Denver Post, and Fort Collins Coloradoan and have more.

Jody Adams has been named head women's basketball coach at Wichita State. Adams was an assistant at Minnesota once upon a time.

Jon Lorenzoni has retired at North Central high school in Michigan. He was 31-34 in three years. From the Escanaba Daily Press.

The hole in the heart has been filled at Michigan. From the Ann Arbor News.

ALL AREA
KDUZ/KARP radio in Hutchinson has released their all area team.

The New Ulm Journal has named their All Area team and Abby Busch of GFW is their player of the year, plus the rest of their team.

ALL CONFERENCE
The Central Minnesota have released their All Conference squad
1st Team
Name Grade School
Hannah Linz Junior Eden Valley – Watkins
Amber Junker Senior Eden Valley – Watkins
Ellen Becker Junior Eden Valley - Watkins
Katie Pettit Junior HLWW
Brittany Drew Senior HLWW
Ellie Wessling Sophomore HLWW
Emily Roelike Junior BBE
Heidi Lensing Junior BBE
Katie Nelson Senior Holdingford
Katie Kimman Senior Pierz
Gabrielle Boser Junior Pierz
Rikki Skafte Senior Rockford
Andrea Rachel Senior Maple Lake
2nd Team
Name Grade School
Justine Hilsgen Junior Eden Valley - Watkins
Kelley Theis Senior Eden Valley - Watkins
Christina Gruenhagen Junior HLWW
Kaari Jensen Senior Pierz
Missy Montbriand Senior BBE
Linsdsey Goodwin Senior BBE
Molly Schaufler Senior Maple Lake
Brittnay Simmons Senior Kimball
Kelsey Lofstedt Sophomore Rockford
Nicole Berscheid Sophomore Holdingford
Marie Kierzak Junior Holdingford
Player of the Year: Hannah Linz, Junior, Eden Valley-Watkins
Coach of the Year: Jason Kuehn, HLWW
Final Standings
Team Wins Losses
Eden Valley – Watkins 14-0
HLWW 11-3
BBE 9-5
Pierz 8-6
Holdingford 7- 7
Maple Lake 5-9
Rockford 2-12
Kimball 0-14

D2 ALL AMERICAN
North Dakota's Kierah Kimbrough (BGMR) was named to the D2 All American team. Ashley Langen (Kittson Central) was named honorable mention.
Amanda Behnke and Katie LaViolette of Concordia St. Paul were also honorable mentions.

D3 ALL AMERICAN
UW Whitewater's Tiffany Morton (Beloit Memorial) was named to the D3 Hoops 4th team All American list. From the Beloit Daily News.

AAU
SuperHoops is an AAU program up in Superior. they will meet at Superior on April 1st. From the Superior Daily Telegram.

ALL STAR GAME
On Sunday March 30 at Tipton the Big East will face the Eastern Iowa Hawkeye conference. From the West Branch Times.

SEASON REVIEW
In Michigan, Carson City-Crystal's season is reviewed in the Greenville Daily News.

next up: Tomorrow morning.

Purdue Done in NCAAs

#3 posting 3.26.2008
your daily dose of girls basketball news & information

COLLEGE REPORTS
D1
NCAA TOURNAMENT
Tennessee beat Purdue 78-52. Keisha Mosley (Detroit Community) had 14 for Purdue.

Maryland beat Nebraska 76-64. Cory Montgomery (Cannon Falls) had 8 for Nebraska.

Louisville beat Kansas State 80-63. Keshia Hines (Auburn Hills Avondale) had 5 for Louisville.

The Hawkeye seniors are passing the torch. From the Cedar Rapids Gazette.

HIGH FIVE
MICHIGAN--28
Keisha Mosley, Purdue (Detroit Community) 14 vs Tennessee 52-78
Lakisha Freeman, Purdue (Saginaw Arthur Hill) 9 vs Tennessee 52-78
Keshia Hines, Louisville (Auburn Hills Avondale) 5 vs Kansas STate 80-63

MINNESOTA--8
Cory Montgomery, Nebraska (Cannon Falls) 8 vs Maryland 64-76

COACHING NEWS
Santa Clara is not renewing the contract of women's basketball coach Michelle Bento-Jackson. Santa Clara was 20-11 this year.

Lee Piepho will not be returning to Detroit next year. The Livingston Press & Argus examines the tumultous year where he went from assistant to interim coach to out.
Autumn Rademacher, a Detroit alumn, will be the new women's basketball coach. From the Detroit News.

D2
COACHING NEWS
Chad Lavin of South Dakota has been named coach of the year for NCAA D2. From the Sioux Falls Argus Leader.

AWARDS
Hillsdale's Katie Cezat (Plymouth Canton, MI) was named first team All American by the WBCA.

D3
AWARDS
Haley Houghton of UW Stevens Point was named to the D3 honorable mention All-American squad. From the Wausau Daily Herald.

Thanks to all the readers for their help. If you have news, go to my profile and email me.

Next up: later today with a grab bag.

2 All Area Girls Basketball Teams, 2 Coaching Resignations,

#2 posting 3.26.2008
your daily dose of girls basketball news & information

NORTH DAKOTA REPORTS
ALL AREA
The Jamestown Sun has named their all area girls basketball team.

COACHING NEWS
Terry Porter has resigned as girls basketball coach at Fargo North after five years. From the Jamestown Sun.

IOWA REPORTS
Casey Bryant has resigned as girls basketball coach at Western Dubuque. He recently was named coach of the year by the Dubuque Telegraph Herald.

WISCONSIN REPORTS
ALL AREA
Adrian Ritchie of DePere was named girls basketball player of the year in the Green Bay Press Gazette. Also they list the balance of the team.

ALL CONFERENCE
The Northern Capitol Conference has released their girls basketball all conference team and Kayla Waddell of Columbus was named player of the year. From the Beaver Dam Daily Citizen.

next up: College reports

Fairmont All Area

#1 posting 3.26.2008
your daily dose of girls basketball news & information

MINNESOTA REPORTS
ALL AREA
The Fairmont Sentinel has released their all area team. There is no link, but here are the players of the year and the rest of the team
PLAYERS OF THE YEAR
Ashley Walterman, GHEC, senior wing
Ashley Allevan, Fairmont, junior forward
First team
Jayna Blome, North Sentral Kossuth senior guard
Hayley Darrington, Blue Earth senior guard
Erica Reinke, Martin Luther senior center
Sam Waletich, Fairmont junior guard
Abby Weiss, Martin County West junior forward
Second Team
Alyssa Cegelske, GHEC freshman center
Rosie Cheever, Armstrong-Ringsted, junior center
Brianne Gonzales, Armstrong-Ringsted, sophomore guard
Meagan Grandgenett, Blue Earth, senior guard
Kelsey Jensen, Martin County West junior post
Megan Rolling, North Sentral Kossuth senior post
Dani Wiederhoeft, Truman, senior post
Shelby Wiederhoeft, Truman freshman post

AWARDS
Fergus Falls has passed out their year end awards. From the Fergus Falls Daily Journal.

Next up: Around the region

2 Verbals, 2 Hires, 2 Resignations, + All Conference Lists

#5 posting 3.25.2008
your daily dose of girls basketball news & information

AFTERNOON GRAB BAG
VERBALS
Christina Steele of Apple Valley has verballed St. Cloud State. The 6-1 center averaged 12.6 ppg for the 14-14 Eagles.
Steele is the 64th player from the 2008 Minnesota class to verbal and the 36th to head to a D2 school.

Hailey Hart of Osseo-Fairchild has verballed UW Superior. Hart is a 5-9 forward and averaged 10 ppg for the 21-4 Chieftans.
Hart is the 21st over in the Wisconsin 2008 class to verbal and the 5th to head to a D3 school.

Photo: Christina Steele of Apple Valley vs Eastview at St. Olaf on March 1. Photo by Teas.

COACHING NEWS
Autumn Rademacher has been named head women's basketball coach at Detroit. Rademacher was an assistant at UW Green Bay.

Jerry Nikkel has been named head women’s basketball coach at Central College. He had been the assistant at Central.

Virgil Hovden has resigned as girls basketball coach at Dunkerton, Iowa. From the Jesup Citizen Herald.

Lynette Mund has resigned as girls basketball coach at West Fargo, ND. From the West Fargo Pioneer.

AWARDS
The Dearborn Heights Press & Guide All-City Girls' Basketball Team has been released.

The Grand Haven OK Red all conference players have been announced. From the Grand Haven Tribune.

The Hiawatha Valley has released their All Conference list.

Tempestt Wilson was named MVP for Elk River. From the Elk River Star News.

Early Risers Exchange Club of Rochester has honored three Rochester girls basketball players.

Courtney Doucette of Colfax was named to the Wisconsin Basketball Coaches Association first team all-state girls’ Division 3 basketball team. From the Dunn County News.

PACESETTER CHAMPIONSHIPS
UM Crookston will have the section 8 Pacesetter championships on April 19.

Next up: Tomorrow morning

Illinois, Michigan Move On in WNIT

#4 posting 3.25.2008
your daily dose of girls basketball news & information

COLLEGE REPORTS
D1
NCAA TOURANMENT
Rutgers beat Iowa State 69-58. Amanda Nisleit (Woodbury) had 15 for ISU. Heather Ezell kept the Cyclones close according to the Des Moines Register.

Stanford beat UTEP 88-54. Jareica Hughes (Southfield-Lathrup, MI) had 12 for UTEP.

The Gophers need more athletic players according to the StarTribune.

The Wisconsin campus paper the Daily Cardinal looks at the disappointing season end for the Badgers.

WNIT TOURNAMENT
Illinois beat Drake 48-44. Jenna Smith (Bloomington Kennedy) had 10 for Illinois. Jill Martin (Norwalk, IA) also had 10 for Drake. Lauren Dybing (St. Croix Lutheran) added 4 for Drake. The Des Moines Register writes of the comeback that fell short.

Michigan beat Virginia Commonwealth 75-57. Janelle Cooper (Detroit Renaissance) had 22 for Michigan.

Marquette beat Creighton 75-69 in overtime. Angel Robinson (St. Paul Central) had 19 for Marquette. Ally Thrall (Dowling Catholic) had 17 for Creighton. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel writes about the overtime game. The Marquette Tribune called the game a thriller.

Kansas beat Evansville 82-60. Kelly Kohn (Adrian, MI) had 10 for Kansas.

Southern Miss beat Mississippi State 62-61. Liz Biland (Racine Prairie) had 10 for Southern Miss.

Boston College beat Vermont 76-64. Sofia Iwobi (Fairfield Maharishi, IA) had 2.

Florida beat Florida Gulf Coast 60-55. Adrianne McNally (Pinckney, MI) had 8 for FGC.

Colorado beat Gonzaga 82-68. Hannah Skildum (Mounds View) had 2 for Colorado.

HIGH FIVE
MICHIGAN--67
Janelle Cooper, Michigan (Detroit Renaissance) 22 vs VCU 75-57
Jareica Hughes, UTEP (Southfield-Lathrup) 12 vs Stanford 54-88
Janelle Harris, Marquette (Detroit Renaissance) 12 vs Creighton 75-69
Carly Benson, Michigan (Carney-Nadeau) 11 vs VCU 75-57
Timika Williams, UTEP (Southfield-Lathrup) 10 vs Stanford 54-88
Kelly Kohn, Kansas (Adrian) 10 vs Evansville 82-60

IOWA--62
Ally Thrall, Creighton (Dowling Catholic) 17 vs Marquette 69-75
Sara Cain, Creighton (Cedar Rapids Prairie) 16 vs Marquette 69-75
Jill Martin, Drake (Norwalk) 10 vs Illinois 44-48
Alison Lacey, Iowa State (Ballard) 10 vs Rutgers 58-69
Kelsey Crites, Creighton (Clinton) 9 vs Marquette 69-75

MINNESOTA--50
Angel Robinson, Marquette (St. Paul Central) 19 vs Creighton 75-69
Amanda Nisleit, Iowa State (Woodbury) 15 vs Rutgers 58-69
Jenna Smith, Illinois (Bloomington Kennedy) 10 vs Drake 48-44
Lauren Dybing, Drake (St. Croix Lutheran) 4 vs Illinois 44-48
Hannah Skildum, Colorado (Mounds View) 2 vs Gonzaga 82-68

WISCONSIN--23
Liz Biland, Southern Miss (Racine Prairie) 10 vs Mississippi State 62-61
Krystal Ellis, Marquette (Racine St. Catherine's) 9 vs Creighton 75-69
Kelly Lam, Marquette (Brookfield Central) 4 vs Creighton 75-69

D3
Whitney Thriver of UW Oshkosh played all positions. From the Oshkosh Northwestern.

NAIA
New Sioux Falls coach Travis Traphagen has a Q&A with the Sioux Falls Argus leader.

Valley City State had three academic All Americans including Brittany Olson of Norman County West.

Next up: Later today with a grab bag

Dream Teams, All This & All That in Michigan

#3 posting 3.25.2008
your daily dose of girls basketball news & information

MICHIGAN REPORTS
ALL STATE
The Detroit Free Press has released their Dream Team Plus their class A team, A Honorable Mention; class B team, B honorable mention, class C team, C honorable mention, and class D team and D honorable mention.

Besides the All State team they do their all Metro team. Ariel Braker of Grosse Pointe North is the captain. Here is the All Metro 2nd and 3rd teams.

In the East Jessica Trambley of Warren Woods Tower gets the feature. Here is the East's 2nd and 3rd team. Honorable Mention East too.

In the West Alexandra Serowoky of Livonia Ladywood gets the spotlight. Here is the West's 2nd & 3rd team and honorable mention.

In Detroit itself it is Jaleesa Jones of Pershing that gets the nod. Here is Detroit's 2nd and 3rd team. plus the honorable metion team.

In the North Cassie Beller of North Farmington gets the ink. Here is the North's 2nd and 3rd Team. plus the honorable mention list.

Vince Ellis already has named the Miss Basketball for Michigan in 2010.

ALL AREA
The Holland Sentinel has named their all area team. Carissa Verkaik of Holland Christian is their player of the year.

The Kalamazoo Gazette has named their all area team. Tricia Principe of Mattawan was named their A/B player of the year. Ali Dawson of Galesburg-Augusta was named their C/D player of the year.
Plus the rest of the A/B and C/D teams.

Next up: college reports

All Stars and All Area in Four States

#2 posting 3.25.2008
your daily dose of girls basketball news & information

MINNESOTA REPORTS
ALL AREA
The Red Wing Republican Eagle has released their All Area team. Alex Montgomery of Cannon Falls was named player of the year. here is the 1st team and 2nd Team.

NORTH DAKOTA
ALL STAR GAME
5th annual KQDJ/Big Dog Country Senior Classic Basketball Games will be played Friday night at the Jamestown Middle School gymnasium. Girls game starts at 6 pm. Rosters are included in the article from the Jamestown Sun.

IOWA
ALL STAR GAME
The Illinois beat Iowa 68-60 in the Iowa-Illinois Senior All-Star Game at Augustana’s Carver PE Center. From the Quad City Times.

ALL AREA
Here is the Sioux City Journal with the NW Iowa All Area team and photos too.

WISCONSIN
ALL AREA
The Capital Times has released their All Area Teams and Leslie Schaefer of Verona is their Player of the year. Plus the rest of the their all area teams.

Next up: Michigan

MN Coaches Association All State Teams

#1 posting 3.25.2008
your daily dose of girls basketball news & information

MINNESOTA REPORTS
Here are the Minnesota Girls Basketball Coaches Association All State Teams
AAAA
Coach of the Year: Bob Downs, Chaska and Tara Seifert, Chaska
Assistant Coach of the Year Angie Heisler, Chaska
First team
Megan Nipe, Centennial
Courtney Boylan, Chaska
Brittnye McSparron, Eastview
Steph Sension, Hopkins
Ephesia Holmes, Minneapolis South
Tayler Hill, Minneapolis South
Jennie Sunnarborg, Osseo
Jackie Voigt, Park
Jordyn Sears, St. Cloud Tech
Kiara Buford, St. Paul Central
Honorable Mention
Beth Christensen, Owatonna
Shakila Boler, Bloomington Kennedy
Natalie Pastor, Edina
Jamie Noonan, Richfield
Sarah Wiens, Burnsville
Adrea Holler, Eagan
Cassie Rochel, Lakeville North
Katya Leick, Park
Tina Fisher, Park
Megan Eul, Rosemount
Molly Geske, Cretin-Derham Hall
Georgie Jones, St. Paul Central
Megan Howard, St. Paul Central
Theairra Taylor, St. Paul Central
Emily Becken, Centennial
Kiara Allums, Centennial
Caitlin Rowland, Hopkins
Hanna Muegge, Hopkins
Amanda Viehauser, Robbinsdale Armstrong
Kate Thompson, Wayzata
Ali Schwartzwald, St. Francis
Angela Christianson, Alexandria
Tempestt Wilson, Elk River
Kelsey Jacobson, Moorhead

AAA
Coach of the Year: Dave Rund, Fergus Falls
Assistant Coach of the Year: Dick Vilichak, Hibbing
First Team
Brianna Mastey, Becker
Aaryn Booker, DeLaSalle
Hannah Draxton, Fergus Falls
Katie Loberg, Princeton
Jennifer Dowd, Rogers
Casey Mann, Rogers
Maggie Bryant, Sartell-St. Stephen
Kassie Robinson, Simley
Lizzi Naumann, Totino-Grace
Sarah Boever, Worthington
Honorable Mention
Holli Aggen, Worthington
Gabby Boever, Worthington
Caroline Haik, Totino-Grace
Veronica Scott, Totino-Grace
Taylor Cross, Hill-Murray
Chrissy Holm, Hill-Murray
Megan Erlandson, Minnehaha Academy
Sarah Peterson, Minnehaha Academy
Michelle Stemper, Becker
Erin Green, Fridley
Danielle Bennett-Curry, Benilde-St. Margaret’s
Colleen Ruane, Benilde-St. Margaret’s
Cecily Checkal, Delano
Lea’ola Fields, Duluth Central
Alia Cook, Hibbing
Ashley Runge, Grand Rapids
Amanda Lewis, Fergus Falls
Sarah Schellinger, Sartell-St. Stephen

AA
Coach of the Year: Byron Negen, Virginia
Assistant Coach of the Year: Chuck Behrens, Hayfield
First Team
Jennie Noreen, Albany
Taylor Voss, Albany
Alexis Montgomery, Cannon Falls
Kamille Wahlin, Crookston
Hannah Linz, Eden Valley-Watkins
Brittany Chambers, Jordan
Leah Dietel, Jordan
Angie Jetvig, Hawley
Leslie Wilson, Hayfield
Faith Tinklenberg, Pipestone
Honorable Mention
Emily Greiner, Kingsland
Maranda Dohrn, Lake City
Whitney Canton, Pine Island
Jenny Gilbertson, Winona Cotter
Hayley Darrington, Blue Earth Area
Jill Storlie, Byron
Brooke Burmeister, Jackson County Central
Abby Weiss, Martin County West
Kara Black, Minnesota Valley Lutheran
Rachelle Eckmann, St. James
Becca Friestleben, Holy Family Catholic
Katie Pettit, Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted
Jamie Wollin, Litchfield
Katie Kimman, Pierz
Sam Larsen, Albany
Kelli Olmscheid, Sauk Centre
Renae Henjum, New London-Spicer
Devin Diedrich, Braham
Carla Anderson, Eveleth-Gilbert
Macy Hanson, Crookston
Molly Simmons, Crookston
Megan Zillmer , Crosby-Ironton
Sam Spaeth, Hawley
Amber Junker, Eden Valley-Watkins
Taylor Sheley, Pine River-Backus

A
Coach of the Year: Les Knutson, Southwest Star Concept
Assistant Coach of the Year: Brian Petrowiak GHEC
First team
Nicole Smart, Ada-Borup
Sam Lynn, Adrian
Anna Wicklund, Badger-Greenbush-Middle River
Megan Myhre, Barnum
Ashley Walterman, Granada-Huntley-East Chain
Bree Holleman, Hancock
Jenny Noordmans, Hancock
Sari Noga, Parkers Prairie
Maria Gangelhoff, Sleepy Eye-S. Mary’s
Brooke DeWall, Southwest Star Concept
honorable mention
Brittney Lodermeier, Goodhue
Jessica Benson, Grand Meadow
Mercedes Johnson, Granada-Huntley-East Chain
Erica Reinke, Martin Luther
Kristen Roles, Minneota
Sarah Palenschat, Christ’s Household of Faith
Autumn Beasley, Heritage Christian Academy
Alexis Long, Maranatha Christian Academy
Jenny Ramey, New Life Academy
Cassie Haag, Southwest Christian
Megan Cleveland, Menahga
Gretta Hjelseth, Nevis
Abbey Evavold, Battle Lake
Tomi McDonald, Ely
Kelly Hams, Littlefork-Big Falls
Charlotte Overbye, Mountain Iron-Buhl
Andrea Gould, Wrenshall
Danielle Anderson, Wrenshall
Samantha Anderson, Wrenshall
Dana Blomquist, Kittson County Central
Whitney Langen, Kittson County Central

Next up: general news of the day

Grab Bag: More Year in Review

#3 posting 3.24.2008
your daily dose of girls basketball news & information

GRAB BAG
MORE ON THE GBB YEAR IN REVIEW
With sooooo much to cover there were a few things that escaped posting last night and there are a few things that should be emphasized as I have received a few emails from throughout the region.
First off the things that were left off inadvertently:
Best pp100 in one game (10 possession minimum): Kiley Severson, Hayfield 216.7 vs Byron Feb. 19, 2008 (26 points in 12 possessions). to state it another way Severson would have scored 216.7 points if given 100 possessions. Many times a player that gets 26 points has between 23-27 possessions.
Best pp100 in one game (5 possession minimum): Ashley Runge, Grand Rapids 228.6 vs Cloquet Feb. 29, 2008. (16 points in 7 possessions).
Best floor% in one game (10 possession minimum): Kiley Severson, Hayfield .917 (11 scores in 12 possessions).
For the Newcomer of the year the honor goes to the players I HAVE NOT SEEN until this year.
Newcomer of the year (10-12): Angie Jetvig, Hawley
Newcomer of the year (7-9): Becca Dahlman, Braham
Best Media Guide: Hopkins, Osseo, Rogers, Champlin Park, Maple Grove
Best use of my Name in the Media Guide: St. Louis Park
Best Section Program: 8AA, 7AAAA
Lowest MaxPrep team seen: #419 Swanville 419 of 428
Lowest pp100: St. Bernards 28.05 (vs Minneapolis Roosevelt) Feb 13
Lowest floor %: St. Bernards .134 (vs Minneapolis Roosevelt) Feb 13
Lowest pp100 & won: Mpls Southwest 62.5 vs. Cooper Jan 23

This is a good time to talk about the all State team I named yesterday. There were players I saw only once or twice during the year that were All State caliber players (AP, or St. Paul Pioneer Press) that were not listed on my team. I only listed the top five players for each and they had higher pp100 in the game I watched.

For example in the one game team---players had the minimum of 147 pp100. That is cooking. Many decent players I saw only once had a 100 to even 120 pp100, but I saw five performances that were better. That is what that list is--a list of outstanding performances. There were outstanding players that did not reach that bar.

On the two view team the players again made the list because of a good pp100, good floor % AND they made the team of the week twice (either first, second or third depending on the week). Again I am not slighting any player or program, but if a player did not make the minimum, to be consistent, I did not factor them in the equation. There is no emotion involved in these selections.

It is easier for me to slice through the 100s of players if I keep those standards no matter how arbitrary they are. It is a performance based system.

For my book that I have publish in the fall I have a different system. There is no way possible I can see every player and every team. Through the years I have developed a method of grading out players that has been pretty consistent even if I don't see the players. It has survived the test of time and has been pretty accurate at identifying talent.

A word about what games I cover. I make a master list of games on the calendar, usually one month in advance. I have countless requests to come watch this team or that team. I thank the people that make the requests. I don't have "favorites" unless you think the favorites are teams that are in top 10 match ups. I did try to see top 10 vs top 10 type games when possible. I am driven to see the top 100 teams in the state. I will not go watch a top 100 vs a low level team. We also have a back up game in case the weather turns nasty. For example When we went up to Hawley to watch East Grand Forks the back up plan was DeLaSalle vs Minnehaha.

My advice to those that would like to be evaluated: 1. Get in the top 100 somehow. 2. schedule on off days--I know Wednesday is a forbidden night for many schools, but it is the biggest open night. Mondays are a great night too. In fact after the first of the year Mondays had the best games by far. Saturday matinees are another option. 3. Multiple game events will get my attention. I can state that I will be at the Hudson and Hamline events during the Thanksgiving weekend. I will be at the Breakdown event early in December (I am crossing my fingers that there is no weather incidents). I will be at a variety of Holiday tournaments. Those events are booked.

ALL AREA
The Owatonna People's Press has named their all area team and the player of the year is Beth Christensen of Owatonna. You will need to scroll past the boys to get to the girls team.
If you haven't noticed I am now linking stories from Owatonna and Faribault. Before you needed to be a subscriber to get to the stories.

ALL CONFERENCE
The Cherryland conference of Michigan has released their all conference list. From the Leelanau Enterprise.

COLLEGE
Q&A
Iowa's Kelsey Cermak (Norwalk) does a Q&A on the Hawkeye site.

ALL AMERICAN FINALIST
Western Michigan's Tiera De La Houssaye (Detroit Country Day) is a regional All American Finalist.

next up: tomorrow morning

Purdue Advances in NCAA

#2 posting 3.24.2008
your daily dose of girls basketball news & information

COLLEGE REPORTS
D1
The Big 10 finished 1-2 yesterday as the Gophers and Hawkeyes exited the NCAA tournament. Purdue lives to play another day.
NCAA
Texas beat Minnesota 72-55. Leslie Knight (Hopkins) had 12 for the Gophers. The Gophers shooting woes caught up with them. From the St. Paul Pioneer Press.

Georgia beat Iowa 67-61. Wendy Ausdemore (TriCenter) had 16 for Iowa. Krista VandeVenter (Osseo) added 4 points for the Hawkeyes. It was a see saw game. From the Des Moines Register.

Purdue beat Utah 66-59. Keisha Mosley (Detroit Community) had 4 for Purdue.

Nebraska beat Xavier 61-58. Cory Montgomery (Cannon Falls) had 12 for Nebraska.

Oklahoma beat Illinois State 69-61. Nicole Lewis (Muskego, WI) had 2 for Illinois State.

Louisville beat Miami OH 81-67. Brandie Radde (Niles, MI) had 13 for Louisville.

Arizona State beat Temple 61-54. Shenita Landry (Milwaukee King) had 2 for Temple.

Today: Iowa State faces Rutgers. From the Des Moines Register.

WNIT
TCU beat Boise State 85-56. Sierra Moeller (Pierre, SD) had 3 for Boise State.

Drake will play Illinois. From the Des Moines Register.

HIGH FIVE
A low total wins the high five. Minnesota had 30 to take the title.

MINNESOTA--30
Leslie Knight, Minnesota (Hopkins) 12 vs Texas 55-72
Cory Montgomery, Nebraska (Cannon Falls) 12 vs Xavier 61-58
Krista VandeVenter, Iowa (Osseo) 4 vs Georgia 61-69
Ashley Ellis-Milan, Minnesota (St. Paul Central) 2 vs Texas 55-72

MICHIGAN--23
Brandie Radde, Louisville (Niles) 13 vs Miami, OH 81-67
Keisha Hines, Louisville (Auburn Hills Avondale) 4 vs Miami, OH 81-67
Keisha Mosley, Purdue (Detroit Community) 4 vs Utah 66-59
Lakisha Freeman, Purdue (Saginaw Arthur Hill) 2 vs Utah 66-59

IOWA--19
Wendy Ausdemore, Iowa (TriCenter) 16 vs Georgia 61-69
Stacy Schlapkohl, Iowa (Durant) 3 vs Georgia 61-69

WISCONSIN--4
Nicole Lewis, Illinois State (Muskego) 2 vs Oklahoma 61-69
Shenita Landry, Temple (Milwaukee King) 2 vs Arizona State 54-61

SOUTH DAKOTA--3
Sierra Moeller, Boise State (Pierre) 3 vs TCU 56-85

COMMUNITY COLLEGE
Nicole Holmes of Mott CC was named the Cat Power Player of the NJCAA d2 tournament. From the Flint Journal.

Next up: later today with a grab bag