Out & About: Minnehaha vs Blaine

#7 posting 11.28.2008
your daily dose of girls basketball news & information

HUDSON TURKEY CLASSIC
MINNEHAHA redhawks 62, BLAINE bengals 49

#2 AAA Minnehaha broke free from a 28 all tie at half to beat the Bengals 62-49.

Both teams were hot to start the game. Minnehaha scored on four of their first six possessions with three 3 point plays of one sort or another to take an 11-4 lead. Rachel Hansen, back from her knee injury suffered in the AAA quarterfinals, had two --one from behind the arc, one the old fashioned way. Blaine zipped back into the contest with an 8-0 run with two 3s. There were four more lead changes the first quarter with Kirsten Goodroad scoring off the press to give Blaine a 17-16 lead.

There were four lead changes in the second quarter and three ties including the final points of the half.

Blaine had a 14 possession drought in the third quarter---nine of which were turnovers off the Minnehaha press. At the largest margin MA led 42-32.

Sara O'Dowd drained a three to start the fourth quarter and Blaine managed to shave the MA lead down to 45-42. A four possession mini drought stalled their comeback attempt. MA finished with a 8/9 offensive sequence with the last six possessions all scores. Sarah Peterson had six points at the line to close the game.

more later

You can see the entire Minnehaha vs Blaine photo gallery at kevinanderson.photostockplus.com

key: player, year, points, possessions, pp100, floor %
MINNEHAHA
STARTERS
Rachel Hansen, 2010 20, 24, 83.3, .375
Sarah Peterson, 2009 15, 14, 107.1, .571
Anna Marie Martino, 2009 6, 11, 54.5, .273
Katelyn Adams, 2011 8, 9, 88.9, .444
Liz Mrozek, 2009 0, 5, 0.0, .000
BENCH
Analisa Ballinger, 2010 9, 10, 90.0, .300
Jana Halstensgard, 2011 2, 2, 100.0, .500
Emma Johnson, 2009 2, 3, 66.7, .333
Britta Monson, 2009 0, 0, 0.0, .000
Sarah Scholl, 2010, 0, 0, 0.0, .000

BLAINE
STARTERS
Mackenzie Suda, 2009 9, 18, 50.0, .278
Courtney Kelly 2009 4, 4, 100.0, .500
Kirsten Goodroad, 2009 9, 20, 45.0, .200
Allison Ballstadt, 2010 3, 6, 50.0, .167
Traci Gillund, 2009 0, 3, 0.0, .000
BENCH
Stephanie Jergenson, 2010 15, 12, 125.0, .583
Carly Christopherson, 2010 6, 8, 75.0, .375
Carly Saben, 2010 0, 1, 0.0, .000
Sara O'Dowd, 2010 3, 4, 75.0, .250
Alexandra Schroeder, 2011 0, 1, 0.0, .000
Hannah Chuinard, 2011 0, 2, 0.0, .000

TRENCH PLAYER
Sarah Peterson

BY THE NUMBERS
Minnehaha 62, 78, 79.5, .385
Blaine 49, 79, 62.0, .291
made 3s/&1s: Minnehaha 6/1; Blaine 5/0
ftm/fta-ft%: Minnehaha 23/32-.719; Blaine 12/17-.706
bench: Blaine 24, Minnehaha 13

QUARTER SCORES
Minnehaha 16-12-14-20---62
Blaine 17-11-7-14---49

DEFENSIVE WRAPS
MINNEHAHA
Sarah Peterson 10.5
Katelyn Adams 9
Anna Marie Martino 5.5
Rachel Hansen 5
Liz Mrozek 5
Analisa Ballinger 4
Jana Halstensgard 3
Emma Johnson 1
Britta Monson 1
totals: 44

BLAINE
Mackenzie Suda 10
Stephanie Jergenson 7
Courtney Kelly 6
Carly Christopherson 5
Sarah O'Dowd 5
Kirsten Goodroad 4
Tracie Gillund 2
Hannah Chuinard 2
Allison Ballstadt 1
totals: 42

ASSISTS
MINNEHAHA
Sarah Peterson 8
Rachel Hansen 6
Liz Mrozek 4
Anna Marie Martino 3
Katelyn Adams 2
Jana Halstenstard 1
Sarah Scholl 1
totals: 25

BLAINE
Carly Christopherson 4
Courtney Kelly 3
Kirsten Goodroad 2
Stephanie Jergenson 2
Allison Ballstadt 2
Tracie Gillund 2
Mackenzie Suda 1
Sara O'Dowd 1
Alexandra Schreoder 1
totals: 18


Next up: Holy Angels vs Menomonie

Fall League Out & About: Stillwater Red/Blaine Blue

#2 posting 10.12.2008
your daily dose of girls basketball news & information

MYAS FALL LEAGUE
Blaine
STILLWATER RED ponies 56, BLAINE BLUE bengals 52

Stillwater Red handed Blaine Blue their first loss in the Blaine fall league 56-52. Both teams have one loss in the league. An eight possession scoring spree in the second half turned a 7 point Blaine lead into an 8 point Stillwater lead. Blaine did close to two points, but the Ponies had answers to the Bengals rallies. Whitney Novak had 14 points and six assists for the Ponies. Courtney Kelly had 16 points for the Bengals. This marked the second straight week where I saw an undefeated team fall to a team with one loss. Last week Hopkins knocked Bloomington Kennedy from the unbeaten ranks.

Blaine had the early advantage at 5-1 after scoring three straight times. The Bengals used sharp movements and back cuts, back cuts, back cuts to score their quick hits. Stillwater returned the favor with three straight scores of their own and led 7-5. That was the pattern in the first half--one team had a run, the other team would follow. Blaine had an 11-0 run with a 4/5 offensive sequence. Tracie Gillund had four of those points. Stillwater broke a five possession drought with four quick hits and a 8-0 run to take a 15-14 lead. Kristen Sahr had four points in the Pony run. It was Blaine's turn to finish off the half and thei 8-2 run gave them a 22-17 advantage at half. Kirsten Goodroad delivered right at the buzzer.

Blaine scored right on the first possession and reached their high water mark with a 24-17 lead. After that Blaine went into famine with a seven possession drought while Stillwater went on a feast with their 8 possession scoring spree. The Ponies had five free throws, and two 3s in the burst. Sahr and Whitney Novak had five points each in the 17-2 run. Blaine narrowed the gap to 41-39 with under five minutes to go. Two back to back 3s by Amber Meyer and Novak gave the Ponies an 8 point cushion. Blaine attacked the basket hoping to draw fouls. It did. They spent their next seven possessions driving and at the line scoring on six of them. The Bengals had 8 points at the line in the last two minutes. Stillwater also went to the line as Blaine tried to get the ball back. The free throw parade ended with 15 seconds to go as Stillwater ran out the clock.

You can see the entire Stillwater Red vs Blaine Blue photo gallery at kevinanderson.photostockplus.com

player, points, possessions, pp100, floor %
STILLWATER RED
STARTERS
Whitney Novak 14, 13, 107.7, .538 point guard, had 12 points in the second half with two 3s. went to the line three times.
Kristen Sahr 13, 10, 130.0, .600 perimeter shooter. had two 3s on the day.
Heather Kamps 7, 7, 100.0, .714 post, physical.
Amber Meyer 7, 5, 140.0, .600 guard, 3 range
Alex Fosse 4, 2, 200.0, 1.000 guard
BENCH
Kylie Van Klei 2, 2, 100.0, .500 lanky post
Chloe Otteson 3, 6, 50.0, .167 guard
Abbie Gerachi 6, 7, 85.7, .429 point guard

BLAINE BLUE
STARTERS
Allison Ballstadt 4, 3, 133.3, .667 guard
Courtney Kelly 16, 11, 145.5 can play at the block, but can also step out and hit 3s. pulled Blaine back into the contest late with 9 of the last 15 points. physical.
Tracie Gillund, 8, 5, 160.0, .800 post player. feeds well from the post. can score at the high post.
Carly Christopherson 4, 6, 66.7, .333 guard
Sara O'Dowd 4, 2, 200.0. 1.000 guard
BENCH
Kirsten Goodroad 9, 12, 75.0, .333 perimeter. likes the back cut
Stephanie Jergenson 2, 4, 50.0, .250 post. will take outside shots. lefty
Amber Hames 5, 7, 71.4, .286 perimeter. 3 range
Hannah Chuinard 0, 2, 0.0, .000 taller guard
Carley Saben 0, 1, 0.0, .000 thin post

TRENCH PLAYER
Kristen Sahr in a close race

BY THE NUMBERS
Stillwater Red 56, 52, 107.7, .538
Blaine Blue 52, 53, 98.1, .453
made 3s/&1s: Stillwater 5/1; Blaine 3/1
ftm/fta-ft%: Blaine 15/17-.882; Stillwater 17/24-.708
bench: Blaine 16, Stillwater 11

DEFENSIVE WRAPS
STILLWATER RED
Amber Meyer 5
Heather Kamps 4
Kristen Sahr 3
Kylie Van Klei 3
Abbie Geraci 2
Whitney Novak 1
Chloe Otteson 1
Alex Fosse 1
totals: 20

BLAINE BENGALS
Carley Saben 4
Tracie Gillund 3
Carley Christopherson 3
Courtney Kelly 2
Stephanie Jergenson 2
Kirsten Goodroad 1
Amber Hames 1
Sara O'Dowd 1
totals: 17

ASSISTS
STILLWATER RED
Whitney Novak 6
Heather Kamps 3
Amber Meyer 3
Abbie Geraci 2
Kristen Sahr 1
Chloe Otteson 1
Alex Fosse 1
totals: 17

BLAINE BLUE
Tracie Gillund 2
Stephanie Jergenson 2
Amber Hames 2
Carly Christopherson 2
Hannah Chuinard 2
Carley Saben 2
Courtney Kelly 1
Kirsten Goodroad 1
totals: 14

Next up: tomorrow morning

Out & About: St. Francis/Blaine

#10 posting 3.8.2008
your daily dose of girls basketball news & information

7AAAA CHAMPIONSHIP
ST. FRANCIS saints 61, BLAINE bengals 43

The clock struck midnight for #7 seed Blaine as St. Francis took the 7AAAA championship 61-43. St. Francis started the game with a 14-1 advantage. At half the Saints led 27-19. Again the start of the second half was all St. Francis as they scored on 10 of the first 11 possessions and had a 19-5 run to lead 46-24. St. Francis saw what happened to other teams that didn't believe in fairy tales and came out sharp.

The clock was already chiming at the start of the game. Blaine had seven straight empty possessions. They had only one turnover in the stretch, but it was to Alissa Dombek on an offensive foul, her second, and she had to sit. That didn't help Blaine's cause. Melissa Borstner had six points in the opening 14-1 run. Blaine had one stretch that looked like the magic may still kick in with an 11-4 run. Dombek capped it off with a three from the left wing to cut the margin to 22-16. Ali Schwartzwald immediately answered with an &1 and St. Franics went off at half time with a 27-19 lead.

Perhaps remembering Chaska's comeback win on Friday, St. Francis scored the first six times in the half to take all hope away from Blaine. The Saints added four more scores after one empty possession for a rock solid 46-24 lead. The margin was to wide even with 12 minutes left. For the half Borstner had 11 for St. Francis. St. Francis was headed back to state for the first time since 1998. It is their third overall trip.

key Player (grad year) points, possessions, pp100, floor %
ST. FRANCIS
STARTERS
Ali Schwartzwald (08) 15, 19, 78.9, .368
Melissa Borstner (10) 19, 21, 90.5, .476
Brittni Gordon (08) 6, 4, 150.0, .750
Jessica Englund (08) 13, 9, 144.4, .778
Jenna Ashley (08) 6, 9, 66.7, .333
BENCH
Emma Sheforgen (08) 0, 1, 0.0, .000
Amanda Morem (08) 2, 1, 200.0, 1.000

BLAINE
STARTERS
Alissa Dombek (08) 18, 16, 112.5, .438
Mackenzie Suda (09) 7, 11, 63.6, .273
Kirsten Goodroad (09) 3, 9, 33.3, .222
Stephanie Jergenson (10) 4, 4, 100.0, .500
Courtney Kelly (09) 2, 5, 40.0, .400
BENCH
#33 3, 8. 37.5. .250
Tracie Gillund (09) 4, 6, 66.7, .333
Carly Christopherson (10) 2, 3, 66.7, .333
Sara O'Dowd (10) 0, 1, 0.0, .000
Carly Saben (10) 0, 1, 0.0, .000

TRENCH PLAYER
Jessica Englund

BY THE NUMBERS
St. Francis 61, 64, 95.3, .484
Blaine 43, 64, 67.2, .328
made 3s: Blaine 4, St. Francis 0
ftm/fta-ft%: St. Francis 13/18-.722; Blaine 11/18-.611
bench: Blaine 9, St. Francis 2

DEFENSIVE WRAPS
ST. FRANCIS
Melissa Borstner 9
Ali Schwartzwald 7
Jessica Englund 7
Jenna Ashley 6
Brittni Gordon 4
Amanda Morem 3
Emma Sheforgen 2
totals: 38

BLAINE
Alissa Dombek 6
Tracie Gillund 5
Courtney Kelly 5
Carly Christopherson 4
Mackenzie Suda 3
Stephanie Jergenson 1
Kirsten Goodroad 1
totals: 25

Next up: tomorrow morning

Out & About: Cretin-Derham Hall/Blaine

#6 posting 12.29.2007
your daily dose of girls basketball news & information

HOPKINS TOURNAMENT
7TH PLACE GAME
CRETIN-DERHAM HALL raiders 66
BLAINE bengals 47

Cretin-Derham Hall hit their stride right away with four straight scores to open the game.

key: player, points, possessions, pp100; floor %
CRETIN-DERHAM HALL
STARTERS
Molly Geske 19, 11, 172.7, .727
Kendra Harris 12, 6, 200.0, 1.000
Carolyn Dienhart 14, 9, 155.6, .667
Sarah Hendricks 2, 5, 40.0, .200
Lisa Springer 0, 6, 0.0, .000
BENCH
Kailyn Wilcox 14, 7, 200.0, .857
Jay Korte 3, 4, 75.0, .500
Molly King 0, 4, 0.0, .000
Corey Seidel 0, 2, 0.0, .000
Natalie DePalma 2, 1, 200.0, 1.000
Kallie Battarbee 0, 1, 0.0, .000
Meghan Palmer 0, 0, 0.0, .000

BLAINE
STARTERS
Tracie Gillund 0, 2, 0.0, .000
Kirsten Goodroad 9, 10, 90.0, .300
Courtney Kelly 10, 5, 200.0, .600
Alexandra Pafko 0, 5, 0.0, .000
Alissa Dombek 5, 5, 100.0, .400
BENCH
Stephanie Jergenson 1, 3, 33.3, .333
Amber Hames 3, 3, 100.0, .333
Carly Christopherson 3, 8, 37.5, .125
Alexandra Schroeder 4, 2, 200.0, 1.000
Aisha Hill 0, 2, 0.0, .000
Hannah Chuinard 2, 3, 66.7, .333
Allison Ballstadt 4, 4, 100.0, .500
Carly Saben 3, 3, 100.0, .667
Sara O'Dowd 2, 1, 200.0, 1.000

TRENCH PLAYER
Molly Geske

BY THE NUMBERS
Cretin-Derham Hall 66, 56, 117.9, .536
Blaine 46, 56, 82.1, .339
made 3s: CDH 7, Blaine 7
fta/ftm-ft%: CDH 14/21-.667; Blaine 11/18-.611
bench: Blaine 22, CDH 19

DEFENSIVE WRAPS
CRETIN-DERHAM HALL
Kendra Harris 8
Sarah Hendricks 8
Molly Geske 5
Molly King 2
Carolyn Dienhart 1
Kailyn Wilcox 1
Lisa Springer 1
Jay Korte 1
Meghan Palmer 1
totals: 28

BLAINE
Alexandra Pafko 4
Carly Saben 3
Kirsten Goodroad 2
Carly Christopherson 2
Alissa Dombek 2
Courtney Kelly 1
Amber Hames 1
Alexandra Schroeder 1
Aisha Hill 1
Hannah Chuinard 1
totals: 18

next up: 5th place game

Out & About: Minnehaha/Blaine

#5 posting 11.23.2007
your daily dose of girls basketball news & information

HUDSON TURKEY CLASSIC
MINNEHAHA redhawks 61, BLAINE bengals 46

Minnehaha used their full court press to cause Blaine headaches in an opening game win in Wisconsin. Since the contest was across the St. Croix there were four eight minute quarters, not two 18 minute halves.

Blaine held one lead at 2-0. Minnehaha scored on five straight possessions on an 11-4 run. Sarah Peterson had four points in the flurry. Blaine was held scoreless for 7 possessions, four of which were turnovers. Also the foul situation hurt Blaine. MA was in the bonus with a little over 2 minutes left in the quarter.

The second quarter torpedoed Blaine's chances. The Bengals only scored six points, all at the line. Minnehaha added 18 to their totals. Rachel Hansen had 6 points for MA in the quarter. Blaine's pp100 for the quarter was 30.0 and floor % checked in at .150.

The game continued to flow to the Redhawks in the second half. The margin was 20 for most of the half with MA up 56-34 on a pull up by Megan Erlandson with about four minutes left. MA made some substitutions. Blaine started to click at that point. They ran off four straight scores and closed the game with a 6/9 sequence as they scored 15 points. That put their pp100 166.7 in the last half of the fourth quarter, and 53.4 for the first 3 and a half quarters. MA eventually put their starters in again. Erlandson had six for MA in the fourth.

Above photo: Tracie Gillund, Blaine is fouled by Anna Marie Martino of Minnehaha. photo by kja.

Key: name, points, possessions, pp100, floor %

MINNEHAHA
STARTERS
Rachel Hansen 14, 17, 82.4, .412 perimeter. scored in transition. drew fouls. on defense picked up steals off the press. Had some ball handling turnovers.
Anna Marie Martino 4, 9, 44.4, .333
Sarah Peterson 13, 8, 162.5, .750 quick off her feet. scores in transition. hit a 3. brings energy. Led MA with 6 defensive rebounds. got in foul trouble.
Megan Erlandson 16, 11, 145.5, .727 point guard, steady, good vision. scored off pull ups in half court, and transition (12 points). has court sense. First game for MA. played with Concordia Roseville before.
Brittany Norby 2, 5, 40.0, .200 guard
BENCH
Katelyn Adams 6, 13, 46.2, .231 post player. has size. needs to finish.
Ani Johnson 6, 4, 150.0, .500 3 point specialist (hit two)
Ellen Viner 0, 1, 0.0, .000
Rebba Moore 0, 1, 0.0, .000 another big post player
Britta Monson 0, 0, 0.0, .000

BLAINE
STARTERS
Tracie Gillund 5, 11, 45.5, .273 post
Alissa Dombek 8, 7, 114.3, .429
Alexandra Pafko 16, 18, 88.9, .444 post player. active on the defensive boards.
Mackenzie Suda 6, 9, 66.7, .333
Kirsten Goodroad 6, 9, 66.7, .222 picked up two quick fouls and had to sit. has 3 range.
BENCH
Taylor Lamberty 0, 6, 0.0, .000
Courtney Kelly 0, 1, 0.0, .000
Carly Christopherson 3, 4, 75.0, .500
Alexandrea Schroeder 0, 1, 0.0, .000
Sara O'Dowd 0, 1, 0.0, .000
Stephanie Jergenson 0, 1, 0.0, .000
Allison Ballstadt 0, 1, 0.0, .000

TRENCH PLAYER
Megan Erlandson

BY THE NUMBERS
Minnehaha 17-35-49-61
Blaine 10-16-30-46
Minnehaha 61, 69, 88.4, .435
Blaine 46, 69, 66.7, .319
made 3s: Minnehaha 3, Blaine 2
made fts: Minnehaha 14, Blaine 10
bench: Minnehaha 12, Blaine 3

DEFENSIVE WRAPS
MINNEHAHA
Sarah Peterson 8
Rachel Hansen 6
Megan Erlandson 5.5
Brittany Norby 5
Katelyn Adams 4
Anna Marie Martino 2.5
Ani Johnson 2
Ellen Viner 2
Rebba Moore 1
Britta Monson 1
totals: 37

BLAINE
Alexandra Pafko 10
Tracie Gillund 6
Kirsten Goodroad 6
Carly Christopherson 5
Alissa Dombek 3
Taylor Lamberty 2
Sara O'Dowd 2
Mackenzie Suda 1
totals: 35

Next up: Holy Angels vs Menomonie

Out & About: Blaine/St. Cloud Apollo

#5 posting 11.11.2007
your daily dose of girls basketball news & information

BREAKDOWN FALL LEAGUE
BECKER DIVISION
BLAINE bengals 43, ST. CLOUD APOLLO eagles 26

Today I saw two games. I picked teams I hadn't seen yet so Blaine and St. Cloud Apollo lead off the action. Blaine had more bodies, more athletic talent, and more points. SCA had three players with varsity experience and some youngsters testing their wings.

Apollo led early with two scores with the one two punch of Brooke Dunsmoor and Andrea Hagberg. Those two players scored 22 of the 26 points---85%. Blaine kicked their offense into a higher gear with a 6 of 7 offense sequence on a 13-6 run. The Bengals led 15-10. When Blaine brought in the next shift (it is fall ball) they didn't lose a step and continued to put the heat on SCA. Apollo had an 8 possession drought toward the end of the half. Blaine led 23-13 at half.

Apollo did cut the margin to 27-18 in the second half but that was as tight as it would get. After that Blaine went on a 13-0 run with 7 of 8 offensive sequence. Blaine had two droughts in the second half of five possessions. The last came at the tail end of the game.

Photos: #1. Alex Pafko goes up with contact. #2: Andrea Hagberg looks for an opening. photos by kja

BLAINE
STARTERS
Amber Hames 0, 8, 0.0, .000 guard
Steph Jergenson 9, 4, 225.0, 1.000 post player. lefty. had one sequence with one free throw, and then, after a miss, she got the ball back and scored for a reverse three point play. didn't rebound
Alissa Dombek 8, 5, 160.0, .800 point guard, quick slashing move. good hang time. will attempt 3, but scored off the dribble
Allison Ballsted 6, 5, 120.0, .600. guard. scored in transition. also has 3 range
Alex Pafko 5, 6, 83.3, .500 athletic forward, physical, doesn't mind contact. elbow out on shot.
BENCH
Taylor Lamberty 8, 5, 160.0, .800 guard, scored on transition off steals.
Carly Christopherson 5, 6, 83.3, .333 guard, quick, aggressive defensive player. initiated action. had three straight steals in the first half. hit a 3, and can penetrate.
Sarah O'Dowd 0, 3, 0.0, .000 perimeter player
Carly Saben 2, 3, 66.7, .333 post player. ball handling needs to improve.
Kirsten Goodroad 0, 0, 0.0, .000 injured and left the game early

ST. CLOUD APOLLO
STARTERS
Brooke Dunsmoor 8, 8, 100.0, .500 post player. drew a lot of attention in the post
Andrea Hagberg 14, 18, 77.8, .389 left handed guard. likes to penetrate. seeks contact. went to the line four times. will also shoot the three if given time. passing decisions---distance and forces an issue.
Hailey Asfeld 0, 7, 0.0, .000 smaller guard
Courtney Lynch 4, 9, 44.4, .222 guard, scored in transition, but sometimes came in too hard
Kirsten Haarstad 0, 1, 0.0, .000
BENCH
Amanda Faber 0, 1, 0.0, .000
Rachel Dukowitz 0, 2, 0.0, .000

TRENCH PLAYER
Alissa Dombek in a close battle with three others

BY THE NUMBERS
Blaine 43, 46, 93.5, .457
St. Cloud Apollo 26, 46, 56.5, .283
made 3s: Blaine 1, SCA 1
made fts: Blaine 8, SCA 7
bench: Blaine 15, SCA 0

DEFENSIVE WRAPS
BLAINE
Allison Ballsted 4
Alex Pafko 4
Amber Hames 3
Taylor Lamberty 3
Carly Christopherson 3
Alissa Dombek 2
Sarah O'Dowd 2
Kirsten Goodroad 1
totals 22

ST. CLOUD APOLLO
Brooke Dunsmoor 6
Andrea Hagberg 4
Amanda Faber 3
Kirsten Haarstad 3
Rachel Dukowitz 2
Courtney Lynch 1
totals 19

next up: Rogers vs Rockford