Out & About: Fury 16/Iowa Elite

#5 posting 6.16.2008
your daily dose of girls basketball news & information

this game took place on Saturday, June 14, 2008
Summer Jam 16u Sweet 16 round
Bloomington Jefferson
MN FURY 16s 63, IOWA ELITE 57

MN Fury jumped to a 13-0, saw the lead evaporate, then inflate again before a late rally by Iowa Elite fell short 63-57.

The first half could be divided into three different parts. In part one Emily Kaus dominated inside early with six straight points as the Fury went up 13-0. Iowa Elite tried to stop the momentum with a time out at 6-0. IE failed to score on their first 10 possessions. In part two IE found the bottom of the basket they rattled off eight straight scores. They cut the deficit to 23-18 with a 18-10 run. The Fury controlled part three with an 18-5 run. IE had another drought with seven possessions empty. IE called a time out with one second left. That set up a mid court three by Sam Rinehart. The Fury led at half 41-23. The Fury also had 18 points on second chancers in the first half, the exact margin at the break.

The second half was divided into three parts. In part one the Fury kept adding to their lead stretching it out to 54-33. IE had another drought, this time 8 possessions. On the flip side IE put up a furious rally with a 24-9 finish. All this despite having two players foul out. Ali Browning had 8 points in the IE run. The final was the closest IE got in the second half.

Photos: #1 Sam Rinehart prepares to shoot in the lane with Kailyn Wilcox defending. #2. Kika Greenlee flies through the lane with Rinehart and Chanda Goedken defending. photos by kja

key: player, school, points, possessions, pp100, floor %
MN FURY 16
STARTERS
Emily Kaus, Eastview 10, 8, 125.0, .625 post--five; dominated early inside. has good hands and keeps the ball high. IE didn't have the size to match up. Takes away angles. Is a wall on defense inside. intimidates. needs to increase stamina, and wind. needs to keep sitting down and making a big target for her passers. only two possessions in the second half.
Kate Constable, Minnetonka 2, 4, 50.0, .250 point guard. led the team with assists.
Keely Brennan, Eden Prairie 4, 6, 66.7, .333 perimeter. lefty. scored in transition.
Sarah Peterson, Minnehaha 4, 8, 50.0, .375 jumps center. active on the defensive boards. on offense needs to sharpen passing skills.
Tiffany Van Haaften, Chaska 9, 10, 90.0, .400 also ran point. has 3 range.
BENCH
Michelle Tobin, Eden Prairie 12, 10, 120.0, .700 post. knows how to draw a foul. went to the line five times with 8 points coming at the line.
Kika Greenlee, St. Louis Park 16, 17, 94.1, .471 guard. did make a couple of 3s in the first half. Has speed. acrobatic. active defensively.
Kailyn Wilcox, Cretin-Derham Hall 6, 6, 100.0, .500 tweener. more 4ish. scored on second chancers.

IOWA ELITE
STARTERS
Ali Browning, Iowa City Regina 14, 15, 93.3, .467 post player. jumps center, physical.
Sam Rinehart, Marion 5, 11, 45.5, .182 had to defend against the Fury posts. was getting frustrated with the calls or no calls depending on the situation. Made the mid court 3 at half time.
Paige Goetz, Anamosa 6, 10, 60.0, .300 guard. lean, can score behind the arc. also scores off the dribble. able to get to the heart of the lane on the drive.
Morgan Paige, Marion 11, 11, 100.0, .455 guard. decent speed. lefty. can score when hit. keeps balance and the ball. has 3 range.
Ali Daly, Western Dubuque 2, 6, 33.3, .167 needs to improve passing/decision making.
BENCH
Chanda Goedken, Cascade 8, 7, 114.3, .571 scored in transition. can also score when hit.
Kristin Fomon, Iowa City West 11, 10, 110.0, .400 three point shooter. made three 3s on the night.

TRENCH PLAYER
Emily Kaus, initial surge the difference

BY THE NUMBERS
Fury 63, 69, 91.3, .478
Iowa Elite 57, 70, 81.4, .371
made 3s/& 1s: Fury 3/0; IE 5/1
ftm/fta-ft%: Fury 14/20-.700; IE 9/16-.563
bench: Fury 34, IE 19

DEFENSIVE WRAPS
MN FURY
Sarah Peterson 8
Emily Kaus 6.5
Kika Greenlee 6
Tiffany Van Haaften 5.5
Kate Constable 4
Keely Brennan 4
Michelle Tobin 2
totals: 36

IOWA ELITE
Ali Browning 6
Sam Rinehart 6
Morgan Paige 6
Chanda Goedken 6
Paige Goetz 3
Kristin Fomon 3
Ali Daly 1
totals:

ASSISTS
MN FURY
Kate Constable 5
Keely Brennan 4
Tiffany Van Haaften 3
Kika Greenlee 3
Emily Kaus 2
Sarah Peterson 2
Michelle Tobin 1
totals: 20

IOWA ELITE
Chanda Goedken 4
Kristin Fomon 3
Paige Goetz 3
Ali Daly 3
Sam Rinehart 2
Ali Browning 1
Morgan Paige 1
totals: 17

next up: tomorrow morning

Out & About: North Tartan 15/Fury 16

#7 posting 6.3.2008
your daily dose of girls basketball news & information

This game took place on Sunday, June 1, 2008
Battle of the Hardwood
Woodbury High School
16u Quarterfinals
NORTH TARTAN 15s 59, FURY 16 44

North Tartan 15s beat the Fury in the 16u quarterfinals 59-44. NT15 led from start to finish.

NT15 was hot at the start as they built up a 20-9 lead. NT15 scored on five straight possessions. NT15 continued to push their lead out to 31-14 after a three by Angela Christianson. The Fury finished strong in the half with a 7-2 run. NT15 led at the break 33-21. Christianson had 9 points at half time.

Neither team could find the bottom of the basket at the start of the second half. In the first 14 possessions both teams had one scoring possession. That sluggish performance evaporated in the next flurry of action. In the next 12 combined possessions there were nine scores. NT15 still maintained a 49-35 lead. One bright spot for the Fury was Emily Kaus. She scored six straight points including four on put backs in that run. Kaus left with a finger problem but returned later in the game. NT kept their spread the rest of the game.

The Fury was without coach Nick Storm. Filling in was Fury 15 coach Justin Morris.

photos: Kika Greenlee drives down the lane Laura Melquist trailing. #2 Sari Noga grabs the rebound in traffic with Melquist close by and Sarah Peterson #20 for Minnehaha behind the action. photos by Teas.

key: player, school, points, possessions, pp100, floor %
NORTH TARTAN 15
STARTERS
Ameshia Kearney, Minneapolis South 9, 13, 69.2, .308 handled point guard responsibilities, but only had one assist. likes to take the ball to the basket. has nice maneuvers.
Sari Noga, Parkers Prairie 12, 11, 109.1, .455 strong perimeter. has quickness and has a nose for the ball. can score when hit. went to the line four times. made one 3 on the day.
Angela Christianson, Alexandria 15, 10, 150.0, .700 taller perimeter. has a nice shot. made a three. went to the line three times.
Rachael Banham, Lakeville North 4, 4, 100.0, .250 guard. made one three.
Laura Melquist, Rochester Lourdes 5, 5, 100.0, .400 post player. strong
BENCH
Kayla Hirt, Bemidji 4, 5, 80.0, .400 post player. got in foul problems. can handle the ball well for 6-2.
Gabby Boever, Worthington 4, 5, 80.0, .400 point guard. led both teams with assists. had a nice runner.
Katy Winge, Minnetonka 2, 3, 66.7, .333 perimeter.
Morgan Van Riper-Rose 4, 4, 100.0, .500 perimeter.

FURY16
STARTERS
Kika Greenlee, St. Louis Park 0, 12, 0.0, .000 point guard. shot wasn't falling. looks to drive.
Sara Peterson, Minnehaha 1, 5, 20.0, .200 taller perimeter. crashes boards.
Kate Constable, Minnetonka 3, 4, 75.0, .500 guard
Michelle Tobin, Eden Prairie 7, 9, 77.8, .333 post than can also face the basket. can score when hit. went to the line three times.
Chrissy Holm, Hill-Murray 1, 5, 20.0, .200 perimeter. passing needs to be sharper
BENCH
Kailyn Wilcox, Cretin-Derham Hall 8, 5, 160.0, .800 a "4", stepped up. decent shot.
Rochelle Cichy, Hill-Murray 4, 5, 80.0, .400 guard. scrapper
Keely Brennan, Eden Prairie 4, 5, 80.0, .400 perimeter
Emily Kaus, Eastview 13, 8, 162.5, .875 rock solid in the post. very good hands. think Ashley Langen. tough kid. Left the game with a finger problem and came back and played.
Tiffany Van Haaften, Chaska 3, 3, 100.0, .667 guard. all points at the line.

TRENCH PLAYER
Angela Christianson

BY THE NUMBERS
North Tartan 15s 59, 60, 98.3, .433
Fury 44, 61, 72.1, .393
made 3s/&1s: NT 4/2; Fury 0/0
ftm/fta-ft%: NT 13/18-.722; Fury 12/25-.480
bench: Fury 32, NT 14
The starters: NT 45, Fury 12. At the free throw line the Fury left 13 points at the table.
Second chancers were more in play in the second half. NT had 9 points and the Fury had 10 with second chancers.

DEFENSIVE WRAPS
NORTH TARTAN 15S
Sari Noga 7.5
Laura Melquist 6
Kayla Hirt 5
Gabby Boever 3.5
Angela Christianson 3
Morgan Van Riper-Rose 3
Ameshia Kearney 2
Katy Winge 2
Rachael Banham 1
totals: 33

FURY16
Michelle Tobin 9
Kika Greenlee 6
Sarah Peterson 3
Tiffany Van Haaften 3
Kate Constable 3
Kailyn Wilcox 2
Chrissy Holm 1
Rochelle Cichy 1
Emily Kaus 1
totals: 29

ASSISTS
NORTH TARTAN 15s
Gabby Boever 7
Sari Noga 4
Angela Christianson 2
Kayla Hirt 2
Katy Winge 2
Laura Melquist 2
Ameshia Kearney 1
Rachael Banham 1
Morgan Van Riper-Rose 1
totals: 22

FURY16
Tiffany Van Haaften 5
Kika Greenlee 4
Kate Constable 2
Chrissy Holm 2
Rochelle Cichy 2
Sarah Peterson 1
Kailyn Wilcox 1
Keely Brennan 1
totals: 18

next up: NC Heat vs MN Stars Borowicz

Quick Report: North Tartan 15/Fury

#2 posting 6.1.2008
your daily dose of girls basketball news & information

NORTH TARTAN 15 59, FURY 44

This is coming from Tony Geer's computer. In the 16u quarterfinal at the Battle of the Hardwood today North Tartan 15 beat the Fury 59-44. NT15 was playing up a division.
At half time it was NT15 33-22.
I will update this information later.

Out & About: Fury/Team WI Red Wildberg

#3 posting 4.22.2008
your daily dose of girls basketball news & information

This game took place on Saturday, April 19
MIDWEST ELITE EXPOSURE SHOWCASE
UW Stout, Menomonie, WIPLATINUM DIVISION, Pool F
FURY 43, TEAM WI RED WILDBERG 30

This game had similarities to the first game I saw on Saturday with the Fury taking an early 7-2 lead. Team Wisconsin battling back to take a lead, followed by another shut down in the second half. The Fury out scored TWRW 14-0 to finish the game.

The Fury used transition and a 3 by Keely Brennan to take the 7-2 lead. Team Wisconsin tied it up at seven with their own three by Nikole Wildberg. The Fury's Michelle Tobin scored a three point play the old fashioned way to push their lead out to 12-8. Then the Fury froze on offense for 11 possessions. TWRW used that down time to go up 16-12, again with a 3 ball by Wildberg. That was to be her final points of the game. The Fury regained their balance and went on a 9-2 run with Emily Kaus capping it off with a &1 to finish up 21-18.

The Fury maintained their lead for the first portion in the second half with a 29-26 lead with 10 minutes left. TWRW had a brief 30-29 lead after a lay up by Emily McCullick. After that TWRW was shut down for the game. 16 straight empty trips frustrated the Wisconsinites. They had five turnovers in that stretch, but three of those came late. So they had plenty of chances to connect, but the temperatures plummeted to -10 below. As far as the Fury, they used second chancers for 10 of their last 14 points.

Combined in these two games the Wisconsin teams were 0/34 down the home stretch. Brrrr.

photos: #1 Wisconsin's Nikole Wildberg goes up for a shot. #2 Rochelle Cichy goes airborne to make a save. photos by kja.

key: player, school, points, possessions, pp100, floor %
FURY
STARTERS
Emily Kaus, Eastview 9, 6, 150.0, .667 strong post, soft hands, best at scoring on missed shots. can score when hit. also passes well out of the post.
Kailyn Wilcox, Cretin-Derham Hall 12, 11, 109.1, .545 jumped center, runs the floor. needs to get her feet organized. needs to keep her eyes up when dribbling.
Kika Greenlee, St. Louis Park 3, 11, 27.3, .182 point guard. scored all her points at the line. needs to get her feet set on her shot.
Sarah Peterson, Minnehaha 4, 3, 133.3, .667 perimeter. led both teams in stops. also scored all her points at the line.
Lisa Springer, Cretin-Derham Hall 0, 2, 0.0, .000 perimeter. looks to take perimeter shots.
BENCH
Keely Brennan, Eden Prairie 5, 5, 100.0, .400 perimeter. this sounds like a broken record but vision, vision, vision.
Michelle Tobin, Eden Prairie 10, 11, 90.9, .455 post player, another like Kaus that scored off second shots and in the paint. Went to the line four times. was only 2/6 at the line. can be more of a force on defense.
Kate Constable, Minnetonka 0, 3, 0.0, .000 guard
Rochelle Cichy, Hill-Murray 0, 2, 0.0, .000 perimeter. hustles for loose balls.

TEAM WI RED WILDBERG
STARTERS
Angela Peplowski, Wausau East 7, 12, 58.3, .250 scored from behind the arc, and scored four points on put backs.
Nikole Wildberg, Prentice 9, 7, 128.6, .429 made three 3s in the first half and then was stopped.
Amanda Daledian, Plum City 0, 11, 0.0, .000
Megan Biscobing, Rhinelander 6, 5, 120.0, .400 hit a three. taller perimeter. needs to keep eyes up when dribbling.
Alex Butterbrodt, Wausau East 2, 5, 40.0, .200
BENCH
#21 2, 5, 40.0, .200
Brittany Barrette, Peshtigo 0, 5, 0.0, .000 perimeter needs to keep her vision up. has a knee brace on her left knee. needs to get strong physically
Emily McCullick, Wauzeka-Stueben 4, 5, 80.0, .400 scored off the dribble.

TRENCH PLAYER
Emily Kaus

BY THE NUMBERS
Fury 43, 54, 79.6, .389
Team WI Red Wildberg 30, 55, 54.5, .218
made 3s: TWRW 5, Fury 1
ftm/fta-ft%: Fury 10/15 .667; TWRW 1/4 .250
bench: Fury 15, TWRW 6

DEFENSIVE WRAPS
FURY
Sarah Peterson 8
Emily Kaus 4
Keely Brennen 4
Lisa Springer 4
Rochelle Cichy 4
Kailyn Wilcox 3
Kika Greenlee 3
Michelle Tobin 2
Kate Constable 1
totals: 33

TEAM WI RED WILDBERG
Megan Biscobing 7
Angela Peplowski 3
Emily McCullick 3
Nikole Wildberg 2
Amanda Daledian 2
#21 2
Brittany Barrette 1
Alex Butterbrodt 1
totals: 21

ASSISTS
FURY
Emily Kaus 4
Lisa Springer 3
Rochelle Cichy 3
Michelle Tobin 1
Kika Greenlee 1
Sarah Peterson 1
totals: 13

TEAM WI RED WILDBERG
Angela Peplowski 4
Amanda Daledian 2
Nikole Wildberg 1
Brittany Barrette 1
totals: 8

next up: Metro Stars White vs Fox Valley Hustle

Previews & Fund Raiser

#1 posting 9.18.2007
your daily dose of girls basketball news & information

2007-08 HIGH SCHOOL GIRLS BASKETBALL SEASON PREVIEW
The Minnesota Fury AAU Club will be doing a 2007-08 High School Girls Basketball season preview on their website. They will break down all the conferences in the metro from top to bottom, and name their picks for Conference Player of the Year and First and Second team All-Conference. It will be all wrapped up with their Section Champions, State Champions, Miss Basketball Candidates, and First and Second Team All-State picks. Look for the schedule of release dates coming soon, and visit their website http://www.minnesotafury.com/ or send an email to seasonpreview@minnesotafury.com for details.

2008 AAU SEASON
The Minnesota Fury are looking to add some final pieces to their 16U and 15U teams. They are looking for Varsity Starting and potential All-Conference types of players to fill out these teams. Please send an email to Nick Storm (nstorm@minnesotafury.com) for 16U team inquiries and Justin Morris (jmorris@minnesotafury.com) for 15U team inquiries.

They are also starting to fill their teams at 14U and 13U. Please email Nick Storm for these teams.

(16U teams are 1991 birth dates plus any older player in the class of 2009, 15U – 1992 birthdays, 14U – 1993 birthdays, 13U – 1994 birthdays)

The Minnesota Fury are the only AAU Club in the state to offer individual profiles for all players that include high school stats, weekly updated AAU stats, and coaches commentary. College coaches across the country have commented that this puts them on the cutting edge for player exposure. Visit their website http://www.minnesotafury.com/ and navigate to the rosters page to view current profiles.

FUNDRAISER
Trent Tucker’s Hoop-A-Thon

Trent Tucker played for the Minnesota Gophers, the New York Knicks and the World Champion Chicago Bulls during his tenure, earning himself a championship ring in 1993 with the Bulls. It was with the help from many people in his community that he was able to attain this level of success. He established The Trent Tucker Non-Profit Organization, a recognized 501(c)(3), in 1998 as a way to give back to the community. He went a step further and began the Trent Tucker Youth Program, helping inner city middle school students to develop their character and leadership skills, provide career and educational opportunities, and promote students to take positive risks. Trent is a strong believer in community partnership, working together to provide a better environment for our children and families. For these reasons, Trent has found a great way to combine his passion for basketball and his commitment to our youth.

Trent Tucker presents the inaugural Trent Tucker Hoop-A-Thon. Proceeds from the fundraiser benefits the Trent Tucker Youth Program dedicated to empowering youth to make positive choices, increase self-respect, and establish a vision for their future. Also, a portion of the funds will benefit The Minnesota Helps -- Bridge Disaster Fund, collaboration of local funders to facilitate local contributions to disaster relief efforts to help the victims, rescuers, and families affected by the bridge collapse.

Hoop-A-Thon Details
High School Varsity basketball teams (Both Boys and Girls) are invited to participate. Each participant is responsible for finding a minimum of 7 sponsors to pledge a monetary amount per made free throw, or a straight pledge. On Hoop-A-Thon day there will be 3 participants at each basket and they will have 60 minutes to shoot 100 free throws each. Once you know how many members of your team will be able to participate you can call and sign up for a start time. The times are as follows: 9-10am, 10-11am, 11-12pm, 12-1pm, 1-2pm. Please don’t wait to the last minute because the spots might be filled up!

Coaches Role
We encourage coaches to participate as well in the event….don’t be shy! Because you have the best access to each participant, we are asking that you collect the sponsorship money within a week after the event, or by November 13. Please note that all checks should be made out to the Trent Tucker Non-Profit Organization. We appreciate your cooperation in this fundraiser and hope that you do participate in this exciting event.

INCENTIVES
To embrace the importance of TEAM, we are throwing in an incentive to make your free throws. Trent Tucker has agreed to facilitate a basketball practice for the TEAM who makes the most free throws on November 3. Therefore, the more TEAM members you have participating, the better chance you will have to have Trent come to your school! We only have 210 spots for the day, so get signed up!

Also, there will be an award for the boy and girl who have the highest monetary pledges post Hoop-A-Thon.

Coaches Time line

October 1: Distribute Pledge Forms to players on both Boys and Girls Varsity teams. Explain to players the details of the fundraiser and the dates the sponsorship forms are do.

October 12: (or before Oct 12 )
Send Hoop-A-Thon participation confirmation to Kathy@trenttucker.org and the number of participants that will be shooting. At this time you will be able to select your TEAMS start time on November 3. You can also call Kathy at (952) 844-6547.

October 31:

Remind all players when their start is and to bring Pledge Form to the Hoop-A-Thon.

They will not be able to participate without it. If they have straight pledges, they can bring the money to the Hoop-A-Thon.

November 3:

Hoop-A-Thon day at De La Salle. Please have students begin collection pledge amounts the following week.

November 12:

Mail remaining money in from pledges. We will notify you if you are the Winning Team and set up the date you want Trent Tucker to facilitate your practice. Good Luck!

Mail to:
Trent Tucker Non-Profit Organization
8060 Golden Valley Road
Golden Valley, MN 55427

Thanks to the readers for the help in making this the premier site for up to the minute girls basketball news & information. If you have some news, go to my profile and email me.

next up: Around the area news.

Ready for the 2008 Summer

#2 posting 8.24.2007
your daily dose of girls basketball news & information

SUMMER 2008
FURY
The Minnesota Fury AAU Club is excited about the 2008 season after an outstanding inaugural season this summer! They will be looking for players ages 13U through 16U for next years teams.

The Fury have an impressive website (http://www.minnesotafury.com/) with a one-of-a-kind statistics package. Their top three priorities are College Exposure, Player Development, and Fun!

Teams are filling up fast. Email Nick Storm at nstorm@minnesotafury.com to be apart of the “Baby Blue & Gold.”

METRO STARS
Steve Reiter (Blaine High School) will be the head coach of the Metro Stars 15U team and Robert Grace (Mpls Southwest High School) will be the head coach of the Metro Stars 13U team for the 2008 AAU season.

Metro Stars team fees for the 2008 AAU season will be $400 per player at the 12U-19U age levels. Program director Andy Meinhardt says, "We encourage people to try and find better value for their dollar than the Metro Stars!"

THANK YOU MESSAGE
Rachelle Eckmann and Family sends a personal thank you to Scott Antl and Marcus Wilhelm for the hours of time that they put into the Minnesota Stars Program and working with all their Kids. "They are two great up and coming coaches, their leadership and guidance is priceless."

Now it is my turn to thank the readers. If you have news, go to my profile and email me.

next up: I figure there will be at least five more postings