Spy Out & About: 8AAAA and 5AAA Championships

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

Here is another in the great spy out & Abouts:

5AAA CHAMPIONSHIP
Rogers 54 Becker 44
A close game throughout. Becker took the early lead and held it until the 5:28 mark in the first half. Brianna Mastey of Becker and Casey Mann of Rogers led their respective teams early. Rogers took the lead at 17-16 and held it the balance of the first half, leading 26-19.The second half, Rogers built the lead to nine @ 36-27 only to see Becker come back and take a one possession lead at 42-41. Rogers quickly regained the lead and held it the rest of the game. Mann and Jen Dowd lead Rogers with 19 & 18 respectively. Brianna Mastey led Becker with 28.

Earlier I saw the second half of:
8AAAA Championship
Tech 45 Brainerd 39
Brainerd led at halftime 19-18. Second half was back and forth with Tech taking the lead at 35-34 for good at about the 4:00 mark. Tech's last 12 points came on ft by Jordan Sears and Erin Foley. Brainerd was led by Emily Theising with 18. She fouled out with 3:55 left and the score deadlocked at 34. Sears led Tech with 20 and Foley had 10. Tech held Megan Bates, one of Brainerd's leading scorers, without a point.

thanks Spy. It takes a team to bring you the information.

Next up: Tomorrow morning (or is it today)

Out & About: St. Cloud Tech/St. Cloud Apollo

#10 posting 2.8.2008
your daily dose of girls basketball news & information

ST. CLOUD TECH tigers 50
ST. CLOUD APOLLO eagles 47

In the St. Cloud battle of St. Cloud it was #7 Tech rallying behind the sharpshooting of Hannah Zwiener to beat host and rival Apollo 50-47. Tech led at half by 9, and then trailed 39-36 before Zwiener hit three 3s in four possessions. In the first meeting Tech won 67-51. Tech is now 22-1 with a 15 game winning streak. Apollo is 11-10 on the year and has lost four in a row.

Tech's Kristin Johnson put her stamp on the first half. She had 15 points and started the scoring for the evening with two a secondary break. The next Tech points came from a Hannah Zwiener three. She had six on the night. Johnson & Zwiener had 20 each for the night. Apollo tied the game at 7 all. During that time Tech was stuck in a 7 possession drought. Apollo hung around trailing 16-13. Then the Eagles fell into a 1/10 offensive sequence and the Tigers roared with an 11-2 run. Johnson had 9 straight points for Tech. The Tigers biggest lead came at 30-17 after an old fashioned three point play by Johnson with 1:12 left in the half. Amanda Faber was fouled for Apollo and she made the first, but missed the second. Bako Orionzi grabbed the miss for Apollo and eventually Andrea Hagberg drained a three with under 15 seconds left in the half. Tech led at half 30-21.

It was a rather slow start for Tech in the second half. They only scored twice in their first 19 possessions. Again it was the one-two punch of Johnson and Zwiener that connected. Apollo took advantage of the icy offensive Tech play with a 16-5 run. Hagberg had 7 in the run. Orionzi tied the game at 35 on a put back, and then two possessions later Alison Gray scored on transition for a 37-35 lead. The high water mark for Apollo came on another put back at 6:38 left, this time by Gray for a 39-36 lead. Two Tech possessions later Zwiener unleashed her bombs on the Eagles. She scored three 3s in four possessions and Johnson finished the 11-2 run with a post up. Tech was back in the saddle 47-41 with 2:41 left. Brook Dunsmoor scored on a nifty move inside to cut the margin to 47-43. Then Tech was trying to kill the clock. Apollo had to foul and picked up their 6th foul as Hagberg fouled Sears. Sears apparently said something and the refs slapped her with a tech. That gave the ball back to Apollo. Alison Gray made both tech shots to cut the margin to 47-45 and it was still Apollo's ball. Gray had problems getting the ball in from the left sideline and passed to the lower left corner. The ball went out of bounds and Tech dodged a bullet. Sears was fouled again and redeemed herself at the line pushing the lead back to four. Gray scored inside after a dish by Hagberg. Erin Foley was fouled, but she missed her front end. Gray picked up the board for Apollo and Hagberg missed on a three attempt. Foley got the missed shot and again was fouled. She went to the line with 38.2 seconds left and delivered the front end. Brook Dunsmoor got the board. An Apollo time out with 31.6 seconds left put the ball in play. Hagberg missed again, but Hailey Dunsmoor gathered the rebound. She missed her shot and Johnson boarded and was fouled. She missed both shots. Hailey Dunsmoor got the rebound off the second miss. Another Apollo time out set up the final possession with 7.8 seconds left. Gray took the 3 from the right side and it was off the mark. Tech avoided the Eagles upset bid.

photos: #1. Hannah Zwiener connects on one of her six 3s on the night. This one is in the first half with defender Bako Orionzi. #2. Andrea Hagberg drives in with Jordyn Sears in pursuit. photo by Teas (back after a three game absence).

key: player (grad year) points, possessions, pp100, floor %
ST. CLOUD TECH
STARTERS
Kristin Johnson (08) 20, 19, 105.3, .526 A tale of two halves. Looked strong in the first half with 15 points, seemed to tire out in the second half. even so, she has improved over last season. She was playing a lot of minutes straight. offensively can even be more effective by widening her stance and sitting down, her hands are good. She also should try to seal when the ball is on top. She basically is looking for the ball from the wing. right now she is suggesting the ball be passed in, she needs to demand the ball inside. defensive boards would come to her more than she going for them. on free throws toes are pointing to the sideline, it looks like she is shooting side saddle.
Erin Foley (08) 4, 13, 30.8, .154 perimeter. only basket was off a drive. doesn't recognize when Johnson is open. had the most d boards in the second half.
Hannah Zwiener (09) 20, 15, 133.3, .467 3 point bomber. in the second half she was dropping the treys from up top. strong frame.
Jordyn Sears (08) 6, 16, 37.5, .188 guard. likes to score in transition. She scored on her own steals as she picked Apollo guards pockets. runs the floor. Needs to avoid the urge to talk to refs. attempted 3s.
Megan Gray (09) 0, 0, 0.0, .000 invisible---no stats
BENCH
Rachel Zwiener (11) 0, 3, 0.0, .000 back up perimeter.
Emily Brinkman (08) 0, 0, 0.0, .000 back up post

ST. CLOUD APOLLO
STARTERS
Alison Gray (09) 12, 14, 85.7, .357 perimeter, scored on offensive put backs. runs the floor.
Courtney Lynch (10) 4, 10, 40.0, .200 perimeter, scored on drives. point guard, needs to keep vision up.
Andrea Hagberg (08) 16, 16, 100.0, .500 guard, lefty, gets down the floor fast, releases quickly. Scored in transition, likes to spin left to right. has 3 range.
Brooke Dunsmoor (08) 8, 13, 61.5, .385 smaller post. was sealed on defense. picked up early fouls. played stronger in the second half.
Bako Orionzi (08) 4, 9, 44.4, .222 athletic perimeter. scored on put backs. Tech sagged off her on offense. rebounded well.
BENCH
Amanda Faber (09) 3, 1, 300.0, 1.000 back up post.
Moriah Novacinski (10) 0, 2, 0.0, .000
Hailey Dunsmoor (10) 0, 1, 0.0, .000 very active defensively.

TRENCH PLAYER
Hannah Zwiener

BY THE NUMBERS
St. Cloud Tech 50, 66, 75.8, .333
St. Cloud Apollo 47, 66, 71.2, .348
made 3s: Tech 6, Apollo 1
ftm/pftp-pft%: Tech 8/14-.571; Apollo 8/17-.471
bench: Apollo 3, Tech 0

The odd thing is Apollo scored on more possessions.

DEFENSIVE WRAPS
ST. CLOUD TECH
Kristin Johnson 9
Erin Foley 9
Jordyn Sears 8
Hannah Zwiener 3
Emily Brinkman 3
Rachel Zwiener 2
totals: 34

ST. CLOUD APOLLO
Brooke Dunsmoor 7
Hailey Dunsmoor 7
Bako Orionzi 6
Alison Gray 5
Courtney Lynch 4
Amanda Faber 3
Andrea Hagberg 2
totals: 34

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Tech used man most of the night. They also used 2/3. for presses they tried 2/2/1 half court.
Apollo used man most of the night. They used a variety of zones 1/3/1, 2/3, 3/2.
match ups:
(Apollo off/Tech def): Hagberg/Sears; Gray/Gray; Orionzi/H Zwiener; B Dunsmoor/K Johnson; Lynch/Foley;
(Tech off/Apollo def): Sears/Hagberg; Zwiener/Gray; Johnson/Dunsmoor; Foley/Lynch; Gray/Orionzi.

Next up: tomorrow morning

Out & About: Elk River/St. Cloud Tech

#10 posting 12.21.2007
your daily dose of girls basketball news & information

ELK RIVER elks 54.
ST. CLOUD TECH tigers 50

Elk River upset #8 St. Cloud Tech in an 8AAAA match up in Elk River. ER led at half, but fell behind 43-34 before mounting their rally. Fouls, free throws and turnovers dominated this competitive, yet unpolished game.

Elk River struck right away with a three by MaKayla Frericks. Droughts ruled the early portion of the game. ER had droughts of 5, and 5 early on. SCT suffered through a 9 possession dry spell. Neither team was on fire. If we look at the pp100 ER was at 52.9, SCT was at 58.8. Definitely not in the gold zone. ER had 10 turnovers in their first 17 possessions. SCT had four, but their shot selection, and 3 choices hurt them. ER did have a 10-3 run to take a 19-13 lead. Britta Hall and Courtni Metcalfe each had four. SCT caught fire with five straight scoring possessions to inch ahead 21-20. Jordyn Sears had 7 of the 8 points in that run for SCT. ER had a 6-0 run to go up 28-24. Sears hit a free throw before the half ended to make it 28-25. She had 12 in the first half. Also in the first half, fouls were mounting. SCT had Sears, and Kristin Johnson tagged with 3. ER's victims included Tempestt Wilson, Frericks, and Courtni Metcalfe.

SCT broke free from a 34 all tie with a 9-0 run on a 4/5 offensive sequence. ER took a time out at 41-34 to set up their 1/2/1/1 press. It delivered a turnover, but the Elks failed to convert. ER bounced right back with a 8-0 run to inch ahead 44-43 with 7 minutes left. SCT went back in front on two straight scores 47-44. A Wilson basket returned the lead back to ER 48-47. The key moment in the game came with 3:46 left when SCT's center Kristin Johnson picked up her 5th foul on an over the back call. With Johnson out of the way ER had more opportunities to score inside. The game was tied at 48 with 2:27 left. Sears made a steal and was fouled. Sears missed the front end. Wilson got the board. Eventually she drove and missed. Tiffany Cornelius got the rebound and was fouled. She delivered both free throws for advantage ER 50-48. There was 1:51 left when Sears rushed down court and hurried a 3 attempt from the right wing. Hall hauled down the board and ER worked the clock. Eventually Hall was fouled. She made the first, missed the second. Cornelius came up with another key rebound. Wilson was fouled and she too made the first missed the second. So in the long possession ER squeezed two points from two different players for a 52-48 lead. Erin Foley drove the lane and was fouled by Jenna Berkley, her 5th with 42.1 ticks left. She drained both to make it 52-50. ER ran 30 seconds off the clock before Wilson was fouled. She delivered the final points.

photos: #1 Jordyn Sears of SCT on a drive with ER's Britta Hall going up for the block. #2 Jenna Berkley drives left baseline to tie the game at 43. defending is Kristin Johnson, photos by Teas.

key: player, points, possessions, pp100, floor %
ELK RIVER
STARTERS
MaKayla Frericks 6, 12, 50.0, .250 guard, rugged. opened scoring, her turnovers were due to traveling and passing decisions
Tempestt Wilson 13, 23, 56.5, .348 started off as the point, likes to score off the dribble. likes to spin. went to the line six times. 9 of her 13 points from the line. scored only once from the initial offense from the floor. forced offensive at times. defensively boarded well. can get up. has a tendency to lose track of players on back cuts.
Britta Hall 13, 12, 108.3, .583 post player. she likes the elbow shot. worked hard to get Johnson out of the contest.
Courtni Metcalfe 10, 11, 90.9, .455 strong, physical. got into foul trouble in the second half and had only two possessions in the second half. boarded well in the first half.
Jenna Berkley 6, 8, 75.0, .375 ran the point most of the night. got into early foul trouble.
BENCH
Paige Greene 0, 2, 0.0, .000
Tiffany Cornelius 6, 5, 120.0, .600 provided quality minutes off the bench. Came up with key rebounds. delivered when it mattered, made good choices.
Kaitlyn Orrock 0, 1, 0.0, .000
Hannah Sweet 0, 1, 0.0, .000

ST. CLOUD TECH
STARTERS
Jordyn Sears 21, 26, 80.8, .423 more shooting guard than point. quick hands on defense, had a few strips. starts her shot low. shot was off the back rim, needs to keep her hand up on the 3. Also went to the line frequently. rushes free throws like there is a five second clock to get it off. questioned the officials on a call
Kristin Johnson 10, 13, 76.9, .385 post player that has shown improvement over the past year. She is strong and goes after the ball on the board. She needs to sit down, get a wider stance and demand the ball. She also faded on a couple of shots. She needs to go up through the defense. On her free throws she needs to straighten out her feet--they point to the left side line. picked up a couple of offensive fouls, one of which was questionable.
Hannah Zwiener 2, 5, 40.0, .200 needs to step up and deliver more on offense. athletic and has strong legs. picked up 11 defensive wraps, most when Johnson was sitting.
Erin Foley 10, 15, 66.7, .333 guard. more point. did hit a 3. Could assert herself more on offense.
Megan Gray 0, 3, 0.0, .000
BENCH
Janelle Johnson 1, 4, 25.0, .250 younger sister of Kristin. Defensively needs to get quicker and assert herself more
Rachel Zwiener 6, 6, 100.0, .500 younger sister of Hannah. also a perimeter shooter. Hit a 3.

TRENCH PLAYER
Britta Hall

BY THE NUMBERS
Elk River 54, 74, 73.0, .392
St. Cloud Tech 50, 72, 69.4, .361
made 3s: SCT 3, ER 1
made fts: ER 19, SCT 15
bench: SCT 7, ER 6
SCT left 13 points at the free throw line. ER left 8.
Both teams had 16 second chance points.
SCT over relied on the 3 shot. They missed 13 on the night 3/16, a .188 %

DEFENSIVE WRAPS
ELK RIVER
Tempestt Wilson 10
MaKayla Frericks 8
Britta Hall 6
Courtni Metcalfe 6
Jenna Berkley 6
Tiffany Cornelius 3
Paige Green 1
Kaitlyn Orrock 1
Hannah Sweet 1
totals: 42

ST, CLOUD TECH
Hannah Zwiener 11
Kristin Johnson 10
Jordyn Sears 5
Erin Foley 4
Janelle Johnson 3
Rachel Zwiener 3
Megan Gray 1
totals: 37

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
SCT went with man most of the night. They did press late when they were down.
ER opened in man, went to 1/3/1, also used 2/3. In the second half was in man. ER did press full court when down 1/2/1/1.

ALSO TONIGHT
Prior Lake beat North St. Paul 60-49. Prior Lake led 34-24 at halftime. Casey Christian had 20. Christian has the nicest release. Christian had three 3s. Emily Holte had 18. Six players for NSP scored.

Armstrong beat Woodbury in overtime 47-41 in the Woodbury tournament. At halftime it was Woodbury in the lead 18-12. The Royals were held scoreless in overtime. Jessica Thone had 19 for Woodbury with four 3s. After halftime Armstrong locked down on her. Kasey Kallman had 9 points all at the line.
With 30 seconds Woodbury had 2 point lead, but Amanda Viehauser scored on lobs to tie it up. She ended up with 14. Nicole Dooher had 10. With 2:42 left Dooher had a tech.
Steph Loobeek had 15 points, and all 6 of Armstrong's points in overtime.

In Minneapolis, Roosevelt beat Washburn 66-54
Washburn had a 13 point lead 8 minutes into the game. Washburn led at halftime 26-21. Roosevelt opened the second half with a run of 7 - 2, 14 - 4, 25 - 5 (all the same run).

next up: tomorrow