Sikkink Transfers, Recruiting Points, Summer Work

#2 posting 6.5.2008
your daily dose of girls basketball news & information

TRANSFER
Sam Sikkink, 5-9 G from Rochester John Marshall High School has transferred from DMACC (Boone, IA) to continue her career at RCTC (Rochester). "We are glad to get a player of Sam's ability," Yellowjacket Head Coach Steve Hucke stated, "she will give us another outside shooter."

RECRUITING
Sam Webb of the Detroit News writes about a sophomore boy, Brandan Kearney and his recruiting process. Even though this article deals with a male youngster in Detroit, the lessons can apply very easily to females. The points that need to be emphasized -
1. The premature sense of arrival. Players still need to sharpen and develop their skills. They can't be satisfied where they are. Potential is just that.
2. get that killer instinct. Players may have the skill yet don't get the job done. Being aggressive is skill that gets overlooked. Seize the day.
3. Basketball IQ. Knowing what to do and when to do it.

SUMMER--WHERE CHAMPIONSHIPS ARE WON
This article is in the Quad City Times about the use of summer time in the development of a program. Davenport Assumption, the 2A state champ, is featured in the article.

SIGNING
Cleveland State has signed Takima Keane of Ontario, Canada.

COACHING NEWS
Ohio women's basketball coach Semeka Randall is in Afghanistan and her 4th blog entry is up.

Allison Kruger has been hired as an assistant coach at South Dakota. Kruger was an assistant at Wayne State. From KSFY.

SCHEDULES
North Dakota has released their 2008-09 women's basketball schedule, their first in transition to a D1 program. The Grand Forks Herald writes about how the Sioux aren't tippy toeing into the fray.

St. Thomas has released their 2008-09 women's non conference basketball schedule.

INJURY
Emily Kaus (Eastview) of the Fury actually dislocated her little finger during the game with North Tartan 15. The finger was put back in, taped together and she returned to action.

If you have summer league or other tournament information, go to my profile and email me. I will get the results up.

Next up: Later today with the championship games at the Battle of the Hardwood.

Swanson Retires, Basketball on the Diamond

#1 posting 6.5.2008
your daily dose of girls basketball news & information

COACHING NEWS
Dick Swanson has retired as girls basketball coach at Duluth Denfeld. He coached for 22 years at the school with 301 career wins. Assistant James Jubenville will be the new coach. From the Duluth News Tribune.

ANOTHER STATE TOURNAMENT
Pacesetter is running their state tournaments this weekend. Crookston is in the hunt for the 5th grade tournament. From the Crookston Times.

ALL STAR GAMES
The 26th annual Columbus Telegram/Central Community College girls basketball All Star game takes place Friday at 6 pm in Columbus, Nebraska. From the Columbus Telegram.

The Michigan All Star game will take place on August 2 in Brighton with four Upper Peninsula All Stars. From the Escanaba Daily Press.

BASKETBALL ON THE DIAMOND
Sam Hildebrandt of Park-Cottage Grove was named the StarTribune's player of the year. Hildebrandt was a starting guard on the Wolfpack's girls basketball team this year.
Other basketball players on the StarTribune first team include Chelsea Durland of Orono; and Samantha McGee of Bloomington Jefferson.
Other basketball players on the StarTribune second team include Chelsea Erickson of Big Lake; Micaela Goris of Lakeville North; and Jenny Ramey of New Life.

Next up: more news

Summer League Out & About: Bloomington Kennedy/Richfield

#4 posting 6.4.2008
your daily dose of girls basketball news & information

Concordia St. Paul Summer League
BLOOMINGTON KENNEDY eagles 4,
RICHFIELD spartans 2
(28-11, 23-27, 23-20)

Summer basketball leagues are up and running, and it was the second night of the Concordia Summer League. This league plays three 14 minute games with the team gaining points for each win. That is why you see a 4-2 score (two points for a win). If you look at the points across the board Kennedy won 74-58. Fouls count as automatic points--1 point for non shooting fouls, and the team keeps the ball, 2 points for shooting fouls. That is why when you look at the pp100 the numbers are extremely high.
As is typical of summer games neither team was at full strength. Kennedy was without Alexis Holt (knee injury) plus Bailey Lund, and Raven Boone among others. Richfield didn't have the Januarys.

Richfield led early in game one 3-0. Shakila Boler arrived as the game was in progress. Once she took the floor the game changed. Kennedy outscored the Spartans 28-8 the rest of the first game. Boler had 11 points in that contest. Kennedy scored on six straight possessions and 11 of 12 to really put the game out of reach. The Eagles used the flex offense and were crisp in their execution. Richfield had a six possession drought when Kennedy had their initial burst.

Richfield jumped out to a 10-1 lead in game two. They scored on their first five possessions. It was Jamie Noonan that had the hot hand for the Spartans with 11 points in game two. Kennedy roared back with five straight scores to close the gap to 14-13. The scorers messed up and gave Richfield a couple of Kennedy points. With the added points Richfield stretched their lead to 24-16. Four straight Kennedy scores cut the difference to 26-23. Boler had seven straight points to put Kennedy in position to take the game. The last 1:14 of game two ended up scoreless.

Aubrey Davis had the hot hand at the start of the third game. She had eight straight points including two 3s to put the Eagles up 9-4. Kennedy scored on seven of the first eight possessions as they built a 15-6 lead. The Spartans battled back with Jamie Noonan scoring eight straight for Richfield including two 3s. That cut the margin to 17-15. With two minutes left Kennedy milked their flex. Kim Campbell grabbed a rebound and was fouled so it was 18-15 and Kennedy still had the ball. Kaylani Edwards drained a three for a 21-15 advantage. With time running out Richfield didn't have enough time to pull out the win.

photos: #1. Jamie Noonan driving the lane. #2. Aubrey Davis lifting off. photos by kja.

key: player, points, possessions, pp100, floor %
BLOOMINGTON KENNEDY
STARTERS
Brittany Zins 13, 12, 108.3, .333 looks to take the 3. took control of the d boards.
Shamara Duwearatchi 0, 1, 0.0, .000 small guard
Kim Campbell 5, 3, 166.7, .333 guard. two points came on the automatic non shooting fouls.
Aubrey Davis 22, 15, 146.7, .600 guard. connected with 3s in game three. also handled point when Boler didn't.
Kaylani Edwards 9, 5, 180.0, .800 post that faces the basket more than plays with her back to the basket. does have 3 range.
BENCH
Shakila Boler 26, 18, 144.4, .667 simply took over. played intense and relaxed. That might sound like a contradiction. Maybe the better word would be confidence and poise. not only led in scoring, but also distributed the ball.
Mikayla 0, 0, 0.0, .000 only played late, late, late in game three.

RICHFIELD
STARTERS
Jamie Noonan 21, 17, 123.5, .529 a three point shooter. Likes the left corner. Had 19 points the last two games.
Mandy Poke 11, 14, 78.6, .357 guard. oddly enough didn't score a point when Richfield won game two. Poke was active with assists. Only one D stop is not up to her standards.
Vanessa Uko 7, 6, 116.7, .500 scored her points in the paint.
Bree 7, 6, 116.7, .500 young player, did hit a three
Kierra Jeffers 1, 1, 100.0, .000 guard
BENCH
Wise 5, 6, 83.3, .333 guard
Jasmine Smith 4, 5, 80.0, .400 runs the floor. passing needs to be sharper. tend to float.

TRENCH PLAYER
Shakila Boler

BY THE NUMBERS
Bloomington Kennedy 75, 54, 138.9, .556
Richfield 56, 55, 101.8, .436
made 3s: Kennedy 8, Richfield 4
ftm/fta-ft%: Kennedy 2/2-1.000; Richfield 3/4-.750
bench: BK 26, Richfield 9
I don't know if this is a trend, but for the second game (charted) in a row the assists outnumber the defensive stops.

DEFENSIVE STOPS
BLOOMINGTON KENNEDY
Brittany Zins 9
Kim Campbell 5
Shakila Boler 5
Aubrey Davis 3
Kaylani Edwards 2
Shamara Duwearatchi 1
totals: 25

RICHFIELD
Jamie Noonan 6
Jasmine Smith 5
Vanessa Uko 3
Wise 3
Kierra Jeffers 3
Mandy Poke 1
Bree 1
totals: 22

ASSISTS
BLOOMINGTON KENNEDY
Shakila Boler 10
Aubrey Davis 5
Brittany Zins 4
Kaylani Edwards 4
Shamara Duwearatchi 3
Kim Campbell 1
totals: 27

RICHFIELD
Wise 6
Mandy Poke 5
Kierra Jeffers 5
Jamie Noonan 3
Vanessa Uko 2
Jasmine Smith 2
Bree 1
totals: 24

Next up: tomorrow morning

Out & About: Metro Stars 19s/Metro Stars Black

#3 posting 6.4.2008
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 semifinals
METRO STARS 19s 59, METRO STARS BLACK 51

In a civil war game it was the older Metro Stars sisters beating the younger sisters 59-51. These two have had some serious battles over the years and, usually a 19 team doesn't have much to play for. They don't practice as often as the younger teams. They are already headed to school. The youngsters are still pursuing their collegiate dreams. Metro Stars 19s did have something to play for. They were out for a little revenge. Last year MSB (then the 15s) beat MS 19s (then MSB) in the Summer Jam.

If you look at the pp100 numbers you might be surprised to see neither team was that effective at the start of the game. MS19 wanted to play a more deliberate style since their bench was thin. In the first 12 possessions combined both teams scored just once for an extremely chilly .167 floor % and a pp100 of 33.3. The Veterans warmed up quicker with a three by Kayla Blom starting them off on a 13-5 run. At the half it was the vets up 22-14. To give you an idea of the pace of the game both teams only had 22 possessions to open the game compared with 37 in earlier contests (top side) or 30 (average).

Someone must have increased the diameter of the hoops at halftime because everyone was scoring fast and frequently. As icy as the first half start was the second was scintillating. Combined there were nine scores in the first 10 possessions. MSB scored the first five times. At one point they cut the margin to 26-25. Three of their scores were 3 point plays of one sort or another. After the initial flurry it was 30-26 vets. They stayed hot, the pups cooled off. The 19s went on a 15-4 run to lead 45-30. They provided their own three 3 point possessions run. The youngsters did outscore the vets the rest of the way 21-14, but the time ran out on their rally.

A couple of notes: MS19 coach Brian Frye was the best dressed coach in the tournament with his tie. Tina Fisher last year played with the MS19 (then Metro Stars Black). She is playing with the current edition MSB because the MS19 will be finished with their season soon.
Sam Mehr faced high school teammate DaNae Moore (Eastview) as did Stefanie Sension vs Kara Elofson (Hopkins).

photos: #1 Laura Weber drives around Lizzi Naumann. #2 Brianna Tisch rises above the rest in the lane. photos by Teas.

key: player, school, points, possessions, pp100, floor %
METRO STARS 19s
STARTERS
Laura Weber, Eden Prairie 12, 9, 133.3, .667 post. looking strong. good feet.
Courtney Boylan, Chaska 12, 10, 120.0, .600 point guard. very good awareness. plays both ends. led both teams with assists and d wraps.
Frances Wehrwein, DeLaSalle 3, 4, 75.0, .500 guard. hit a jumper
Adrea Holler, Eagan 7, 7, 100.0, .429 perimeter. good size. has 3 range. can mix it up inside.
Carolyn Dienhart, Cretin-Derham Hall 3, 5, 60.0, .200 guard. made a 3.
BENCH
Stefanie Sension, Hopkins 7, 8, 87.5, .375 post with guard tendencies.
Kayla Blom, Centennial 8, 4, 200.0, .750 guard. knocked down two 3s.
DaNae Moore, Eastview 7, 4, 175.0, .750 perimeter. runs the floor. drives the baseline well.

METRO STARS BLACK
STARTERS
Brittany Zins, Bloomington Kennedy 5, 11, 45.5, .182 perimeter. one three dropped, six didn't.
Tina Fisher, Park-Cottage Grove 4, 5, 80.0, .400 inside muscle.
Rachael Moen, Burnsville 2, 4, 50.0, .250 point guard.
Lizzi Naumann, Totino-Grace 2, 3, 66.7, .333 post. needs to be more aggressive on offense
Sam Mehr, Eastview 8, 4, 200.0, .750 perimeter. 3 range. developing pull up. runs the floor.
BENCH
Alyssa Marschner, Armstrong 9, 7, 128.6, .429 cashed in three 3s. delivered late in the game.
Brianna Tisch, Chaska 6, 6, 100.0, .500 post. all her points came in the second half.
Kara Elofson, Hopkins 6, 4, 150.0, .750 perimeter. all her points came in the second half. Drove the lane hard and scored when hit.
Molly Duehn, Burnsville 7, 7, 100.0, .429 taller perimeter. made a three.
Kirstee Rotty, Farmington 2, 1, 200.0, 1.000 point guard.

TRENCH PLAYER
Courtney Boylan

BY THE NUMBERS
Metro Stars 19 59, 51, 115.7, .529
Metro Stars Black 51, 52, 98.1, .423
made 3s/&1s: MS19 4/1; MSB 6/2
ftm/fta-ft%: MS19 9/13-.692; MSB 5/10-.500
bench: MSB 30, MS19 22
This was the first time that the assist totals were higher than the D Wraps numbers for both teams.

DEFENSIVE WRAPS
METRO STARS 19s
Courtney Boylan 6.5
Laura Weber 4
Adrea Holler 3
DaNae Moore 2.5
Stefanie Sension 2
Kayla Blom 2
Frances Wehrwein 1
totals: 21

METRO STARS BLACK
Lizzi Naumann 4
Brittany Zins 3
Sam Mehr 3
Molly Duehn 2
Rachael Moen 2
Tina Fisher 1
Alyssa Marschner 1
Brianna Tisch 1
Kirstee Rotty 1
totals: 18

ASSISTS
METRO STARS 19s
Courtney Boylan 6
Adrea Holler 5
Kayla Blom 4
Carolyn Dienhart 3
Laura Weber 2
DaNae Moore 2
Frances Wehrwein 1
totals: 23

METRO STARS BLACK
Kara Elofson 4
Alyssa Marschner 3
Rachael Moen 3
Sam Mehr 3
Molly Duehn 2
Kirstee Rotty 2
Brittany Zins 1
Tina Fisher 1
Lizzi Naumann 1
totals: 20

Next up: later tonight with an out & about from the Concordia St. Paul Summer League

Out & About: North Tartan 15s/MN Stars DeWitt

#2 posting 6.4.2008
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 semifinals
NORTH TARTAN 15s 61, MN STARS DEWITT 41

The North Tartan 15s advanced to the 16u finals with another solid win, this time against MN Stars DeWitt 61-41. Sari Noga blistered the nets for 25 points with five three pointers.

Early on the game went back and forth. There were nine lead changes and four ties in the first nine minutes. Both teams were fairly deliberate in their attack, waiting for the right shot at the right time. NT15 didn't take the lead for good until Noga hit her first 3 from the right wing to make it 18-16. Both teams were hot in their first 17 possessions with NT15 checking in with 129.4 and MSD coming in right at 100. NT15 continued their hot hands and DeWitt cooled off. The rest of the half NT15 out scored DeWitt 13-7. Noga had 14 at half and Angela Christianson chipped in with 9 as NT15 led 35-24.

As hot as the first half was, the second was definitely cooler. MSD scored three straight times to cut the NT15 lead to 35-30. NT15 only scored once in the first 10 possessions of the second half. With MSD hanging around at 37-32, Noga hit for three 3s in the next five NT15 possessions to expand the lead back out to 47-32. MSD had a seven possession concurrent drought. NT15 outscored MSD 14-7 the rest of the game.

photos: #1. Rachael Banham pulls up for a shot over Catavia Jones. #2. Kayla Hirt grabs an offensive rebound with Jones close by and Europe Guy #21 looking on. photos by Teas.

key: player, school, points, possessions, pp100, floor %
NORTH TARTAN 15
STARTERS
Katy Winge, Minnetonka 4, 7, 57.1, .286 perimeter, lean. nice pull up
Angela Christianson, Alexandria 9, 8, 112.5, .625, perimeter, tall, lean, will crash the offensive glass.
Ameshia Kearney, Minneapolis South 0, 3, 0.0, .000 point guard
Kayla Hirt, Bemidji 11, 8, 137.5, .750 post, had a steal on anticipation and a lay up. can handle the ball and run the floor. good hands
Gabby Boever, Worthington 6, 6, 100.0, .500 point guard. decent speed and vision.
BENCH
Sari Noga, Parkers Prairie 25, 11, 227.3, .909 lights out shooter. pure shooter. ice water shooter. is strong and will get in the thick of things. If she has her hands on the ball it will stay with her.
Rachael Banham, Lakeville North 3, 7, 42.9, .286 guard. looked to score of the drive.
Morgan Van Riper-Rose, Eden Prairie 2, 4, 50.0, .250 perimeter. has range
Laura Melquist, Rochester Lourdes 1, 1, 100.0, 1.000 post. strong. controlled the d boards.

MN STARS DEWITT
STARTERS
Mackenzie Wolter, Norwood-Young America 3, 5, 60.0, .200 point guard. led both teams with 7 assists. however also had a few passing errors
Jenny Houle, Minneapolis South 6, 5, 120.0, .400 3 point shooter. all points from behind the arc
Abby Weiss, Martin County West 12, 11, 109.1, .455 perimeter. has 3 range. did finish an &1.
Gina Lange, Forest Lake 6, 11, 54.5, .273 post. has good size. needs to be aware of position on the floor.
Amanda Wagner, New Prague 2, 9, 22.2, .222 guard. scrapper. physical. both points at the line. led her team in d wraps
BENCH
Europe Guy, Minneapolis South 6, 6, 100.0, .500 perimeter. lefty. needs to be more of a factor on defense.
Catavia Jones, St. Paul Central 4, 3, 133.3, .667 post. decent athlete. needs polish. good upside.
Samantha Robinson-Ricks, St. Paul Central 2, 1, 200.0, 1.000 perimeter. needs to keep her mind on the game and let the other stuff go.
Jessica Leer, Coon Rapids 0, 3, 0.0, .000 perimeter.

TRENCH PLAYER
Sari Noga 200+

BY THE NUMBERS
North Tartan 15s 61, 55, 110.9, .545
MN Stars DeWitt 41, 54, 75.9, .352
made 3s/&1s: NT 5/0; MSD 4/2
ftm/fta-ft%: NT 10/14-.714, MSD 7/10-.700
bench: NT 31, MSD 12

DEFENSIVE WRAPS
NORTH TARTAN 15s
Sari Noga 6.5
Laura Melquist 5
Kayla Hirt 4.5
Rachael Banham 4
Katy Winge 3
Angela Christianson 3
Gabby Boever 3
Ameshia Kearney 1
Totals: 30

MN STARS DEWITT
Amanda Wagner 5.5
Jenny Houle 4
Catavia Jones 3
Mackenzie Wolter 3
Abby Weiss 2.5
Gina Lange 2
Samantha Robinson-Ricks 1
Jessica Leer 1
totals: 22

ASSISTS
NORTH TARTAN 15s
Ameshia Kearney 4
Rachael Banham 4
Morgan Van Riper-Rose 4
Katy Winge 3
Gabby Boever 3
Angela Christianson 2
Sari Noga 2
Laura Melquist 1
totals: 23

MN STARS DEWITT
Mackenzie Wolter 7
Abby Weiss 3
Jessica Leer 2
Amanda Wagner 2
Gina Lange 2
Jenny Houle 1
Europe Guy 1
totals: 18

Next up: Metro Stars 19 vs Metro Stars Black

Callahan Hired at Crown, Lynx Still Perfect

#1 posting 6.4.2008
your daily dose of girls basketball news & information

COACHING NEWS
Matt Callahan has been hired as Women's Basketball coach at Crown College. He had been the girls basketball coach at New Life. New Life finished 3rd in the Minnesota State Tournament this past year.

Mary Grothe has been hired as an assistant women's basketball coach at North Dakota State. She was a director of basketball operations at Wyoming. NDSU will only carry 11 scholarship players this year saving the balance for the 2009 class. From the Fargo Forum.

KC Cowgill has been hired as an assistant women's basketball coach at Western Illinois. She is a Grand Island Catholic Central grad.

Ohio women's basketball coach Semeka Randall has a day 3 blog on her trip to Qatar and Afghanistan.

MORE MYAS
The Minnesota Crush won the 15u MYAS tournament last weekend at St. Paul Humboldt. They beat the Blizzard 44-36.

BASKETBALL ON THE DIAMOND
Becker is in the state softball tournament with basketball players Rachel Gilbert and Jessie Althoff playing in the outfield.

ALL STAR GAMES
The April Minnesota Coaches association All Star Games are now up on SportsBrain on YouTube. Only the Sunday games between 3rd place game between A vs AAAA and the championship between AA vs AAA.

The 11th annual Jim Shaw/Northwest Illinois All-Star Basketball Game will take place tonight at Lanark Eastland High School. The girls take the court at 5:30 pm. From the Dubuque Telegraph Herald at the end of the article.

The 20th annual South Dakota-Nebraska All Star Game will take place on June 14 in Yankton, SD. From the Rapid City Journal.

BASKETBALL PLUS
Jimmy Rogers has been coaching and mentoring a boat load of girls basketball players. Here is a list of players he has worked with at Basketball Plus. Rogers is currently an assistant at Minneapolis South.
I have know coach Rogers since the olden days back in the early 90s when he was at Minneapolis Southwest as a student and I coached the girls at South. His sister Luanna played basketball with the Tigers.

SUMMER LEAGUE
The Concordia St. Paul Summer League has started and today the big battle is between Richfield and Bloomington Kennedy at 8 pm.

AWARDS
Mikayla Barondeau of Frederick-Leola was honored with the Elite 15 award in Sioux Falls last weekend. Barondeau is headed to Northern State. From the Aberdeen American News.

LYNX 5-0
The Minnesota Lynx are 5-0 after a 85-81 win at Atlanta. From the StarTribune. The Atlanta Constitution writes about the "almost" upset.

Next up: later today with the North Tartan 15 vs MN Stars DeWitt Semifinal in the 16 division and the Metro Stars 19 vs Metro Stars Black in the 17 division at the Battle of the Hardwood.

Out & About: NC Heat/MN Stars Borowicz

#8 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
17u semifinals
NC HEAT 48, MN STARS BOROWICZ 41

For the third time this season NC Heat beat MN Stars Borowicz. This was a defensive struggle that broke NCH's way in the second half with a 14-3 run. The atmosphere in this game was intense with many of the top 08s plus the egos involved. This game meant something.

Like the Minnesota State AAU championship NCH took an early lead at 4-0. This time MSB got on the board much faster stopping the scoreless streak at six. MSB pulled in front at 14-13 on a transition lay up by Cassie Rochel. Another transition lay up by Brittany Chambers put MSB up 16-13, for their biggest margin. NCH finished the half with a 7-4 run to tie the contest at 20. Annie Berner scored on a reverse lay up to tie the game.

Another slow start by MSB put NCH up 24-20. MSB's drought was only four possessions however and they scraped and scrapped back into the contest with a lay up by Theairra Taylor to make the score 31-30. Then MSB's offense hit a road block with a 2/15 sequence---a 13.3 pp100. Eight of those possessions ended in turnovers. NCH made use of six points off second chancers as they stretched their lead out to 45-33. An 8-3 run by MSB, with two 3s by Taylor cut the margin down at the end to 48-41.

MSB had a few players missing. The biggest was Amber Dvorak at 6-7. they also had Tyisha Smith and Danielle Mangen missing (both sub 5-5). Sarah Hintz of Woodbury was on the bench in street clothes. She will be returning to the court in about three weeks.

Earlier in the day I caught the end of the NC Heat vs Minne Southern Magic quarterfinals. When I came in NCH led 50-40. Then Tayler Hill took over. NCH won the game 66-48. NCH had eight straight scoring possessions with Hill scoring eight straight points and 10 total in the 16-8 run.

photos: #1 Cassie Rochel peers around Annie Berner looking for an angle for her shot. #2 Brittany Chambers wrestles with Berner and Tayler Hill for a ball. photos by Teas.

key: player, schools, points, possessions, pp100, floor %
NC HEAT
STARTERS
Tayler Hill, Minneapolis South 19, 19, 100.0, .526 went to the line six times.
Annie Berner, Forest Lake 8, 9, 88.9, .444 post player was a force on the boards and played with determination. Again made nice moves inside with the reverse lay up. came up with key rebounds. Now needs to perform with this passion and intensity consistently.
Mandy Poke, Richfield 0, 3, 0.0, .000 guard
Megan Nipe, Centennial 6, 12, 50.0, .333 perimeter. struggled at the line leaving six potential points there.
Katya Leick, Park-Cottage Grove 6, 5, 120.0, .600 consistently delivers on the work areas. strong perimeter type. runs the floor. hit a shot in the right corner.
BENCH
Brittany Dyshaw, Eagan 2, 6, 33.3, .167 perimeter
Tempestt Wilson, Elk River 4, 5, 80.0, .400 guard
Jamelia Hudnell, DeLaSalle 2, 2, 100.0, .500 guard
Maggie Weiers, New Prague 1, 1, 100.0, 1.000 post. was short on the free throw
Kayla Larson, Hutchinson 0, 1, 0.0, .000 perimeter
Sarah Bingea, Delano 0, 1, 0.0, .000 perimeter

MN STARS BOROWICZ
STARTERS
Theairra Taylor, St. Paul Central 10, 19, 52.6, .211 perimeter. her 3 shot wasn't dropping early, did knock down a couple late in the game.
Brittany Chambers, Jordan 9, 11, 81.8, .364 point guard that plays with a lot of energy
Rachelle Eckmann, St. James 3, 8, 37.5, .125 forward.
Leah Dietel, Jordan 2, 5, 40.0, .200 forward
Cassie Rochel, Lakeville North 8, 5, 160.0, .800 post player. went to the line three times. runs the floor and has great hands.
BENCH
Kate Thompson, Wayzata 4, 7, 57.1, .429 6-2 with point guard
Hannah Linz, Eden Valley-Watkins 5, 9, 55.6, .222 3 shooter. hasn't erupted yet. ball handling against pressure needs polishing.
Megan Waytashek, Centennial 0, 1, 0.0, .000 taller perimeter

TRENCH PLAYER
Annie Berner big impact inside

BY THE NUMBERS
NC Heat 48, 64, 75.0, .406
MN Stars Borowicz 41, 65, 63.1, .292
made 3s/&1s: MSB 4/2; NCH 2/0
ftm/fta-ft%: MSB 12/17-.706; NCH 14/27-.519
bench: NCH 9, MSB 9
NCH was a cool .519 at the line. However with the fouls MSB had to sit some of their players.

DEFENSIVE WRAPS
NC HEAT
Annie Berner 9
Katya Leick 8
Tayler Hill 6.5
Megan Nipe 5
Mandy Poke 4
Brittany Dyshaw 2
Tempestt Wilson 2
Sarah Bingea 1
Kayla Larson 0.5
totals: 38

MN STARS BOROWICZ
Cassie Rochel 8
Brittany Chambers 7
Theairra Taylor 6
Rachelle Eckmann 4
Kate Thompson 3
Hannah Linz 3
Megan Waytashek 2
Leah Dietel 1
totals: 34

ASSISTS
NC HEAT
Tayler Hill 4
Brittany Dyshaw 4
Annie Berner 3
Megan Nipe 3
Katya Leick 3
Mandy Poke 1
Jamelia Hudnell 1
Kayla Larson 1
totals: 20

MN STARS BOROWICZ
Brittany Chambers 6
Kate Thompson 3
Hannah Linz 2
Rachelle Eckmann 1
Leah Dietel 1
Cassie Rochel 1
Megan Waytashek 1
totals: 15

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

Out & About: NC Heat/North Tartan Larson

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

This game took place on Saturday, May 31, 2008
Battle of the Hardwood
Woodbury High School
17u Pool Play
NC HEAT 58, NORTH TARTAN LARSON 52

NC Heat topped North Tartan Larson 58-52 in pool play on Saturday. It marked the first time this year I have charted NC Heat and they did not top 100 pp100. Also NTL had a thin bench with only two subs. NCH had their full contingent. NTL was missing Rey Robinson, Jennifer Dowd (ankle), and their two Iowa players Amanda Zimmerman (HS softball tournament) and Chelsea Poppens (recovering from the Parkersburg tornado).

NC Heat got out to a quick 8-0 lead. Both Megan Nipe and Tayler Hill had &1 opportunities they converted in the early lead. NCH had four possessions that they converted for three points in the first half. NTL opened with a six possession drought. The first half maintained that spread for the most part. NTL did close to 20-16 after a coast to coast rebound and finish by Suriya McGuire. At half time it was 29-24 NCH.

The same slow start damaged NTL in the second half. This time it was a five possession drought. NCH was on fire with four straight scores. The Heat had an 8-0 run for a 37-24 lead. The biggest spread came at 44-28 after the Heat's 7/9 offensive sequence to start the second half. At that point NCH had a pp100 of exactly 100. The rest of the game they struggled at 63.6 pp100. NCH had a five possession drought that started the slow down. NTL finished with a 24-14 run. With 1:57 to go NTL closed to 55-51. Shakila Boler led the main thrust for NTL with 10 points in a 14-5 run and a 6/7 offensive sequence. Tayler Hill responded with two free throws to push NCH back up 57-51. Boler didn't finish a possession the rest of the game. Both teams combined had six straight empty possessions. Suriya McGuire made one free throw on the last NTL possession. Tayler Hill added one free throw on the last NCH possession. Megan Nipe grabbed the miss on the second shot and they ran out the clock.

photos: #1. Megan Nipe shoots with a hand in the face provided by Kelsey Florian. #2 Shakila Boler rises up for shot with Mandy Poke defending. #3 Katie Loberg finishing after making a steal. photos by kja

key: player, school, points, possessions, pp100, floor %
NC HEAT
STARTERS
Mandy Poke, Richfield 6, 10, 60.0, .300 guard. scored in transition twice
Megan Nipe, Centennial 10, 7, 142.9, .571 understands the game. in the right spot at the right time. had two &1s.
Tayler Hill, Minneapolis South 25, 17, 147.0, .647 the glue. had three 3s on the day. went to the line six times. When there is a crisis or a needed basket Hill steps up.
Annie Berner, Forest Lake 6, 5, 120.0, .600 post. has good feet. made a nice reverse lay up. good upside
Katya Leick, Park-Cottage Grove 5, 8, 62.5, .375 forward. hard hat/lunch bucket type player.
BENCH
Maggie Weiers, New Prague 6, 3, 200.0, 1.000 post, provided good minutes off the bench
Brittany Dyshaw, Eagan 0, 3, 0.0, .000 guard with length, and big wing span.
Tempestt Wilson, Elk River 0, 6, 0.0, .000 guard. forced action at times.
Sarah Bingea, Delano 0, 2, 0.0, .000 perimeter
Kayla Larson, Hutchinson 0, 3, 0.0, .000 guard
Jamelia Hudnell, DeLaSalle 0, 2, 0.0, .000 guard

NORTH TARTAN LARSON
STARTERS
Shakila Boler, Bloomington Kennedy 18, 14, 128.6, .571 point guard. scores off the drive. good pull up. Tried to carry NTL on her shoulders.
Taylor Young, Edina 1, 6, 16.7, .167 perimeter . needs to keep ball tighter/lower on the dribble.
Kelsey Florian, Roseville 4, 8, 50.0, .250 forward/perimeter. runs the floor.
Katie Loberg, Princeton 12, 10, 120.0, .600 post player. crashed the boards for six points on second chancers. athletic and has flow.
Suriya McGuire, Minneapolis Roosevelt 10, 12, 83.3, .417. acrobatic with the ball. runs the floor. hangs in the air. did make one 3.
BENCH
Megan Lauck, Mounds View 1, 13, 7.7, .077 forward. needs to sharpen passing and make better choices against pressure.
Carly Rothfusz, Eden Prairie 6, 4, 150.0, .750 perimeter, long, lean. lefty.

TRENCH PLAYER
Once again Tayler Hill

BY THE NUMBERS
NC Heat 58, 66, 87.9, .409
North Tartan Larson 52, 67, 77.6, .388
made 3s/&1s: NCH 3/3; NTL 2/1
ftm/fta-ft%: NTL 14/23-.609; NCH 11/18-.611
bench: NTL 7, NCH 6
Despite having four more bodies on the bench NCH reserves were outscored by one.
Carly Rothfusz of NTL last year played with NCH.

DEFENSIVE WRAPS
NC HEAT
Katya Leick 9
Tayler Hill 7
Annie Berner 6
Megan Nipe 4
Mandy Poke 3
Brittany Dyshaw 3
Jamelia Hudnell 3
Sarah Bingea 2
Maggie Weiers 1
totals: 38

NORTH TARTAN LARSON
Katie Loberg 6
Suriya McGuire 6
Shakila Boler 5
Megan Lauck 5
Kelsey Florian 4
Carly Rothfusz 2
Taylor Young 1
totals: 29

ASSISTS
NC HEAT
Katya Leick 6
Tayler Hill 5
Annie Berner 4
Megan Nipe 3
Mandy Poke 2
Brittnay Dyshaw 1
Jamelia Hudnell 1
totals: 22

NORTH TARTAN LARSON
Shakila Boler 7
Suriya McGuire 4
Kelsey Florian 3
Taylor Young 1
Megan Lauck 1
Carly Rothfusz 1
totals: 17

Next up: North Tartan 15 vs Fury

Hjelseth Reconsiders

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

HJELSETH RECONSIDERS
A few weeks ago Gretta Hjelseth of Nevis signed with Michigan Tech. She has reconsidered and is now headed to Jamestown College. From the Jamestown Sun.

Next up: Later today with NC Heat vs North Tartan Larson

Campbell to West Virginia, NBA pp100

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

CAMPBELL TO WEST VIRGINIA
Corrine Campbell, formerly of the Gophers, has landed at West Virginia.

LEGACY AWARD
Gene Roebuck, North Dakota Women's basketball coach, will be getting the North Central Legacy award later in June.

ALL SPORT AWARD
South Dakota State won the female side of the all sport award in the Summit League. The Women's basketball team won the regular season conference title. From KELO TV.

PP100 NBA STYLE
The Wages of Wins looks at the NBA finals and the pp100s of the Lakers and the Celtics.

MORE BASKETBALL ON TRACK
A pair of Red Wing girls basketball players are off to the state track meet: Kim Hovey in the shot put and Brittany Lewis in the triple jump. From the Red Wing Republican Eagle.

Whew

Next up: three more out & abouts from the Battle of the Hardwood:
NC Heat vs North Tartan Larson
North Tartan 15 vs Fury
NC Heat vs MN Stars Borowicz

Smith to NDSU, Downs Retirement, Darks over Whites

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

TRANSFER
Skye Smith of Eastern Wyoming College (a two year school) is headed to North Dakota State. The 5-9 guard is originally from New Orleans.

COACHING NEWS
Western Michigan women's basketball coach Tasha McDowell has finished naming her staff adding Yvette Harris, Glenn Box and Phil Sayers to the staff.
Harris had been a coach at Central Connecticut State and prior to that was an assistant at Michigan.
Box was the coach at Rend Lake College (two year school) in Illinois.
Sayers was with the men's side at WMU last year.
From the Kalamazoo Gazette.

DOWNS RETIREMENT
There will be a retirement party for Chaska girls basketball coach Bob Downs at the Chaska Legion from 4 to 8 pm today. From the Chaska Herald.

NOT TRAVELING THIS SUMMER
Jordan Hooper of Alliance, Nebraska is not doing the summer traveling basketball tours this summer. In the recruiting notes at the end of the Omaha World-Herald.

ALL STAR GAME
The Darks beat the Whites (their terms) 70-56 in the Second Annual Warriors Basketball Classic. Kristine Ortmeier, who is headed to Doane, was named MVP with 16 points for the Darks. From the Fremont Tribune.

The Crossroads Conference beat the Goldenrod Conference 60-48. From the York News-Times.

Next up: Even more news? could it be possible? yes

College Decisions, Badger 09 Preview, Sex Sells?

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

COLLEGE DECISIONS
Erin Morstad of Fergus Falls is headed to the College of St. Scholastica to play women's basketball. Right now she is competing in the state golf tournament. From the Fergus Falls Daily Journal.

Janelle Bagneski of Lake Mills is headed to Davenport University. Bagneski finished up her high school track career with a 3rd place finish in 1600 relay in the Wisconsin State Track meet. From the Watertown Daily Times.

2008-09 PREVIEW
The Wisconsin Badgers have some big shoes to fill with Jolene Anderson leaving. Here is their preview of the 2008-09 season.

NSADC CONFERENCE
Minnesota's Tanisha Smith took part of the National Student-Athlete Development Conference in Orlando and blogs about the experience.

ST. THOMAS TO BRAZIL
St. Thomas women's basketball team is headed to Brazil on August 11.

RANDALL IN AFGHANISTAN
New Ohio women's basketball coach Semeka Randall blogs about her first two days on a trip to Afghanistan.

SEX SELLS?
Bob Sansevere the St. Paul Pioneer Press does a Q&A with Minnesota professor Mary Jo Kane on the portrayal of women athletes in the media. Pay attention to question 3.

Next up: even more news reports

Nilsen, Hobson, Lindahl Hired; MYAS Results

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

COACHING NEWS
Matt Nilsen has been named Head Girls Basketball Coach at Edina. Nilsen has been an Edina girls assistant coach.

Tony Hobson is leaving Hastings College for Fort Hays State. From the Grand Island Independent and the Hutchinson (KS) News.

Keith Lindahl has been hired as women's basketball coach at Minneapolis Community and Technical College. For the past few years he was a coach at Missouri Valley College. Before that he was a coach at Anoka-Ramsey CC, Park Center, and Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted.

MYAS TOURNAMENT
The Battle of the Hardwood wasn't the only tournament around last weekend. MYAS 16 tournament at Hopkins was won by the Comets 31-26 over Swish. In the 17 tournament at Humboldt St. Michael-Albertville beat 43 Hoops Johnson 39-28.

MORE BASKETBALL ON TRACK
Kaitlin Gerber, a Sophomore from Worthington and also plays AAU for 43 Hoops Zuck, qualified for the State Track meet in the 3200.

LINK ADDED
Here is the Worthington Trojan High school Web site.

SUMMER LEAGUES
The Windom Summer League is now the Worthington Summer League.

next up: More news from around the area

Out & About: All Iowa Attack/KLD

#4 posting 6.2.2008
your daily dose of girls basketball news & information

This game took place on Saturday, May 31, 2008
Battle of the Hardwood
Woodbury High School
17u Pool Play
ALL IOWA ATTACK 45, KLD 15

This game was almost the flip side of the first game today. That game featured the high octane offense of NC Heat which set a record for pp100 (137.5) for older teams. In this game it was KLD testing the bottom of the margin with a 28.9 pp100, the second lowest this summer. KLD is a team made up of Rogers players. It was the only school based team in the 17u division. More often than not those teams are usually playing in MYAS events.

It was a slow start for both teams. AIA didn't score a basket until their 7th possession. KLD went longer---their 12th before finding the bottom of the net. It was 6-3 with nine minutes to go when AIA's Sam Abens came in off the bench and struck gold at the end of the rainbow with two consecutive threes. That ignited a 10-3 run. Even then AIA didn't crack the 20 point barrier until the second half. It was AIA up at half 18-10.

The shorthanded KLD team had to deal with another major drought in the second half with an 11 possession dry spell. Later in the game AIA started to get warmed up with a six straight possession scoring run. For the half KLD only scored once off their initial half court offense. There was not a whole lot of drama to report.

AIA lost to Metro Stars Black in the quarterfinals on Sunday.

photos: #1. Britni Tokheim collides with Jess Wheeler. #2. Ally Jensen goes in on the left side with Caitlin Coleman defending. Photos by Teas.

key: player, school, points, possessions, pp100, floor %
ALL IOWA ATTACK
#40 5, 6, 83.3, .500
Jess Wheeler, Ballard 4, 5, 80.0, .250
Kayla Klopfenstein, Linn-Mar 7, 7, 100.0, .429 guard. made a 3.
Mariah Duke, Cedar Rapids Kennedy 5, 7, 71.4, .429 point guard. all her points came in transition.
Ally Jensen, Ballard 5, 7, 71.4, .429 shooting guard. her 3 wasn't dropping, but her defense provided five steals. Also led both teams with five assists.
BENCH
Raelee Sullivan, Osage 0, 5, 0.0, .000 had chances to score on second chancers.
Sam Abens, Knoxville 13, 10, 130.0, .500 perimeter. has an unorthodox shot that goes in. made three 3s on the day. also hit a couple of runners.
Kirsten Orton, Mason City 2, 2, 100.0, .500 runs the floor.
Lucy Montgomery, WDM Valley 0, 2, 0.0, .000 needs to finish in transition
Kirsten Lipps, Algona 4, 2, 200.0, 1.000 post player
#10 0, 0, 0.0, .000

KLD
all players are from Rogers
STARTERS
Heather Johnson 2, 4, 50.0, .250 did score with contact.
Britni Tokheim 2, 6, 33.3, .167 scored on a put back.
Emily Dosman 4, 9, 44.4, .222 post player.
Caitlin Coleman 4, 15, 26.7, .200 went to the line twice. runs the floor. passes sail high.
Amy Stone 0, 5, 0.0, .000 exposes the ball.
BENCH
Megan Coleman 3, 8, 37.5, .250 needs to work on ball control vs pressure.
Dohmen 0, 5, 0.0, .000 needs to work on ball handling.

TRENCH PLAYER
Sam Abens

BY THE NUMBERS
All Iowa Attack 45, 53, 84.9, .415
KLD 15, 52, 28.9, .173
made 3s/&1s: AIA 4/0; KLD 0/0
ftm/fta-ft%: KLD 3/8-.375; AIA 3/10-.300
bench: AIA 19, KLD 3
The AIA bench outscored KLD. Neither team was scintillating at the line. KLD barely cracked freezing and AIA was surprisingly below freezing.

DEFENSIVE WRAPS
ALL IOWA ATTACK
Ally Jensen 6
Jess Wheeler 4.5
Sam Abens 4
#40 3.5
Kirsten Orton 3.5
Raelee Sullivan 3
Kirsten Lipps 3
Lucy Montgomery 2
#10 1.5
Mariah Duke 1
totals: 32

KLD
Emily Dosman 5
Amy Stone 4.5
Britni Tokheim 3.5
Megan Coleman 3
Dohmen 3
Heather Johnson 2
Caitlin Coleman 1
totals: 22

ASSISTS
ALL IOWA ATTACK
Ally Jensen 5
Mariah Duke 3
Kirsten Orton 2
Jess Wheeler 1
Kayla Klopfenstein 1
Sam Abens 1
Lucy Montgomery 1
#10 1
totals: 15

KLD
Britni Tokhei 3
Dohmen 2
Heather Johnson 1
Megan Coleman 1
totals: 7

Next up: tomorrow morning

Out & About: 43 Hoops Zuck/Triple Threat

#3 posting 6.2.2008
your daily dose of girls basketball news & information

This game took place on Saturday, May 31, 2008
Battle of the Hardwood
Woodbury High School
17u Pool Play
43 HOOPS ZUCK 46, TRIPLE THREAT 40

43 Hoops Zuck led from the start to the finish in this 17 pool play game. 43HZ broke the game open with a 12-2 run in the first half to push their lead to 22-10. 43HZ had a 5/6 offensive sequence with five different scorers. Triple Threat suffered through a 1/13 sequence that put them in the hole. TT's pp100 was 7.7 during this time. TT finished the first half with a 9-2 run. 43HZ led 24-19 at the break. TT's Rachelle Blaschko led both teams with nine points.

TT cut the margin to 26-24 after a three by Abby McDaniel. The same offensive inconsistency reared its head again for TT. They suffered through a 7 possession drought. 43HZ pushed the lead back to nine at 35-26. It was 43HZ's time for offensive slow down. TT scored six unanswered points to cut the margin to 35-32. That was as close as it would get. An eight possession drought put TT on life support. 43HZ awoke from their offensive slumber and added nine to their totals to lead by double digits once again 44-32 after a three by Jessa Zuck with 3:30 left. TT mounted a comeback with an 8-2 run. However time expired soon thereafter with 43HZ holding the advantage at 46-40.

photos: #1. Tess Lueders of 43HZ elevates on her shot. Jacy Christenson defending. #2. Kayla Thom comes up with a loose ball and looks for a receiver. photos by Teas.

key: player, school, points, possessions, pp100, floor %
43 HOOPS ZUCK
STARTERS
Tess Lueders, Stillwater 4, 10, 40.0, .200 taller guard. had a reverse lay up. needs to clean up ball handling.
Melissa Borstner, St. Francis 6, 13, 46.2, .231 point guard. scored four points in transition. needs to develop the left hand as strong as the right. needs to make better decisions with passing. Needs to keep balance under control at full speed.
Tori Joranson, Hopkins 11, 10, 110.0, .500 is transitioning to a perimeter player. has made strides with ball handling and outside shot. stepping up her game. Is more active and aggressive in attacking the basket. crashes the board. runs the floor and can knock down a three. needs to keep vision up on the dribble.
Jessa Zuck, Eden Prairie 5, 8, 62.5, .250 small guard. can hit a three. should avoid cross court passes vs the press.
Amanda Barton, Waterville-Elysian-Morristown 8, 7, 114.3, .571 post player. controlled d boards in the second half.
BENCH
Samantha Bornmann, Chaska 4, 7, 57.1, .286 thin perimeter.
Laurie Tyson, Rosemount 8, 10, 80.0, .400 post player borrowed from 43 Hoops Johnson. good size. needs to get quicker with the ball. needs to work at the free throw line.

TRIPLE THREAT
STARTERS
Kayla Thom, Mayer Lutheran 2, 4, 50.0, .250
Abby McDaniel, Champlin Park 8, 11, 72.7, .273 perimeter 3 point shooter.
Teresa Thour, Wayzata 3, 7, 42.9, .286
Allie Chinander, Mounds View 10, 7, 142.9, .714 scored in transition.
Jessica Bergman, Mounds View 0, 3, 0.0, .000 took a charge.
BENCH
Rachelle Blaschko, LeSueur-Henderson 9, 12, 75.0, .333 small guard. had all her points in the first half. has 3 range.
Krista Stoltz, Centennial 4, 5, 80.0, .400 has 3 range
Jacy Christenson, Mounds View 4, 11, 36.4, .182 passes were too high.
Taylor Morrell, St. Francis 0, 3, 0.0, .000
Amanda Iverson, Waconia 0, 3, 0.0, .000

TRENCH PLAYER
Tori Joranson

BY THE NUMBERS
43 Hoops Zuck 46, 65, 70.7, .323
Triple Threat 40, 66, 60.6, .288
made 3s/&1s: TT 4/0; 43HZ 2/0
ftm/fta-ft%: 43HZ 6/11-.545; TT-2/6-.333
bench: TT 17, 43HZ 12
43HZ also led with turnovers with 23. TT had 16.
Neither team went to the line that often. In the NC Heat/Laker game both teams shot 37 free throws. In this game both teams combined for 17 attempts.

DEFENSIVE WRAPS
43 HOOPS ZUCK
Tess Lueders 8
Melissa Borstner 8
Tori Joranson 6
Amanda Barton 5.5
Samantha Bornmann 4.5
Jessa Zuck 2
Laurie Tyson 2
totals: 36

TRIPLE THREAT
Amanda Iverson 8
Jessica Bergman 5
Abby McDaniel 4
Teresa Thour 3
Allie Chinander 3
Rachelle Blaschko 3
Kayla Thom 2
Krista Stoltz 2
Jacy Christenson 1
Taylor Morrell 1
totals: 32

ASSISTS
43 HOOPS ZUCK
Amanda Barton 5
Melissa Borstner 3
Jessa Zuck 3
Tess Lueders 2
Tori Joranson 2
Laurie Tyson 1
totals: 16

TRIPLE THREAT
Teresa Thour 3
Allie Chinander 3
Kayla Thom 2
Abby McDaniel 2
Jacy Christenson 1
Amanda Iverson 1
totals: 12

next up: All Iowa Attack vs KLD

Out & About: NC Heat/MN Lakers

#2 posting 6.2.2008
your daily dose of girls basketball news & information

This game took place on Saturday, May 31, 2008
Battle of the Hardwood
Woodbury High School
17u Pool Play
NC HEAT 99, MINNESOTA LAKERS 43

Coach Teas & I arrived at Woodbury expecting to see NC Heat and North Tartan Larson, but that time was switched. Instead the Minnesota Lakers took on the Heat. NC Heat set a record for older teams with their pp100. The highest pp100 record holder is Mpls Lady Cats last year when they hit for 145.1 pp100 in a 14u game. NC Heat sets the record for pp100 in the older division (17u). The previous high was 133.85 by Daubert Pinnacle Nebraska in 2006. The record for a high school game is still 129.7 by Adrian in 2006. Ironically Sam Lynn made the game tying basket in that game for Adrian with a mid court shot at the buzzer. In this game the record was set on Lynn's team.

NCH was quick out of the gate and didn't let up. Tayler Hill cashed in a three right on the first possession. NCH scored on six of the first seven possessions to take a commanding 13-4 lead. By their 17th possession NCH led 29-11, a pp100 of 170.6. ML had a drought of 12 that didn't help their cause in the first half. NCH led at the break 57-19. Hill had 17 at half.

There was no suspense in the second half other than if NCH would reach 100. They fell one point short.

Nine of the NCH players were above 100 pp100 and two were at or above 200. The Lakers had one player make the 100 mark.

photos: #1. Tempestt Wilson and Kayla Larson go after a rebound for NCH. Krystle Sell is the Laker going after the board. #2. Emily Bose rises above Anne Berner for a shot. Photos by Teas.

key: player, school, points, possessions, pp100, floor %
NC HEAT
STARTERS
Tayler Hill, Mpls South 25, 12, 208.3, .917 another outstanding performance. relaxed, played with calm assertiveness. made four 3s on the day. Also an underrated passer.
Katya Leick, Park-Cottage Grove 17, 14, 121.4, .643 workhorse on the boards. scored 7 points on second chancers. ran the floor had six in transition.
Mandy Poke, Richfield 7, 8, 87.5, .375 guard. feisty, had 2 &1 chances. anticipates well.
Megan Nipe, Centennial 13, 10, 130.0, .600 another weapon in the NCH arsenal. quick shot. smooth and effective.
Anne Berner, Forest Lake 4, 2, 200.0, 1.000 menacing presence inside.
BENCH
Brittany Dyshaw, Eagan 6, 4, 150.0, .750 long wing span makes it hard to pass around her.
Jamelia Hudnell, DeLaSalle 7, 6, 116.7, .500 guard. made a 3. distributes well.
Tempestt Wilson, Elk River 14, 9, 155.6, .667 made two 3s on the day. active, alert.
Kayla Larson, Hutchinson 3, 3, 100.0, .333 scrapper. in the thick of the battle.
Maggie Weiers, New Prague 1, 2, 50.0, .500 post. runs the floor, active on the glass.
Sarah Bingea, Delano 2, 2, 100.0, .500 is playing facing the basket more than in HS

MINNESOTA LAKERS
STARTERS
Samantha Lynn, Adrian 6, 7, 85.7, .429 point guard. got hurt early in the game with an ankle. eventually came back later in the game after NCH piled up their lead. has 3 ability
Thea Engen, Red Rock Central 4, 6, 66.7, .500 went to the line three times.
Emily Bose, Murray County Central 16, 14, 114.3, .571 strong post. Wasn't hesitant to attack the basket and mix it up with bigger players. went to the line four times.
Karli Meyer, Adrian 6, 12, 50.0, .250 her shots today came on the left wing and corner.
Krystel Sell, Red Rock Central 5, 11, 45.5, .182 NCH pressure and Lynn's absence forced Sell into turnovers.
BENCH
Alyson Drooger, Edgerton 3, 7, 42.9, .143 made one 3
Brooke Kix, Ellsworth 0, 6, 0.0, .000 guard
Katie Hadler, Edgerton 2, 9, 22.2, .111 guard.

TRENCH PLAYER
Tayler Hill +200

BY THE NUMBERS
NC Heat 99, 72, .137.5, .653
Lakers 42, 72, 58.3, .292
made 3s/&1s: NCH 8/1; ML 2/1
ftm/fta-ft%: NCH 11/15-.733; ML 14/22-.636
bench: NCH 33, ML 5
One category ML managed to win was the free throw attempts and made categories.
The Lakers had 30 turnovers. The only one to escape without being tagged with a turnover--Emily Bose.

DEFENSIVE WRAPS
NC HEAT
Mandy Poke 6.5
Tayler Hill 6
Anne Berner 6
Katya Leick 5
Tayler Hill 4.5
Tempestt Wilson 4
Jamelia Hudnell 3
Kayla Larson 3
Maggie Weiers 3
Brittany Dyshaw 2
Sarah Bingea 1
totals: 44

MINNESOTA LAKERS
Karli Meyer 5
Alyson Drooger 4
Samantha Lynn 3
Emily Bose 3
Katie Hadler 2
Thea Engen 1
Krystel Sell 1
Brooke Kix 1
totals: 20

ASSISTS
NC HEAT
Mandy Poke 7
Tayler Hill 5
Megan Nipe 5
Kayla Larson 5
Jamelia Hudnell 4
Katya Leick 3
Tempestt Wilson 2
Brittany Dyshaw 1
Sarah Bingea 1
totals: 33

MINNESOTA LAKERS
Alyson Drooger 4
Katie Hadler 4
Sam Lynn 3
Krystel Sell 3
Karli Meyer 2
Brooke Kix 2
Emily Bose 1
totals: 19

Next up: 43 Hoops Zuck vs Triple Threat

College Transfers, Mounds View Hires

#1 posting 6.2.2008
your daily dose of girls basketball news & information

BATTLE OF THE HARDWOOD RESULTS
Here are the results from this weekend's girls basketball tournament in Woodbury. You can go on this site and look for the pool play and brackets results for 17s down to 11s.
Steven's Sports has reports on some of Sunday's action.
Sportsbrain09 taped the action and it will be up on youtube soon. I will link it then.
My schedule of reports are down below.

TRANSFERS
Emily Neal will be at Wisconsin next year. Neal played her high school basketball at Breck and played her first two years at Colorado State.
Jackie Hiebert has asked for and been granted a release from Ohio.

COLLEGE DECISIONS
Rachael Long from Maranatha Christian Academy 2008 is attending Gustavus Adolphus and will be playing basketball.
Long is the 121st player from the Minnesota 2008 class to decide on a school.

COACHING NEWS
Mounds View has hired Bill McKee as their new girls basketball coach.

SUMMER LEAGUE
The Concordia St. Paul Summer League kicks off tonight with games starting at 6 pm and the last scheduled game starting at 10 pm. I don't have the schedules yet.

MORE BASKETBALL ON TRACK
Leah Dietel of Jordan (MN Stars Borowicz) and Abby Busch of GFW (MN Stars Eckmann) will advance to the state track meet in 2 events: the discus and the shot put. They both were the top two throwers in Section 2.

Sauk Centre 8th grader Kali Peschel has qualified for the State Track and Field Meet next weekend by being part of the 4 x 800 relay team that finished 1st in the section 6A track meet. Peschel was named to the all-conference team in the tough West Central Conference North this past winter and plays AAU basketball for North Tartan 13U.

NEW LINKS
North St. Paul has been added to the Minnesota High School links.

ALL STAR GAME
The Western Wisconsin All Star game takes place today at UW Stout in Menomonie. The girls game starts at 6:30 pm. From the Eau Claire Leader-Telegram.

WHERE ARE THEY NOW?
The Grand Forks Herald has a story on Sheri Kleinsasser, the leading scorer in University of North Dakota history. She played during the early 90s. And yes she is the sister of Viking Jim Kleinsasser.

Out & About schedule
Monday:
NC Heat vs Minnesota Lakers
43 Hoops Zuck vs Triple Threat
All Iowa Attack vs KLD
Tuesday:
NC Heat vs North Tartan Larson
(a quick synopsis of NC Heat vs Southern Minne Magic17)
North Tartan 15 vs Fury 16
NC Heat vs MN Stars Borowicz
Wednesday:
North Tartan 15 vs MN Stars DeWitt 16
Metro Stars 19 vs Metro Stars Black 17
Thursday:
North Tartan 15 vs MN Suns Greg 15
NC Heat vs Metro Stars 19

Next up: NC Heat vs Minnesota Lakers

Two Battle of the Hardwood Champs

#6 posting 6.1.200
your daily dose of girls basketball news & information

HARDWOOD CHAMPIONS CROWNED
NORTH TARTAN 15s, NC HEAT WIN
NOGA HITS FOR 27
HILL LEADS REMARKABLE COMEBACK

North Tartan 15 and NC Heat both won their respective divisions on Sunday. North Tartan completed their weekend with a 72-59 win over another 15 team, the MN Suns Greg. Both made it to the 16u championship. NT15 led 36-24 at half time. Sari Noga had 27 points in the championship for NT15. The Parkers Prairie Soph had five three pointers in this game.

In the 17u championship it was NC Heat rising from the ashes to take the title. For the second straight weekend a major comeback saved the day. NC Heat beat Metro Stars 19 51-49. Metro Stars led 46-38 with under two minutes to go. Tayler Hill simply took over. She scored 13 straight points (starting with points 37 & 38) including two three point plays on drives. Hill had 21 for this game. With the score tied at 46 Metro Stars 19's Courtney Boylan was fouled. The older team was in the double bonus and Boylan made the second free throw. Hill with the ball had scored on four straight drives. This time she drained a three up top for a 49-47 lead. Boylan was fouled again and she made both to tie it at 49. MS19 rushed Hill with two defenders on the next possession. In a scramble on the left side line Anne Berner found Katya Leick on the left block and the Park-Cottage Grove junior scored as the buzzer sounded to finish a thrilling comeback.

Starting Monday I will start the Out & About reports with 10 games to be covered.

Thanks again to coach Geer for the use of the computer during the event for the quick updates.


Next up: tomorrow.

Quick Report: Metro Stars 19/Metro Stars Black

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

METRO STARS 19S 63, METRO STARS BLACK 51

In a civil war game in the 17u semifinals the older Metro Stars 19s beat their younger sisters 63-51. MSB closed early in the second half to 26-25, but the older veterans had a 19-5 run to break the game open.

more later

Quick Report: North Tartan 15/MN Stars DeWitt

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

NORTH TARTAN 15s 61, MN STARS DEWITT 41

In the 16u division semifinals it was North Tartan 15s beating MN Stars DeWitt 61-41. NT15 trailed 16-15 in the first half before finishing the half with a 21-8 run to lead 35-24. Sari Noga of Parkers Prairie had five 3s and 23 points (at first glance) for NT15.

more later

Quick Report: NC Heat/MN Stars Borowicz

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

NC HEAT 48, MN STARS BOROWICZ 41

In the 17U Semifinals it was NC Heat beating MN Stars Borowicz for the third time this season 48-41. The game was tied at 20 at half. The key break point came with a 12-3 run by NCH in the second half after MSB closed to 31-30. Anne Berner of Forest Lake had a strong post game for NCH

more later

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.

Olympians, Perfect Lynx, Defense Rules

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

OLYMPIANS
Nine players have been chosen for the USA women's basketball Olympic team. I linked Lynx player Seimone Augustus yesterday. Former Lynx (and former Ohio State player) Katie Smith is an Olympian. Here are the other seven. Three more will be named later.

PERFECT LYNX
The Lynx continue their unblemished start with a 94-83 win over defending champs Phoenix with their two Olympians. From the St. Paul Pioneer Press, StarTribune, and Arizona Republic.

DEFENSE WINS CHAMPIONSHIPS
Mike Kahn of Fox Sports looks at the defense in the NBA Conference championships. Former coach Chuck Daly is quoted "defense is primarily effort with the talent these guys bring to the table, and ultimately it's all about good, old-fashioned defensive pressure that shows which team wants it more."

BASKETBALL ON TRACK
Watertown-Mayer 8th grader Marissa Janning has qualified for the State Track and Field Meet next weekend by finishing 1st in both the 1600 and the 3200 at the section 4A track meet. Marissa plays AAU basketball for North Tartan 14U. She will miss this weekends Hardwood Classic Tournament in Woodbury

BASKETBALL & SOCCER
Jenny Ryan of Saginaw Nouvel led her soccer team to the State title in Michigan. She also led Nouvel to the basketball title this winter. Ryan has already verballed Michigan for basketball. From the Saginaw News.

ST. THOMAS TO BRAZIL
The University of St. Thomas' women's basketball team will be taking a trip to Brazil in August.

PARKERSBURG TORNADO
Here is a report from the Sioux Falls Argus Leader on the Parkersburg, Iowa tornado. It is a story about University of South Dakota football player Evan Capper. North Tartan Larson player and Iowa State recruit Chelsea Poppens was in the tornado's path.

Next up: later today with the championship results from the Battle of the Hardwood.