FOURSOME FROM HERMANTOWN
For the fourth straight Saturday I was out at a multiple game event.
For the second straight Saturday it involved a conference setting. This time it was all about the Lake Superior Conference. With mascots like Oredockers, Agates, Rails and Hunters you know you are in the north. For the second straight Saturday the event closed with an overtime game (in this case two). And for the first time in four weeks I was HOME by 9:45. That was the earliest despite being the farthest venue of the four weeks. Usually when I travel to Hermantown it involves a significant amount of snow. For example, last year after the Cloquet game I got stuck behind snow plows crawling down 35W. Speaking of stuck I had to dig myself out of three situations IN MY NEIGHBORHOOD then. Today was different in that the sun was out (and the moon at night).
There were other options on Saturday, but the one site format, some AAA schools and the longest distance (with good weather and preventing me from to drive in white knuckle conditions in the unknown future) all conspired for this venue.
GAME 1: DULUTH MARSHALL 75, ASHLAND 43
The Hilltoppers ran off to a 15-2 lead and cruised to a running time win over Ashland. The one-two punch of Gianna Kneepkens (28 points) and Grace Kirk (27) was too much for the Oredockers. The Hilltoppers had the best 2 field goal percentage all day thanks to an abundance of lay ups. DM was 8/11 in transition. The Gs were 15/20 in lay ups.
There was a verbal incident between two Marshall fans just before half that put a damper on the game. Hermantown authorities, the officials and some players were involved trying to break up the situation. The rest of the game was incident free.
| DULUTH MARSHALL | ASHLAND | |
| POINTS | 75 | 43 |
| REBOUNDS/OFF | 39/13 | 46/18 |
| TURNOVERS | 17 | 31 |
| FTA/% | 11/45.5 | 14/71.4 |
| 2FG%/3FG% | 54.8/29.6 | 30.0/12.5 |
| PP100 | 93.8 | 55.1 |
| TOP SCORER | Gianna Kneepkens 28 | Maddy Cabe 11 |
TRENCH PLAYER: Gianna Kneepkens with a game high 28 points, 121.7 pp100, and a day high 47 in the 31 Club. This was a two person race and either would have worked out well.
GAME 2: TWO HARBORS 58, DULUTH DENFELD 42
Tori Bott was the force for the Agates. She made the 31 Club at the half. Bott canned a 3 and put TH up 14-13 at the 10:15 mark of the first half. By the break the Agates led 36-23, a 22-10 finish to the half. Things slowed down in the second half a 2/3 zone bottling up Bott.
| TWO HARBORS | DULUTH DENFELD | |
| POINTS | 58 | 42 |
| REBOUNDS/OFF | 51/23 | 49/18 |
| TURNOVERS | 20 | 29 |
| FTA/% | 31/71.0 | 10/10.0 |
| 2FG%/3FG% | 27.3/19.0 | 32.7/25.0 |
| PP100 | 74.4 | 53.8 |
| TOP SCORER | Tori Bott 29 | Elizabeth Emmel 13 |
TRENCH PLAYER: Tori Bott with a day high 29 points, 103.6 pp100, and 44 in the 31 Club
GAME 3: CLOQUET 45, SUPERIOR 39
This victory for the Lumberjacks may have come at a steep price. Cloquet battled back from a nine point half time deficit (27-18) that morphed into 11 early in the second half. But the Spartans struggled from the floor the rest of the half adding only ten more in the last 17 minutes. Vanna Kelley’s put back put Cloquet up 38-36 with 4:20 left. Kelley’s 3 with 2:34 made it 43-36. But with 7.3 seconds left Kelley went down with a leg injury as Superior was applying intense pressure. The win was in the bag, but Kelley could be out for a while.
| CLOQUET | SUPERIOR | |
| POINTS | 45 | 39 |
| REBOUNDS/OFF | 36/14 | 32/13 |
| TURNOVERS | 18 | 18 |
| FTA/% | 16/75.0 | 17/41.2 |
| 2FG%/3FG% | 35.7/14.3 | 35.1/28.6 |
| PP100 | 72.6 | 65.0 |
| TOP SCORER | Vanna Kelley 18 | Lauren Raboin 11 |
TRENCH PLAYER: Vanna Kelley, 18 points, 105.9 pp100, 26 in the 31 Club
GAME 4: PROCTOR 73, HERMANTOWN 72 2 OT
#5AA Proctor survived rallies, and counter rallies for a down to the wire two overtime win over host Hermantown. The wounded Hawks (missing last season’s starting guard Maddy Foster out with a knee injury) rode the efforts of Elly Schmitz until she fouled out with 7 seconds left in the second overtime.She was the third Hawk to be saddled with five fouls.
After four minutes Proctor was up 10-2. After a Sam Pogatchnik 3 the Rails had their biggest lead at 20-11 at about the 9:15 mark of the first half. Four minutes later it was tied at 21. Proctor had a late 13-5 surge before half to go up 34-26 capped by another 3 from another Sam—-Parendo.
Hermantown came roaring out of the gates after half and tied the game at 38 three minutes into the second half. The problem was two of those scores were on the world’s longest 2s, a toe nail was on the line. In a one point game those things come back to haunt. After a real 3 by Ashley Hill (her only points of the game) the Hawks had their biggest lead at 46-42. That was quickly responded to by Liz Frase and her 3. There would be several lead changes down the stretch. Schmitz drove in to put Hermantown up 60-59 with about 20 seconds left. Pogatchnik made one free throw to tie it with 9.8 seconds. Hermantown had a shot miss from the top of the key. Proctor grabbed the miss and raced down the right side line and was fouled right in front of the Hermantown bench as the horn went off. After much official deliberation it was decided that there would be 0.7 seconds left. Proctor misfired on both free throw attempts to send the game to their first extra session.
Twice in the first overtime the Rails drove the lane and dumped a pass to Katelyn Marunich who converted both for baskets and added a free throw on the second chance to build a 65-60 lead. With 2:37 left it seemed like the victory was in the bank especially after a missed free throw by Hermantown gave the ball back to the Rails. They would add one more free throw for a 66-60 lead with 1:45 left. Schmitz went to work with a pair of free throws and then after a travel call on Proctor, knocked down a 3 to trail 66-65. Another free throw by Proctor made it 67-65 with sixty seconds left. Megan Menzel scored on a put back to even the score. Proctor had a time out with 8.4 seconds left to set up a shot. They had two and neither dropped and we had another four minutes of drama.
Menzel struck first with one free throw in the second overtime for the first point. Pogatchnik hit a three for a two point Proctor advantage. A Hermantown turnover followed by two missed charity stripe attempts by the Rails kept the score the same. Schmitz drove the lane sucking in the defenders. She found Maiah Christianson in the left corner for a three and a 71-70 Hermantown lead with 1:20 left. Payton Rodberg scored on an out of bounds play for a 72-71 Proctor lead with 51 seconds remaining. Menzel went to the line again and after the first free throw was disallowed converted the second to tie it all up again at 72. Rodberg grabbed a missed Rail shot and was fouled by Schmitz with 7.8 ticks left. She made the first free throw to preserve the victory. One last chance by Hermantown did not drop.
| PROCTOR | HERMANTOWN | |
| POINTS | 73 | 72 |
| REBOUNDS/OFF | 44/15 | 42/16 |
| TURNOVERS | 20 | 18 |
| FTA/% | 33/51.5 | 28/75.0 |
| 2FG%/3FG% | 48.7/28.6 | 40.0/29.4 |
| PP100 | 91.2 | 90.0 |
| TOP SCORER | Sam Pogtchnik 22 | Elly Schmitz 25 |
TRENCH PLAYER: Payton Rodberg of Proctor with 10 points including the last three points for the Rails and the game winning free throw,166.7 pp100 and 15 on the 31 Club all off the bench.