January 5, 2006 at 6:30 a.m.
CL girls make it to championship game
CL girls make it to championship game
Chisago got off to a fast start as it built an early 7-2 lead. After six minutes, the ‘Cats had built their margin to 14-5. The inside work of Jess Peterson, combined with Megan Corradi’s work on the perimeter and breaking down the defense with drives through the lane, were more than the Beacons could deal with.
After a timeout, Concordia, led by 5’8” senior guard Sarah Ingison, made a run. The Beacons started getting some second shots and, over the next five minutes, closed the gap to 21-15.
The last few minutes of the half belonged to the home team. Peterson controlled the paint. She blocked shots and rebounded well at both ends of the court. In those closing minutes of the half, the Wildcats beat Concordia down the floor for several fast breaks. When they missed, their offensive rebounding usually set them up for second or third tries.
When the horn sounded, Chisago had regained control and had widened its lead to 14 (31-17).
The teams played pretty evenly in the second half as the Wildcats outscored Concordia 19-17. The Beacons never mounted a serious challenge because the Wildcats controlled the boards all night long. Led by Jess Peterson’s 14, the ‘Cats outrebounded Concordia 40-20. In the process, Chisago collected 18 offensive rebounds while limiting the Beacons to three.
Wildcat head coach Carl Pierson saw many encouraging things from his team, especially aggressive rebounding.
“Courtney Skoog's defense on Wisconsin recruit Sarah Ingison was another huge key,” said Pierson. “She hounded Ingison all night and really frustrated her.
“It was also impressive how we continued to attack them in the second half. We never allowed them to climb back in. We played a near perfect game.”
Scoring Summary
Alise Bowie........................ 4
Megan Corradi...................16
Brenna Coyle.......................2
Melanie Lewis.....................5
Jess Peterson.....................14
Kori Sells............................6
Courtney Skoog..................3
Total......................50
Anoka 65, Chisago Lakes 62
A surge at the end of the first half gave the Wildcats a 30-20 lead over the Tornadoes at the intermission of the championship game of the CL Invitational.
A quick 8-0 Anoka run in the first minute of the second half erased most of the Chisago advantage. The ‘Cats fought hard, but foul trouble spelled doom for the home team. The Chisago fouls resulted in 23 Tornado free throw attempts (18 successful) in the second half.
“The aggressiveness we demonstrated at both ends of the floor in the first half evaporated for stretches of the second half. Anoka turned up their defensive intensity and we did not respond as well as we could have.
“There's no question our players hustled and worked hard, but we just didn't rival Anoka's intensity.
“The good news is we're learning and improving every game. Of our first 10 games, we've had a chance to win eight. A team as young as ours that's been as competitive as it has could become pretty dangerous as the season unfolds. We haven't played our best basketball yet and when we do, things will get pretty interesting,” commented coach Pierson.
Once again, Peterson led the Wildcat rebounders with nine.
Scoring Summary
Alise Bowie...........................11
Megan Corradi......................13
Caitlin Cunningham...............6
Melanie Lewis........................4
Jess Peterson..........................17
Kori Sells................................5
Courtney Skoog......................2
Jamie Tschida.........................2
Amanda Farrell......................2
Total......................62
Next action for the Wildcats is Friday Jan. 6 when they host Webster, Wisconsin.
Youth Appreciation Night
All LARA, Hoops Club and school basketball players are invited to attend the Chisago Lakes/Webster free of charge.
Prizes will be awarded and area Hoops Club teams will be recognized at half time.
Comments:
Commenting has been disabled for this item.