New London-Spicer beats EV-Watkins for No. 1 in South

Have you noticed a pattern of high school basketball games becoming more low-scoring? I had this impression even before learning the details of the Tuesday (3/11) girls game between New London-Spicer and Eden Valley-Watkins.

Is this low-scoring pattern by design? Or, are a majority of coaches learning the possible benefits of an offensive approach that is less than frenetic? Whatever the explanation, the Wildcats and Eagles scored in the 30s on Tuesday. This was the sub-section championship game (6AA-South) and it was played at St. John's, Collegeville.

Our MACA fans can ponder some "might have beens." New London-Spicer is not the world-beater that it seems in many seasons. What if our Tigers had not gone so flat in their sub-section game vs. Minnewaska Area? 'Waska went on to challenge New London-Spicer pretty well, getting the score tied in the second half before fading. And now, NL-Spicer has advanced by eking out a win over the Eagles of Eden Valley-Watkins. The Wildcats won 35-32.

The Wildcats will tote their 23-5 season record into the game for all the Section 6AA marbles. They'll head to St. Cloud State University. They'll vie with the champion from out of the North, Sauk Centre. The Streeters are toting a 22-6 record. There's no dead wood now.

Section 6AA-South appears to have been marked by parity. That's why us Tiger fans should embrace hopes for a higher caliber next winter, as the sub-section title game does in fact seem within reach. Remember, those Wildcats put their pants on one leg at a time. Their coach is the wise veteran of the role, Mike Dreier.

The Wildcats and the Streeters of Sauk Centre will play at 6 p.m. Friday (3/14) at Halenbeck Hall, SCSU (my alma mater). Sauk Centre climbed with a 52-28 thumping of Staples-Motley.
 
Again, success despite deficiencies

I noted in my previous post about NL-Spicer that success came despite rough edges in the team's play. More problems and inconsistencies were noted Tuesday. An example was the 25 per cent shooting performance from the field. And, the anemic two of 14 stats from three-point land. And, turnovers where the total was 18.

The Eagles from EV-W certainly commanded respect. Those Eagles entered with a 9-0 mark vs. section competition. The Eagles flirted with victory, being down by just one point (33-32) with 30 seconds left.

Would the Wildcats turn to their well-established star, Taylor Thunstedt? Taylor owns over 2,000 points in her highlight-filled career. She has started for five years!

A less-heralded Wildcat came to the fore. This was Alyssa Fredrick, a sophomore reserve. Fredrick was fouled with less than a minute left. She made her first of two freethrows to put NL-Spicer up by two, 34-32. Then she made her second freethrow which created some extra needed breathing room. "I wanted my team to believe in me," Fredrick was quoted saying in the print media. Fredrick also came through with late steals.

The Wildcats' 35 points represented their lowest output of the season. They have now won "ugly" in back-to-back games. Fans would say all that matters is that they won.

The valiant Eagles worked to a halftime lead, 21-16, making the Wildcats look most beatable. Coach Dreier settled down his charges at halftime, had them execute smoothly out of the starting gate in the second half, and the result was seven unanswered points. Thunstedt was in her usual prominent role over this stretch. She's a money player.

Subsequent to this, the score got tied three times. The Eagles led 32-31 at 8:01, thanks to a steal and layup by Mikayla Kummet. Alas, the EV-W Eagles would score no more points. Dreier had his 'Cats apply the clamps with a zone 'D'.

How do fans feel about these low-scoring games? The MSHSL wants the entertainment value to stay high. Those turnstiles (figuratively speaking) ought to stay humming.

Ashlyn Geister (related to the former Cougar football standout?) scored at 2:40 for the 'Cats, giving them a 33-32 lead. NL-Spicer was going to have to sweat this one out. Thunstedt worked to cause a turnover with about a half-minute left. Thus the Eagles had to start fouling. This set the stage for Alyssa Fredrick and her freethrow heroics. Her two freethrows created that final margin of victory: three points.

Fredrick has an older sister, Bri, who was off with her shooting. Bri made an early '3' but struggled later.

NL-Spicer applied a 2-3 zone scheme vs. the Eagles. The Eagles attacked it fairly well in the first half. Mikayla Kummet scored eleven points vs. the Wildcats in that half. She'd finish with 14, the team-best figure. Kummet made three of five 3-point shots in the first half. The Eagles were held back by turnovers, just like their foe.

The Eagles more than held their own in shooting from the field. They were actually superior to the 'Cats. However, NL-Spicer made up for that in freethrow shooting. The NL-S numbers at the line: 13-for-19. The Eagles' numbers: a mere two of four.

If NL-S gets past Sauk Centre and makes state, it'll be their 15th appearance in state. But they haven't been there since 2009.

A look at the stats shows NL-Spicer was just two of 14 in three-pointers Tuesday vs. EV-W. Thunstedt and Bri Fredrick had the makes. Megan Thorson led in rebounds with seven. Thunstedt led in assists with four and co-led in steals, with Alyssa Fredrick, each with four. Geister had three blocked shots.
 
Thunstedt makes impact

It was another day at the office for Thunstedt who topped the team's scoring list with 16 points. Geister scored six followed by Thorson and Bri Fredrick each with five. Alyssa Fredrick scored two points and Petra Lothert one.

For Eden Valley-Watkins, Mikayla Kummet with her 14 points was followed by Dani Nelson with eleven, Bella Perlberg-Cromwell with six, Elaina Stommes with four and Brook Stang with two.

(Holy cow, that adds up to 37 points, not 32, but this is how the Willmar newspaper reported it. Those reporters should do a little arithmetic, IMHO.)

Kummet was three of nine in 3-point shooting. Nelson was one of five. Nelson was the top EV-W rebounder with eleven. Nelson dished out three assists. Jamie Scherer and Kummet each had four steals.

The NL-S boys are playing in state at 6 p.m. today (Wednesday) at Target Center, Minneapolis.
New London-Spicer boys and girls basketball is a marquee attraction indeed. Let's close our eyes and imagine our Morris Area Chokio Alberta Tigers getting to that status. It isn't far-fetched. Right now we all have to get past the upcoming trial of our principal. The pre-trial hearing is set for March 19. He's on paid leave, I guess.

- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com