Can they take third? Watch those Cardinals!

Chloe Scholl, Alexandria Cardinal

Cardinals 60, DeLaSalle 40 

Alexandria showed a premier defense in getting through the state quarter-final level of play. The Cardinals bore down in an aggressive way in this win by a margin of 20. The Alex fans had to feel giddy coming out of this one: a triumph over DeLaSalle by a score of 60-40. 

The Alexandria girls were obviously totally primed in this highest level of Minnesota prep competition. The action was at Maturi Pavilion in Minneapolis. 

The games can proceed at a frantic pace in state. So the Alex cause did not have much time to really savor their win over DeLaSalle. Another challenge awaited. And this time the fortunes would not be smiling on the Alex crew. Up against No. 1 Benilde-St. Margaret's, the weapons from the other side were just too formidable. So the Cardinals were dealt defeat in the close final score of 60-52. Alex was seeded No. 5. Against DeLaSalle the Cards were against the No. 4 seed. 

There was a lot for Alex fans to savor from the DeLaSalle game. The fans broke out in unison chanting of "defense!" toward the end. It indeed appeared to be the No. 1 strong suit. Perhaps the Cardinals did not need the reminder from the fans. This is a seasoned group that will keep its poise against anyone. 

The Islanders of DeLaSalle managed only 26.9 percent shooting from the field. Last year the Cards fell to the Islanders in the state semis. At that time the Cardinals allowed 47 points in the first half. That score was 82-69. How big a contrast was this year's game? Well, the Islanders didn't even reach 47 points for the game! 

The Cardinals came out of the game at 25-4. Chloe Scholl, whose mother Heather played for the Morris Area Tigers, scored 17 points. Teammate Hadley Thul supplied punch with 18 points and 17 rebounds for the double-double. Thul made a significant statement just before the halftime buzzer - this was done by receiving a full-court inbounds pass. Thul converted that to a layup at the buzzer. This created a ten-point lead for Alex at the halfway mark, 32-22. 

Let's acknowledge Allie Haabala on the 15 points she scored. Scholl, Thul and Haabala are seniors and part of the five returning starters from last year's high-achieving unit. DeLaSalle had three returning starters. One of them was Aneshia Scott who scored team-best with only eleven points. She was considerably more productive in last year's showdown. Alex really knew how to execute this time. 

Alex plays at the AAA level, schools larger in size than our MACA. The Alex coach is Wendy Kohler.  Kohler was quoted post-game praising the seniors as "calm, cool and playing unselfishly." 

"We had great attention to detail," she added. 

The 40 points that DeLaSalle scored was their season-low. Alex was up to the task in freethrow shooting where their numbers were 16 of 21. DeLaSalle tried coming at Alex with a full-court press but had to make changes due to foul trouble. 

Proud Alexandria Cardinals!

Thul with her double-double lived up to her standing as a Miss Minnesota Basketball finalist. She's a SDSU commit. That's the "Jackrabbits!" Scholl will continue her career at Gustavus Adolphus. And Haabala's future will take her to Southwest State. 

Alex had a 36-30 rebounding advantage over the Islanders. Scholl flirted with a double-double vs. DeLaSalle but came up just shy with eight boards. 

Hey, I'm just finding out that Alex won the state volleyball title last fall. This group really goes for the moon. The volleyball Cardinals took No. 1 as the fifth seed in state. Scholl was a tri-captain. She and Thul really set an example for the younger players. They were instrumental in the Cardinal basketball team getting to the state semis for three seasons in a row! 

And look at what the Alex boys are accomplishing too! The boys climb with the Witts in an integral role. That's the former Morris family of Witts. What would Alex do without all the Morris connections? Just kidding - that's the stuff of speculation. 

Here's the Alex scoring list for the DeLaSalle game: Thul 18, Scholl 17, MaCee Linow 4, Haabala 15 and Kate Hennessy 6. McKinley Hoelscher had a rebound and a steal. Camree Miller supplied an assist and a steal. Hope Stark got a rebound.

 

Benidle-St. Margaret's 60, Cardinals 52

It's asking a lot of a team to win continuously all the way through state! All the teams have special credentials and special players. So Alex was not destined to win this year's championship. Alex fought back from an 18-point deficit against their top-seeded opponent, Benilde-St. Margaret's. But it wasn't enough, as in the end Alex was on the short end by eight. 

This state semis game was played on Thursday. Benilde-St. Margaret's was able to put out the fire, as it were, and ended up on top in the 60-52 final at Williams Arena on the U of M campus. Williams Arena is the storied "shrine" to basketball in Minnesota. 

Lots of standouts with the Cardinals

Benilde has won the previous two AAA titles. Kohler thought her Cardinals played well. She was quoted saying "we were resilient." 

"I think that's what you learn in sports." 

Benilde sports the "Red Knights" nickname. And those Red Knights went on a 15-3 run to close out the first half. They were up 34-20 at halftime. They had held the Cardinals to 28 percent shooting up to that point. They had also forced eleven turnovers. 

The Cardinals' resolve was shown in how they outscored the Red Knights 20-10 in the game's last 7:53. 

 

Vying for third now

The long road of the 2024-25 season will end for Alex on Saturday with the state third place game. On this occasion the Cardinals will face Cretin-Derham Hall. Game-time is noon at the Gangelhoff Center. 

Here's the Alex scoring list for the Benilde game: Thul 18, Scholl 15, Linow 9, Haabala 8 and Miller 2. Hennessy snared three rebounds. Hoelscher had an assist and a steal. Lauren Beyer had three rebounds and one assist.

- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - bwillty73@yahoo.com