•  Minnewaska Area finishes season with 28-5 record after going 1-2 at State

The Minnewaska Area girls basketball team competed at the State Tourney for the first time in 26 years this past weekend, winning the fourth-place trophy.  The Lakers won the Section 3AA title over Fairmont and were seeded fifth of the eight teams in Class AA.

Minnewaska Area faced fourth-seeded Sauk Centre in the opening round and the Lakers earned an exciting 60-53 win in front of a packed crowd at Williams Arena last Wednesday.

The Lakers fell to top-seeded Providence Academy in the semifinals Friday, 88-43, and also lost in the third-place game to third-seeded Minnehaha, Saturday at Concordia, 61-42.

The Lakers ended the season with a 28-5 overall record, which included a 12-1 mark in the WCC to earn the co-championship with Sauk Centre.

Providence went on to win its fourth-straight Class AA title with a 81-63 win over Crosby-Ironton in the Class AA finals.

“This season has been a very special season.  Going into it as a first-year head coach, I wasn’t sure what to expect,” said coach Nick Danielson.  “I knew we had some talented girls that have played a lot of basketball, but the coaching I’ve done, I’ve always been big on playing defense.  The team really started to figure it out after the first couple of weeks.  That was a huge part of our success this season.  

“We had a lot of very exciting games this year, including beating Sauk Centre at home and several of our playoff games.  It was a very special season!”

This was the fifth state berth for the MAHS girls basketball program, joining the 1994-95, 1995-96, 1996-97 and 1998-99 teams.  In 1997, the team fell to NLS in the Class AA finals (55-51) and in 1999, Minnewaska lost to Blake in the title game (53-44).

•  This year’s varsity roster includes seniors Addy Kath, Lauren Stryhn, Sydney Dahl, Megan Thorfinnson and Amber Peabody; juniors Alia Randt, Lauryn Ankeny, Olivia Danielson, Aubrey Stark, Carly Jergenson, Kendall Danielson, Phemie Oeltjen and Jayda Kolstoe; sophomores Norah VanZee, Eliana Marthaler, Haillie Schulz and Claira Frey; and ninth-grader Berlynn Green.

“The community has supported us all season and it was unbelievable to see all those fans at Williams Arena,” Danielson said.  “Our defense really gets cranked up when our fans cheer and get into the game.  I know our team was in awe at the outpouring of community support.”

Waska 60, Sauk Cen 53

The Lakers won their state opener over Sauk Centre, last Wednesday, in dramatic fashion, 60-53.  Minnewaska Area trailed the entire game before taking its first lead at 48-46 with 8:04 left in the game.  The Mainstreeters led the entire first half, building early leads of 7-0, 11-2 and 36-26 before the Lakers rallied to keep things close each time.

The Lakers trailed 36-30 at halftime but forged into a 40-40 tie only 4:03 into the second half.  The two teams were still tied at 42-42, 46-46, 48-48 and 50-50 before the Lakers took the lead for good on a  3-pointer by Sydney Dahl with 3:20 left in the game.

The lead grew to 57-50 on a layup by Lauryn Ankeny off a feed from Dahl, but Sauk Centre tried to rally one more time, getting a big three-point play with 1:00 left in the game.  However,  Megan Thorfinnson hit 3-of-4 free-throws down the stretch to keep the Lakers comfortably ahead.

In addition, Minnewaska won the rubber match against the Mainstreeters as the two teams had tied during the regular season with SC winning early, 58-48, but the Lakers coming back to win, Jan. 31 at home, 51-48.

“The girls were relaxed and ready for the game against SC and we had a good practice that morning,” coach Danielson said.  “We didn’t get off to a great start, but we kept encouraging the team to shoot the open shots.  We knew our defense would start to wear them down in the second half.”

The Mainstreeters, who fell to 27-3 overall, moved into the consolation round, Thursday, while the Lakers advanced to the semifinals, Friday, to face top-seeded and undefeated Providence Academy.

Things didn’t get off to a great start for the Lakers as Sauk Centre got off to an early 7-0 lead before the Lakers scored their first points on a left-handed layup by Thorfinnson, who had a game-high 17 points for Minnewaska Area.

The Mainstreeters kept up the pressure, building an 11-2 lead before Minnewaska Area scored seven-straight points on a 3-pointer by Alia Randt, two free-throws by Ankeny and a nice left-handed drive by Ankeny.

However, Sauk Centre went on an 8-1 run to build its lead to 19-10 halfway through the first half.  A 3-pointer by Jayda Kolstoe and two free-throws by Thorfinnson closed the gap to 21-18, but Sauk Centre kept up the pressure and led 36-26 with  just under 1:30 left in the opening stanza.

Dahl hit her first two baskets of the game over the final 1:25 of the first half, including a big shot at the buzzer, to pull the Lakers to within 36-30 at halftime.  And, after SC scored the first basket of the second half, the Lakers went on a 10-2 run to tie up the game for the first time at 40-40 with 13:57 remaining.

Dahl and Thorfinnson had key 3-pointers during the 10-2 run, while Addy Kath and Ankeny also made baskets.

“They had some small guards and, after watching some film, we felt that when Lauryn, Olivia or Megan were matched up with them we could have some luck posting them up,” Danielson said.  “Lauryn especially had some success.”

The two teams went back and forth for the next 10 minutes as the tension grew and the fans continued to scream.  The Lakers had leads of 48-46 and 50-48, but SC tied it up both times before Dahl hit a huge 3-pointer with 3:20 left in the game to put the Lakers up for good at 53-50.

Dahl connected on another shot inside to put Waska up 55-50 and then, after a steal by Kath, Dahl fed Ankeny for an easy basket to increase the lead to 57-50.  Thorfinnson followed by connecting on 3-of-4 free-throws down the stretch.

The Lakers had the ball for the final possession and were able to hold the ball for the final 10-15 seconds while beginning to congratulate each other and with the Laker fan section going wild.  The Lakers were on to the state semifinals!

Thorfinnson had 17 points, three boards and two assists to lead the Lakers, while Dahl had 13 points and four rebounds and Ankeny had 12 points, three assists and two steals to give the Lakers three players in double figures.

“Lauryn’s play is super important to our success,” Danielson said.  “She is a great leader on our defense and has done a great job controlling the other team’s best player.”

Kolstoe added eight points and a team-high seven rebounds, while Kath had five points and four boards, Randt had three points, three rebounds and two assists, and Olivia Danielson had two points, two boards and three steals.

The Lakers shot just over 40 percent from the field (22-for-53), including a key 8-of-21 from 3-point range.  SC also shot just over 40 percent from the field (19-for-46), but turned the ball over 15 times compared to nine turnovers for the Lakers.  Senior guard Cierra Kortan led the Mainstreeters with 21 points while senior Victoria Jennissen had a double-double of 11 points and 11 boards.

Providence 88, Waska 43

The run to the Class AA championship came to an end with an 88-43 loss to Providence Academy in the state semifinals, Friday.  

The Greenway sisters were the main keys to the Providence win, but the Lions had five solid players who all stayed in the game until under four minutes remained in the contest.

Providence got off to an early 14-2 lead, but a 3-pointer by Megan Thorfinnson and a layup by Sydney Dahl closed the gap to 14-7 with 12:17 left in the first half.

A 3-pointer by Lauryn Ankeny a little while later kept the Lakers close at 22-15, but the Lakers failed to connect on a layup which would have cut the deficit to five.

Instead, the Lions built their lead back up to 28-17 and then, after a shot inside by Dahl, Providence went on a 14-0 run to go up 42-19 with 3:47 left in the half.

The Lakers actually outscored the Lions 6-4 during the remaining 3:47 of the first half, with Olivia Danielson hitting three free-throws, Dahl connecting on two and Thorfinnson adding one free- shot over the final 3:47 of the first half.

All told, the Lakers did not make a 2 or 3-point basket over the final 7:02 of the first half, which was a statistic hard to overcome.

The Lions’ defensive pressure was something the Lakers haven’t seen this season.  Minnewaska ended the game with 24 turnovers with many ending up as easy layups for Providence.

Providence put the game away with a 10-0 run to start the second half to build its lead to 56-25 with 16:10 left in the game.

The Lakers wouldn’t give up though, going on a 9-3 run of their own to cut the deficit to 59-34.  First, Dahl hit a 3-pointer and Kolstoe scored on a layup to cut the lead to 56-30 and then, after a 3-pointer by Maddy Greenway, Dahl scored from inside and Kolstoe hit a jumpshot to bring the Lakers to within 59-34 with 12:37 left in the game.

That would be as close as the Lakers would get though, as Providence would go on to outscore Minnewaska 29-9 the rest of the way.

“We new this was going to be a tough challenge,” Danielson said.  “Their speed was very impressive and Greenway is a special player.  No matter what we threw at her, she was able to get by us.”

Dahl ended the game with 21 points and four rebounds, while Kolstoe had seven points, Ankeny had six points, five assists and three steals, Thorfinnson had four points, five boards, two assists and two steals, Danielson scored three points and also had three rebounds and two assists, and Addy Kath ended the game with two points and a team-high nine boards.

Junior Maddy Greenway led the Lions with 26 points, while her younger eighth-grade sister, Becket, added 19 points and senior Hope Counts had 15 points and 15 rebounds.  Providence shot  58 percent from the field compared to 33 percent for the Lakers.  Three of Providence’s top five will be back next season.

Minnehaha 61, Waska 42

The Lakers played equal with Minnehaha for three-quarters of the game before Minnehaha outscored the Lakers 18-7 over the final 9:19 of the game to earn a 61-42 victory in the Class AA third-place game.

Minnehaha senior Addison Mack had 32 points and four rebounds to lead her team.  She ended her career with 4,687 career points.  It was the second-straight game the Lakers faced a 4,000-point scorer as Providence junior Maddy Greenway has over 4,400 career points with one season to go.

Mack was hot early to help Minnehaha get off to a 15-7 start, but the Lakers scored seven-straight on two free-throws by Olivia Danielson, a layup by Megan Thorfinnson and a 3-pointer from Jayda Kolstoe to cut the deficit to 15-14.

Minnewaska had a chance to go up, but missed a shot inside.  Minnehaha took advantage with a 7-0 run to lead 22-14 with 6:43 left in the first half.

Five-straight points by Sydney Dahl and a layup by Danielson pulled the Lakers to within 24-21, but Minnehaha closed out the first half on a 12-4 run to go into halftime with a 36-25 lead.

Minnewaska scored the first four points of the second half on a jumper and two free-throws by Dahl to get within 36-29, but Minnehaha countered with seven-straight points to get its lead back up to 43-29 with 11:28 left in the game.

Danielson hit two-straight shots and added a free-throw in just over a minute, and when Addy Kath connected on the second of two free-throws, the Lakers were suddenly within 43-35 with 9:19 remaining.

Minnehaha ended any drama by scoring the next 10 points to go back up 53-35 and the Lakers would get no closer than 16 points the rest of the way.

“We can compete with Minnehaha, Danielson said.  “They had one special player (Mack), but we felt we could do a good enough job on her to shut them down.  We had some things that worked for us, but we did miss some baskets that we needed to have.”

Dahl, who was named to the 10-member Class AA All-Tournament team, had 17 points, three rebounds, two steals and two blocks to lead the Lakers, while Danielson added 11 points, eight boards and three steals.  In addition, Thorfinnson had six points, two rebounds and four steals, while Kolstoe had five points and four rebounds, Kath had three points, six boards and two blocked shots, and Lauryn Ankeny had two rebounds and three steals.

Minnehaha shot about 45 percent from the field, including just 4-of-15 from long range, but it was also 13-of-13 from the line.  The Lakers meanwhile, shot 26 percent from the field, including 3-of-20 on 3-pointers and were also 13-of-23 from the charity stripe.

Waska 60, Sauk Cen 53

Waska (28-3) 30 30 — 60

Sauk Cen (27-3) 36 17 — 53

WASKA stats:  22-53 FG (8-21 3pt); 8-11 FT; 12 assists; 29 rebounds; 8 steals; 10 fouls; 9 turnovers; 2 blocks . . . Scoring:  Megan Thorfinnson 17, Sydney Dahl 13, Lauryn Ankeny 12, Jayda Kolstoe 8, Addy Kath 5, Alia Randt 3, Olivia Danielson 2 . . . Rebounding:  Kolstoe 7, Dahl 4, Kath 4, Thorfinnson 3, Randt 3, Danielson 2, Ankeny 2 . . . Assists:  Ankeny 3, Kath 2, Thorfinnson 2, Randt 2 . . . Steals:  Danielson 3, Ankeny 2 . . . Blocks:  two with one each

SC stats:  19-46 FG (7-17 3pt); 8-11 FT; 13 assists; 32 rebounds; 8 steals; 12 fouls; 15 turnovers; 1 block . . . Scoring:  Cierra Kortan 21, Madelyn Schuster 12, Victoria Jennissen 11 . . . Rebounding:  Jennissen 11, Elizabeth Herickhoff 6, Kahlen Suelflow 5

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Providence 88, Waska 43

Minnewaska (28-4) 25 18 — 43

Providence 46 42 — 88

WASKA stats:  15-46 FG (5-15 3pt); 8-15 FT; 30 rebounds; 11 assists; 5 steals; 24 turnovers; 8 fouls; 1 block . . . Scoring:  Sydney Dahl 21, Jayda Kolstoe 7, Lauryn Ankeny 6, Megan Thorfinnson 4, Olivia Danielson 3, Addy Kath 2 . . . Rebounding:  Kath 9, Thorfinnson 5, Dahl 4, Danielson 3 . . . Assists:  Ankeny 5, Thorfinnson 2, Danielson 2 . . . Steals:  Ankeny 3, Thorfinnson 2 . . . Blocks:  Dahl 1

PROV stats:  38-66 FG (9-22 3pt); 3-5 FT; 35 rebounds; 19 assists; 17 steals; 10 turnovers; 15 fouls; 5 blocks. . . Scoring:  Maddyn Greenway 26, Becket Greenway 19, McKenna Schaefer 17, Hope Counts 15, Emma Millerend 9 . . . Rebounding:  Counts 15, Schaefer 8, M. Greenway 6 

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Minnehaha 61, Waska 42

Minnewaska (28-5) 25 17 — 42

Minnehaha 36 25 — 61

WASKA stats:  13-50 FG (3-20 3pt); 13-23 FT; 25 rebounds; 5 assists; 14 turnovers; 13 fouls; 12 steals; 6 blocks . . . Scoring:  Sydney Dahl 17, Olivia Danielson 11, Megan Thorfinnson 6, Jayda Kolstoe 5, Addy Kath 3 . . . Rebounding:  Danielson 8, Kath 6, Kolstoe 4, Dahl 3, Lauryn Ankeny 2, Thorfinnson 2 . . . Assists:  five with one each . . . Steals:  Thorfinnson 4, Danielson 3, Ankeny 3, Dahl 2. . . Blocks:  Dahl 2, Kath 2

MINNEHAHA stats:  22-51 FG (4-15 3pt); 13-13 FT; 37 rebounds; 10 assists; 20 turnovers; 9 steals; 18 fouls; 5 blocks . . . Scoring:  Addison Mack 32, Gigi Coleman 8, Sinae Hill 6, Amina Allen 6 . . . Rebounding:  Allen 10, Coleman 5, Hill 4, Mack 4

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