Orono runs away from Blake in Section 6AAA
There were 64 section games in Minnesota last night (but only 4 of them in the metro area) and I chose one that ended up in running time. But, running time is hard to miss during the 1st round of…
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Continue ReadingThere were 64 section games in Minnesota last night (but only 4 of them in the metro area) and I chose one that ended up in running time. But, running time is hard to miss during the 1st round of the playoffs, as 22 of the 64 games were decided by 35 points or more.
In Orono, the #2-seeded Spartans were simply too athletic, too big, too experienced for Blake’s #7-seeded Bears. Blake stayed close at 11-7 at the 10 minute mark, but Orono ran out the next 10 minutes at 22-5 and it was all over at halftime (at 33-12). Tori Andrew already had 17 points, and Orono led 21-12 in rebounds with 5 blocked shots. Blake shot just 5-of-24 from the field.
The game went to running time at 56-20 at 9:00, by which time Orono’s starters and even its top players off the bench were gone for good. Meanwhile, Blake’s starters stayed in almost to the end and the Bears were able to rally a bit behind Nia Harris, who scored 5 of her 18 points, and 8th grader Makenna Vavrishek, who scored 6 points off of 3 steals.
When we say the Orono was too big, we mostly mean Natalie Smaron, the 6-2 senior post, who scored 6 points but added 14 boards and 4 blocks, though it is also true that 4 of Orono’s starters are taller than Blake’s biggest starter. Orono had a 2-and-a-half inch advantage per player. 5-10 junior point guard Maddie Loder, added 11 points and 4 assists.
MVP—Tori Andrew, Orono’s 5-10 senior wing, was too strong as Blake tried to double her—sometimes just to deny her the ball—but she was able to split the double several times, and to finish through contact at the rim. She finished with 23 points and 8 boards.
Top Offensive Performer—It’s hard not to pick Andrew but in the interest of spreading some recognition around, you could also argue for Blake’s 5-8 senior guard Nia Harris. Andrew scored 23 points going 1-against-2. Harris scored 18 going 1-against-5. Most of her scores were dribble drives right up the gut and, OK, I exaggerated when I suggested she beat 5 defenders on a single drive. But, 3 on an average drive, with maybe a couple of crossovers and finishes with either hand, would be fair. She finished with 7-of-18 shooting and 8 rebounds and just 2 turnovers.
Top Defensive Performer—6-2 senior post Natalie Smaron is an accomplished rim protector who knows how to get the block with also getting the foul. She is also adept at blocked the ball softly so that it remains available for herself to rebound it as well. And then there are those 14 rebounds, most of them on the defensive end.
Best Play—It was already 18-9 when Smaron got a steal deep, got it ahead to Loder who penetrated toward the rim, then kicked it back out to Andrew at the top of the key for a dagger 3 that made it 21-9 and forced a Blake timeout.
Best Under-the-Radar Performance—Blake’s 8th wing Makenna Vavricheck was freshly in the game as running time first got underway. She quickly picked off a couple of inlet passes on the right and then the left wing, and converted both of them into 2 points. She finished with 6 points on 3-of-3 shooting, with 2 boards and those 2 steals.
Best Underclassman—Well, for the record Blake started an 8th and 3 10th graders, and their rotation included a 9th and a couple more 8th graders. Still, you had to love Orono’s 10th graders Kristin Van Buren and Alayna Eichstadt and freshman Lauren Reeves. Each hit a 3 midway through the 2nd half as Orono pushed it into running time.
Best Rebounder—Smaron.
Best Passer—Loder, who finished with a game-high 4 assists.
Best Catch-and-Shoot—Orono is not mainly a catch-and-shoot, bomber type of team, at least last night they took it to the rim. And, yet, Andrew is one of the state’s top 3-point shooters. Last night she was 1-of-4 from long range.
Best Coaching Move—Orono coach Lavesa Glover-Verhagen got the last of her starters out around the 10 minute mark. Why risk an injury? She said afterward that it was a great tuneup precisely because she could play her bench a lot of minutes, more than in a typical regular season game. And, several of her bench players had nice games—Anna Hughes, Van Buren, Eichstadt and Reeves, among others.