By Bryan Zollman
(click on the title above for the game box score)
The dimensions at Williams Arena are the same as they are in Sauk Centre’s gym.
But tonight the hoop seemed a little bit smaller, the iron a little bit harder, and perhaps the lights a little brighter for the Mainstreeters as they struggled from the get-go in a 52-37 loss to Pipestone Area Wednesday.
Was it the “barn” effect? Was it Pipestone’s aggressive defense and size? Or did the Streeters just turn cold at the wrong time?
The usually high-octane Streeter offense suffered 11-plus minutes of scoreless basketball late in the first half and early in the second half. During that tiem Pipestone enjoyed a 13-0 run as they advanced to the semi-finals with the win.
Sauk was just 5-for-28 from the field in the first half and 4-for-19 from three-point range. Pipestone was 9-for-23 in the first half and took just five shots from beyond the arc. By game’s end Sauk shot a dismal 20 percent from the floor to the Arrows’ 40 percent. That proved to be the difference as the Arrows stretched a 21-18 halftime lead to 10 points early in the second half on their way to the win.
Rachel Gruber, one of several seniors who
played their last game, dribbles past an Arrows player.
PHOTO BY RANDY OLSON
The Streeters were especially ineffective from three-point range, their bread and butter all year. In the second half they dropped star point guard Kali Peschel down low to try and create more opportunities. Pipestone muscled Peschel and the refs were letting both teams play for the most part. The result was Sauk never got into a groove offensively.
Despite their poor shooting, however, they were in the game for the entire first half.
They won the opening tip and within seconds Maren Greenwaldt had the ball on the far baseline for a three-point attempt. But her shot rimmed out. Pipestone followed with a bucket, but Peschel answered with a three for a 3-2 lead. After Pipestone scored again Megan Rieland drained a three for a 6-4 lead. Early on things looked good for the Streeters. They led 7-4 and 9-6 before the teams were deadlocked at 11-11 and 13-13 when Rieland hit a pair buckets.
The teams traded baskets in between travels, turnovers and miscues as both squads seemed to be feeling each other out and perhaps getting used to the confines of Williams Arena.
A three-poinmter by Peschel with 6:11 to play gave Sauk an 18-15 lead. But they would not score the rest fo the half as Pipestone went on a 6-0 run to lead 21-18 at the buzzer.
At that point Sauk was lucky to be within three due to their inefficient offense. The hope was they would come out with a solid second half. It hadn’t been too often the Streeters put together two below average halves offensively.
Lots of loose balls and turnovers early in Wednesday's match up, but
Pipestone settled in while the Streeters struggled to find the groove on offense.
PHOTO BY RANDY OLSON
But the start of the second half was much like the first. The Streeters did not score for the first 5:31 minutes when Savana Weller’s bank shot pulled the Streeters to within eight at 28-20. That meant the Streeters went 11:42 without a point.
Greenwaldt made her first shot of the night when she sank a three-pointer to make it a 32-26 game with 9:50 to play. Another three by Greenwaldt made it 36-31 and the Streeters crept to within five when Weller made a pair of free throws at the 6:13 mark.
But Pipestone’s Bree Woebler found a seam in Sauk’s defense that twice led to easy lay ups, and they dominated the boards on Sauk’s end for some putbacks that led to an insurmountable 49-35 lead.
Greenwaldt and Peschel led the squad with 10 points each. Megan Rieland added eight.
The Streeters ended the season with a 26-3 record and the first trip to state in the program’s history. Pipestone advanced to Friday’s semi-finals against Braham, who defeated Watertown-Mayer in the 6 p.m. game Wednesday.
Despite the loss, the Mainstreeters put together one of the most memorable seasons in school history, reaching the No. 1 ranking in Class AA and reaching the state tournament for the first time in the program's history.
They will lose a strong core of seniors in starters Savana Weller, Rachel Gruber and Megan Rieland. All three played important roles in this year's run. Weller and Gruber were outstanding defenders with Weller leading the team in rebounding. Rieland averaged 12.3 points per game heading into tourney play.
The Streeters will also be without Lindsey Rieland, Chelsea Donnay and Brianna Pfeffer. Rieland was the team's top three-point threat off the bench. Donnay was a role player and a senior leader. Pfeffer unfortunately spent most of her season on the bench due to a season-ending knee injury suffered early in the year.
All six seniors played an integral role in this year's successful season. And even though it ended with a loss, the 16 girls who donned maroon this season will go down in Sauk's record books, their names forever etched into memory.
Megan Rieland, Savana Weller, Maren Greenwaldt and Kali Peschel could
only watch from the sidelines in the final minutes of Wednesday's loss.
Greenwaldt and Peschel will be back next year.
Weller, Rieland and fellow starter Rachel Gruber
will graduate and be sorely missed along with fellow seniors
Chelsea Donnay, Lindsey Rieland and Brianna Pfeffer.
PHOTO BY BRYAN ZOLLMAN
