Success marches onward for the MACA boys basketball team. Over and over the Tigers take the court and win. They do it against their normal foes out here in outstate, then they roll past the big city boys. So the MACA boys are in for the state semi-finals now. A historic season.
We'll have until Friday night to catch our breath after the state quarters.
Already our basketball zeal was sky-high after what the Hancock girls did in state. Hancock is still thrilled about the Owls' season. And now the MACA boys are at centerstage. If "March madness" is intended as a cure for the "blahs" of the long winter, well then my goodness, it is serving its purpose perfectly.
The Tigers took to the storied floor of Williams Arena on Tuesday night. Their quarter-finals opponent was the big city guys of Minnehaha Academy. This school has a background of being a power in AAA. Now they're AA. So, they're able to "clean up" at that level? Not so fast.
The outstate boys beat the city boys in the state quarters. Coach Mark Torgerson's crew prevailed 71-67. A close final score, yes, but the Tigers were actually in command halfway through, or appeared to be. We were up 36-22. My sense was to think game was wrapped up for us. So then I wondered, is there going to be a problem with the apparent conflict with MAHS music? The band and choir have an exciting trip to Texas planned, beginning Saturday!
And now the Tigers are guaranteed a game on Saturday, if not the title affair, then the third place game. Consider also that the MACA fans would be getting back home very late on Friday from the semis. Hmmm. We have to hope that everyone ends up reasonably satisfied with whatever happens. Will pep band be affected? Well it certainly would appear to be affected Saturday.
On Friday? I'm just an observer. I covered the Tigers in the state tournament for the Morris paper when Jackson Loge's father Kevin played. I know what the "adrenalin rush" is like.
Minnehaha Academy had an enviable record of success at the state level: multiple appearances, multiple climbs to No. 1. Now the Tigers have demonstrated that the Redhawks are mortal. The Redhawks fought hard to make the game interesting in the second half to be sure. The orange and black had to "hold on."
The Tigers displayed a diversified brand of play as they seized the first half advantage. We never trailed in the game. Six different Tigers scored in the first half.
Our lead swelled to 17 points with a little over 13 minutes left in the game.
Watch out for the full-court press. Brett at kmrs-kkok reports how this tactic came on strong for Minnehaha. He called it "tenacious." It resulted in MACA turnovers. The Redhawks flirted with gaining a tie with 1:45 left. Our margin now: three points. MACA fans breathed a sigh of relief as Minnehaha faltered at the freethrow line. Praise the Lord, eh?
At the same time, Torgy coaxed his charges to deal with the press better. Brett reported how we "converted fast-break layups." Plus, got freethrows. The final horn sounded. We win! And I immediately wondered: how is this thing going to go with the band and choir leaving on Saturday? Oh well, people in the proper positions of authority will have to deal with it properly.
The Tigers overcame the offensive tools shown by Prince Aligbe of those Redhawks. Aligbe was a scoring machine with 36 points. He did this despite foul trouble. He also grabbed 14 rebounds. Rolyns Aligbe had eight points and six rebounds. Mateo Cortes-Weiss came off the bench to score eight.
Would you believe, Minnehaha had a 15-game state tourney win streak going as they entered this game? The Tigers were not intimidated by any of this. The state tournament is familiar territory for Minnehaha, whether in AA or AAA.
 |
| Mark Torgerson |
Now we're going to play another squad of the big city boys, from Minneapolis North. North is the No. 1 seed. Again, "the Barn" will be game site.
Will we have a pep band? Wonderful if the answer could be "yes." Game-time is 6 p.m. Friday.
Game statistics
The Tigers prevailed Tuesday with a 59 percent shooting performance from the field. We made 27 of 46 shots.
Five players carried nearly the whole scoring burden. So we see Thomas Tiernan with 20 points leading the way. Jackson Loge was right up there with 18. Brandon Jergenson put in 13 points, Durgin Decker 11 and Cole Wente 7. It sure didn't hurt that Toby Gonnerman supplied two. Every point had impact as fans battled the stress.
Tiernan made 7 of 12 shots, Loge 5 of 12. Tiernan is known as a 3-point shooting whiz. He came through in this crowd-pleasing department as he sank four of his seven tries. Wente made his only '3' attempt. The Tigers were 5 of 13 in this department, 38 percent.
We made half our freethrow attempts: 12 of 24. Loge was a frequent visitor to the freethrow line: 8 of 17.
Loge was at the fore in rebounding with his 16 total, four offensive. Gonnerman was in position to grab five boards, one offensive. We had 26 total rebounds. Loge showed his unselfish brand of play with eight assists. Tiernan led in steals with three. Our turnover total was 15. Loge blocked two shots, Jergenson blocked one.
Well, let's all catch our breath now. The MACA student athletes are indefatigable, like the Energizer Bunny. Ah, the resilience of youth.
I invite you to compare my coverage with what you see on the Morris newspaper website.
The hoops enthusiasm
We can say nothing but good things about the success of any local students. As I looked over a "house paper," the Morris paper, that was at the restaurant this a.m., I had to wonder if sometimes it gets a little excessive. I mean, this obligation the local media feels to just go crazy when some of these teams do well.
There are only five players in the starting lineup for a basketball team. The student body is diverse with students in an array of interests and pursuits. Are we giving the athletes an unrealistic sense of the importance of their accomplishments? I mean, winning games?
The Morris paper is full to the gills with stuff on MACA and Hancock basketball. Meanwhile the MACA girls basketball players have had to retire to becoming fans quite some time ago. Are they disconsolate about that? They'd probably say "no" but I wonder. I wonder often about all the non-athletes at school.
Music has no equivalent to the hyper-mania that can grow about basketball. Is that fair? I repeat: Is that fair? The musicians are "useful" - that's all - as pep band members, and the athletes step into the limelight as heroes. Yes, they really do. I offer congrats to them.
It has been a pleasure for yours truly to try to offer something journalistically over the course of this and other seasons. I can do it just as effectively online-only as I did when working for the "dead tree media." The late Steve Cannon once called us "ink-stained wretches." It's a whole new media world now, as we see "YouTube geniuses," as a friend calls them, ply their interest at our high school. Congrats to these enterprising souls, in spades. Nothing like that existed for most of my life.
I used to take photos of Tiger and Owl basketball and then "develop film" in an "analog" darkroom - messy, mistake-prone and expensive. Nothing like that today. It's all great but it requires adjusting, especially for people my age. I have not received any thanks or congrats for all the writing I have done on this year's Tigers, and that's fine. Let's just keep fingers crossed we can win on Friday, Saturday too!
And congrats to the band and choir kids on having such a wonderful trip opportunity. Maybe a good thing it wasn't New Orleans after all. Did you see reports of the awful tornadoes there?
Further reflection, please
A final thought on the Morris paper being so full to the gills with basketball stuff: don't we have to wonder if maybe we're being "suckers" for the State High School League's machinations in developing a system where teams can advance to the maximum extent? I mean, four classes, sub-section finals games which are really section semi-finals, but I suppose the sub-section champ gets a trophy. Yes, perhaps our "everyone gets a trophy" culture being evidenced.
Like I said, congrats to the athletes (because if I don't I'll have the parents screaming epithets at me) but consider too the many other valuable pursuits of kids in school, as they find their potential. The cheering in the gymnasiums will end. There are only five starting players for a basketball team. Is the mania out of proportion? Rhetorical question, Kemosabe.
- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com
 |
| (image from twitter) |
No comments:
Post a Comment