MACA boys runner-up in Section 3AA

Tigers lost 67-52

The Tigers' long trek of the 2023-24 hoops season has ended. Many wins could be savored along the way. The Tigers were a mere one win shy of making state. Still they were in rarefied air: the 3AA championship game. 

We took our 3AA-North banner into Thursday night play at Southwest State U, Marshall. I know, a long trip to make for the Tiger faithful. I shouldn't assume they minded much. Maybe at my relatively advanced age I would have minded. But I have no newspaper obligations these days. I can still practice journalism - my life's calling. But last night I could retire at my pretty standard time which was about the time the game started. 

The Tigers played the Jackson County Central Huskies at SSU's R-A Facility. 

After lying in bed for an hour I rose to catch the game's closing stages. I'm not sure about these live stream radio deals online. Seems we just get a burst of advertising/promos. So I abandoned that approach and tuned in the old terrestrial radio, KKOK. Unfortunately the Tigers were fading at the end. 

Mark Torgerson's monotone voice couldn't celebrate much. Torgerson described the game down to the end, when the scoreboard showed MACA on the short end, thus having to accept runner-up in section. The Huskies are on to state. Congrats to them. The final score was 67-52. 

Anything on the Stevens County Times website about the game? 

This is the fourth time for JCC boys hoops making state. Previous appearances were in 2016, 2017 and 2020. Asterisk: the state tournament was not played in '20 due to covid. 

Our orange and black crew got off to a nifty start Thursday: a 10-4 lead. But the Huskies fought back with an 8-0 run, good for getting the lead at 13-12. The first half had a back and forth look,. MACA held the lead at the halfway mark, 29-27. Lots of hope and confidence! 

The teams continued fighting pretty even as the second half unfolded. But a Weston Rowe score put JCC up 38-36 and they never trailed after that. JCC went up 48-39 after an 8-1 run. The Tigers, not down for the count, scored the next six points. Alas, the Huskies decisively seized the "mo" for a time: a skein of seven points to create a bulge of ten, 55-45. Just under five minutes remained. 

JCC would maintain a comfortable margin. Grant Freking gave his team an exclamation point with a dunk to end it. 

Roman Voss topped a balanced JCC scoring effort with 23 points. Rowe finished with 12, and Freking and Ben Gallagher with ten each. Others who scored were Carson Pohlman 4, Thomas Liepold 4, Thomas Sether 3 and Aiven Farmer 1. 

 

Both teams young

This is interesting: JCC had five underclassmen starters, MACA had four. The next couple years at least have a promise of great quality. Perhaps a re-match in the offing? Nice, but I hope the game time can be earlier than 8 p.m. 

I'll repeat that we had the unfortunate convergence of the basketball game and the MAHS spring band trip departure. On Thursday the musicians departed for New Orleans. I personally wrote a check to the MAHS band activity fund to help in the venture. The venture eliminated any chance that the MAHS pep band could play. I'm not sure the band would have played anyway, but I always personally recommend this sort of thing: good PR for the music program. 

Pep band is probably the only way many community residents get exposure to our music program. 

Here's a reminder that the annual May concert includes ice cream in the cafeteria! Solos and ensembles play in the cafeteria area, then everyone moves into the concert hall. 

So, the Tigers had four underclassmen starters with the one senior being Owen Anderson. There were three other seniors on the roster. 

"Coach Jacob Torgerson has a nice arsenal returning for 2024-25," my friend Randy Olson of Bonanza Valley says. 

Randy further observed: "The Tigers' 3/4 court press was chewed up by JCC's transition game down the stretch." 

The top MACA scorers were Riley Asmus (16 points), Alex Asmus (12), Drew Huebner (11) and Charlie Hanson (7). Charlie probably feels bad he's missing the band trip. His grandparents advised him this is a life's lesson: "You have to make choices." A problem for school schedule-makers is that we simply cannot know how far teams will progress in the tournament. MACA was only seeded No. 4 for sub-section. 

I wish the MACA girls team had advanced further. I thought they had the potential to do that. I'm not sure Kaylee Harstad reached her potential as a player. I wonder if the coaching situation there could use a shakeup. I'm hinting yes. 

It's great to see all the younger players in the boys program but you can never assume anything about future conquests, I assure you. Everyone wants to win. The key is keeping your focus.

 

Amazing Caitlin Clark

From an email I sent to friend Warrenn Anderson this a.m.:

 

It's amazing to watch highlight videos of Caitlin Clark. I'm more amazed than when I watched Larry Bird. She has almost other-worldly skills. She has instincts in every phase of game, but one thing I've noticed is that she has this technique for getting breathing room for taking a three-point shot. She'll sort of thrust her body forward for an instant, causing the defensive player to back off out of fear of fouling. Then a millisecond later Caitlin puts up her long-range shot. She gets just enough breathing room this way, and the defenses just can't clamp down on her. 

Her instinct with these body movements reminds me of Fran Tarkenton scrambling. He just had an innate sense. Caitlin amazes me too because she looks like a real girl. 

A neat highlight video is from when Caitlin was playing in front of an opposing team's "rat pack" that taunted her with "overrated" chant. She scored time after time and the camera kept panning over to the rat pack. I personally do not like rat packs at all, never have, and UMM had its share many years ago. I suspect that would not be tolerated today as a matter of institutional policy. I think Charlie Grussing had instructions to ignore it. I think Imholte liked it when UMM students behaved arrogant. He would not recognize the UMM of today.

I recently came across a photo of Jackson Loge but he was playing for Concordia-Moorhead. I know he originally committed to Augustana. Maybe he transferred a while ago and I am just now aware. It's harder for me to keep track of things now. Concordia would be a step down, I believe, so Jackson would be following in his father's footsteps. I actually saw a game program for Fergus Falls Comm. College that had Kevin's picture in it. Then he disappeared. I have heard different theories, but I think Kevin realized all along he wasn't going to be good enough for NCAA Div. I, and then he just wanted to withdraw. Division I players are like street fighters. I don't think Kevin fit in with that. 

Looks like the Gophers coach is getting better established now.

Tigers lost last night. Terrible for fans to drive home that far after an 8 p.m. game. The band trip is a much more worthy activity.

- BW