As someone who keeps an eye on "creeping inflation," I took note. My source doubted that the usual pass for MACA sports was valid on this day.
Fans would watch the prep teams on the "big floor" of UMM. It's a storied place from the annals of area prep sports, although MACA no longer plays much if at all there in the post-season. These days it seems fans must head immediately to the south. We head to Monte, Granite Falls and then Marshall if we're fortunate to get that far.
Marshall is a considerable distance from here by my standards. In general it seems prep sports fans have to travel out of town a lot. The late Les Lindor who was school board chairman expressed concern about this, thinking the demands could be unreasonable. I suppose there's a cost angle too.
Back in my newspaper days, when I felt pressure sometimes to make a trip, so as to pay adequate attention to a particular team, lest I be burned in effigy, I felt another concern: driving back from a distant place - Marshall qualifies - at a very late hour. A person could get sleepy while driving.
I shook my head when fans had to drive a long way for a post-season game involving the No. 1 seed against No. 8. So often these games seem little more than formalities. Or even embarrassments. I remember reading about a little controversy when a No. 1 seeded hockey team absolutely demolished a No. 8 seed. Why go through this?
Then again, there are exceptions like a few years ago, when our No. 1 seeded boys basketball team lost at home in the first round to No. 8 Paynesville. I expressed my usual shock. But as is typical, fans made up excuses or explanations for our dud. They'd say "oh, Paynesville was really good." Well I suppose they were, to beat the No. 1 seed. Often I'll hear "we weren't making our shots," or "(the opponent) got hot shooting."
I remember the year our boys took New London-Spicer into OT in about the second to last game of the regular season, then a couple of weeks later, playing in the post-season at Collegeville in the aftermath of a winter storm that left roads in less than ideal shape, New London-Spicer killed us in a game that seemed over right from the start. A close friend of the coach told me New London-Spicer "got hot shooting!" Well, OK.
My habit through the years after a lowlight performance has been to hold the coach's feet to the fire a little. I figure, why not? But this didn't exactly endear me to a segment of the Morris community.
Tigers 72, Redwood Valley 69
The fans who paid $9 or whatever to see the Tigers Saturday were treated to an exciting game, most definitely. Fans were thrilled at the end to see a 3-pointer that vaulted us into winning position. We downed Redwood Valley 72-69. It was Thomas Tiernan who hit the game-winning '3' at the buzzer. Wow!
The game was tied 66-all as time wound down. First Jackson Loge vaulted us forward with a '3' when he found himself wide open.
The clock showed three seconds left when Bryant Haas of the Cardinals hit a '3' from the corner. Teams huddled for a timeout. The KMRS website reported that Tiernan inbounded the ball to Loge who bounced a pass back to Tiernan. The rest is history. A radio announcer might simply intone "yes!" Yes the Tigers had this 72-69 win under their belt.
We had to overcome Loge being in foul trouble in the first half. Redwood Valley outscored us 37-31 in the first half. We got out of the hole with a 41-32 advantage in the second half.
The win was our 11th against eight losses. The Redwood Valley numbers: 13-8.
Haas led the Cardinals with 21 points while Carter Guetter and Connor Josephson each put in eleven. Here's an enthusiastic plug for the KMRS-KKOK website, its sports department, worth visiting every day. It is disappointing to see the Morris newspaper give up on its website, rather shocking really.
Thanks to "Maxpreps" for having detailed stats on the game available. I will note that the individual point totals for MACA add up to 71 points, not 72 - a nit-pick.
Consulting Maxpreps, we learn Loge led our scoring with 22 points. The sophomore sensation made eight of 13 field goal attempts. He was one of four double figures scorers. Tiernan made five of eleven shots and scored 14.
Toby Gonnerman came through with 11 points on a perfect five-for-five. What a sophomore class: Loge, Tiernan and Gonnerman are sophomores! Back in the early 1980s, the 'B' team was the "sophomore team." Those were trying times.
Cameron Koebernick, senior, came through with ten points.
Durgin Decker is another sophomore to watch and he scored five as did senior Cade Fehr. Senior Jaden Maanum scored four. Our team field goal shooting numbers were 29-for-54, 54 percent.
Let's take a look at three-pointers where Tiernan made four in ten attempts. Loge made both of his long-range tries. Decker made his only attempt as did Fehr. In 3's we were eight-for-19 for 42 percent.
The Tigers made five of 12 freethrow tries, 42 percent. Loge was four of six and Gonnerman one-for-one. Rebounding saw Loge and Fehr share team-best honors, each with seven. Loge had one offensive and six defensive. All seven of Fehr's boards were defensive. Tiernan picked up three rebounds. Just three of our rebounds were offensive while we picked up 21 defensive.
Loge led in assists with five. Our team total was 17. Tiernan had our only two steals. Brandon Jergenson had impact with his two blocked shots. Loge had the other shot block.
Someone told me it's a guy named Fragodt who gets the stats on Maxpreps - thank him for that.
I can write unconfirmed info on my blogs anytime. I could not do that with the newspaper. A blog is fluid, it can be changed or updated anytime. Thanks for reading.
If the $9 charge for tickets is true, it's abhorrent. Oh, apparently there was a "senior" price of $4. Why do senior citizens get so many breaks? Why not have a "young working family" discount? Huh? Why not?
- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com
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