Chloe Scholl a top player with Alexandria

Chloe Scholl, Alexandria Cardinal. I do believe there is a resemblance to mom Heather.

The Morris connection to high-flying Alexandria basketball is pretty noteworthy. This blog has already covered the ground with the Cardinal boys team. Oh it's still "alive" in post-season play. That's with four of the Witts on board, two players and two coaches. Surely you remember the family. 

Well, time does pass and memories do fade. They have faded regarding me and the role I once had with the Morris newspaper, that's for sure. Most of that chapter of my life was pre-digital or in the nascent days of the Internet. You know, back in 2000 we probably thought the digital world had advanced as far as it was going to. Human nature to think that way. And today cars do not even come with spare tires! Oh, I digress. 

Bev Kieffer would not be surprised that I might digress now and then. I'm a writer who honed his skills when we were not supposed to be "brass tacks" all the time. Today it's all business (wink). So let's get to the meat and potatoes here, as it were. The Alexandria girls basketball team with Bev's granddaughter Chloe Scholl is sure impressing. They play at the AAA level. Big schools with lots of talent of course. 

Chloe's talent helped propel those Cardinals to two wins in Section 8AAA play. First it was a 59-25 blowout win over Little Falls. BTW I'm seeing a fair amount of one-sided scores in girls hoops. It's fine if you're rooting for the winner! 

And I can just see Bev exuding enthusiasm from her spot in the bleachers. I even remember when she "teared up" at the end of daughter Heather's last game as a MAHS Tiger. That was at the UMM P.E. Center in the days when tournament games were played often there. The Tigers lost at UMM that night to an opponent I certainly do not remember. 

Heather is Chloe's mother. Bev's last name was "Lucken" in the days when I really knew her. She was a Morris High School graduate herself. Not only that, she was Homecoming queen! She eventually served on the Morris school board. I remember the board dealing with some uncomfortable issues with extracurricular. Today I think our Morris school is fundamentally sound and controversy-fee, although I'm much more separated from it. Our MACA girls team was rather sub-par to be frank, but we salvaged an important ray of hope at the end by beating Montevideo in the sub-section. Midway through the season I would not have bet on any post-season wins. A building block, maybe? 

Well in Alexandria the "future is now" most definitely. Following their walloping of Little Falls, Chloe and her mates dispatched Fergus Falls in another masterpiece. The score: 73-52. That success was at Detroit Lakes. 

So what now? Well, it's state! The Cardinals will take to the court at Maturi Pavilion on the U of M campus to play Delano. It's a noon start time on Wednesday. This is what it's all about: playing in state. Minnewaska Area is at that level too. Good luck to the Cardinals and Lakers. 

Heather has a sister Chris. Bev's husband is Dennis Kieffer. And let's never forget the late Rick Lucken! So tragic how he left us.

 

Upping the profile

I think more fans are paying attention to girls basketball because of Caitlin Clark. 

Take a look at the score of the Cards' last regular season game. Holy cow it was 78-23 over Detroit Lakes at DL. What's going on at DL? 

The Cardinals now own their third straight Section 8-3A title. I sure hope Alexandria appreciates the "Morris connection." With Chloe, the Alex girls are in the state tournament for the seventh time in the last nine seasons. 

"Completely dominated" is how the Echo-Press writer described how Alex did in their most recent win. So we're talking the 73-52 rout of Fergus Falls. Fergus Falls had the No. 2 seed behind the Cards. And there was not going to be a surprising outcome. Alex owned a 19-point lead at halftime. 

"They never looked back," writer Sam Stuve noted. 

The Alex coach is Wendy Kohler. The Cardinals overcame some early foul trouble to defeat the Otters of Fergus Falls. Scholl and teammate Hadley Thul got into some foul trouble. The game was close for a time. But presto, the Cards went on a 13-0 run. So Alex was up 24-10 with eight minutes left in the first half. 

The halftime score? It was 40-21. The fans including Bev could relax. 

Alex has defeated Fergus Falls three times this season. 

Committed to Gustavus Adolphus

Chloe Scholl has committed to Gustavus Adolphus for her college career. How will she wrap up her prep resume? Hopefully with wins in state. But regardless, what a super season. I'm surprised that Alex is only ranked fifth in Minnesota AAA. Alex takes a 24-4 record into state. 

Scholl scored 15 points in the section championship game. Hadley Thul edged her out for team-best as she scored 16. Also building the attack were MaCee Linow 14, Kate Hennessy 11, Allie Haabala 10 and McKinley Hoelscher 7. 

The top Fergus scorer was Hattie Fullhart with 19 points. Fergus Falls closes out the season at 21-8. Stay stunned for the state tournament! And don't forget to follow the fortunes of the Minnewaska Area Lakers! 

Scholl is a 1000-point scorer for her career. She reached the coveted milestone in early January against those Otters of Fergus Falls. Naturally it was an Alexandria win. 

 

Allure fades

I don't feel as much incentive to visit Alexandria anymore since Viking Plaza Mall has essentially "died." I guess the digital age has forced all sorts of adjustments. For the better? I'm not so sure. I used to get my Civil War magazines at the bookstore in the mall, and I'd dine at the Brass Lantern and enjoy just watching all the people. The late Willard Micklish called this the "ambience" of a shopping mall. 

I still consider going to the Lake Latoka public swimming beach in summer. Wow, I needed a map to find it! Nice place. 

I guess Alex is the place for Morris people to retire if you've "made it."

 

Addendum: You might remember Chloe's late grandfather Rick Lucken. I remember being with Rick at Don's Cafe in Morris once and I asked him if he'd mind if I set my toast off to the side away from my plate for a few moments. He smiled and said that since he had served in Vietnam, there's no way such a thing would bother him! Rick stood out with his personality.

Reliable shooting eye. Just like a certain former U of Iowa player?

An accomplished coach of the Cardinals: Wendy Kohler!

 

Chloe is at right in this photo which was taken for Alexandria volleyball last fall. At left is Addie Rossum and at center is Hadley Thul. They were the tri-captains. This photo is from "Voice of Alexandria."

 

- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com