Hancock girls end regular season 19-4

Parkers Prairie 51, Owls 32

The Hancock Owls experienced the rare sting of a loss on Thursday, Feb. 23.

The sting was felt at home where they took on a team they knew would give them all they could handle. That foe: Parkers Prairie (the Panthers).
The PP girls came to Hancock owner of 23 wins and they added No. 24 that night, by a score of 51-32.

Coach Jodi Holleman's Owls came out of the night at 19-4. Those are the numbers they'll tote into the post-season where the debut game is presented tonight (Thursday, March 1).
Tonight's foe is Henning. This is the Class A, Section 6 affair.

Parkers Prairie came out of last Thursday with a 24-1 record.

For Hancock, losing by the relatively wide margin might have been the most discouraging aspect. It wasn't all that bad at halftime when the score stood 17-10. Yes, the margin wasn't all that bad but look at the meager point total: ten. Both teams must have been playing somewhat tentatively.

The game took on a much less restrained complexion the rest of the way. The Owls doubled their point total and added 22 points in the second half. But PP turned on the jets to score 34 second half points, truly taking command.

Starting guard Serandon Bigalke was no-go for much of the game. She was nursing a practice injury (from Wednesday). She gamely took the court for the first half in the 2/23 game. But she had to retire to the bench the rest of the way.

The Panthers were buoyed by two double figures scorers: Micaela Noga and Madison Dorn. Dorn made two 3-point shots.

The Owls failed to strike from three-point range. In total field goals the Owls were 12 of 29, and their stats in 3's were 0/4. They made six of 17 freethrow attempts.

Kendra Schmidgall was a force, leading the squad in points, rebounds and assists. Kendra with her 20 points was followed on that list by: Sami Schmidgall (5), Karol Algarate (2), Olivia Koehl (2), Bigalke (2) and Courtney Greiner (1).

Kendra's team-leading rebound total was 12. Sami Schmidgall and Koehl each grabbed five rebounds. Kendra dished out two assists.

Greiner came away with three steals.

Owls 44, Canby 42

Canby got off to a fast start in front of their home fans, challenging the Hancock girls on Saturday, 2/18. The scoreboard showed a 9-0 score at one point early-on, with Hancock striving to get untracked on this day of a girls/boys doubleheader in Canby Lancer country.

The Canby girls have a won-lost mark way over .500. They also have a particularly talented scorer in their ranks: Riley Nordgaard.

The Lancers may have enjoyed that early 9-0 run but Nordgaard was not going to have a banner first half. The Owl defense held her to seven points in the half.

The Owls were able to get untracked, given a little time, and coach Holleman's squad went on to win narrowly, 44-42.

The Owls in fact fought to get the lead by halftime. They eked out an 18-16 halftime lead and played even with Canby the rest of the way. Each team scored 26 second half points.

Clutch freethrow shooting down the stretch by Kendra Schmidgall and Serandon Bigalke lifted the Owls' fortunes. They were totally poised in front of the Lancer fans.

The Owls showed poise in long-range shooting - certainly a big plus - as they made five of 18 shots from three-point range. They were 12 of 43 in total field goals and a superb 15 of 18 at the freethrow line.

Schmidgall with her 19 points set the pace there. Then we have Olivia Koehl with 11 points, Bigalke with nine and Courtney Greiner with five.

Greiner worked the boards for nine rebounds. Karol Algarate collected seven rebounds, and there were three Owls each with five: Schmidgall, Koehl and Bigalke.

Bigalke showed deft passing to accumulate six assists. Three Owls each had two steals: Greiner, Koehl and Algarate.

The Lancers' Nordgaard may have been held back in the first half but her talents were most notable in the second. This talented Lancer finished with 22 points, making one "3" along the way. Given her persistence, the Owls needed all their freethrows (and those five 3-pointers to be sure).

The Owls came out of the night at 19-3 in overall. Canby's record: 18-6.

Boys basketball: Owls 61, Canby 60

Saturday, Feb. 18, was a banner day for Hancock hoops on the road. The Owls provided lots of entertainment in both parts of the boys/girls doubleheader in Canby.

The Owls won both parts, succeeding by close scores. The boys' story was a 61-60 Hancock victory. (The margin in the girls game was two.)

Things didn't look too encouraging at halftime. My, the Owls were down by four points against a Canby team that had a slightly better record (and presumably home court advantage). The halftime score: 30-26.

The Lancers, sitting at one game over .500, wanted to stay on the right side of that mark. The Owls, striving to climb toward .500, showed a firm resolve toward that end in the second half.

Jordan Miller and Taylor Holleman showed prime scoring punch. Miller would flirt with 30 points on the day.

The Owls carved out a memorable 61-60 win. They came out of the weekend with an 8-11 record.

They made exactly half their field goal tries: 25 of 50. They were efficient in 3's making four of ten. Austin Steege made two 3-pointers while Holleman and Bryan Shaw each made one. The Owls were seven of 18 in freethrows.

Michells Algarate led in rebounds with nine followed by Holleman with seven. Collin Cunningham dished out six assists followed by Holleman with four.

Holleman, Shaw and Miller each had two steals.

Miller and Holleman led the scoring list with 28 and 18 points respectively. Shaw came through with seven, Steege with six and Cunningham with two.

It was a day for the Owls to hoot!

A personal note: This is the first writing I've done on Hancock boys basketball in six years. I have missed it greatly, but life throws you its curves sometimes. Some of the players here still seem like "little kids" in my mind. They're growing up!

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

Hancock girls stretch exciting win skein to six

Owls 57, CMCS 42

The HHS girls stayed on a roll Tuesday (2/14) with a 57-42 win over the Bluejays of Central Minnesota Christian (CMCS, Prinsburg).

HHS now has a win streak of six with all of these games reviewed in this post. It's a pleasure for yours truly to keep his familiarity with the Owls and their veteran coach, Jodi Holleman. (I first started working with her when she was "green.")

On Tuesday the Owls showed resilience to apply the clamps defensively in second half play. At halftime the Owls were down by three, 27-24. Coach Holleman's squad showed resilience offensively the rest of the way too. The game took on a different complexion in the second half as HHS outscored CMCS 33-15.

CMCS is having a .500 type of season. Meanwhile the Owls are building won-lost numbers that suggest a possible state berth. They came out of Tuesday at 18-3.

This was a non-conference game played in Prinsburg.

The Bluejays stumbled with turnovers early in the second half, helping allow the Owls to seize the decisive momentum.

The Owls were somewhat cool in three-point shooting, making three of 13 tries. Kendra Schmidgall had two of the makes and Serandon Bigalke had the other.

In total field goals the Owls were 21 of 46. They made 12 of 17 freethrow tries.

Courtney Greiner topped the scoring list with 23 points while Schmidgall was right behind with 22. Only two other Owls scored: Olivia Koehl and Bigalke each with six.

Greiner attacked the boards for 12 rebounds while Schmidgall collected eight. Schmidgall was the top assist producer with five while Greiner and Bigalke each had four. Schmidgall set the pace in steals with four followed by Koehl and Greiner each with three.

The top CMCS scorer was Jessica DeGroot who made three 3-pointers and posted eleven points.

Owls 51, Minnewaska Area 42

The Owls took the court at a familiar place, the U of M-Morris, for a weekend feature vs. Minnewaska Area. The Lakers have struggled this winter and found no relief vs. the Owls. It was a Saturday afternoon to shine for the HHS crew, with a 51-42 triumph.

It was Hancock's 17th win against three losses. The 'Waska record: 2-19.

UMM seems almost a second home for the Owls of Stevens County. They were totally comfortable on the court right from the outset, assuming a 30-16 lead by halftime. That was basically the story of the game. Minnewaska had a slight scoring edge in the second half.

Serandon Bigalke and Courtney Greiner each made a 3-pointer. It was Greiner topping the team scoring list with output of 23 points. Kendra Schmidgall was the other double figures scorer, putting in 13 points.

Karol Algarate scored eight points, Bigalke five and Olivia Koehl two.

The Owls made 19 of 41 field goal attempts. In freethrows they were nine of 15.

Greiner snared eight rebounds followed by Algarate and Schmidgall each with six. Greiner made her presence felt in assists too, performing six. Schmidgall added five assists to the mix. Schmidgall and Algarate each stole the ball three times.

The Minnewaska scoring was led by Sydney Joos with 17 points.

Owls 67, Ortonville 48

The conference crown was the reward for the Hancock girls basketball team when it downed Ortonville on Thursday, 2/9. The Owls kept their conference record unblemished with a commanding win on the road.

Coach Jodi Holleman's hooting crew punched down on the accelerator in the second half. After the relatively close first half, in which the Owls eked out a mere two-point margin (26-24), the Owls outscored host Ortonville 41-24 in the second. So the final scoreboard story was a 67-48 triumph.

The Pheasant Conference title is the sixth straight for this storied program. The Owls came out of Thursday at 6-0 in conference and 16-3 overall.

Ortonville is a team hovering around .500.

The Owls haven't been dealt a single conference loss in their skein of conference championships.

The Owls were efficient and effective in three-point shooting Saturday. They put up seven attempts and made four. Kendra Schmidgall, who scored a team-best 28 points - quite the harvest - made three 3-pointers. Courtney Greiner made the other "3" and had a fine point harvest of her own: 20.

Olivia Koehl scored eight points, Serandon Bigalke seven and Karol Algarate 4.

The Owls were 25 of 64 in total field goals. In freethrows the numbers were 13 of 19.

The rebound leaders were Greiner (12), Schmidgall (11) and Bigalke (10). Schmidgall and Bigalke each dished out five assists.

Greiner and Schmidgall each had five steals while Koehl had four.

Ortonville's leading scorer was Michaela Rademacher with eleven points.

Owls 70, Hillcrest Academy 55

Kendra Schmidgall scored 21 points in the Hancock girls' February 4 win over the Comets of Hillcrest. Two other Owls scored in double figures in this 15th win for the team: Courtney Greiner with 15 points and Serandon Bigalke with 14.

Olivia Koehl and Karol Algarate each contributed nine points, and Lexi Steege put in two. Koehl and Bigalke each made a shot beyond the three-point stripe.

The Owls and Comets vied on the "big floor" of the University of Minnesota-Morris.

Greiner led in rebounds with eight followed by Schmidgall with five. Bigalke dished out eight assists while Greiner had four. Bigalke stole the ball four times.

In total field goals the Owls were 29 of 55. Freethrows were a minimal department where the numbers were three of six.

The Owls showed clear superiority in the first half, assuming a 42-27 lead. The final score was 70-55.

Owls 52, Underwood 26

The HHS girls squared off vs. the Rockets of Underwood on Friday, Feb. 3. It was a home game and had lots of highlights for the home fans to savor.

Basketball was a joy to watch as the Owls, led by the sharp shooting Kendra Schmidgall, downed the Rockets 52-26.

Schmidgall made 3-pointers to account for 12 of her team-leading 20 points. Schmidgall made four 3-pointers and Serandon Bigalke made one. The team numbers in 3's were five of nine.

In total field goals the Owls succeeded on 22 of 43 attempts. The freethrow stats were three of ten.

Schmidgall was joined in double figures scoring by Courtney Greiner with ten. Three Owls each put in five points: Bigalke, Karol Algarate and Lexi Steege. Three Owls each scored two points: Gabbi Nienhaus, Sami Schmidgall and Olivia Koehl.

Schmidgall and Greiner each cleaned the boards for nine rebounds. Bigalke collected seven rebounds.

Greiner contributed six assists and Kendra Schmidgall had four. The steal leaders were Greiner with five and K. Schmidgall with four.

The Underwood scoring was led by Carly Masloski with eleven points.

The Owls led 31-11 at halftime. This was win No. 14 for the Owls.

Owls 73, C-G-B 45

The exciting HHS crew raced to a point total over 70 in their final game of January. Win No. 13 was garnered on the strength of the 73-45 final score. The site was Hancock and the opponent was Clinton-Graceville-Beardsley.

The Owls looked absolutely buoyed on their home court, racing to a 40-15 lead in the first half. They cruised in the second, outscoring the Wolverines 33-30.

It was a night for Courtney Greiner to shine. This Owl was on her game to the tune of scoring 21 points and collecting 19 rebounds.

Greiner didn't monopolize the spotlight as teammate Kendra Schmidgall was smooth and aggressive on the court, making her presence felt with eight shot blocks along with other attributes.

The Owls' 3-point shooting was decent. Schmidgall made three 3-pointers while Karol Algarate, Sami Schmidgall and Serandon Bigalke each made one.

The team stats in 3's were six of 14. In total field goals: 27 of 56. From the freethrow line: 13 of 19.

Greiner and Kendra Schmidgall led in scoring with 21 and 20 points respectively, and they were joined in double figures by Bigalke with 13. Algarate and Olivia Koehl each scored seven points. Sami Schmidgall put in three points and Lexi Steege two.

Greiner and Kendra Schmidgall were prime forces on the boards with 19 and 10 rebounds respectively. Koehl topped the assist list with eight followed by K. Schmidgall (6) and Bigalke (5).

Koehl had four steals followed by three of her teammates each with three: Greiner, Bigalke and K. Schmidgall.

The top-scoring Wolverines were Alissa Stueve and Molly Montonye each with eleven points. Montonye made three 3-pointers.
Can the win skein continue? The Owls will play at Canby on Saturday, Feb. 18, and host Parkers Prairie on 2/23.
- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com

Schmidgall's 23 points fuels Hancock win

The Hancock girls sprang onto the court at West Central Area (Barrett) Thursday and achieved win No. 7. The Owls closed out the 2010 phase of the schedule with a 56-43 win.

They were in control at halftime, owning a 27-14 lead over the Knights. The second half was a 29-29 standoff.

West Central Area began this season with five straight wins so they have a quite proven attack.

Hancock's success was despite some sputtering in long-range shooting. Just one of nine three-point tries went down, and this was by Shae Brown.

Jen Froemming was a force for the host Knights and she poured in 20 points. Kendra Schmidgall of the Owls outdid that, recording 23 points to pace the Owls. She set the pace in rebounds too with her ten.

Courtney Greiner was in double figures form shooting, as she posted 14 points. Courtney also grabbed eight rebounds. Olivia Koehl added six points to the mix.

Brown and Serandon Bigalke each scored five points and Sami Schmidgall put in three.

Bigalke led in assists with seven followed by Brown with four. Greiner was the steal leader with five and she was followed by Schmidgall and Brown each with four.

Schmidgall blocked four shots.

The Owls were 20 of 51 in total field goals. Their rebound total was 36 and they committed 13 fouls.

The Knights' Froemming is a senior guard. The 20 points by this diminutive (five feet-six) athlete made her the only double figures scorer among the Knights. She made the only WCA three-pointer.

Danna Sabolik scored six points for the Knights. Shawna Jenson and Abby Peterson each scored five. Kelsey Hammer scored three, and Hilary Lindor and Tianna Christensen two each.

The Owls came out of Thursday's action at 7-1 and the Knights at 5-2.

Click on the link below to reach the Hancock girls schedule page on Pheasant Country Sports:

http://www.pheasantcountrysports.com/teamschedule.php?yid=1112&tid=1174&sid=1230158

Click on the link below to read some highlights of the Owls' first six wins:

http://www.ilovemorris73.blogspot.com/2011/12/hancock-girls-true-to-standards-start.html

Let's get into 2012! Tuesday, 1/3, action will have coach Jodi Holleman's high-flying crew visiting Dawson-Boyd (to play the Blackjacks, one of my favorite team nicknames).

Then on Monday, 1/9, more road action is presented as the Owls will visit MACCRAY.

The Owls will bound onto their comfortable home court on Friday, Jan. 13, to face the Trojans of Ortonville.

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

Hancock girls true to standards, start out 6-0

The HHS roster was balanced in its scoring as the Owl juggernaut got win No. 6 on Tuesday, Dec. 20, at home over Ashby.

The Owls took charge to assume a 29-16 lead at halftime. They showed an even more authoritative stance in the second half, outscoring the stunned Arrows 31-8. Wow!

Do a little math and you get a 60-24 final. It sets just the kind of tone HHS fans want entering the holiday pause. The standards are easily being upheld from last season (or the whole broad history of HHS girls hoops).

The Owls own a 6-0 overall record. In conference play: 2-0. They have a state-ranked sheen.

Coach Jodi Holleman has ample reason to smile.

Seven Owls contributed to the Tuesday scoring attack. At the top of that list is Courtney Greiner whose output was 14 points. Then we have Serandon Bigalke with 13, Shae Brown with 12 and Kendra Schmidgall with eleven. That makes four Owls in double figures, and the list continues as follows: Olivia Koehl (7), Sami Schmidgall (2) and Karol Algarate (1).

Brown and Bigalke each hit a three-pointer. The team's shooting numbers were 21 of 56 in total field goals, two of seven in 3's and 16 of 30 at the freethrow line.

The rebound total was 44 with Greiner and Koehl each snaring nine and Schmidgall getting one.

Schmidgall and Brown each dished out four assists and Bigalke contributed three. Brown and Greiner each stole the ball seven times and Bigalke had five steals.

Schmidgall blocked four shots.

Cassie Jordon with 13 points led the Ashby scoring.

12/16 road action

It was TGIF for Holleman's crew on Friday, Dec. 16, on the road against conference foe C-G-B, a game that brought win No. 5. It was a no-suspense job with a final score of 59-22.

The halftime score was 34-14.

There was no hesitance putting up three-point shot attempts. It was bombs away as the Owls attempted 20 shots from 3-point range, making five. Schmidgall and Brown each had two of the makes and Bigalke had the other.

The Owls were 18 of 51 in total field goals and 14 of 24 in freethrows.

Of their 38 rebounds, Koehl with her ten was team-best. Schmidgall and Greiner each collected eight boards.
Greiner chalked up eight assists and Bigalke five. Koehl with her six steals was tops there, followed by Greiner and Brown each with four.

Let's roll up our sleeves for the scoring list: Schmidgall (21), Greiner (12), Brown (10), Koehl (8), Gabbi Nienhaus (4), Bigalke (3) and Karol Algarate (1).

Alissa Stueve led Clinton-Graceville-Beardsley's scoring with eight points.

Truly the Owls built on their fifth-ranked status in state on this night.

12/13 road contest

The margin looks pretty wide most of the time when you look at Hancock girls hoops scores. The final score on December 13 fits right in. It was a night for coach Holleman's squad to carve out win No. 4 in a 62-35 final. The victim: Battle Lake.

The Owls were pretty proficient with the long-range shooting weapon on this night. They sank five of 12 three-point shot tries, playing as the visitor. Brown led that charge with three made long-rangers. Bigalke sank two from beyond that stripe.

The Owls were 24 of 54 in total field goals. In freethrows: nine of 15. Their rebound total was 18, a department where Bigalke and Greiner were at the fore each with four.

Bigalke set the pace in assists with eight while Koehl had four. Greiner and Brown showed aggressive play as each stole the ball seven times, and Bigalke had five steals.

Schmidgall looked smooth shooting the basketball and this Owl topped the scoring with 17 points. Greiner poured in 16 points. Brown and Bigalke made double figures too with 13 and 10 respectively. Koehl added six points to the mix.

Cheyanne O'Neal led the host's scoring, putting in eight points for Battle Lake.

This was a non-conference game.

Coming up:

The Christmas pause will give way to a road game just before the new year: 12/29 at West Central Area.

Then we get into 2012 - where does the time go? - when the Owls get going with a 1/3 road game vs. Dawson-Boyd (the Blackjacks).

Still another road game presents itself Jan. 9 versus MACCRAY.

Finally the Owls get back home where they'll be primed to entertain the home fans with (hopefully) a win over Ortonville on 1/13.

Good luck to the Owls as they hope to reflect last year's premier quality of play that ended up in the top tier of state!

It's always a pleasure for yours truly to shed some light on the HHS climbing. I still have my sweatshirt from 1988: "Hancock's at state in '88!"

And Happy New Year!

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

Hancock girls fourth in Minnesota Class 'A'

"Bittersweet" might describe the end of the Hancock girls' stellar season. Fourth in Minnesota is undoubtedly lofty. But there's a tinge of bitterness when you lose your last two games.
It was painful for yours truly to write the post on the Owls' state semis game, a game that was winnable for coach Jodi Holleman's squad. The Owls had a prime opportunity slip away at the end of regulation in that Friday game, played at Target Center.

Us scribes can feel the emotions with everyone else.
Today I'm a new media practitioner so I don't have to pretend I'm stone cold objective about anything. My palms were sweaty just like what characterized the Hancock fans.
Now my task is to write about the Owls' third place game, played Saturday morning. The teams are playing for third but it's not the most spirited atmosphere. Both teams were knocked from the ranks of championship contenders the day before.
Having to play in the morning might almost be seen as adding insult to injury.
Coach Holleman had made the "number one" goal her mantra. The Owls could taste it. But it slipped away Friday in two overtimes against Maranatha Christian Academy (Brooklyn Park).

Maranatha returned to the Target Center floor Saturday and won the state 'A" title, 59-52 over Nicollet.

The Hancock Owls met Mountain Iron-Buhl, the Rangers, Saturday at Concordia College of St. Paul. The Owls sought as best they could to focus.

Could there have been some lingering disappointment from Friday? It's a plausible thought. Whether this explains the 61-45 loss the Owls were dealt, no one knows.
The ups and downs of sports can be hard to explain. March Madness is perhaps designed for manic depressives. Still, in spite of losing, the proud Owls could get off the bus in Hancock after their adventure feeling 100 percent proud.

Surely they had matured further as young women.
Coach Holleman might have developed a couple extra gray hairs, but she wouldn't trade that for anything. She has become a veteran with the coaching reins in Hancock. She didn't lose a beat after her own daughter Bree graduated. Presumably she's in this for the long haul.
Mountain Iron-Buhl owned a 21-19 lead at halftime. Hancock unraveled after that. The Rangers outscored the Owls 40-26 in the second half and earned that 61-45 victory and the third place trophy.
The valiant Owls could nonetheless clutch that fourth place trophy with supreme pride. They are the "small school" of Stevens County, sitting next to Goliath Morris which has the Taj Mahal-like athletic facilities but fields basketball teams that this year couldn't get out of the starting gate in the tournament.

Heaven help us if Hancock ever folds like Chokio-Alberta (at least their athletic program) has. We're a richer community with multiple schools.
Charlotte Overbye of the Rangers gets kudos for her Saturday play. This Ranger, who struggled in the semis, looked comfortable on the Concordia floor, pouring in 21 points. The senior guard made eight of 13 field goal attempts. (Concordia is home of the "Comets.")
Kathy Ostman scored 15 points and grabbed nine rebounds for the Rangers.
Let's review Hancock's individual scorers: Aria Walstad 4, Kendra Schmidgall 11, Olivia Koehl 1, Illissa Koehl 12, Shae Brown 4, Sami Schmidgall 2, Serandon Bigalke 1 and Courtney Greiner 10.
A big congratulations to Kendra Schmidgall who was named to the All-Tournament Team!
What a season and what memories for Owl-land of Hancock!
- Brian Williams - morris mn Minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com

Owls' title dreams dashed in state semis

Maranatha 60, Owls 57
Making the state tournament means there's a good chance that in short order you'll come up against a school with religious terms in its title. Private schools are in the fray with the conventional town/public schools. In the latter category we have Hancock.
The Hancock girls basketball team has carried the banner for our county in a high-profile and distinguished way. One by one they mowed down opponents in the post-season. There was Ada-Borup (for the 6A title) and then Goodhue (top-ranked in state) in that succession.
Being in state means you might come up against foes with names like Rochester Lourdes or Christ's Household of Faith. Hancock did not play either of these schools in the state semis Friday, but they did play Maranatha Christian.
Some might say the private school can achieve advantages not easily available to their public school brethren. Yours truly will take no side publicly right here, right now.
I'm old enough to remember when private schools had their own state tournament with the "independent" label. This tournament was buried under the attention received by the "real" (for all practical purposes) state tournament. I imagine that private schools employed lobbyists to erase that dividing line.
It does strike me as odd that public schools are supposed to steer clear of any acknowledgment or endorsement of religion in their day-to-day affairs. And yet if a team makes state, you might play "Christ's Household of Faith" or "Maranatha Christian." Such is the way of the world.
Our Hancock Owls battled valiantly against the Mustangs of Maranatha Friday at Target Center, Minneapolis. Michael Rand of the Star Tribune called this "a game of attrition." It was a marathon requiring two overtimes. Teams were tested with key players fouling out.
Hancock had a chance to pull away at the end of regulation with freethrows. Alas, two freethrow attempts were off the mark with 21 seconds remaining. Maranatha had enough time to erase Hancock's two-point edge on the scoreboard.
Onye Osemenam made a layup for Maranatha that tied the score and set the stage for overtime. Osemenam, who finished the game with eleven points, ten rebounds and seven blocks, was clutch again in the second overtime by making a freethrow. This broke a tie.
From there, her teammate Josie Taggatz-Ott added distance on the scoreboard with two freethrows. Finally the battle of attrition was done and Maranatha was the 60-57 winner.
Maranatha could advance to the Saturday Class 'A' championship game.
The attrition story had Maranatha's top scorer, Alexis Long, get retired to the bench with fouls with 4:33 remaining in regulation. The Mustangs led by two at the time. Owl standout Illissa Koehl experienced the same fate in the first overtime.
It was a Koehl field goal that gave Hancock a very promising lead at 48-46. The Owls could have polished things off with better freethrow shooting. The Star-Tribune's Rand quoted Hancock coach Jodi Holleman saying: "If we make our freethrows, we're in the title game."
Maranatha is coached by Jim Hammond. He implored his team to "step it up" after "Lexi" Long fouled out. There were concerns among Maranatha fans that this might be an insurmountable handicap. Hammond challenged his student athletes, who, as it turned out, are made of the same stuff as the Owls.
Osemenam was a second half leader after a quiet first half.
Maranatha players were quoted saying their team's tough schedule, including the likes of Hopkins, Minneapolis South and DeLaSalle, was a factor in outlasting Hancock.
Consolation games are always a letdown and pose a supreme challenge of "psyching up" again, and the Owls arose this morning (Saturday) facing that challenge. I doubt there are any special pills that would help. Hancock's challenge this morning (Saturday) is to play Mountain Iron-Buhl at Concordia College of St. Paul. Maranatha is facing Nicollet at noon at Target Center for the 'A' title.
A footnote: Maranatha girls basketball had nine season losses going into today, but that's a misleading number. Only two losses were at the hands of Class 'A' opponents. In fact, five of the Mustangs' losses came against AAAA schools.
The Owls did quite fine shooting three-pointers Friday. Shae Brown and Aria Walstad were both one-for-one in that category. Kendra Schmidgall was one-for-two and Illissa Koehl one-for-three.
Here's the individual scoring list: Kendra Schmidgall 15, Courtney Greiner 16, Illissa Koehl 18, Shae Brown 3, Aria Walstad 3, Olivia Koehl 0 and Abby Ascheman 2.
Greiner was team-best in rebounds with 13 followed by Schmidgall with eight and Illissa Koehl with seven. Greiner and Schmidgall each dished out three assists. Illissa Koehl and Walstad each had a steal, and Schmidgall blocked two shots.
The Owls made 19 of 56 field goal attempts. The freethrow stats were 15 of 25.
Maranatha led 30-21 at halftime. The first overtime had a 7-7 deadlock.
The Owls enter today's third place game with a 27-3 season record. Most certainly there will be a jubilant welcome home for the squad.
Hats off to the maroon-clad standouts with the avian nickname. The memories are etched permanently. Now it's time for some quality rest, for the fans too (and the pep band director, "Kenny G," Ken Grunig).
Click on the link below to see coverage of the Owls-Maranatha game on the "Girls Basketball Hub" website.
http://www.mngirlsbasketballhub.com/news_article/show/82678?referrer_id=248312

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

Owls topple top-ranked Goodhue by four

Was it the kind of halftime locker room talk remindful of the movies? Dramatic or not, creative or not, loud or not, it did the job. And that's what mattered.
Indeed, the Hancock girls basketball Owls bounded back onto the court for the second half Thursday fueled with extra focus.
Jodi Holleman delivered those well-chosen halftime words. The location was Williams Arena. So many March Madness memories have been made there.
Coach Holleman's Owls added to those annals Thursday. Playing in the state quarter-finals, the Owls shook a deficit and beat their higher-ranked foe. That foe was Goodhue - the Wildcats.
The Thursday outcome was a 58-54 win over top-ranked Goodhue, enabling the Owls to advance to the Friday semis phase. This post is being put up on Friday. The Owls are playing at Target Center, home of the NBA's Timberwolves, today.
From now on they're on TV. Owl Kendra Schmidgall, a prolific scorer, was quoted in the Star Tribune saying "we had to gather ourselves at halftime and step it up. We didn't want to go home."
Schmidgall was a good player to seek out for quotes. The standout junior student athlete, who plays center, scored 15 of her game total 19 points in the second half. Her prowess was a big reason why Hancock shook the ten-point deficit that hung over them at one point.
Star Tribune writer Ron Haggstrom summed up Holleman's halftime talk as: "Toughen up or go home."
Going home would be a long bus ride. The Owls weren't ready for that yet. They could taste the state 1A championship and wanted to show their mettle by getting past the top-ranked team.
The Owls enter today's semis challenge with a 27-2 season record. It makes you wonder why they weren't ranked No. 1!
It wasn't coincidence that Schmidgall came to the fore in a special way in the game's pivotal stages. Coach Holleman reported to Haggstrom that the second half tactics had Schmidgall in a primary role. Haggstrom got this quote from the coach: "I told Kendra at halftime to put us on her back and carry us. She just smiled back at me."
Did Goodhue choke at halftime? My goodness, the Wildcats played a man-to-man defense in the first half that disrupted the Owls. The Owls had trouble maintaining possession of the ball. Goodhue withdrew from that stance when the second half unfolded.
The switch was like a gift-wrapped present for Schmidgall. The center poured in seven points in the first 2 1/2 minutes of the second half. The game now had a new complexion with the score tied up: 36-36.
Most of Hancock's opponents have found man-to-man to be the most effective defense against them, even though Hancock has proven to be able to overcome any kind of defense.
Were the Goodhue players showing some fatigue playing the chaotic man-to-man style? Who knows? But the Wildcats lost that earlier edge they had carved out. Still they were very much in this game with a few minutes left.
The Owls took the lead for good when Illissa Koehl, senior guard, made two freethrows. Koehl finished the afternoon with 19 points. She wasn't done with her poised freethrow work. With 3.4 seconds left, Koehl made two freethrows that sealed the outcome.
Haggstrom quoted Koehl saying "we had to take care of the ball better in the second half. If we didn't, it would be our last 18 minutes of the season."
How much steam did Goodhue lose in the second half? Goodhue made just seven field goals in that span.
Another quote from Holleman: "We turned up our defensive pressure in the second half. We didn't come this far to play one game. We came here to win it all."
The Owls could breathe a sigh of relief coming away with the win despite a game total 27 turnovers. A stat like that against a top-ranked foe might surely spell defeat. But the Owls look as though that word is foreign to them.
Goodhue finished second in state last season. The Wildcats have made state three straight seasons.
Hancock got a break when the top Wildcat scoring threat, Erica Tipcke, left the game due to fouls with 1:08 remaining. Tipcke had just six points on the day.
Goodhue's top scorers Thursday were Mikayla Miller and Chanel Robert, each with 12 points. Goodhue girls basketball closed out 2011 at 27-5.
Here's the individual scoring list for the victorious Owls: Shae Brown 2, Aria Walstad 4, Kendra Schmidgall 19, Courtney Greiner 11, Illissa Koehl 19 and Abby Ascheman 3.
Olivia Koehl didn't break into the scoring column.
The Owls had a sharp three-point shooting eye at Williams: Illissa Koehl and Kendra Schmidgall each made two of three attempts.
Walstad had a team-high five assists and Greiner had four. Schmidgall blocked four shots, and Greiner had two steals. The Owls made 18 of 33 shots from the field. The freethrow numbers: 18/24.
Update: The Owls were stopped in the state semis, in the most dramatic game of the tourney thus far, 60-57 by the Maranatha Mustangs. It took two OTs for the Mustangs to prevail.
The season is nearly done for HHS - the title drive is over - but the players and fans can embrace rich memories. The team carried the banner for Stevens County in the classiest way.
Congratulations from "I Love Morris" (BW).
Click on the link below to see the kmrs-kkok tribute page to the Owls on their website. But hey guys, "Owl's" doesn't have an apostrophe!

http://www.kmrskkok.com/page/hancock-girls-state-tournament

Click on the link below to access the Hancock girls basketball page on Maxpreps:

http://www.maxpreps.com/high-schools/R_B0ODtqnEqmnOJgQqcK_A/hancock-owls/girls-basketball/home.htm

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

Hancock GBB: a long, continuing tradition

Anyone who checks this blog from time to time knows I write a lot about the change around us, both local and at the macro level. It's reassuring to see that certain things don't change, like the Hancock girls basketball program. 

This quality has gone from one coaching regime into the next. The current regime is overseen by Jodi Holleman. She deserves a grade of A-plus. Anyone who works with her knows she goes the "extra mile," readily doing a lot of the little things that might not be spelled out in her contract. Ensuring a strong summer commitment is part of this. Plus, nurturing the talent at the lowest grades (where organized basketball is practical). 

Dedicated as the current regime is, let's not forget that it picked up the torch, as it were, from a regime that really set down building blocks. That previous regime was overseen by an individual who, as it turned out, had human failings that resulted in dire legal consequences. There was prison time. The history of that person at Hancock can never be assessed without weighing those flaws that brought him down in terms of his teaching/coaching career. 

But if we could put blinders on for a moment regarding those flaws, and remember his coaching years, what a program that was for such a small school! Who can forget the packed UMM P.E. Center for tournament games? Many of those years were when the two-class system was in effect. Making state was arguably harder. 

Sometimes I think the two-class system actually made teams work harder, because they knew they weren't going to be insulated from larger schools in the post-season. It almost seemed like a baseball player swinging a weighted bat while getting ready to hit. The extra weight made you work harder. 

Hancock had the ability to outplay a lot of larger schools. Was it superior talent? Look, these were great kids and they had ability, but with all due respect I would answer "no" to that. 

After watching Hancock I would sometimes feverishly tell people around Morris that there was nothing magical about what was happening there - that those principles could be applied here if we just chose. I got stigmatized a little for talking like that. 

We here in Morris face a paradox: we have found it suitable to build such state of the art, extensive and downright opulent new facilities for sports. And yet we seem complacent when it comes to setting the highest standards for sports achievement. It's as if we feel guilty suggesting that the Hancock model is doable here. 

Part of us insists that school exists for academics. Yes, you're so right. But my goodness, we decided that our 1968 gym wasn't even good enough anymore. Now we have these new facilities that are absolutely cavernous. Meanwhile Hancock sticks with its old reliable facilities and they're in state, playing at Williams Arena. The performance gap probably isn't as great as it once was. 

I worked in the media in the 1980s and it was often perplexing how to handle the way smaller schools outperformed Morris so often. If they weren't outperforming Morris they were at least playing even with Morris. And I'm talking schools as small as Cyrus. 

The problem with Morris Area today is a mysterious lack of spark for the post-season. Tiger teams that do well in the regular season mysteriously seem to flame out when the post-season begins. Is there a psychologist we could consult? Is the school administration sending the right messages? I don't know, but once again let's consider that paradox: we have opulent athletic facilities while at the same time having reservations about how committed to athletics we should be. 

I remember a town leader in the 1980s saying that the superintendent "probably came up against an intelligentsia" because of UMM. It's not often I hear the word "intelligentsia." 

Academic people can view sports as sort of barbaric, but the thinking isn't as prevalent as it once was. It's not as prevalent because the philosophy behind school sports has shifted. The old "Hoosiers" model of elite sports has been modified so that participation and fairness are enhanced so much more. More sports are offered. The boomer generation (mine) would have really appreciated the new approach. We were born too early. 

I think academic people as a whole have softened in their views toward athletics. Athletes aren't "heroes on campus" anymore. They are student athletes who blend these experiences with gaining knowledge. I don't think University of Minnesota-Morris professors have any problems with athletics anymore. UMM football players blend in with the overall student population much better, seamlessly probably, than in the 1970s when so many of these individuals had a "swagger" that could be annoying. 

Annoying as it was, most local people kept these thoughts to themselves. The citizenry was also reluctant to suggest that our high school sports programs might be underfed or under-motivated. Making this judgment just seemed too "political" for most people. 

As a media person I couldn't escape the realities. It was all plain as the nose on your face. If I broached the subject, I risked being ostracized here on Sinclair Lewis' "Main Street." 

Hancock got a reputation for climbing mountains in the 1980s and it probably didn't start with girls basketball. I think the tone was originally set by wrestling, where a unique personality name of Spencer Yohe plunged forward undaunted. Girls basketball picked up on that momentum. The Hancock girls developed a running and pressing personality. You might say it wasn't ladylike. Who cares? Is this what held back Morris? 

Finally Morris got a reprieve when the four-class system was instituted for post-season. No longer would Morris Area have to be compared so closely with those Hancock Owls. But the ghosts of that earlier era are surfacing again as Hancock plays at Williams Arena while the Morris basketball programs, boys and girls, are languishing in terms of post-season. 

The Morris boys mysteriously lost to West Central Area at home in the first round - a first-round knockout. The Morris girls lost to Osakis at the start. I won't claim I know all the answers. But it seems we need programs that are a little more befitting our facilities here, and our status as the "big school" in the Morris area.  

BTW, Happy St. Urho's Day! 

 

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

Owls defeat Ada-Borup 44-39 for 6A title

"March Madness" can coincide with "weather madness" in Minnesota. Both of these phenomena were very much in evidence this past weekend. Our Hancock Owls - I'll say "our" because they represent Steven County now - were to have played Friday night.
Winter roared through the Upper Midwest and forced lots of adjustments. Game-time was moved to Saturday. Not that Saturday was going to be a whole lot better. It was hardly better at all. But the Minnesota State High School League can wait only so long with these things.
Stevens County fans would have loved having this game slated for our P.E. Center on the U of M-Morris campus. But in 2011 it was time for Concordia of Moorhead to get its turn. It's a fair distance up the highway to be sure.
Fans couldn't be blamed for staying home. But "the show must go on," and go on it did, at the spacious fieldhouse of Concordia-Moorhead.
The Hancock girls took the court there in pursuit of the Section 6A championship. Their opponent was Ada-Borup. The Owls were fresh from getting past Parkers Prairie in the 6A-South title game here at UMM.
They stayed on a roll Saturday at the expense of the Cougars of Ada-Borup. Coach Jodi Holleman's Owls worked to a 44-39 win in front of the March Madness crowd.
The success was in spite of having some trouble shooting freethrows. But the Owls came on strong with other attributes, showing they truly are a state caliber team for 2011. They are now in that elite state field.
Next for the Owls: a contest vs. Goodhue at 11 a.m. Thursday at the U of M's Williams Arena.
One of those top attributes Saturday was holding Ada-Borup to under 40 points. In this respect the game mirrored the Parkers Prairie game (score of 40-37 over the Panthers).
The Owls asserted themselves in first half play, putting in 25 points to Ada-Borup's 16. A-B outscored the Owls 23-19 in the second half.
Illissa Koehl was a top contributor for the Owls with her 19 points, plus she stole the ball four times. Her nine of 14 freethrow numbers were decent compared to the team's overall woes in that department (18 of 35).
In total field goals the Owls made 13 of 36 attempts but were skunked in three-pointers (0 for 6).
Courtney Greiner joined Koehl in double figures scoring, putting in ten points, and Courtney also collected 13 rebounds.
Kendra Schmidgall was held below her normal standards partly because of being double-teamed. She also got hampered by fouls but she contributed seven points and three steals to the winning cause.
Shae Brown scored four points and Aria Walstad and Abby Ascheman added two each.
Greiner's 13 rebounds were followed by four each by Schmidgall and Ascheman. Walstad and Greiner each dished out two assists. Koehl was the steal leader (4) followed by Schmidgall and Brown each with three.
Megan Kolness led Ada-Borup in scoring with 16 points.
The Hancock girls basketball Owls enter state with a 26-2 season record. A-B closed out the season at 25-3.
Bring on the state tournament! Williams Arena is a storied floor and the Owls will make permanent memories there, win or lose.
Lose? What's that?
Click on the link below if you'd like to review the Owls' climb through the sub-section, in which they beat WHN, Hillcrest and Parkers Prairie:

http://ilovemorris73.blogspot.com/2011/03/hancock-girls-climb-to-top-of-6a-south.html

Click on the link below to reach the Hancock girls page on Maxpreps:

http://www.maxpreps.com/high-schools/R_B0ODtqnEqmnOJgQqcK_A/hancock-owls/girls-basketball/home.htm

Click on the link below to reach the Hancock girls page on Pheasant Country Sports:

http://www.pheasantcountrysports.com/teamschedule.php?yid=1011&tid=1174&sid=1230158

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