Apple Valley blitzes Eastview 74-63 in our Game of the Week

Apple Valley rolled into an Eastview gym in which none of its current roster had ever won a game (and against an opponent none of them had ever beaten), and promptly fell behind 10-0. The Eagles missed their 1st 7 shots and turned it over 3 times, while the Lightning made 4-of-8 with no turnovers. The Eagles chances, it seemed, had already declined to somewhere between slim to none in less than 4 disastrous minutes.

Instead, the Eagles came out of a time out to score 11 straight points over the next 6 minutes to lead 11-10 at 8:30. They took the lead for good at 18-16, and led 27-21 at halftime and 41-25 at 13:30 of the 2nd half (on a 41-15 run!). Eastview clawed back to within 7 at 54-47 and 56-49 but could get no closer. The 2 teams traded buckets the rest of the way for a 74-63 Apple Valley win.

Four different Eagles scored in that key 11-0 run. Erin Baxter got ‘em running with a steal and a breakaway from the defensive wing. Another Baxter steal on the next possession led to a Sara Teske FT, and then a Lyndsey Robson steal led to a Robson 3-pointer. Brynne Rolland then scored on 3 of the next 4 possessions for the Apple Valley lead. The Eagles finished the 1st half on a 27-11 run, making 8-of-20 shots after that 0-for-7 start.

Meanwhile, Eastview’s shooting touch evaporated, as the Lightning shot 4-for-24 the rest of the half with 10 turnovers. They seemed to be getting good looks, but the shots just wouldn’t go down. Rachel Ranke shot 0-for-7 in the half before scoring off the offensive board. Meanwhile Allie Pickrain, who did not play vs. Shakopee on January 10 and has scored in double figures just once in 8 January games, picked up her 2nd foul at the 10 minute mark and sat out the rest of the 1st half. The Lightning offense was pretty hopeless with Pickrain on the bench and Ranke not hitting.

Both teams got the offense cranked up in the 2nd half, making 30-of-60 shots between them. The Eagles were content to trade baskets with Rolland and Teske each scoring 14 on a combined 10-of-13 shooting. Equally important, Apple Valley made its 1st 16 FT of the 2nd half before missing 3 straight, and finished at 20-of-23 for the half. Eastview just couldn’t get any stops and got out-rebounded 20-10 in the 2nd half as well.

Rolland led all scorers with 23 points and added 8 rebounds. Teske added 17, Robson 14 with 8 assists, and Baxter 12 with 7 boards. That’s a lot of options.

Eastview got 19 from Ranke, 15 of them in the 2nd half, plus a game-high 10 boards, and Megan Walstad added 16, 12 in the 2nd half. But the 8-for-32 shooting in the 1st half and the inability to slow down the Apple Valley offense combined to drop the Lightning out of a 1st place tie in the South Suburban. Apple Valley and Lakeville North are now 9-1, and Eastview 8-2. Eastview closes out its regular season at Apple Valley on Friday, February 24.