Well, I'm a day late and a dollar short here with my recaps. That's what happens when you get sick after spending 8 hours in the gym on Saturday.
Here's a quick rundown of the seven games that were played. More detailed recaps and scouting reports will be available for subscribers over the next 24 hours.
Overtime Final: Norwood-Young America 61, PEM 58
Junior Kali Grimm made all the plays down the stretch to help NYA defeat the defending Class AA state champs and remain undefeated. She finished with a game-high 23 points, including a clutch trey late in OT, and skied to block a potential tying 3-pointer with under 10 seconds to play. Bren Fox added 14 points and 7 blocks.
MSU-Mankato recruit Emmaline Polson led the Bulldogs with 17 points and 6 blocks, but PEM saw its 41-game winning streak against Class AA teams finally come to an end.
Final: Lyle 63, Sleepy Eye 37
Lyle's Brooke Walter and Kristi Fett dominated as Sleepy Eye's slide continues. The Athletics jumped out to a 24-2 lead and were never challenged the rest of the way.
Walter finished with 24 points on four treys, while Fett finished with 21. The duo had 26 at halftime as part of a 38-12 lead. I didn't catch stats for Sleepy Eye.
Final: Tracy-Milroy-Balaton 47, St. Croix Lutheran 37
TMB put on a defensive clinic in this one, holding SCL without a basket for more than 15 minutes as part of a 18-0 run at the end of the first half into the second. The Panthers aren't especially tall, but they befuddled the Crusaders with great fundamentals — strong close outs, solid rebounding and textbook hedging.
TMB's junior point guard Kaylee Kirk was the best player on the floor, scoring 10 points and dictating action on both ends of the floor. They're 12-1 after the best win of the year.
Final: Mountain Iron-Buhl 58, Kenyon-Wanamingo 51
Our top-ranked Class A team was on the ropes most of the way until getting hot from perimeter over the final 5 minutes. MIB hit three straight treys— Chelsea Mason and two from Mya Buffetta — to turn a 2-point deficit into a 51-44 lead.
MIB closed the game on a 28-13 run.
The Knights gave the Rangers one of their stiffest challenges of the season, largely thanks to Mara Quam. The MSU-Mankato volleyball recruit finished with 29 points, including 16 in the first half as K-W led 26-19.
Final: Orono 69, Kasson-Mantorville 56
#3 Orono's perimeter stars outgunned #8 K-M's interior tandem in this Class AAA slugfest. Maddie Loder and Tori Andrew combined for 56 points, while Kristin Scott and Peyton Seuss finished with 43 for the KoMets.
Andrew did most of her damage from the perimeter, finishing with 25, while Loder's aggressive attacks led the 13 FTs and a game-high 31. The 5-10 junior stole the show in a game that featured two Miss Basketball finalists.
Scott finished with 29 points, just missing her third straight 30-plus point game. She's rounding into form nicely after a summer off to rehab her torn hamstring.
Final: NRHEG 57, Byron 45
The Panthers used a five-out attack to shoot their way past 6-5 Yokie Lee and the Bears. The knocked down a bunch of triples while essentially staying out of the paint.
I only saw bits and pieces of this one, but Lee pumped in 22 and 15 in a losing effort.
Final: Waseca 49, Hayfield 43
Emily Karsten was unstoppable in leading the Bluejays to a big victory over the host Vikings. She poured in 26 points, including four treys, and scored seven straight after Hayfield had rallied in the second half.
Hayfield shot poorly and saw its 12-game winning streak get snapped in the nightcap. Junior standout Maggie Streightiff scored 10 points, but was held scoreless in the second half.
