Hutchinson slips past Waseca for a 47-45 win at Hayfield

<p>In the world of Minnesota girl&#39;s basketball, the Waseca Bluejays are a rising star fresh off their first state tournament appearance with a pair of terrific young talents at the helm. The Hutchinson Tigers, on the other hand, are a well-established, highly-respected brand that stands for grit, tenacity and defense with a capital D. That&#39;s what made Saturday&#39;s neutral court encounter the prime attraction at Hayfield&#39;s eight-game extravaganza. In the end it wasn&#39;t pretty, but it was entertaining, as Hutchinson captured the defensive tug-of-war by a score of 47-45. "You learn when you play the best teams," said Waseca coach Joan Conway. "When you play a game against a team like Hutchinson then you truly know where you are at. This makes it really clear for us now what we need to do better."</p> <p>One of the game&#39;s main attractions was the youth vs experience showdown between Waseca&#39;s rising star – 2020 point guard <strong>Gus Boyer</strong> – and Hutchinson&#39;s veteran leader <strong>Kenzie Rensch</strong>, a senior who has a long-established reputation as one of the state&#39;s best defenders. It did not disappoint. Boyer is top 45 in the sophomore class and rising. Now 5-foot-10, she is a highly-skilled floor leader who generally operates with grace under pressure. Boyer has plenty of range, moves the ball with authority, and can break down defenders one-on-one. Rensch, a top 25 player in 2018, is bound for D2 power Augustana. She is relentless on the perimeter, operating with a skillset and mindset that has shut down countless big-time opponents over the years. She also scores 20 points a game.</p> <p>Early on Boyer had some success, tipping away a couple of balls for steals, making some impressive stops one-on-one and doing nice work on the offensive end of the floor. At one point, the two players were rolling around on the floor fighting for a loose ball as if it contained a million dollars. That&#39;s just how they play. Over time, however, Rensch&#39;s pressure took its toll, Boyer&#39;s shots didn&#39;t fall, and Hutchinson&#39;s vast array of defensive options left Waseca searching for answers. "Hutchinson is so well coached, and they make really, really good decisions," Conway said. "If you make a poor decision on defense, they&#39;re going to make you pay for it."</p> <p>In the second half, Hutchinson was up a handful for a long period of time before Waseca generated a mini-run that closed the gap to 44-43 with four minutes left. Then the Jays went cold again and Hutch milked the clock. The Tigers were up three when Waseca junior <strong>Madison Gehloff</strong>, who has been the team&#39;s best player for a long time now, banked one home with 27 seconds remaining. After Hutchinson turned the ball over, Waseca had one last chance to win it – a clean look from 10 or 12 feet at the 5-second mark. The shot missed by a bunch, and the Tigers iced the cake with a free throw for a two-point victory.</p> <p>"I&#39;m not going to take anything away from Hutchinson but I know that we are capable of doing better," Conway said. "Our execution on defense was way better in the second half than it was in the first half but we had dug ourselves a hole. We missed some short shots that we should have put in, and we missed some free throws. When you&#39;re not shooting the ball as well as you can it gets frustrating. Our toughness has to reach a new level where we can work through that. I know we&#39;re capable of doing that. We&#39;re just not there yet."</p> <p>Waseca has some very nice pieces, but the reality is that Gehloff and Boyer are the two wings that make the Blue Jays fly. Both have a high basketball IQ and play an aggressive, team-first game. Gehloff is top 45 in the 2019 class, a big-time scorer who can light it up from downtown, or penetrate and finish at the rim. She did that on Saturday. When the rest of her teammates were struggling, Gehloff scored 24 to give 14-2 Waseca a chance to win. It was not to be, as the Tigers earned their fourth straight victory to raise their season mark to 11-5. Their next meeting just might be in March with the section 2AAA title on the line.</p>