Redemption handed to Lakeville's Lauren Jensen on a silver platter

Lakeville North 68 vs Maple Grove 66 (OT) The gods giveth and the gods taketh away. On day one of the state girls basketball tournament, Lakeville North's Lauren Jensen had redemption handed to her on a silver platter to atone for a healthy dose of bad luck one year ago. Actually, it wasn't the gods who awarded Jensen with good fortune, it was a paunchy middle-aged guy with a striped shirt and a whistle. With the game against Maple Grove tied in overtime, and just 0.3 seconds left on the clock, Jensen was gifted a pair of free throws that ultimately handed this year's heartbreak to the Crimson. She made both shots and Lakeville North escaped with the victory. Maple Grove, which had played an outstanding game and has had a very nice season, could only wonder what might have been as the Panthers advanced to Thursday's semifinals Was it a foul? Probably, but referees need to have situational awareness. They need to know when to call and when not call. I mean, there were 0.3 seconds left. The game was tied, and headed for a second overtime. The basketball was 94 feet from where it could do any type of damage, which isn't possible in 0.3 seconds anyway. I spoke afterwards with a couple of referees with whom I am acquainted, solid officials who are working the tournament and routinely do college games, as well. When asked what he thought of the call, the first one shook his head and said, 'No comment.' The second was more succinct: "That is not a call I would ever make," she said. Player of the game Lauren Jensen, Lakeville North – What gets overshadowed by an unfortunate ending is just how well Jensen played for 40 minutes. Not only did she calmly knock down the gifted free throws to win the game, she scored 31 points on the night and was the Panther's undisputed leader – again. She shot 12 of 26 from the field, grabbed 7 rebounds and had 2 assists and 2 steals. Jensen, one of the top 2020s around, showed once again why she is a high Division 1 prospect. Others who impressed Taylor Brown & Ke James, Lakeville North – It's hard to talk about Brown without talking about James. The two senior forwards have been so much a part of Lakeville North's success over the years, not to mention what they did for Minnesota Stars Hersch in summer ball. Brown scored 6 big points and grabbed 8 rebounds, including a couple of crucial ones in the dying moments of the game. James shot 9 for 13, contributing 20 points and 10 rebounds. They were huge. Autum Mlinar and Katrina Thies, Maple Grove – The two senior forwards really could not have played any better on Wednesday. Both have had somewhat under-the-radar careers for the Crimson. On this day, however, they shone brightly. Mlinar shot 50 percent for 19 points and was a force at both ends of the floor. The athletic Thies played 38 minutes and went 13 & 9. There's no doubt that the presence of freshman Jordan Lamker and sophomore Abby Schulte has enabled Maple Grove to rise to a new level, but the leadership and experience of Mlinar and Theis was obvious on this day. Eastview 78 Prior Lake 44 Going into the opening 4A game of the state tournament Tuesday morning, much of the conversation was about McKenna Hofschild and her incredible three-game run through section play. After all, the junior point guard from Prior Lake had put up an incredible 121 points to lead the Lakers to a highly improbable berth in the tournament. How many points, we wondered, would she score against undefeated Eastview, the #1 team in the state? By the seven-minute mark Wednesday the question had morphed into, 'Will she would score at all?' That’s how well Eastview's game plan for Hofschild was working as 6'2 forward Megan Walstad made it nearly impossible for McKenna to get a shot off much less drive to the hoop. The 5'3 dynamo was blocked five times in the game's first five minutes! On three of those occasions, she ended up flat on the floor after hard contact. Eastview's message was clear: Enter the House of Lightning and you might get struck. Of course Hofschild eventually scored, making a long three-pointer to get rolling. In the end she totaled 27 points, but most of those came well after the game had been decided in Eastview's favor. Throughout the first half, Eastview slowly built a comfortable 11-point lead while giving up only 17 points. By the 10-minute mark of the second half, the lead was up to 20, and Eastview was shooting over 50 percent to Prior Lake's 22. From there, Eastview racked up 50 second-half points and coasted home to a 78-74 victory. Player of the game Megan Walstad, Eastview – What can you say about Walstad's performance? She has been one of the state's premiere forwards for a long time, doing everything with quiet confidence, deftly performing the many roles coach Molly Kasper asks of her. She finished Wednesday's game with 21 points, 10 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 blocked shots. The senior is headed to D1 Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Others who impressed Eastview senior Mariah Alipate scored some key baskets early, defended hard and continued to display the drive that has enabled her to come back from a major knee injury to play a crucial role for Eastview. Alipate had 20 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists. Eastview junior guard Emma Carpenter had 8 points, 3 rebounds and 7 assists, a somewhat typical scoreline for the 5'10 junior. Is there anything Emma does not do well? Her distribution was terrific again, as was fellow junior Macy Guebert's. Honorable mention to Prior Lake's freshman class, which is going to be fun to watch over the next three years. Point guard Tatum Brostrom is quick and athletic and would appear to be Hofschild's heir apparent. Big power forward Emily Kulstad once again showed glimpses of greatness and plenty of potential. The best of the three may be tenacious defender Kate Traschel who is the consummate hound dog.