Annandale Squeaks By St. Cloud Tech: Standouts and Takeaways
Prep Girls Hoops Minnesota took on the first day of the Granite City Classic by Breakdown Sports. The first game we watched was the Annandale Cardinals (4-2) against the St. Cloud Tech Tigers (2-6). Annandale led in the first half…
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Continue ReadingPrep Girls Hoops Minnesota took on the first day of the Granite City Classic by Breakdown Sports. The first game we watched was the Annandale Cardinals (4-2) against the St. Cloud Tech Tigers (2-6). Annandale led in the first half by a large margin but the 2nd half was all Tigers. Tech was able to get within 4 in the 2nd half and would end up losing 64-55, but the effort they showed did not go unnoticed. Here is who stood out in this one.
Mattie Vought, Center, St. Cloud Tech (2023)
Vought is right up there for the most elusive center I have watched this year. She also has a good mid-range game outside of her stout post play. Against a team like Annandale, she proved her worth for the Tigers and she’ll be a fun player to watch blossom in the 2023 class.
Lauren Meidinger, Guard, Annandale (2020)
Meidinger used her senior leadership to rally the Cardinals to victory. She was also one of Annandale’s top rebounders against St. Cloud Tech. She has a solid mid-range and long-range shot to back it up.
Sarah Harris, Guard, St. Cloud Tech (2022)
Harris was the reason this game had a momentum shift in the 2nd half. The Annandale Cardinals defense left the smallest player in the game wide open not once, not twice, but three times and Sarah Harris made them pay with 3 three-pointers within a very small period after not scoring at all in the game up to when she got hot. Harris was the reason in the 2nd half St. Cloud Tech was able to close the gap to 4 points before Annandale pulled away in the end.
Abby Lillehaug, Guard, Annandale (2020)
Lillehaug was a fine player, especially from mid-range. She also had some solid assists and steals to put Annandale away in the late 2nd half. She also was very strong defensively. Finished with 14 points on the night in the Cardinals win.
Rachael Kaczor, Guard, St. Cloud Tech (2020)
Kaczor was another clutch competitor for the Tigers tonight. She scored in double digits, hit her mid-range shots well, and was a great contributor on the boards for the Tigers. You could tell in that 2nd half how she was beneficial at keeping her team composed with all the excitement that was happening.
Abby Neutz, Guard, Annandale (2020)
Annandale gets the award for being the first team I’ve watched that’s had leading scorers with the same first name. Neutz was extremely strong in this one. 16 points, 5 rebounds, and multiple steals and assists. Neutz gets my Annandale team MVP in this one as she was one of two true stars I watched in this game.
Game MVP
Genaya Murray, Guard, St. Cloud Tech (2020)
Murray gets my definite nod for game MVP tonight as she posted the game’s only double-double with 15 points and 11 rebounds. Murray played with a chip on her shoulder all night and was extremely strong while St. Cloud Tech was making their run in the 2nd half with driving the bucket. What also gave Murray this award was her strength defensively. She was very sturdy when Annandale would try to drive the bucket with the basketball, and caused key fouls due to her defensive awareness. Congratulations to Genaya Murray on the game MVP award.
Takeaways
- This was a game that you could feel the intensity roaring in the new gym at St. Cloud Tech. The way the host St. Cloud Tech Tigers were rallying in the 2nd half, it almost made you want to buckle up and be a cheerleader as you love to watch a comeback happen or in this case, nearly happen.
- This game was a tale of two halves. Each team won a half, and Annandale had just enough juice at the end to pull away from the sneaky comeback of the St. Cloud Tech Tigers.
- This story about the St. Cloud Tech Tigers will ask you. Who is the best team in the St. Cloud area? I’ll have your answer next week on that one as we’ll rank the St. Cloud market of girl’s basketball.