St. Albert VS Newell-Fonda Game Report

Last night the #1 St. Albert Saintes welcomed in the #3 Newell-Fonda Mustang for a re-match of the 1A State Title game from one year ago. Newell-Fonda started this one on top as the Saintes couldn't find the bottom of the bucket for a good amount of time. When they did, it become a battle. Both teams went back and forth, with the Mustangs leading the entire first half and going into half-time up 7.   Following half-time, no one could buy a bucket for the first few minutes. When someone finally did, it was the Saintes and they bought a few. They brought it back to go down only 1 or 2 with 4 minutes left in the third but then the Mustangs hit another spurt to put them up 10. The fourth quarter was were the real battle began. The Saintes came out ON FIRE, eventually going up 3 with around three minutes left. After that, it was back and forth again the rest of the way. Each possession was played like it was the last of the game for the last two minutes and that is the type of ball you LOVE to see.   When things ended and the final buzzer sounded, Newell made more plays and came out on top but the Saintes should keep their heads up. These two will meet again this season and it might be for a 1A State Title if things go according to plan within both programs.   Lets meet some of the best players from the game below -   Thanks for tuning in and enjoy!    [player_tooltip player_id='1215772' first='Rylee' last='Hogrefe'] was the best prospect on the floor in this contest from start to finish. Hogrefe was responsible for Newell-Fonda's first 7 points and their 10 out of their first twelve. She followed that up by hitting a big three in the second half out of the corner on rotation while knocking down some free throws to seal the deal. If Hogrefe can play like this all Winter long, the Mustangs are going to be a competitor come State time in the 1A Playoffs.     [player_tooltip player_id='889547' first='Molly' last='Wise'] is the one who showed up right away for the Saintes. Wise, a 5'10/5'11 SG, primary worked in the catch and shoot aspects of this one but she did also demonstrate that she can put it on the floor if need be in clutch moments. Intense games like this need a quick star out of teams or else you'll be left in the dust so St. Albert should be proud that Wise stepped up to kick things off or else this could have gotten away from them by a major margin in the end.     [player_tooltip player_id='880904' first='Ellie' last='Sievers'] was a constant all game long. Sievers was debatably the most coordinated player on the floor last night. The way she moves down the court seems effortless and she always plays a calculated game on both sides of the ball as a producer. She might not be the top scoring threat every night but she is one of them for the Mustangs and her consistent play in this one helped them pull out the upset when the final buzzer sounded. Sievers did a little bit of it all here. She scored to start the game with a solid step through move when she was cut off, she attacked and facilitated for her teammates throughout all four quarters, and she defended in the full court with top-notch pressure. All in all, this is a Top 20 prospect out of the 2028 Class for a reason and she showed it tonight.     PG #1 for St. Albert is [player_tooltip player_id='751962' first='Eleanor' last='Coughlin'] right now. I love Coughlin's game and I know several college coaches that would love it as well. Coughlin gets to her spots for jumpers, she creates for others as her main responsibility, she controls pace of play, she gets to the bucket anytime she wants it seems, and most importantly - she makes everyone else around her much better. Coughlin was their commander down the stretch of this thing. She showed a lot of promise as a constant threat and this group is going to continue to keep that once they get into Post season play in a few short weeks.     The stat line for [player_tooltip player_id='901710' first='Avah' last='Underwood'] is going to show that she recorded a double-double in Posts-Rebounds but that really doesn't tell the whole story. Underwood was their source of production in the middle. Rebounding, taking it coast to coast, and making plays down the stretch. At one point St. Albert was down 10 points in the third and that's when Underwood stepped up to handle business. She took several rebounds the length of the floor for easy looks in transition, she found through contact on almost every possession between the blocks, and she played relentless with every opportunity set in front of her. This wasn't the best showing I've seen from Underwood but it's still a solid one, that she could hang her hat on moving forward.     I was impressed with [player_tooltip player_id='1224374' first='Maeve' last='Ryan'] on the St. Albert side of things. In the first half, Ryan was the best Freshman on the floor. She contributed as a main passer within their offense early on and she wasn't afraid to make some gutsy plays on defense against another very talented Freshman. Ryan isn't the type to kill you with fancy moves. She keeps it simple and lets the opponent decide how things are going to go down. From there, she produces and thrives. Her growth will be crucial over the next 3.5 season as a skilled player but she has the foundation to be a college level prospect at the end of the day.     There is a lot of hype around [player_tooltip player_id='1238114' first='Quinn' last='Sievers'] coming into the season. Sievers is another that very talented for her age level. She has a deep skill set as an offensive threat, always having the chance to kill you in the blink of an eye. We saw glimpses of some really nice things out of Sievers in this one. She hit a skilled two foot floater while attacking off the bounce, she hit a deep three from about the volleyball line, she got into the teeth of the defense for simple assists on multiple occasions, and she recorded several steals on defense. It's early on but Sievers is going to kill the 1A Class over the next 3.5 years. She needs to get a little stronger but other than that, she is in a really good place at this moment.     [player_tooltip player_id='1215765' first='Jocee' last='Walsh'] holds down the painted area for Newell-Fonda. Walsh, a 6'0 PF, has height and the muscle mass to pair along with it to play a really physical game. With that being said, Walsh is light on her toes. She moves really well at her size, being someone that can play inside to out, depending on her team's offensive system. Walsh took up a lot of space and effort against the Saints. She was a hooper that they had to worry about crashing the glass or else she would have had 30 points at halftime. Walsh also did a fantastic job of showing up on the defense to close this one out. She got a block on a three point attempt with about 15 seconds left as they were up 3 and then she saved her own block to secure the rebound for the Mustangs. They then got fouled, they went down the floor to the free throw line, ultimately knocking them down to lock in the W. This was a major play that directly impacted the outcome of this battle.

Last night the #1 St. Albert Saintes welcomed in the #3 Newell-Fonda Mustang for a re-match of the 1A State Title game from one year ago. Newell-Fonda started this one on top as the Saintes couldn't find the bottom of the bucket for a good amount of time. When they did, it become a battle. Both teams went back and forth, with the Mustangs leading the entire first half and going into half-time up 7.