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Mar. 14—MINNEAPOLIS — That target on the backs of the No. 1 ranked Goodhue girls basketball team, it finally did affect the state's defending champion.
With it — and thanks also to West Central Area's sturdy defense and rebounding Friday —the Wildcats won't be going back-to-back with state Class 1A titles.
No. 4 seed West Central Area, playing in its first state girls basketball tournament in school history, pulled off a sizable upset in the semifinals, downing a cold-shooting Goodhue team 58-50 at Williams Arena.
This was a Wildcats collection that had been ranked No. 1 the entire season and with it felt great expectations.
Those may have gotten the best of them Friday, as also did a West Central Area team that played with the kind of physicality that Goodhue had rarely seen this season, even in its rugged Hiawatha Valley League.
Goodhue had hoped all season to end things by winning the school's fourth state girls basketball championship. That's no longer going to happen. Instead, the 25-6 Wildcats will play for third place at 10 a.m. Saturday at Ganglehoff Center.
"I know the expectations were enormous for this team," Goodhue coach Josh Wieme said. "We've had a lot of success and we expect to win. But that pressure adds up."
Goodhue spent the entire 36 minutes hampered by a difficult shooting performance that was so unlike it. With all kinds of extra defensive attention given by West Central Area toward senior Goodhue star forward Kendyl Lodermeier, most of it in close to the basket, Goodhue had to turn to other sources to score and spots on the floor to score from.
But it never worked out. The Wildcats began with long-distance attempts that didn't hit their mark and also finished that way. For the game, West Central Area's defensive pressure — as well as the internal pressure Goodhue was certainly feeling — left the Wildcats shooting an uncharacteristic 20-for-64 from the field. That included just 2-for-16 on 3-pointers.
Just one game before in the state quarterfinals, the Wildcats rained in 3-pointers, finishing with 12 of them.
But the inability to knock down shots Friday came at a huge cost. The weight of the moment didn't help.
"Winning a state title was a big goal of ours all season," said Lodermeier, who was one of just two Wildcats to finish in double figures with 15 points, Lola Christianson the other with 13. "That was a lot of weight on our shoulders. But I am proud of the way we just stuck together all the way through. We are such a close team. That is what I am most thankful for."
The way the game started — heavily in West Central Area's favor — was foreboding for Goodhue. It provided a glimpse of what was to come. The Knights showed off a dogged defense and a rebounding effort that would finish 42-37 in their favor. Those two things immediately in place, West Central showed it was for real and not about to back down, building a quick 7-2 lead.
Goodhue had its offensive moments as the game unfolded, but not consistent ones. Its vaunted trapping pressure defense did its job, forcing 24 West Central turnovers, 12 in each half.
But that defense alone wasn't enough. Goodhue needed the ball to go through the hoop, but never could consistently establish itself on the offensive end.
Wieme gave plenty of credit to West Central Area.
"Their physicality had a lot to do with our shots not falling," Wieme said. "But we felt we got good shots too, but the way we took them didn't make them a good shot. I think we tightened up with the shots we had."
Playing tight was not an affliction that West Central Area dealt with. The 26-6 Knights showed up loose and free, not expected to beat the state's defending champion.
It was the ideal head space to be in.
"We had nothing to lose today," West Central Area coach Becca Holland said. "But we showed that any team can win on a given day. Nothing was going to stop our girls today."
Goodhue/West Central Area box score
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With it — and thanks also to West Central Area's sturdy defense and rebounding Friday —the Wildcats won't be going back-to-back with state Class 1A titles.
No. 4 seed West Central Area, playing in its first state girls basketball tournament in school history, pulled off a sizable upset in the semifinals, downing a cold-shooting Goodhue team 58-50 at Williams Arena.
This was a Wildcats collection that had been ranked No. 1 the entire season and with it felt great expectations.
Those may have gotten the best of them Friday, as also did a West Central Area team that played with the kind of physicality that Goodhue had rarely seen this season, even in its rugged Hiawatha Valley League.
Goodhue had hoped all season to end things by winning the school's fourth state girls basketball championship. That's no longer going to happen. Instead, the 25-6 Wildcats will play for third place at 10 a.m. Saturday at Ganglehoff Center.
"I know the expectations were enormous for this team," Goodhue coach Josh Wieme said. "We've had a lot of success and we expect to win. But that pressure adds up."
Goodhue spent the entire 36 minutes hampered by a difficult shooting performance that was so unlike it. With all kinds of extra defensive attention given by West Central Area toward senior Goodhue star forward Kendyl Lodermeier, most of it in close to the basket, Goodhue had to turn to other sources to score and spots on the floor to score from.
But it never worked out. The Wildcats began with long-distance attempts that didn't hit their mark and also finished that way. For the game, West Central Area's defensive pressure — as well as the internal pressure Goodhue was certainly feeling — left the Wildcats shooting an uncharacteristic 20-for-64 from the field. That included just 2-for-16 on 3-pointers.
Just one game before in the state quarterfinals, the Wildcats rained in 3-pointers, finishing with 12 of them.
But the inability to knock down shots Friday came at a huge cost. The weight of the moment didn't help.
"Winning a state title was a big goal of ours all season," said Lodermeier, who was one of just two Wildcats to finish in double figures with 15 points, Lola Christianson the other with 13. "That was a lot of weight on our shoulders. But I am proud of the way we just stuck together all the way through. We are such a close team. That is what I am most thankful for."
The way the game started — heavily in West Central Area's favor — was foreboding for Goodhue. It provided a glimpse of what was to come. The Knights showed off a dogged defense and a rebounding effort that would finish 42-37 in their favor. Those two things immediately in place, West Central showed it was for real and not about to back down, building a quick 7-2 lead.
Goodhue had its offensive moments as the game unfolded, but not consistent ones. Its vaunted trapping pressure defense did its job, forcing 24 West Central turnovers, 12 in each half.
But that defense alone wasn't enough. Goodhue needed the ball to go through the hoop, but never could consistently establish itself on the offensive end.
Wieme gave plenty of credit to West Central Area.
"Their physicality had a lot to do with our shots not falling," Wieme said. "But we felt we got good shots too, but the way we took them didn't make them a good shot. I think we tightened up with the shots we had."
Playing tight was not an affliction that West Central Area dealt with. The 26-6 Knights showed up loose and free, not expected to beat the state's defending champion.
It was the ideal head space to be in.
"We had nothing to lose today," West Central Area coach Becca Holland said. "But we showed that any team can win on a given day. Nothing was going to stop our girls today."
Goodhue/West Central Area box score
Continue reading...
