Conference Championship on the Line as St. Michael-Albertville Girls Square off with Buffalo Tuesday Night

Cambridge-Isanti knew it was coming. But there was nothing the Blue Jackets could do to stop the return of the St. Michael-Albertville girls’ basketball team.

In the first half Thursday night, the Knights played with a legitimate chip on their shoulder, upset they had been derailed by Becker two nights before in a 37-35 game that snapped STMA’s 13-game win streak.

Cambridge-Isanti was rolled into the locker room facing a 31-17 deficit. They scored 40 points in the second half, thanks in large part to all-conference standout Whitney Olson, a junior who leads the Mississippi 8 in scoring. But the Knights hung tough, got 37 points of their own, and sent Cambridge home with a 68-57 loss.

The game marked the return of Christine Thorn, who missed Tuesday’s game with a concussion after she hit the deck hard versus Big Lake Thursday, Feb 10.

“It’s tough because you want to come back and play right away, but the trainers were like, no way. Not with those headaches."

Thorn is the team’s leading scorer and poured in 16 Thursday night. She was one of three Knights in double-figures, joining Carlyn Anderson (the team’s second-leading scorer) and Natalie Van Wyhe.

“It’s literally someone different for us every night out there,” said coach Kent Hamre. “The girls practice hard, and they’re a really focused group. They’re loose, and they don’t get too high or too low. But the intensity is always there, even in practice.”

The Knights are doing the little things you have to do to be 14-1 in the Mississippi 8 heading into the last week of the season.

“Jina Schoenborn is doing great work on defense, and she’s one of the tops in the Mississippi 8 on that side of the ball. And I think Natalie is coming around very well. We’ve had seven different people lead us in scoring. Everyone has just stepped into her role well, and that includes the girls who might not get a lot of time in games. They’re practicing hard and making us a better team here on the practice court because they put in the time and the effort.”

The Knights faced some stiff competition early in the season, including a loss to Hastings and a defeat at Minnetonka. But those contests are necessary for success in March, Anderson said.

“We had a chance to see how they work together as a team; how they hustle and they talk on the floor all the time. We want to play as a team, together, they way they do. I think those games showed us where we want to be.”

Thorn agreed, and said that mindset has helped with team chemistry. “We weren’t as close last year,” she said. “I think this year’s group, performing so well together, that’s really helped us. If you look at the year [2008] the Knights won state, they were so good as a team versus individuals. So we take it one game at a time. We enjoy each win, like coach said, until that day is done. Then it’s on to the next game.”

And the next game, of course, is Buffalo.

“We definitely look to that as our biggest rivalry,” Anderson said. “It’s the game I had to be back for. I couldn’t miss it. The first thing I asked after I got hurt is if I’d be back for Buffalo.”

The two teams will battle at the Bison gym at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday night. The Knights will catch Buffalo on the end of a swing that will see them host Zimmerman (tonight), travel to Brainerd (Saturday) and then host St. Michael-Albertville.

“We’ll have to play consistent basketball,” Hamre said. “Whether it’s a big game or a practice, the girls have the same attitude. They go hard.”

The Knights will close the regular season at Monticello Friday, Feb. 25. That will be a tough road game against a solid Magic team.