St. Michael-Albertville and Buffalo Girls Square off For Section 8-4A Crown, State Tournament Bid

 It’s hard to downplay a conference championship. But, when you’re playing someone you know you’re going to meet again, sometimes it’s best not to tip your hand.

That was the philosophy used by St. Michael-Albertville girls’ basketball coach Kent Hamre, as the Knights fell to Buffalo on the Bison’s home court Feb. 22.

“Both teams weren’t putting everything out there. It was more of a feeling out, where are you know kind of thing,” Hamre said. “We just ended up on the short end of it.”

Hamre’s squad has been waiting for tonight’s Section 8-4A final, as the Knights and Bison meet again with a lot more on the line at St. John’s University in Collegeville.

“If you asked everyone, this is what they thought would happen. So I guess the experts got this one right. These are the two best teams in our section,” Hamre said.

Except, it almost didn’t happen.

STMA trailed Elk River by six points at the half of the section semifinal last weekend. The Elks were taking advantage of a STMA team that looked flat.

“There was a little bit of emotion, but then we calmed down and the girls kind of looked focused. They knew they hadn’t put their best foot forward in that first half, and the tone changed right away in the second half on our first possession. We moved the ball, got a good look and got to the free-throw line,” Hamre said.
The result? The Knights dominated the second half and ran away with an 11-point win.

“Coach just reminded us that this could be it. And was that really the way we wanted it to end,” said senior forward Jina Schoenborn. “We  have the ability to buckle down when we need to.”

For six seniors, including Schoenborn, it’s a familiar position. They’ve been here three years in a row now. Schoenborn has had huge games in Collegeville.

“I don’t know what it is. We’ve been in a lot of pressure situations, and I think I just like the excitement of that kind of situation,” she said.

Normally, Schoenborn’s efforts don’t always show up in the box score. She’s often tabbed to defend the other team’s top scorer. And she’s all hustle, Hamre added.

“I take a lot of pride in that. I’m not someone who is going to have all the scoring and the stats, but I can help my team in other ways,” she said.

For senior Jessie Van Wyhe, beating Buffalo comes down to winning the transition game.

“We both like to get out on the break. We have to slow theirs down, defensively. I think that’s what hurt against Elk River. They were getting too many open shots. We need to focus on our game. We’ve played big games like this before, and that’s going to help.”

The Bison have a good inside/outside game with Kendra Wycoff at guard and three posts who can score.

For the Knights, it’s crucial Christine Thorn has recovered from the flu (she missed practice Monday), and Carlyn Anderson’s knee, which she tweaked against Elk River, holds up tonight.

“It’s going to just come down to heart. Who has the drive at the end? We know each other so well. It’s a matter of which team wants to go to state more,” Schoenborn said. “This is the game we’ve been hoping for all season.”

 IF YOU GO

What: Knights vs. Bison, Section 8-4A girls' basketball championship

Where: St. John's University, Collegeville

When: 8 p.m. Friday

Why: To cheer on the Knights as they look to return to Minneapolis for the State 4A Tournament.