Girls’ Basketball Senior Night

February 21

Ladies and gentlemen, introducing the largest senior class in the history of high school basketball . .

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[The day began with my first chance to walk the entire length of the driveway without having to traverse a dreaded stretch of ice!]

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[Last regular season home game v. the Willmar Cardinals, the 2nd place team in the conference.  The JV took care of business.]

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[Coach Kohler talks about her seniors.]

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[And here they are, lining up for individual introductions.]

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[Each chaperoned by a teammate who will have to return to school next year.  First up, Emma Ziegler . . .]

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[And folks . . . ]

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[Next Kendall Kohler . . . ]

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[Sarah Frederick . . . ]

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[Macy Hatlestad . . . ]

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[Kelby Olson-Rodel . . . ]

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[Maggie Slagle . . . ]

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[Kiyana Miller . . . ]

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[Kara Thomson . . . ]

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[Lauren Stockmoe . . . ]

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[Elise Stockmoe . . . ]

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[Kayla Feldhake . . . ]

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[Gabrielle Palmer . . . ]

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[Abby Pohlen (volleyballer) . . . ]

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[Syri Williams (trackster).]

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[SMILE!  Congratulations to all – this class won at least 20 games every year and made the section finals every year.]

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[I have no idea what they’re chanting . . . ]

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[Kayla captures the opening tip.]

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[But it became clear early on . . . ]

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[This was not going to be the Alex Cardinals night . . . ]

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[Too much pre-game celebrating?]

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[Had already clinched the conference championship?]

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[Had already clinched a No.1 seed?  The halftime score . . . I shall pursue this no further.]

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OK, even the Lynx can have an off night.  The good news is the Cards finished the regular season with a win at St. Cloud Tech.  Their final record is 22 – 4, 15 – 1 in conference, and are the No. 1 seed in the section tournament beginning next Tuesday.  Just a few pointers here for a team that occasionally gets shy about shooting, and who on an off night hardly even look at the basket:

  1.  Even Steph Curry misses over half of his 3-point shot attempts;
  2. Remember that every time you shoot, there are over one billion people in China who don’t care whether it goes in or not (OK, I borrowed that from somewhere);
  3.  There’s always a chance for an offensive rebound;
  4. It’s always better to shoot than to turn the ball over;
  5. If you shoot, the defense has to pay attention to you – which opens other offensive options;
  6. So relax, play loose, and let it fly!  I’ve seen all of you make them in warm-ups!
  7. Don’t pay any attention to the following quote by the Round Mound of Rebound.  If you are open, and it’s within your range, it’s a good shot!

The only difference between a good shot and a bad shot is if it goes in or not.  ~ Charles Barkley

About tomobert63

The Journey Begins Thanks for joining me! This is the follow-up to the original, “alexandriacardinals.wordpress.com,” which overwhelmed the system’s ability to handle it any more. Thus, this is “Part 2.” As the original was initially described: 10-26-07-4 “It all began in a 5,000 watt radio station in Fresno, California” . . . wait a minute, that was Ted Baxter on the Mary Tyler Moore Show! Let’s see . . . oh yeah, it all began in 2003 when retirees, i.e., old people, in Alexandria, Minnesota, who had no desire to become snow birds, went looking for mid-winter entertainment here in the frozen tundra of West Central Minnesota. We discovered girls’ high school hockey, fell in love immediately, and it remains our favorite spectator sport to this day. Initially, and for several years, reports on these games were e-mailed to those who were actually snowbirds but wanted to keep abreast of things “back home.” It was ultimately decided a blog would be more efficient, and it evolved into a personal diary of many things that attracts tens of readers on occasion. It remains a source of personal mental therapy and has yet to elicit any lawsuits. ~ The Editor, May 9, 2014 p.s. The photo border around the blog is the Cardinal girls’ hockey team after just beating Breck for the state championship in 2008. It’s of the all-tournament team. The visible Breck player on the left is Milica McMillen, then an 8th-grader – she is now an All-American for the Gophers. The Roseau player in the stocking cap I believe is Mary Loken, who went on to play for UND; and the Cardinal player on the right, No. 3, is Abby Williams, the player we blame most for making us girls’ hockey fans who went on to play for Bemidji State. *********************************************************************************** Photos contained herein are available for personal use. All you have to do is double click on any of the photos and they will become full screen size. You can then save them into your personal “My Pictures” file. They make lovely parting or hostess gifts, or holiday gifts for such as Uncle Ernie who wants to see how his grand niece is doing on the hockey team. If any are sold for personal profit, however, to, for example, the Audubon Society, National Geographic, Sven’s Home Workshop Monthly, Curling By The Numbers, or the World Wrestling Federation, I only request that you make a donation to the charitable organization of your choice. You have two hours and fifteen minutes. Pencils ready? Begin! **********************************************************************************
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