Portland St. Patrick at Pewamo-Westphalia – – Girls Basketball – – CMAC CoGame of the Week – – The Bleacher Denizen – – December 10, 2021 – – by Chuck Krafft

Tonight, your Bleacher Denizen is off to Pewamo-Westphalia where the Pirates will host the Shamrocks from Portland St. Patrick. Each team has a 3-0 record coming into the game.

Tonight, your Bleacher Denizen was able to get to Westphalia in time to stop at Ox’s market to pick up some chicken jerky and some smoked chicken. Ox’s is just one of many reasons why it’s always fun to do CMAC basketball.

I guess we are calling this the Co-Game of the week because I also did a girls’ game between Fulton and Potterville earlier this week. I’m not sure what the internet Game of the Week naming rules are; I hope my indecisive choice won’t get me in trouble!

Pewamo-Westphalia Coach Steve Eklund gave me this information about his Pirate players. Sierra Schneider protects the paint on defense and is a threat to score near the basket. Jenna Pung is a scoring threat inside or outside. Brooke Kramer has an accurate outside shot with a quick release. She is also a good rebounder from her guard position. Mackenna Weber is a scrappy perimeter defender who is learning the point guard position.

Logan Drake is an active defender. Brynn Bauer is the team’s quickest defender who also brings a strong basketball IQ to the Pirates. Aylah Smith provides long distance shooting. Kierstyn Griesmer is a wing with great length that she uses well on defense.

For St. Patrick, Lydia Meredith is an all-State player who is very athletic and very skilled. She handles the ball well, makes a lot of good decisions and is nearly unstoppable when she slashes to the basket to score or dish the ball to a teammate. Katelyn Russell is a fine outside shooter who is also playing more near the basket this year. Mara Schrauben is a tough defender, rebounder and scorer near the basket who can also hit the three point shot when she is open.

Carly Scheurer, like most of her teammates, is a scrappy defender who keeps the ball moving on offense. Natalee Teachworth is an athletic inside player who provides great interior defense, a lot of rebounding and can score a lot on putbacks. Ellayna Meredith is a ball of energy whose defense is a real problem for opponents.

When I got to the gym it was halftime of the JV game. At the time, P-W had a 19-14 lead. St. Patrick came back in the third quarter to take a 27-24 lead going into the fourth quarter. They won the game 36-29. Caroline Hengesbach had 8 points to lead Pewamo-Westphalia and Brynn Bauer had 7 points. Sophia Schrauben paced St. Patrick with 10 points and Mattie Honsowitz supported her with 9 points.

It is now time to review the varsity game through the cloudy eyes of an aging Bleacher Denizen who was never able to escape church league in the medieval days when he attempted to play basketball. After he disrupted a practice by attempting to put glue on the practice sneakers of someone whose playing time was coveted in an attempt to move up, the coach suggested he find another pastime. Alas. Sometimes things just don’t work out.

Pewamo-Westphalia (hereafter referred to as P-W to save stress on your aging Bleacher Denizen’s fingers) wins the opening tap. Lydia Meredith steals the ball for the Shamrocks and hits a fast break layup to score the game’s first points. P-W misses a fast break layup. St. Patrick (a Shamrock player, not the saint himself) misses a layup. Ellayna Meredith hits the floor to steal the ball for the Shamrocks. St. Patrick is whistled for a traveling violation. Carly Scheurer knocks the ball away from P-W and Lydia Meredith picks it up for St. Patrick.

St. Patrick misses a ten foot shot in the lane. Lydia Meredith steals the ball for the Shamrocks. Sierra Schneider blocks a St. Patrick shots; the Shamrocks recover the ball. St. Patrick misses a layup. Lydia Meredith steals the ball and hits a layup for the Shamrocks. Jenna Pung passes to Brooke Kramer, who hits a three point shot from the corner for the Pirates. Mara Schrauben is fouled on a layup and hits one of her two free throws. With 5:10 to play in the first quarter, St. Patrick (the team, not the saint) has a 5-3 lead.

Natalee Teachworth steals the ball for the Shamrocks. St. Patrick turns the ball over. Pewamo-Westphalia launches a threeball from the side and the ball ends of wedged between the rim and the basket. Before your heroic Bleacher Denizen can dash from the stands to save the day, someone else manages to knock the ball down. (THEY NEVER ASK ME!!!!!!) The Possession Arrow consults an array of experts and decides to award the ball to St. Patrick. Katelyn Russell inbounds the ball to Natalee Teachworth, who hits a layup to give St. Patrick a 7-3 lead.

Brooke Spitzley is fouled and makes two free throws for P-W. Logan Drake blocks a Shamrock layup. Lydia Meredith steals a Pirate bounce pass. Lydia Meredith passes to Natalee Teachworth, who hits a layup and is fouled, but misses her free throw. With 3:09 remaining in the first quarter, ST. Patrick has a 9-5 lead.

P-W misses a three point shot from the side. Lydia Meredith is fouled on a driving layup and hits one of her two free throws for St. Patrick. Natalee Teachworth knocks the ball away from P-W; there is a scrum on the floor and the ball is finally tied up. The Possession Arrow decides to give the ball to P-W. P-W misses a threeball from the wing; Logan Drake hits a outback to shave the Shamrock lead to 10-7.

St. Patrick bounces a pass through the lane and out of bounds. Rylee Scheurer knocks a Pirate pass out of bounds; P-W retains possession. Carly Scheurer taps the ball away from P-W and causes a tie up. The Possession Arrow notes her excellent hustle and agrees with its committee that St. Patrick deserves the ball. Brooke Spitzley knocks the ball away from St. Patrick, but the Shamrocks are able to recover. Mara Schrauben drives the lane and scoops in a layup for the Shamrocks. Sierra Schneider hits a layup and is fouled. She misses her free throw. With 1:13 to play in the first quarter, St. Patrick’s lead is at 12-9.

Carly Scheurer passes to Natalee Teachworth, who hits a five foot shot from the baseline for St. Patrick. P-W misses a threeball from the corner. Mackenna Weber gets the offensive rebound for the Pirates. P-W misses a layup; Lydia Meredith blocks a Pirate putback. Natalee Teachworth steals the ball for the Shamrocks. St. Patrick misfires on a triple try from the side. Natalee Teachworth knocks the ball away from P-W and Lydia Meredith picks it up for St. Patrick. The first quarter sounds before St. Patrick is able to shoot.

After one quarter Portland St. Patrick has a 14-9 lead.

P-W inbounds the ball to get the second quarter off and running. P-W misses a fourteen foot shot in the lane. Addison Scheurer drives and dishes the ball to Natalee Teachworth, who hits a layup for St. Patrick. Katelyn Russell knocks the ball away from P-W, but the Pirates recover. P-W misses a jumper and two putbacks before Jenna Pung hits a putback to trim the Shamrock lead to 16-11.

St. Patrick misses a jump shot. P-W misses a three point shot from the top of the key. The rebound goes out of bounds and the Shamrocks take the ball. St. Patrick misses an eight foot baseline runner. Natalee Teachworth is fouled on a putback and hits one of her two free throws to give her Shamrocks a 17-11 lead with 5:58 to play in the first half.

Ellayna Meredith steals the ball and passes to Katelyn Russell, who drains a threeball from the wing for St. Patrick. Natalee Teachworth knocks the ball away from P-W and Katelyn Russell grabs it for St. Patrick. Brooke Kramer blocks a Shamrock layup. P-W misses a layup. St. Patrick is whistled for a traveling violation. Katelyn Russell knocks the ball away from P-W and Ellayna Meredith grabs it for the Shamrocks. Jenna Pung blocks a Shamrock layup.

Katelyn Russell steals a pass from the Pirates. St. Patrick misses a layup. Lydia Meredith grabs the offensive rebound for the Shamrocks. St. Patrick misses a layup. The rebound is tied up and the Possession Arrow’s committee awards the ball back to the Shamrocks. St. Patrick misses a layup. P-W reciprocates and misses a layup. Brooke Kramer knocks the ball away from the Shamrocks, but St. Patrick is able to recover. St. Patrick misses a threeball from the wing; the rebound goes out and P-W gets the ball. P-W is whistled for an offensive foul.

The Shamrocks miss a driving layup. The rebound is tied up and the Possession Arrow reviews hours of film and the rule book to determine that P-W shall have the ball. Lydia Meredith blocks a Pirate layup; the ball goes out of bounds and the Pirates get it back. Mackenna Weber inbounds the ball to Jenna Pung, who hits a layup for P-W. Katelyn Russell passes the ball to Mara Schrauben, who is fouled on a layup and hits one of her two free throws to give St. Patrick a 21-13 lead with 2:28 to play in the first half.

Brooke Kramer passes to Sierra Schneider, who hits a layup for the Pirates. Jenna Pung steals the ball for P-W. Katelyn Russell’s tight defense forces a Pirate traveling violation. Addison Scheurer passes to Natalee Teachworth who is fouled as she drives for a layup. She hits one of two shots of her one and one free throw opportunity to give St. Patrick a 22-15 lead with 1:51 left on the first half clock.

P-W loses a pass out of bounds. Brooke Kramer blocks a Shamrock ten footer from the baseline. The ball goes out of bounds and St. Patrick gets it back. St. Patrick misses a layup. Lydia Meredith hits a putback for St. Patrick. Mackenna Weber is fouled and hits one of two free throws in a one and one opportunity for P-W. Mackenna Webber gets the offensive rebound for the Pirates. P-W is fouled, but misses the first shot of a one and one free throw opportunity. With 1:00 to play in the half, the Shamrock lead remains at 24-16.

Jenna Pung gets the offensive rebound for the Shamrocks. P-W turns the ball over. St. Patrick misses a fifteen footer form the baseline. Mackenna Weber is fouled and hits one of her two free throws to the Pirates. St. Patrick misses a runner. Mara Schrauben hits a putback for St. Patrick. P-W misses a halftime buzzer heave.

At halftime, St. Patrick has a 26-17 lead.

Jenna Pung and Sierra Schneider each have 4 points to lead Pewamo-Westphalia at halftime.

For St. Patrick, Natalee Teachworth has 10 points, Lydia Meredith has 7 points and Mara Schrauben has 6 points.

St. Patrick has the ball to start off the third quarter. Carly Scheurer passes to Mara Schrauben, who pivots and hits a layup for the Shamrocks. P-W misses a twelve foot shot from the baseline and fouls on the rebound. St. Patrick misses a five foot shot from the baseline. Lydia Meredith hits a putback for the Shamrocks. Mara Schrauben steals the ball for the Shamrocks. Lydia Meredith is fouled on a fast break layup and hits one of her two free throws to boost St. Patrick to a 31-17 lead with 6:13 to play in the third quarter.

Lydia Meredith steals the ball for the Shamrocks. Logan Drake blocks a Shamrock fast break layup. The ball goes out of bounds and St. Patrick gets another opportunity. Katelyn Russell inbounds the ball to Lydia Meredith, who hits a layup for St. Patrick. P-W misfires on a triple try from the side. Jenna Pung gets the offensive rebound for the Pirates. P-W misses a three point shot from the side. Mackenna Weber gets the offensive rebound for the Pirates. P-W misses a three pointer from the side; the rebound goes out of bounds and St. Patrick gets the ball.

The Shamrocks miss a jump shot from the free throw line; P-W fouls on the rebound. Mackenna Weber steals the ball for P-W. P-W misses a ten foot shot from the side. St. Patrick blocks a putback. (Alas, your aging Bleacher Denizen could not takes notes fast enough to credit the Shamrock Shotblocker.) (HMMM – – is this a possible new name for the best Shamrock Shotblocker??? The possibilities are amazing!!) Mackenna Weber hits the ball to tie up the ball. The Possession Arrow finally becomes assertive and quickly makes the obvious decision to award the ball to P-W. P-W is fouled on a driving runner, but misses two free throws. With 4:11 to play in the quarter, the Shamrock lead is at 33-17.

St. Patrick throws a pass out of bounds. Ellayna Meredith steals the Pirate inbound pass. Ellayna Meredith passes to Katelyn Russell, who hits a reverse layup for St. Patrick. Mackenna Webber is fouled on a driving shot and hits one of her two free throws to trim the Shamrock lead to 35-18 with 3:28 to go in the third quarter.

The rebound goes out of bounds and P-W gets the ball back. Katelyn Russell and Natalee Teachworth tip the ball out of bounds; P-W retains possession. Jenna Pung passes to Brynn Bauer, who hits a layup for the Pirates. St. Patrick misses a layup. P-W misses a sixteen foot shot from the side. Jenna Pung gets the offensive rebound for P-W. P-W misses a layup; the rebound is tied up and the Possession Arrow is decisive again; the ball is awarded to St. Patrick. Lydia Meredith passes the ball to Natalee Teachworth, who hits a layup to give the Shamrocks a 37-20 lead.

Brooke Spitzley passes to Brynn Bauer, who hits a layup for P-W. Makenna Weber steals the ball for P-W. The Pirates miss a threeball from the side. Brooke Spitzley is fouled on a putback and hits two free throws to trim the Shamrock lead to 37-24 with 1:34 left in the quarter.

Brynn Bauer steals the ball and hits a fast break layup for P-W. Mackenna Webber knocks the ball away from the Shamrocks and Brooke Spitzley picks it up for the Pirates. P-W misses a layup. Lydia Meredith hits a hook/layup for P-W. Brynn Bauer passes to Logan Drake, who hits a layup for P-W. Carly Scheurer passes to a teammate who is fouled on a layup, but misses her free throws. Mara Schrauben gets the offensive rebound for the Shamrocks. Rylee Scheurer makes an alert save to prevent a Shamrock turnover. St. Patrick misses a ten foot shot in the lane at the buzzer.

After three quarters, St. Patrick has a 39-28 lead.

P-W throws the ball in bounds to get the fourth quarter underway. P-W misses a threeball from the wing. The rebound goes out of bounds and St. Patrick takes possession. Carly Scheurer bounces a pass to Natalee Teachworth, who spins and hits a layup for St. Patrick. Lydia Meredith steals the ball for the Shamrocks. Mara Schrauben is fouled on a layup and hits free throws to boost the Shamrock lead to 43-28 with 7:01 remaining in the game.

P-W misses a three point shot from the wing. Brooke Spitzley steals the ball for the Pirates. Mara Schrauben partially blocks a P-W shot; the resulting lose ball is tied up. The Possession Arrow decrees that the Shamrocks shall have the ball. St. Patrick loses a pass out. Sierra Schneider is fouled and makes one of two free throws in a one and one opportunity to trim the Shamrock lead to 43-29 with 6:08 left on the clock.

St. Patrick misses a ten foot shot from the side. The rebound is tied up and the Possession Arrow awards the ball to P-W. Natalee Teachworth knocks the ball away from P-W and Mara Schrauben picks it up for St. Patrick. St. Patrick misses a fast break layup. Natalee Teachworth gets the offensive rebound for St. Patrick. The Shamrocks misfire on a three point shot from the wing. P-W misses a driving reverse layup. St. Patrick runs its offense for over a minute before Lydia Meredith is fouled and makes one of two free throws in a one and one to push the Shamrock lead to 44-29 with 3:00 to play in the game.

Brooke Spitzley is fouled and hits one of her two free throws for the Pirates. St. Patrick misses a layup. Lydia Meredith steals the ball for St. Patrick. Brooke Spitzley blocks a St. Patrick layup; the ball goes out of bounds and St. Patrick gets the ball back. Jenna Pung knocks a Shamrock pass out of bounds; St. Patrick retains possession. Addison Scheurer is fouled and makes one of her two free throws in a one and one. With 1:45 to go, St. Patrick has a 45-30 lead.

The rebound from the missed free throw goes out of bounds and P-W takes possession. P-W misses a driving layup. St. Patrick misses a layup. Lydia Meredith steals the ball and is fouled. She makes one of two free throws with 20.3 seconds left in the game. P-W misses a ten foot shot from the side. St. Patrick dribbles out the clock.

St. Patrick wins the game 46-30 to stay undefeated.

Brynn Bauer was the leading scorer for Pewamo-Westphalia with 6 points. Brooke Spitzley and Sierra Schneider each scored 5 points. Jenna Pung and Logan Drake each added 4 points. Mackenna Weber and Brooke Kramer each put in 3 points.

Lydia Meredith led the victorious Shamrocks with 16 points. Natalee Teachworth supported her with 14 points. Mara Schrauben joined her teammates in double figures with 10 points. Katelyn Russell scored 5 points. Addison Scheurer tallied 1 point.